chalk trace, by Miguelanxo Prado

Cover of "Traço de Giz", by Miguelanxo Prado, published in Brazil by Editora Pipoca and Naquim
Cover of “Traço de Giz”, by Miguelanxo Prado, published in Brazil by Editora Pipoca e Naquim. Photo: Disclosure.

What is it: the most awarded comic in the history of Spain. Originally released in 1992, chalk trace is one of Miguelanxo Prado's most representative achievements and a classic of European comics. It was awarded the prize for Best Foreign Album at the Angoulême Festival, Best Album at the Barcelona Comics Salon and nominated for the Eisner and Harvey Awards. Now the Publisher Popcorn & Nanjing brings chalk trace to Brazil.

Synopsis: “Raul was sailing on the high seas when he was hit by a storm, which left his boat adrift and took him to an islet that is not on any map. A peaceful setting with only two inhabitants, an inn, an old deactivated lighthouse and a wall with strange messages. But Raul's vessel is not the only one moored at the pier and soon he meets the beautiful and mysterious Ana, to whom he is immediately attracted. However, as the days progress, Raul finds himself uncomfortable in his attempts to understand some local absurdities: what is the purpose of an inn without customers in the middle of nowhere? Why are there so many dead seagulls? Who is Ana? And why do they say that the arrival of a third vessel on the island means the harbinger of tragedy?”

Comment: “He has a darn charm for the light, for the effect that light has on bodies, on surfaces, on materials. But not only about that kind of effect, but also about how people are impressed, how they feel. One thing he is very delicate, that he is very good at, is in the exchange of glances, in the small gestures.”, comments Alexandre Linck, from the channel Comics in the Gutter.

 

Sunnyby Taiyo Matsumoto

National Comic Book Day. Cover of "Sunny", by Taiyo Matsumoto, published in Brazil by Editora Devir
Cover of the first volume of “Sunny”, by Taiyo Matsumoto, published in Brazil by Editora Devir. Photo: Disclosure.

What is it: Sunny is one of Taiyo Matsumoto's most personal works. It portrays the life of a group of orphaned teenagers, their insecurities, revolts and feelings of abandonment. The style used by Matsumoto in this series marks a new phase for the artist. Sunny, in Brazil, will have 3 volumes. In 2021, the publisher Devir – under the Tsuru label – will publish the second of them, the first of which is now available.

Synopsis: “The characters in this story dream and give free rein to their imagination inside an old mustard-colored car, which they call Sunny. The boys' innocent optimism and camaraderie belies the melancholy underlying the narrative, reflecting the author's own personal experience growing up in foster families.

Comment: “In addition to the fact that he represents a point far outside the curve of the traditional manga style, a rare case of a Japanese artist and narrator who suffered strong contamination from European schools, he has a very impressive ability to create affective relationships between characters”, analyzes Rafael Coutinho, author of measure e The Teenage Kiss, in conversation with Ramon Vitral.

 

The Desert War, by Enrique Breccia

National Comic Book Day. Cover of "A Guerra do Deserto", by Enrique Breccia, published in Brazil by Editora Veneta. Photo: Disclosure.
Cover of “A Guerra do Deserto”, by Enrique Breccia, published in Brazil by Editora Veneta. Photo: Disclosure.

What is it: a comic about the extermination of indigenous peoples in 19th century Argentina; Veneta launches the work in January 2021. In it, Enrique Breccia brings together narratives about a defining moment in his country: the emergence of Martín Fierro, a national hero, and the unfolding war of extermination against the indigenous population that made Argentina a “white” country. Enrique Breccia is the son of the comic book artist. Alberto Breach; he began his career in the 1960s by collaborating with his father on the designs of the book Che – the last days of a national hero, with script of Héctor German Oesterheld.

Synopsis: “The book is a dive into 70th century Argentina, when the government undertook a crusade against indigenous populations in order to free up land for grazing – the export of meat was already becoming an important economic activity in the country. Originally published in the XNUMXs, in the Italian magazine Linus, the stories gathered in this book deal with the clashes between gauchos and indigenous people in the dispute over the Argentine pampas, but also portray human dramas in Emiliano Zapata's Mexico, and the struggle of the Algerian people against French colonization. .”

O preface of the book was released by Editora Veneta, check here how it complements Breccia's drawings.

 

Honorable mention

Guardians of the Louvreby Jiro Taniguchi

What is it: commissioned by the Louvre, Taniguchi worked on the manga after spending a month at the museum in May 2013. Prior to that, in 2011, Jiro was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, a decoration awarded by the French Ministry of Culture. Four years later, he was honored at the Angoulême Festival with an exhibition of a scale never seen before in Europe. Taniguchi passed away in 2017, leaving a legacy that spans nearly four decades of ninth art productions. Although Guardians of the Louvre is not a new release, it is a good tip for those who like comics and are longing to travel and visit museums abroad.

Synopsis: “After a tour of Europe, a Japanese artist stops in Paris alone, with the intention of visiting the city's museums. But, bedridden in his hotel due to a fever, he faces the suffering of absolute loneliness in a foreign land, deprived of any resources or family support. When the fever subsides a little, he starts his walks and soon gets lost in the monumental rooms of the Louvre. There, he discovers many facets of the art world, on a journey that oscillates between fevered hallucinations and reality. He finds himself talking to famous painters from different periods of history, always guided by the… Guardians of the Louvre”.

Comment: “It is a story to be consumed little by little, to be tasted, paying attention to the nuances”, notes Thiago Ferreira, from the channel Comix Zone.

 


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