John Black’s Body: A Story in Pictures by Ben Martin is not a wordless novel. It consists of 48 pictures and 403 words. Published in 1939, at the start of WW2, it is a satirical (and cynical) look at war, politicians, and the common soldier.
Not much is known about Ben Martin (any information is appreciated and will be given a credit line). He was apparently born in 1911 in Oakland, California and settled his family in Orange County. In 1938 he ran for the Democratic nomination (unsuccessfully) and later wrote about his experience in The Atlantic Monthly. The few articles about (or by him) display a wry humour but with a point.
In addition to John Black’s Body he also had published two other, almost wordless stories (but not covered here):
- 1940 Mr. Smith and Mr. Schmidt: A Story in Pictures; The Vanguard Press, New York
- 1940 Alfred; Simon and Schuster New York
John Black’s Body is included in the “Not-Quite” section of this site. The dust jacket, in referencing “48 pictures and 403 words” is a clear nod to the wordless novel genre similar to Gibbings’ publications.
A few words about The Vanguard Press founded in 1926; it published titles throughout the 1920s and 30s on communist and socialist theory and other left-of-center topics, which is consistent with this book. Its ambition was to introduce works that were otherwise unpublishable by more mainstream presses, and at affordable prices (as per Wikipedia).