Epilogue

BOOK REVIEW

EPILOGUE

Author: Pablo Velarde From the reader report by: Jan Surmann

By his graphic novel Epílogo, the recognized and award-winning comics artist Pablo Velarde pursues a crucial topic of Spain´s society of today in an exciting and compelling way: that is coping with the Franco era. Velarde succeeds with this in a particularly sensitive way, as the hook he uses is locating this socio-political debate within a family context. In the process, the author takes the reader with him on an emotional roller coaster ride which is deeply characterised by the point of view of the main protagonist and from which one becomes disentangled only at the end of the story, thus regaining a more objective view at the family history. In this context, the passed on family myths are metaphors of the social amnesia of the post-Franco era as well as of the question of how social narratives are passed on but also manipulated. Remarkable in this context is the author´s skilfulness when he makes also the reader becoming entangled with this spider web. Thus, the debate on the interpretational sovereignty over historic periods may be considered the crucial leitmotif, which is why the topical location of this graphic novel is definitely of universal interest.

In terms of style, the design of the graphic novel Epílogo is very appealing. The hardcover underlines the claim to high quality. The drawings are frequently in black and white, and their symbolic language is very appealing to this reviewer. […] The artistic expression is strong and is even underlined by the sometimes long sequences without any text at all.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS DE

NUEVO NUEVE EDITORES

Title EPILOGUE EPÍLOGO

Author Pablo Velarde Genre Comic Pages 240

ISBN 978-84-17989-00-2 Year of publication 2019 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 28.00 €

Author’s biography: Sevilla, 1963. An ex architect who has been doodling since he was little and started publishing his doodles in 1994. Over the last 25 years he was mainly written and drawn humor series, and he has made his living illustrating books and magazines (in particular “El Jueves”), doing advertising work for the movies and for anyone who wanted to pay for his scrawls. Epilogue is not his first work outside the field of humor, but it is so far his most personal work. www.facebook.com/judas.cartoonist

Synopsis: It is 1984. The fascist regime of General Franco ended less than nine years ago. The Spanish democracy is a young one. Rodrigo Mendoza, arts and culture reporter for the Liberación newspaper, is the son of one of the head honchos of the old regime. His father, José Mendoza, was for many years the head of the department of censorship and propaganda. But, while covering a photography show, Rodrigo discovers an image that turns most of everything he had believed so far upside down. Is it possible his father had a hidden second life?

Publisher: Nuevo Nueve Editores Specialising in graphic novels, comic, illustration, and children’s story books.

Publishing rights available from: Nuevo Nueve Editores - CIF B88382684 Juan Álvarez de Mendizábal 25, local Dcha, Madrid, Madrid www.nuevonueve.com Contact: Ricardo Esteban Plaza [ricardo@nuevonueve.com] [rodolfo@nuevonueve.com]

Phone: (+34) 639 337 347

Prizes and reviews: Second Place in the National Comics Price, Spain 2020.