Apocatastasis: Redefining Tropes of the Apocalypse in Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's Signal to Noise.

Abstract

This article closely analyses the comic Signal to Noise; arguing that this text redefines common tropes and symbols of the apocalypse (clock, sundial, bible, skeleton and so forth) in order to depict the apocalypse as an ongoing, static state. It examines the effects of this redefinition, specifically considering the depiction of time as cyclical and the denial of reality. By redefining the end of the world as cyclical, personal, and (in many senses) apocryphal, Signal to Noise rewrites the notion of the apocalypse in postmodern terms. The article argues that the comics medium is essential in achieving this. It demonstrates this by discussing the interplay between word and image; the effect of the comic’s individuality of style (collages and abstract art; together with poetry and stream-of-consciousness language); the role of the alterity created by the aesthetic of the comics medium (where everything is overtly stylised/false); and the notion of non-linear time as epitomised by the comic book page.