‘Bad ideas’, by Carlota Juncosa
‘Bad Ideas’ is a curious documentary story about graffiti and urban street art. A personal style was already perceived in Juncosa’s first work, ‘Carmen de Mairena. An attempt at a biography’, and although ‘Bad ideas’ is his third work, it is the first to be presented in 100% graphic format. In ‘Bad Ideas’ the author uses two resources to shape the story: on the one hand, interviews, and on the other, her personal experience in Barcelona in the 90s. Both paths allow for reflection and provide quite fun memories for the most illustrious graffiti artists; and for the layman, a walk full of very juicy knowledge.
Against it, an inconspicuous drawing, reminiscent of Liv Strömquist and that may scare away the most prejudiced. In favor, a sense of humor and an ability to make accessible a topic that could be dry, which is appreciated and leaves us attentive to future projects. 7.5.
‘Holy lack’, by Cecilia Vårhed
It is fair to recognize La Granja Editorial for this first publication by the Swedish Cecilia Vårhed. Among other things, for the audacity of portraying a new generation full of sensibilities. Without autobiographical overtones, it captures how a group of friends interact, how they wander in the social and sentimental sphere, where individual experiences become collective ones.
‘Holy lack’ tells us about failed appointments and procrastination, about a certain dependency between colleagues. Among the characters, an expert in citing podcasts and sports brands without being the least bit interested in sports. A freak on the internet who says that throwing away food “gives her glamour.” A polyamorous lover who decrees what is feminist and what is not. And Amor, the protagonist, a twenty-something who is looking for work and has just broken up with her boyfriend. With humor and nostalgia, we witness absurd situations and others that cause shame in others.
The connection, in terms of narrative spark, with Simon Hanselmann is inevitable, without reaching its high voltage. And as for the color palette, with the recent ‘Fungirl’ by Elizabeth Pich. But its winning card is undoubtedly its graphic potential: the use of the exaggerated body deformations of its protagonists, the psychedelic landscapes, the light in precise frames and the references to manga turn ‘Holy lack’ into blessed grace. 8.
‘En wake’, by Ana Penyas
The Valencian Ana Penyas, 2018 National Comic Award winner for ‘We’re all fine’ – for the first time awarded to a woman after 11 previous male entries – seeks to answer in this new installment a question that always haunts us: What keeps us up at night?
Close to an episode of ‘Investigation Team’ by Glória Serra, the author discusses job insecurity, digital hyperconnection, economic inequalities and of course the consumption of barbiturates by today’s society. Far from a yellow press headline, ‘En wake’ addresses all these problems with few texts and subtle vignettes, because the image is worth a thousand words. Thus avoiding the overload of testimonies, keeping the reader connected to the story.
Penyas’ work is structured in six nights and one day. In between, two silent pages show us how our ancestors or different social strata slept. The visual representations of the characters demonstrate a millimetric mastery of the medium, while at the same time innovating and evolving with respect to his previous work ‘Everything under the sun’. The use of dark tones gives it a unique point, and the dreamlike moments serve to unleash the author’s experimentation and creativity. 8.2.
