09 Oct / The Winter of the Cartoonist by Paco Roca, translated by Andrea Rosenberg [in Booklist]
In a book about rebels, reading against the presented order is highly recommended. Eisner-nominated Paco Roca (The House, 2019) is part of the Spanish graphic novel elite, already awarded virtually all the Spanish honors, and this is the work he’s “always wanted to create”: both an homage to and exposé of Editorial Bruguera, Spain’s legendary comics publisher that owned its artists – and all their work.
In 1957, five major cartoonists chose defection from Bruguera’s control. For a difficult yet glorious year, the quintet created a thrilling new magazine, Tio Vio, until reality forced four of the rebels back into Bruguera’s clutches. To begin at the end is to gather the background – cultural context, short biographies of the vast cast – that further elevates and illuminates Roca’s graphic history, deftly translated into English by Andrea Rosenberg.
That titular winter in 1958, presented in panels of colder blue background, is repeatedly interrupted by warm brown and reddish backgrounds as artists plot their creative escape. Page after page, Roca excels at show-don’t-tell, keeping dialogue to a minimum, deftly relying on detailed expressions to radiate hope, frustration, determination, and, of course, rebellion.
Review: “Graphic Novels,” Booklist, September 1, 2020
Readers: Adult
Published: 2020