The Sculptor

The Sculptor is a 2015 graphic novel by American author and illustrator Scott Mccloud. Set in modern-day New York City, it follows David Smith, a sculptor in his mid-twenties who, while on the brink of defeat after personal tragedies and financial losses, is visited by Death. Death strikes David a deal: he accepts a death sentence in exactly two hundred days in exchange for the ability to sculpt anything of which he can dream. David’s new ability, and his newfound appreciation for life, introduces tragedy when he falls in love with an actor, Meg. Existential, the graphic novel interrogates what it means to be an artist and to live a balanced and meaningful life.

At the beginning of The Sculptor, David Smith is at rock bottom. Most of his family have died premature deaths, and his artistic benefactor has ditched him, leaving him penniless in New York City. One day, while wallowing in despair, David is visited by a ghost resembling his deceased uncle, Harry. The ghost introduces himself as Death and offers him the power to sculpt anything he wants if he agrees to give up his life in two hundred days. David accepts, and Death tells him that he will receive his power at sunrise. When Death leaves, David is swallowed by a flash mob demonstration. One woman with angel wings approaches David, giving him some encouraging words.

That evening, David meets his friend Ollie at his art gallery. There, he meets an artistic director Penelope Hammer, who offers him her help. He also meets Ollie’s boyfriend, the well-connected artist Finn Tanaka. Afterward, David accompanies Ollie to a party. David overhears Finn talking about taking advantage of Ollie. David also sees many of the people from the flash mob. The woman who played the angel, Meg, apologizes to him for using him as the subject in their flash mob, which was set up to create a viral video. David walks home alone, humiliated that he thought his conversation with Death was real. However, at sunrise, he discovers that he has gained the ability to sculpt anything with his hands.



The following month, David is well on his way to becoming a famous sculptor. He has filled his apartment with dozens of works and is preparing to show them off at the party he is hosting. The guests arrive, including several art critics; however, the critics rate the sculptures poorly. That evening, one of the heavier sculptures falls through the floor, resulting in his eviction. He walks the streets of the city, homeless, for a few days, before trying to kill himself. Just in time, Meg finds him and takes him to her home. David contacts Ollie and learns about a gallery opening. He creates some new sculptures and enters into the running to show them.

Shortly after Meg and her boyfriend break up, she begins to date David. During the holiday season, David learns that he was rejected for the new gallery opening, but that Finn made the cut. Accusing Ollie of rigging the system, he ends their friendship, knowing, at the same time, he has only 120 days left to live. Meg suffers a depressive episode lasting several weeks, during which David destroys one of Finn’s sculptures with his powers. Meg recovers, and David decides to stop trying so hard to get his sculptures accepted into galleries. His new strategy is to build sculptures in public places around the city under the cloak of night.

He soon becomes infamous for his anonymous work, but it results in police attention. His secret identity complicates his relationship with Meg. David breaks up with Meg over a trivial issue in order to lessen the emotional impact of his death; however, he is unable to forget her. Meg visits him and discloses that she is pregnant, asking whether he will return to her and start a family.



Finally, David reveals his deal with Death. Though distraught, Meg decides to stay with him for the last twelve days. Four days from his death, Ollie finds him and apologizes for his behavior. He connects him to Penelope Hammer, who tells him that one of her colleagues has been searching for him for months, hoping to buy and show his art.

With three days remaining, David meets Death again. Death reveals that his appearance is intended as a diversion: Meg is set to die that same day. David rushes to save Meg, but he is waylaid by the police. A truck fatally strikes Meg just before he finds her. He sulks into the subway tunnels to grieve, where Death exhorts him not to give in and commit suicide. That night, David builds a final sculpture in a construction site. The police find and surround him, but he continues working. At dawn, a sniper shoots him, causing him to fall from the side of the half-constructed building. His life flashes before him; then, he hits the ground and dies instantly. The sculpture is revealed as a huge sculpture of Meg and the child they never had. The ending of The Sculptor suggests that it is better to live a life of vibrancy and creativity than to succumb to its inevitable tragedies.