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Nobrow 17 x 23
Fish
Milo is twelve. The summer after his parents were involved in a fatal accident, Milo's struggle with grief threatens to overwhelm him. He sees death everywhere. When a missing girl is found drowned, Milo thinks that seeing her will finally lift the veil of the great unknown. A moving parable in comic form, this unflinching coming-of-age story is the American debut of one of Europe's finest young cartoonists. Bianca Bagnarelli was born in Milan, Italy. She is a graphic author and small press publisher. In 2010 Bagnarelli founded Delebile, which releases short comics by young artists.
40 pages, Comic
First published October 14, 2014
3 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Bianca Bagnarelli
19 books14 followersBianca Bagnarelli is a artist, author, illustrator and cartoonist from Bologna, Italy, and the author of Fish, from Nobrow (Gold medal of the Society of Illustrator for best short story, 2015). In 2010 she founded Delebile, a small independent label that publishes short comic stories by italian and foreign artists.She won the Nuove Strade award for outstanding new talent.
Selected illustration clients: The New York Times, Mondadori, Piemme, Vice Magazine, Cicada Magazine.
Selected illustration clients: The New York Times, Mondadori, Piemme, Vice Magazine, Cicada Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 8, 2015
Twenty-four pages of childhood angst, dead fish, shades of mauve, and the gloom of corporeality.
July 25, 2018
Come si può scrivere una storia di sole 24 pagine e raccontare il dolore, la solitudine e l'adolescenza? Bianca Bagnarelli si conferma una grande narratrice per immagini. Sa cogliere i gesti minimi, le atmosfere, i dettagli e renderli simboli di un portato interiore. Splendido!
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February 6, 2016"Fish" by Bianca Bagnarelli from Milan, Italy, has been published as part of Nobrow's 17x23 series, a series of shorts by comics writer/artists who are considered to be in the early-in-their-career zone. It is Nobrow's hope to perchance launch these artists into a greater public recognition.
This is the first book in the series I've read and look forward to checking out more. I found "Fish" to be a story I don't necessarily like, but it is intriguingly told.
It starts off with Milo, a twelve year old boy who's parents died in a car crash the previous summer, walking alone through a lonely-feeling town. Kind of over-manicured and chilly (though not in weather.) He looks lonely, and a bit depressed, and he isn't interested in being around other people. As we soon learn, his interactions with people are uneasy at best.
We follow him through a visit with his cousins, and a trip to the beach, and see him try to make sense of death -- the death of his parents, and also death as a fact. He seems fascinated and horrified by the strange, incomprehensible fragility of the human body (and bodies in general.)
There is something poetic in the story's telling, and there are formal and narrative repetitions that leave the story feeling more rich and complex, so that it lingers in the mind after the book is closed.
There is also something a bit coarse about the story. We get floating dead fish; bloated, beachy death; we get vomit. Which makes sense in a book about an almost-teenage kid processing death and loss. I'm not sure I understand why Bagnarelli made a few of the choices she did in terms of language (that to me make it sound childish in a way that sounds forced and unequal to the rest of the story). But all in all I think it's a beautiful piece of writing and the art is quite good.
At least one of the goodreads reviewers I read has a problem with the color scheme. It is a little overwhelmed with purple. I didn't mind it but I am not sure what the intent is and I though the art is quite good in certain ways (posture in particular), I sometimes feel there is something lacking.
One thing I keep thinking about is the sort of off-rhyme repetition of the images on the first and final pages. On the first page we see Milo in his red shorts walking away from us and on the final page we see his grandfather walking away from us in his red shorts. Be curious to hear others' thoughts on it.
This is the first book in the series I've read and look forward to checking out more. I found "Fish" to be a story I don't necessarily like, but it is intriguingly told.
It starts off with Milo, a twelve year old boy who's parents died in a car crash the previous summer, walking alone through a lonely-feeling town. Kind of over-manicured and chilly (though not in weather.) He looks lonely, and a bit depressed, and he isn't interested in being around other people. As we soon learn, his interactions with people are uneasy at best.
We follow him through a visit with his cousins, and a trip to the beach, and see him try to make sense of death -- the death of his parents, and also death as a fact. He seems fascinated and horrified by the strange, incomprehensible fragility of the human body (and bodies in general.)
There is something poetic in the story's telling, and there are formal and narrative repetitions that leave the story feeling more rich and complex, so that it lingers in the mind after the book is closed.
There is also something a bit coarse about the story. We get floating dead fish; bloated, beachy death; we get vomit. Which makes sense in a book about an almost-teenage kid processing death and loss. I'm not sure I understand why Bagnarelli made a few of the choices she did in terms of language (that to me make it sound childish in a way that sounds forced and unequal to the rest of the story). But all in all I think it's a beautiful piece of writing and the art is quite good.
At least one of the goodreads reviewers I read has a problem with the color scheme. It is a little overwhelmed with purple. I didn't mind it but I am not sure what the intent is and I though the art is quite good in certain ways (posture in particular), I sometimes feel there is something lacking.
One thing I keep thinking about is the sort of off-rhyme repetition of the images on the first and final pages. On the first page we see Milo in his red shorts walking away from us and on the final page we see his grandfather walking away from us in his red shorts. Be curious to hear others' thoughts on it.
October 15, 2014
Wow! Not what I was expecting. A very deep, dark and depressing tale of death and the accompanying feelings of grief and fear. The story's main character is a 12yo boy and his cousin but this is not a children's book by any means. The comic has adult language and themes. The story doesn't have a plot but follows a boy whose parents died a year ago in a car crash over the course of a few hours. He is most likely depressed and has thoughts of what dying must feel like. Not having been allowed to see his parents when they were found two weeks later washed ashore has had an effect on him. But now when a missing girl washes up he rushes to take a look and the ending causes some thought. The art is simple and unpretentious with a cold colour palette of blue violets that fill the air with the chill of death. Only certain types of readers will appreciate this melancholy tale.
July 23, 2014
I had to do some research and make sure that this book was really short, and not just a preview. It’s definitely a visual short story, a brief fragile glimpse into the life of a boy who has not come to terms with the tragic death of his parents. You are briefly introduced to his life, and in an earlier panel he is helping cook dinner with his cousins, and they discuss cleaning shrimp:
Cousin: Rip off it’s head...
Milo: What’s that brown string?
Cousin: It’s Intestine, See it goes from the head to the tail...
Milo: Do we also have one continuous shit-string that goes from our mouth to ass?
He learns later of another tragedy and sees first hand how insignificant humans can be against nature. He then has this epiphany:
I would impart on Milo a little Calvin & Hobbes advice:
In all aspects it was an odd book. It was so very short that you could feel empathy toward Milo and his present situation, but the book pacing did not lead to any substantial character development or even a glimpse into how the rest of the family is coping. I also wonder about the art of translation. I feel like I have an easier time liking different themes that appear in manga/manhua graphic novels than some European ones, I've read recently. I wonder if some meanings get lost in translation or am I just choosing some ambiguous creations (and while that can be a good thing--sometimes, it is frustrating that the book is over before it feels as if it had begun).
Ah! The art, the art while it was visually appealing, and fit the storyline was finished too soon.
Thanks for the ARC!
Cousin: Rip off it’s head...
Milo: What’s that brown string?
Cousin: It’s Intestine, See it goes from the head to the tail...
Milo: Do we also have one continuous shit-string that goes from our mouth to ass?
He learns later of another tragedy and sees first hand how insignificant humans can be against nature. He then has this epiphany:
We may not have one continuous string that connects our mouth or our ass, but at the end of the day, we’re all just full of shit. ... Does it scare me?
I would impart on Milo a little Calvin & Hobbes advice:
In all aspects it was an odd book. It was so very short that you could feel empathy toward Milo and his present situation, but the book pacing did not lead to any substantial character development or even a glimpse into how the rest of the family is coping. I also wonder about the art of translation. I feel like I have an easier time liking different themes that appear in manga/manhua graphic novels than some European ones, I've read recently. I wonder if some meanings get lost in translation or am I just choosing some ambiguous creations (and while that can be a good thing--sometimes, it is frustrating that the book is over before it feels as if it had begun).
Ah! The art, the art while it was visually appealing, and fit the storyline was finished too soon.
Thanks for the ARC!
February 11, 2015
Fish is part of Nobrow's 17x23 series, a series of shorts by up and coming comics writer/artists, so it is intentionally short. does this cut off the common urge to say "I wanted more" at the end of the book if the reader knows they are not supposed to get more? for this reader, the answer is no. I ALWAYS WANT MORE if the comic is as beautiful and emotional as this. which makes me wonder what I want from a short story and what makes a short story comic differ from a short story in prose. which is a digression - this is a short about a twelve year old who is depressed because his parents are dead. it's at a moment where that depression collides with a seaside death during his seaside summer. I have already written too much for such a short book, it is beautiful and sad and has a great ending so if you're interested in it you should just read it.
March 25, 2020
Can ya tell that I am now reaching the stage where I am reading short ass books to meet my booktubeathon challenges?
This graphic short story is so calming and haunting. It's definitely one of my favorites from Nobrow's 17x23-series. I highly appreciate how Bianca Bagnarelli treated the theme of loss and grief in so few pages. That's art in itself. (July 29, 2017)
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I have read this multiple times because I really like the colors and how the story overall was quite calming. Need to re-read it soon. (October 7, 2015)
This graphic short story is so calming and haunting. It's definitely one of my favorites from Nobrow's 17x23-series. I highly appreciate how Bianca Bagnarelli treated the theme of loss and grief in so few pages. That's art in itself. (July 29, 2017)
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I have read this multiple times because I really like the colors and how the story overall was quite calming. Need to re-read it soon. (October 7, 2015)
June 30, 2015
3.5 stars for the story. 5 stars for the art.
Can I just talk about the art for a second? It's everything I've been looking for in a graphic novel. It's so good on so many levels. I want Bianca Bagnarelli to release more graphic novels.
Can I just talk about the art for a second? It's everything I've been looking for in a graphic novel. It's so good on so many levels. I want Bianca Bagnarelli to release more graphic novels.
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January 9, 2015At only 24 pages, Fish by Bianca Bagnarelli is definitely one of the shortest books I read in 2014. It is a graphic novel--well, more like a graphic short story--about a twelve-year-old boy named Milo whose parents died in a car crash and were later found washed ashore. When a girl is found drowned, Milo thinks seeing her will help give the closure he never had.
This is a quiet and melancholy story, with lovely artwork, but the brevity of the story means Fish feels more like a glimpse than the entire thing. The short format is intended to introduce readers to new authors, and while it accomplished that, I did want more depth and time from Bagnarelli's book to make it feel complete. For me, Fish was just too brief, but it did provide a good reminder that I should pick up more graphic novels in the future.
This is a quiet and melancholy story, with lovely artwork, but the brevity of the story means Fish feels more like a glimpse than the entire thing. The short format is intended to introduce readers to new authors, and while it accomplished that, I did want more depth and time from Bagnarelli's book to make it feel complete. For me, Fish was just too brief, but it did provide a good reminder that I should pick up more graphic novels in the future.
July 3, 2019
Ambitious but frustrating. I know this was part of a short series of authors writing a very short story, but I could've used a little bit more context clues in the setting. There were plenty of frames that could've done this, but were repetitive instead of revealing. To contain such a big story in such a small amount of pages, I felt they could have been more efficient with imagery. Still I'm interested in seeing what else the artist makes.
November 14, 2017
A full story in a nutshell. Kinda like those Japanese small full grown trees. Love the art and how it made me feel the sadness with every stroke
August 17, 2018
3.5 stars.
Didn’t love this, but the art was very good.
Didn’t love this, but the art was very good.
September 26, 2020
Too melancholy for me.
May 10, 2017
The illustrations and the palette is lovely but it's hard to feel a deep connection to the characters and understand their abstract ideas/epiphanies with so little pages. I wish it were longer
July 26, 2018
Mourning takes time. ALthough the intensity of your feelings may lessen over time...
August 17, 2019
Beautiful illustrations & deep metaphors.
It is telling the story of a boy trying to cope the death of his parents.
Really short, but a good example for me of a ‘finished work’.
It is telling the story of a boy trying to cope the death of his parents.
Really short, but a good example for me of a ‘finished work’.
June 21, 2021
Short and emotional. I really enjoyed the art style.
January 26, 2022
It was very good and interesting I liked it. The main character is challenged but in a way that makes u think :D
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March 6, 2021It was pretty but I think the story is way too short to make an impact. I was really excited for this one but it didn't really make a massive impact on me unfortunately.
December 3, 2023
Okay artwork but too short for context.
October 14, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
A part of Nobrow's 17×23 series (a smaller, shorter format designed to introduce new authors), Fish is the type of story that is quite uniquely suited as a discussion tool between parent and child about grief and loss. Sparsely told, read in minutes, but to really understand the depth takes a lot of exploration over time. It's an emotive rather than reactive meditation that is over very quickly at 24 pages.
Story: Milo lost his parents to the river in a tragic accident. He's unable to come to terms with the fragility of life, especially since death is all around him: a school of dead fish in the river, dead flowers on the dinner table, beheading shrimp in order to eat them. They all add up to Milo's questioning of his world and how it was so suddenly disrupted.
Fish is a very raw story that isn't about growth or resolution. It's about the moment, the searching for meaning and understanding in a random event. There are subtle clues in the art throughout the story highlighting Milo's confusion: he passes a decorative skull on a wall, dead leaves on the ground by a nicked plant bed, a sawed off tree trunk in the background.... You won't notice them at first but each reread underscores the precision and need for each panel.
The art is appropriately clean and infused with an appropriately sunset-themed palette. The skill is apparent - there is a quiet serenity in the art that belies the emotional turmoil within. Milo's loneliness is underscored by a sparsely populated French Riviera and inability to connect with his friends/relatives.
Due to the brevity and subject matter, this is the type of graphic novel you read if you want to feel something afterwards - to create an inner dialogue. But if you are looking for an adventure or require resolution in your stories, you'll likely be disappointed by Fish. It's very much a story of one day in the now.
Reviewed from an ARC.
December 29, 2014
Bianca Bagnarelli is an Italian artist who was born in Milan. Recipient of multiple awards, she founded a small independent label that publishes short comic stories by Italian and foreign artists. I’m pleased that I’ve discovered her work through Nobrow Press. Unfortunately, many of these works — such as Fish by Bianca Bagnarelli — are easily overlooked because they are short, quiet graphic novels that touch on the small, but significant, moments of life. In fact, Fish is only about thirty pages long, so it would be better described as a graphic short story than as a graphic novel... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
June 10, 2014
I am sure there is supposed to be some deep meaning here, but this just wasn't for me. This was an ARC so maybe, just maybe, there is a version longer than 24 pages coming out? One other tiny thing... The publisher has it listed as ages 10 and up, but then later says Grade 9 and up. Profanity does not bother me at all, but the some of the language is on the level of an R rated movie, so the age thing threw me a bit. Just an FYI if you were looking to add this to your collection :)
October 6, 2015
The cover got me and then so did the little blurb on the inside flap. These books in this series look like little gems. I cant wait to get stuck into them.
A quick read but a good read.
I think its one if those books that you'll get more out of it everytime you read it.
I loved the illustrations and colour pallet used.
Will definitely read this one again.
A quick read but a good read.
I think its one if those books that you'll get more out of it everytime you read it.
I loved the illustrations and colour pallet used.
Will definitely read this one again.
October 10, 2016
A brief—less than 20 pages—look at grief featuring a young protagonist whose parents died in a car accident. Milo can't help to see death everywhere now: dead fish floating on the river and his dinner plate, wilted flowers, etc. The reader can only hope that facing the body of the dead girl at the beach will give him the catharsis he needs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2014
Brilliant in its sparseness and intimacy. Extreme framing angles within the panels emphasize Milo's alienation as he grapples with his parents' death. Ordinary activities, like having a meal with his grandparents and cousins is, for this grieving boy, a struggle.
June 21, 2015
Beautifully illustrated, beautifully written, but...it just ends. I didn't feel like there was any real resolution to the story at all. This is why short stories so often leave me feeling perplexed...
July 31, 2014
this one was okay. I wanted it to be better, I didn't get much out of it.
November 15, 2014
Some have called this comic a short story, but read it as more of a vignette than a developed series of events. It's brevity underscores it's mood more than anything.
November 28, 2014
I just didn't get it. The illustrations were nice but the story seemed lacking in depth. Also, not ideal for younger children (who it may have been useful for) due to the swearing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews