With Every Turn of the Maze

"With Every Turn of the Maze" Ketubah (click to enlarge)

Noah and Molly were married in a labyrinth on Bainbridge Island in Washington — and their ketubah places the couple and their vows between two curving paths reminiscent of that labyrinth. The labyrinth was designed and built by Jeffrey Bale, and is made of large and small stones in various configurations; the papercut ketubah was created by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik and mirrors those configurations, but rather than stones it is made of cut-up comic books and an old book about puzzles and games.

hotos of the Jeffrey Bale labyrinth on Bainbridge Island

Imagine the various items peeking through the openings of the papercut as “things in a bag,” gathered together to mark their marriage (a custom developed by Rachel Adler) — but later, by the artist. They are representations of Noah and Molly as a couple but also as individuals who have chosen to pursue a path together. Within the paths of the papercut labyrinth are mazes, toys, books, numbers, words and phrases — all with meanings (some more obscure than others) that embody their journey to marriage as well as their continuing journeys.

Detail from ketubah (click to enlarge)

The comic books that make up this ketubah feature heroes that represent the couple, notably John Constantine and Wonder Woman. The places they’ve been, the things they’ve done... all within. Many of the comics used feature weddings, and the words “I love you” in a small heart-shaped stone at the bottom come from a June 2017 issue of Jessica Jones.

Detail from ketubah (click to enlarge)

And after deciphering the myriad elements included in the ketubah, there’s one more puzzle: the artist has provided all of the cut-out paper pieces in a jar for Noah and Molly, should they ever want to attempt to put them together in their original arrangement.

The ketubah includes:

Batman #50 (Sep 2018) – wedding issue
Claws #2 (Nov 2006)
Fairest #10 (Feb 2013)
Hellblazer #10 (Oct 1988), #103 (Jul 1996), #231 (Jun 2007), #275 (Mar 2011) – wedding issue, #22 (Apr 2015)
Jessica Jones #7 (Jun 2017) – “I love you”
Luke Cage, Power Man #17 (Feb 1973) – Stan Lee’s Soapbox with “vow”
Marvel Rising: Omega (Nov 2018) – pinball cover
Richie Rich Fortunes #37 (Nov 1977)
Runaways #15 (June 2006)
Star Wars #39 (Sep 1980)
The Thing #2 (Feb 2006), #8 (Aug 2006) – bar mitzvah issue
Walt Disney Chip ’N’ Dale #30 (1974)
X-Men #51 (Aug 2012) – wedding issue
X-Statix #23 (Jul 2004)