Faceless People

The illustrations of Jimmy Corrigan provide a depth beyond what text alone can contribute, and Chris Ware understands the significance these visuals can attain if used correctly. Therefore, while there are a number of themes that are brought up through the text of the novel, the visuals provide their own themes as well. A reoccurring visual theme in Jimmy Corrigan is the lack of faces that most of the characters in the book have. Often the characters' heads are turned to block their face from the view of the reader. Just about all of the non-Corrigan characters in the novel block their faces, while even some of the Corrigan characters, like Jimmy's mom, never show what they look like. There are some exceptions, like the doctor who sees Jimmy after he gets hit by the truck or his grandfather's redheaded girlfriend, but for the most part, all non-Corrigans are never revealed.

A perfect example of a faceless character is the nurse who sees Jimmy right before the doctor visits him. Jimmy clearly lusts for her, he might even call it love, and yet someone who he attaches that much emotion to is never even seen by the reader. She gets five whole pages devoted to her before disappearing from Jimmy's world forever, completely unrecognizable. She is not blocked for any character flaw she has; in fact, she is one of the most kind and understanding people to Jimmy in the entire novel, as shown in the page where he drops his bottle of urine on the ground and she cleans it up cheerfully. So if not for coldness or cruelty, why does a character lose her identity in Jimmy's world?

A number of reasons could explain the lack of faces throughout the novel. The blocked faces in the novel are of people who pass through Jimmy's life without making any further connections to him. Jimmy's mom is Jimmy's mom and serves no other connection to anyone else he knows, just as the nurse is only his nurse and has no other tie to him. His father, on the other hand, knows Jimmy's grandfather, his mother, his half-sister, and has rooted himself significantly into the relationships in Jimmy's life. Those who do not establish deeper connections within Jimmy’s life are simply faceless people who could be anyone to him. 

Jimmy is childlike in just about every way, which could also explain why the reader never sees many of the characters’ faces. He is looking up to grown adults and does not see himself as their equal, so he must look away. Their lack of a face creates a gap between their emotional maturities and Jimmy’s.

The visuals of Jimmy Corrigan highlight some of the character traits of Jimmy that text alone cannot as effectively convey. The faceless characters in the novel create a separation between the adult world and Jimmy’s world, just as there was a clear separation between the nurse’s intentions and Jimmy’s desires.