Write Letter Encouragement

Slower than Federica (Federica is my turtle), but I think eventually I'll get to catch up with the revision to my reading backward. That are not only American and French but also English, eh? (And Japanese, but it will later.) And not to entertain more and start with good cheer and optimism, the first thing I say is that Sex, Love and pistachios (Astiberri, 2010) should be the work that finally put in place Boldú Ramón. That is, just now, the site that Ramon could not take Boldú never throughout his career and that, however, at this point rightful. I refer to the site of grand old man of English contemporary graphic novel, which has come naturally with a sense the exquisite opportunity after years of silently producing his autobiographical pages, which is drawing with spontaneity and naturalness long before anyone knew the name of Joann Sfar. The successful recovery of his work has been carried out in recent years Astiberri (read first Bohemian but abstemious then The art of raising mauve and finally that concerns us here) reminds us that can be done adult contemporary comic with a voice and a style of its own, not merely imitative of foreign models, and can treat a comic autobiography. Sex, Love and pistachios shows Boldú repertoire which has accustomed us in his earlier works and adds a more deliberate reflection, a capacity for more nuanced and serene autobiography. Laughter is a book that must be taken very seriously, so much that deserved a national award this year's comics. But I fear that the jury will operate as a most solemn options other titles.

best comic made here is that it can be done here comic, pun intended. A comic that we understand, close, speaking to us with words, characters, our feelings and scenarios. That is for Sex, Love and pistachios , as does the other work which would give national award that happy if my hand were: past Rice Volume 1 (Reservoir Books, 2010), Juanjo Sáez. Rice past is a comic atypical because it is actually a compilation of the scripts, drawn in comic strip form, which Juan gave the production company responsible for the conduct of the television series Arròs Covaticas. And it's a comic book author unusual because, under its own function industrial, ends up being a collective work, there are episodes drawn by Gabi Corbera, and all color is Vanessa Cabrera, without losing the least that his intense personality juanjosaeciana. The former does not greatly affect the reading. Occasionally one finds an indication for the animators, a suggestion of movement, for example, a commentary on the music-and perhaps at times the pace is affected by the easement to a television story, but in general the comic reads as such forgetting his relationship with the screen. And the funny thing is that, in fact, is more comic comics Juanjo Sáez has published so far. In his previous titles always included many texts to link their stories fragmentary, while this time is facing a classic story, based exclusively on the drawing and text circumscribed by the bullet. In that sense, the TV series is originally developed resources to translate the language of comics to animation are truly amazing and brilliant-but the comic reaches higher degrees of intensity. Not in vain we are facing almost 800 pages, which are said soon. And not to become too long and not get lost in the thousand ideas suggested by this cartoon, I'll just mention just one: an episode cartoon ligerita 13-minute turns taken the paper in about 100 pages. And there is another way to Juanjo Sáez count everything you own in each episode without 'cheating' (ie, without resorting to the text as a shortcut). Is it about the comic, when it leaves the conventional formula: You need space to tell something . In 22 or 48 pages that include it. Even in the last 800 of Rice whole life, just life, it is complete, the overflowed and spilled outside, the bursts. But he sees his pulse and taste. The book is inflated because the content is BIG.

Moving from rice to last Themselves (Reservoir Books, 2011), Joaquin Reyes, is the most natural thing in the world. Both live in adjacent rooms, and even the Kings said in the preface that "it is as a book of Juanjo Sáez, but well drawn." In a matter of drawing, Reyes remembers me especially Juaco Vizuete-no when it's cartoons, but when you their stuff, and also in the use of color and space, which is the first of the compliments that I will to do. The next is that, without being self buff or fan Muchachada Posthumor or follower of the cocktail sauce, and thus escape me the circumstances of many of the characters portrayed in this book, I laughed a lot with this reading. Because Joaquin Reyes, beyond its modernity, is an old school comic, folksy, simple and looking-even through the shocking "humor with laughter, the tinkling of their public happiness, rather than exhibitionism of genius which is accessed via password. The absurd humor was not invented yesterday, they are asked to Tip y Coll, and rarismo has never been an excuse for not being funny. Reyes is honest, knows and works for that reward. As indicated Uncle berni, the key to these strips is as simple as his own presentation. From the moment the caricatured character comes with its own name, redundant sign next to the header, and is not self-affirmation but a kind of empty and repetitive as it seems to deny their own sense-that is, it's like when one says "Hi, I'm Keanu Reeves" was actually saying course it is not , "if not, what need would have to say? - we entered a frenzied game of disorientation that can break, literally anywhere.

Very good.

Another thing is already Chico and Rita (Nonsense, 2010), by Javier Mariscal Fernando Trueba. A book that has some points of contact with the past Rice Juanjo Sáez, indeed. First, because it is a sequel to an animated production for the screen, in this case that of cinema. Second, because there is a relationship between Sáez evil and Mariscal, something like the Sorcerer's Apprentice and Master Wizard. Sáez marshal who admires, and rightly appears as a character in last Rice , become more of an entity in a designer, in a kind of Mediterranean seudowarhol. And Chico and Rita is the kind of product that could pack man-industry talent, but from the street and lost in the multicultural world of the rich liberals to Trueba, who is going to Cuba to drink mojitos and listen to music and brought back a few drops of distilled cultural rum which color our gray lives of urban drones. All very chic, but rather contrived and far from reality, as the word chic today. The thing is that the Chico book and Rita is graphically beautiful, but soft, and the love story that counts is topical, but that should not be an obstacle to enjoy the movie, because, as my friend pointed out, comics most importantly lack of it: music. I guess because I have not seen. And all the onomatopoeia of the world can not replace the real sounds. For the few years that we are already reading comics, this Chico and Rita inevitably we have to remember the Valencian school of the eighties. I wonder if this would be the kind of book that would be produced today Daniel Torres, Sento and other names Cairo if that had not collapsed and had continued to work with continuity in comics over the past 20 years. But above all, above all, what gives me more morbidity of this comic is wondering if Juanjo Sáez end up doing things like Chico and Rita in twenty years.

Another English comic that gives me mixed feelings: Comedy an act (Dolmen, 2010) Max Vento, the third installment of the series "Actor contender." Vento has been improving with each book, and in this domain shows a more than worthy of their comic powers. Write, can draw, you know tell, and above all, for my taste, can write dialogue and keep the pace with a wonderful talent. However, I have a problem with one-act comedy : I have no very clear what I want to say. Say you need some strength to the story, something snaps on to the characters, some drama to the set. Tone is everything in a restrained and elegant than I like, but I love it. Or put another way: I love how it tells, but I like it so much that counts. Yet. Because I have the hope that Max will give Vento jump in any time and will do a comic really nasty . And then sure I'll enjoy to the fullest.

For further information:

Special interview with Ramon Boldú in entrecomics.

Arròs Covaticas online.

Vento's Blog Max and Max Vento interview by Borja Crespo guiadelcomic.