Successfully telling a story without words, even through a comics medium dominated by images, is a difficult undertaking. That Peter Kuper pulls it off should come as no surprise to those familiar with his icon-dominated syndicated strip Eye Of The Beholder, but the degree of success with which he manipulates images into a meticulously intertwined narrative just might. Set in a vibrant, dangerous incarnation of New York, The System—originally a three-part miniseries collected here for the first time—provides both social commentary and an illustration of the six degrees of separation theory. Strippers, tycoons, homeless people and cab drivers brush together unconsciously, unknowingly affecting each other's lives and the mounting drama surrounding them. Reading for story alone doesn't take too long, but readers will want to take the time to examine each frame: Kuper's command of connections—social, political and visual—is astounding, and he produces an unforgettable overall image of a world affected by the slightest motion of each of its inhabitants.