From drawing to words and vice versa: creation and metalanguage in the never-ending story by Carlos Bribián Luna
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_ondina/ond.20251011870Abstract
This article examines the graphic novel La Historia Sin Fin (2024) by Carlos Bribián Luna as a visual and conceptual reinterpretation of Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story, exploring the metafictional implications of artistic creation within graphic language. Originating as an art exhibition and later developed into a self-published digital edition, the work presents a nearly wordless narrative where the image becomes central to storytelling. Through a comparative analysis with The Arrival by Shaun Tan (2006) and Frans Masereel’s (1919) wordless woodcut novels, the study highlights Bribián’s aesthetic choice to prioritize ambiguity, contemplation, and sensory experience. The analysis argues that Bribián graphically transposes Ende’s creative tension between intuition and writing, inverting the process: while Ende’s narrative uses words to shape fantasy, Bribián lets images generate meaning.
This hybrid form does not replace the original novel but acts as a parallel narrative that complements and reactivates it. By merging formal experimentation with the symbolic depth of the original, Bribián reimagines Bastian’s initiatory journey for a contemporary audience, ultimately redefining the reader’s role as an active co-creator of meaning.
Key words: Silent Graphic novel, Metalanguage, Neverending Story, Visual analysis, The Neverending Story.
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References
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