The Chosen One

In ‘The Chosen One’, two stories run in parallel. There is the biblical story of Jacob, who tricks his father into giving him the blessing to which his brother Esau is entitled, and then there is the contemporary story of a man who steals the credit for the work of a colleague and so rapidly advances his career. While Jacob seems to have a certain innocence about him despite his deception, his contemporary counterpart sacrifices others for his own benefit with no qualms at all. Simon Spruyt shows that whereas in biblical times such behaviour might result in God’s blessing, in our own day it doesn’t necessarily lead to a happy life. Or is that merely a matter of perspective?

Spruyt is undoubtedly one of the most versatile of Flemish graphic novelists, and with ‘The Chosen One’ he again exhibits his talent. The biblical story is depicted in cleverly composed scenes painted in colour by hand, whereas the contemporary version is captured in regular comic-strip frames, with highly stylized and digitally coloured drawings. Spruyt uses his palette to add further meaning to his drawings; characters change colour depending on the role they’re playing in the story as a whole. ‘The Chosen One’ presents a critical look at what success can mean, with no shortage of the dark humour that Spruyt has made so much his own, all of which makes it an exceptionally valuable extension to his oeuvre.