I fear, however, that Chris Ware fans tend to let him off the hook too easily by saying that he shouldn’t be judged by the traditional standards of excellence in drawing. Artists excuse him by saying, “well he’s really more of a writer than an artist” and writers excuse him by saying, “well, he’s really more of an artist than a writer.” As a hybrid, he seems to avoid real scrutiny in either category. But as far as I’m concerned, if you choose to use visual images as part of your medium of choice, you have to prepare to be judged.

Yakov, I am not comparing apples and oranges. Try comparing Ware’s “diagrams” with Egyptian hieroglyphs or Chinese calligraphy or a dozen other art forms that marry words and symbols in pictographs. See what you think about how others have solved the same graphic problem. They show that it can be done with grace and style and beautiful design. Otherwise, why not just type your message?

With regards to Chris Ware’s drawing abilities, I would refer anyone to the “Datebook,” which I think is overlooked in your article. This is a sketchbook that contains many drawing styles that aren’t otherwise represented by Ware’s published works.

I would throw my 2 cents in and say that to question Ware’s ability as a “drawer” is besides the point. In numerous articles both by and about Ware, it’s been made clear that Ware uses the drawn page to tell a story, to communicate an emotion. It’s his view that comics is a set of diagrams; he’s even compared reading comics to playing music, in that the reader/musician turns a page of innate figures into gesture, emotion, expression.

I have to say, though, that I do think Ware is a good draughtsman. It’s just that his drawing is so restrained within the conventions of style and design that he has set for hmself that the qualities of freedom and expressive line that we often associate with superior draughsmanship have been submerged beneath the polished surface of the work.

If you look at his control of space, however, the relationships of objects and forms to one another and to the panels they reside in, and in particular to his control of negative space, I think you’ll find he has the eye of an excellent draughtsman. You might say these are issues of design rather than draughtsmanship, but that’s a blurry line, particularly in Ware’s case.

I think your treatment of Ware is a fair one: “a cross between Gasoline Alley, Hergé and the flat pictographic panels of comic-style instructional pamphlets” sounds just about right. You give appropriate credit to Ware’s craftsmanship and productivity without breathlessly fawning over his work the way Salon or the New Yorker do. There seems to be a pitched battle between those who put a premium on form and those who focus on content. You seem to have avoided either extreme. Well done.

Charley, your description of Chris Ware’s work is dead on, the only thing I would add is that Chris is also a remarkable writer, and not just of plots. In fact, Chris is not that concerned about “plot” as much as he is about time, place, and atmosphere. His control of English is remarkable, especially the English spoken in the United States from roughly 1890 to 1930 – the Ragtime through Jazz era. But even his work that is set in modern times has the ear of the era.

Lastly, you mention the pathos of his work, and his humor, but I would add that his recent book, “The Acme Novelty Library”, is the funniest book I have ever read. Don’t miss it.