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Daytripper #1-10
Daytripper
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics (2011)Conozcan a Brás de Oliva Domingos. Hijo milagro de un escritor brasileño mundialmente famoso, Brás pasa sus días escribiendo obituarios y sus noches soñando en convertirse en un autor de renombre... escribiendo el final de la historia de otras personas, cuando la suya apenas comienza.
Pero el día que su vida comience, ¿se dará cuenta? ¿Comienza a los 21 cuando conoce a la chica de sus sueños? ¿O a los 11 cuando recibe su primer beso? ¿O más tarde, cuando nace su primer hijo? ¿O antes, cuando parece encontrar su voz como escritor?
Cada día en la vida de Brás es como la página de un libro. Cada una revela las cosas y la gente que lo han convertido en lo que es: su madre y su padre, su hijo y su mejor amigo, su primer amor y el amor de su vida. Y como todas las grandes historias, cada día tiene un giro inesperado...
En DAYTRIPPER, los gemelos ganadores del premio Eisner, Fabio Moon y Gabriel Bá, cuentan una historia de vida mágica, misteriosa y conmovedora... una evocadora travesía lírica que usa los momentos tranquilos para responder las grandes preguntas.
Pero el día que su vida comience, ¿se dará cuenta? ¿Comienza a los 21 cuando conoce a la chica de sus sueños? ¿O a los 11 cuando recibe su primer beso? ¿O más tarde, cuando nace su primer hijo? ¿O antes, cuando parece encontrar su voz como escritor?
Cada día en la vida de Brás es como la página de un libro. Cada una revela las cosas y la gente que lo han convertido en lo que es: su madre y su padre, su hijo y su mejor amigo, su primer amor y el amor de su vida. Y como todas las grandes historias, cada día tiene un giro inesperado...
En DAYTRIPPER, los gemelos ganadores del premio Eisner, Fabio Moon y Gabriel Bá, cuentan una historia de vida mágica, misteriosa y conmovedora... una evocadora travesía lírica que usa los momentos tranquilos para responder las grandes preguntas.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2011
700 people are currently reading
35393 people want to read
About the author
Fábio Moon
137 books446 followersFábio Moon is a Brazilian comic book artist, the twin brother of Gabriel Bá.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,795 reviews
January 6, 2016
Damn. This is probably the most profound story I've read in at least a couple of years. Comic or otherwise.
Keep in mind that this is a story about stories. About beginnings and endings. These things are close to my heart.
November 12, 2011
Let's get this out of the way up front: Daytripper may be the best graphic novel I've ever had the pleasure to read. Consider yourselves warned.
Perhaps Daytripper's biggest success is that it saves itself from being cliche. All the things that people want to say about it (e.g. "The book is life-affirming" or "The book shows that death is just another part of life") are exactly the kinds of things that could be said about that new movie that you don't want to see, the one that is bound to be an oasis of sentimental schmaltz in the desert of valuable storytelling. Daytripper could have been one more lazy expression of what we all want to believe despite ourselves and despite the present evidence pouring incessantly from every media faucet, namely: that life is worth it.
That's what Daytripper could have been.
Instead, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá actively work to suppress cliche and to reign in formula. At least I imagine that they worked hard at it, because they deliver such a completely compelling work that I have to imagine bloodied sweat staining everything in their vicinity save for the gorgeous art. Daytripper is moving without contrivance or manipulation. And that right there is something.
In trying to pin down the crowning achievement among all Daytripper's perfections, I find myself struggling. There are so many wonderful things about this work that to attempt to elevate one above the others seems juvenile, a task for children who aren't really concerned with absorbing the book for what it is. So then, let's speak broadly.
As mentioned, the art that fills and wraps the book is just wonderful. Through the pen and the brush (tools I imagine have been used here), the creators craft a world that is wholly believable, one that holds as much life as the characters that inhabit it. The set designs are so varied and detailed and appropriate that it becomes easy for the reader to just pass by never considering the time and thought that went into planning these breathing environments. I would recommend all readers take an hour after finishing the book and just flip through the pages and take in the world of Daytripper without the press of narrative or dialogue or exposition or monologue hurrying attention on to What Comes Next. It would be a shame to miss what Moon and Ba have done here.
The degree of life invested in these characters and—specifically—into our protagonist is something special when one considers that we are only given ten short chapters with which to acquaint ourselves with those who comprise the world through which Brás (our protagonist) explores his own life, purpose, and meaning. Well before the final page, Brás feels like a character fully revealed—as if, were the creators to free him from the shackles of the page, an attentive reader might be able to predict the course of his life. Or at least write a believable excursis on one's own. It is to Moon and Bá's credit that I never felt that I had been handed a stereotype or stock character. Both art and writing conspire to build a portrait of an individual in whom the questions of the world populous might be asked.
With all the talk of life-breathing characters and art, it may be inevitable that some mention be given to the life-affirming nature of the work. I am hesitant here only for the fact that I find it may be impossible to, in some small paragraph, describe the nature of the book's accomplishment without resorting to the cliches that Daytripper ably overpowers.
Certainly, the book expresses a rounded philosophy that presents life as something both valuable and worth pursuing. And argues not according to reason or the comparison of premises but by simply presenting the stories of Brás' life. Daytripper asks a single question relentlessly. It demands answer from every moment of life, from the big to the small. What was this life and how shall it, in death, be valued?
Brás is occupied as the writer of obituaries and it is through this peculiar vantage that his own story unfolds. It is established early on that death is a part of life—perhaps largely so that we might get that out of the way and begin exploring what that precipitates in a meaningful way. Through the book's constant return to the obituary, we are able to gradually piece together a philosophy of living, a valuation of lifespans. Moon and Bá present a carefully constructed yet simple meditation on what it means to be us and how life, death, and society conspire to bring meaning to the purposes we may invent for ourselves.
Brás' answer may not be your answer, but respect must be given to his search for and then development of that answer. Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá have done the literate society a boon by allowing us to explore these questions alongside Brás, allowing us to take part in his life while he discovers its directions, purpose, and passions.
This is something I do not do but: I recommend that everyone read this.
[bookclub discussion guide]
[review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
Perhaps Daytripper's biggest success is that it saves itself from being cliche. All the things that people want to say about it (e.g. "The book is life-affirming" or "The book shows that death is just another part of life") are exactly the kinds of things that could be said about that new movie that you don't want to see, the one that is bound to be an oasis of sentimental schmaltz in the desert of valuable storytelling. Daytripper could have been one more lazy expression of what we all want to believe despite ourselves and despite the present evidence pouring incessantly from every media faucet, namely: that life is worth it.
That's what Daytripper could have been.
Instead, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá actively work to suppress cliche and to reign in formula. At least I imagine that they worked hard at it, because they deliver such a completely compelling work that I have to imagine bloodied sweat staining everything in their vicinity save for the gorgeous art. Daytripper is moving without contrivance or manipulation. And that right there is something.
In trying to pin down the crowning achievement among all Daytripper's perfections, I find myself struggling. There are so many wonderful things about this work that to attempt to elevate one above the others seems juvenile, a task for children who aren't really concerned with absorbing the book for what it is. So then, let's speak broadly.
As mentioned, the art that fills and wraps the book is just wonderful. Through the pen and the brush (tools I imagine have been used here), the creators craft a world that is wholly believable, one that holds as much life as the characters that inhabit it. The set designs are so varied and detailed and appropriate that it becomes easy for the reader to just pass by never considering the time and thought that went into planning these breathing environments. I would recommend all readers take an hour after finishing the book and just flip through the pages and take in the world of Daytripper without the press of narrative or dialogue or exposition or monologue hurrying attention on to What Comes Next. It would be a shame to miss what Moon and Ba have done here.
The degree of life invested in these characters and—specifically—into our protagonist is something special when one considers that we are only given ten short chapters with which to acquaint ourselves with those who comprise the world through which Brás (our protagonist) explores his own life, purpose, and meaning. Well before the final page, Brás feels like a character fully revealed—as if, were the creators to free him from the shackles of the page, an attentive reader might be able to predict the course of his life. Or at least write a believable excursis on one's own. It is to Moon and Bá's credit that I never felt that I had been handed a stereotype or stock character. Both art and writing conspire to build a portrait of an individual in whom the questions of the world populous might be asked.
With all the talk of life-breathing characters and art, it may be inevitable that some mention be given to the life-affirming nature of the work. I am hesitant here only for the fact that I find it may be impossible to, in some small paragraph, describe the nature of the book's accomplishment without resorting to the cliches that Daytripper ably overpowers.
Certainly, the book expresses a rounded philosophy that presents life as something both valuable and worth pursuing. And argues not according to reason or the comparison of premises but by simply presenting the stories of Brás' life. Daytripper asks a single question relentlessly. It demands answer from every moment of life, from the big to the small. What was this life and how shall it, in death, be valued?
Brás is occupied as the writer of obituaries and it is through this peculiar vantage that his own story unfolds. It is established early on that death is a part of life—perhaps largely so that we might get that out of the way and begin exploring what that precipitates in a meaningful way. Through the book's constant return to the obituary, we are able to gradually piece together a philosophy of living, a valuation of lifespans. Moon and Bá present a carefully constructed yet simple meditation on what it means to be us and how life, death, and society conspire to bring meaning to the purposes we may invent for ourselves.
Brás' answer may not be your answer, but respect must be given to his search for and then development of that answer. Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá have done the literate society a boon by allowing us to explore these questions alongside Brás, allowing us to take part in his life while he discovers its directions, purpose, and passions.
This is something I do not do but: I recommend that everyone read this.
[bookclub discussion guide]
[review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
July 24, 2012
Not to be mean (or hell, you know, yeah, kind of pretty much to be mean), but I'm not really sure that all these people falling all over themselves over Daytripper have really read enough comics, or enough books, or have lived enough, or have gone outside enough in general.
Wait! Come back! I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.
I mean, I know you've read enough stuff. I know you're a totally great human being. Really, I do; everyone says so.
And it's totally absolutely fine if you like this comic. Or if you love this comic. But for some reason this comic seems to generate a very specific reaction of "oh man, everyone needs to read this, it is unlike/better than all/most other graphic novels I have ever read omg."
And friends, those are dangerous words for this world, in which even on Goodreads, people who really enjoy the hell out of books don't really know where to start with comics. I would really hate for people (the people who love you and listen to your thoughts on things) to start any kind of foray into comics with Daytripper, because you know what they'll say?
"Huh, that was pretty okay. I mean, pretty much exactly like every book of literary fiction ever written, but with pictures. But you know. Okay."
And those people? Those people who really need to let comics into their lives?
They will wander right back out the door and go back to reading prose again without giving comics another thought.
Because, you know, they tried comics once. Liked 'em fine. Got that checked off the list.
And that is WRONG.
Comics are not "fine." They are not "okay." Comics are capable of amazing, wonderful things -- different kinds of narrative, abstraction of narrative, of creating associational relationships between words and pictures that actually REWIRE YOUR BRAIN WHILE YOU READ THEM, to say nothing of all the lovely jaunts they can take into genre and silliness right next to sturm und drang without thinking twice, that you're simply not allowed to do in modern prose.
Comics occupy their own special place in the universe, and shame on you for forgetting.
Folks, as lovely and unassuming as Daytripper is, and as much of a beautiful friggin romp it is through a Photoshop palette, it ain't no classic. It's not doing anything that can't be found in like a hundred thousand other comics, novels, films, TV shows, or Hallmark cards.
I know. I know! You don't believe me now. Right now you're looking at the pretty pictures and thinkin' about life and stuff and oh man, there's like stars and feelings and babies and stuff that made me cry so shut up I love this book forever.
Yeah, but you know, we all thought Titanic deserved Best Picture too.
Daytripper doesn't tell a story that hasn't been told a million times in basically the same way, and it doesn't exploit the medium in a fashion that makes up for the well-worn trails its storytelling follows.
So seriously.
STOP TRYING TO USE IT TO PROVE COMICS ARE GOOD.
Do you love the people you read with? Do you want to inspire them, to challenge them? Do you want to invigorate them with the joys of funnybooks?
Then give them something to melt their brains. Give them the books that made YOU excited about comics. The inroads were different for everybody, but sure as god is my whatever, none of us started reading comics because we looked at a book that was just like every other book we'd read, but with pictures.
We got excited because we were shown something new.
Wait! Come back! I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.
I mean, I know you've read enough stuff. I know you're a totally great human being. Really, I do; everyone says so.
And it's totally absolutely fine if you like this comic. Or if you love this comic. But for some reason this comic seems to generate a very specific reaction of "oh man, everyone needs to read this, it is unlike/better than all/most other graphic novels I have ever read omg."
And friends, those are dangerous words for this world, in which even on Goodreads, people who really enjoy the hell out of books don't really know where to start with comics. I would really hate for people (the people who love you and listen to your thoughts on things) to start any kind of foray into comics with Daytripper, because you know what they'll say?
"Huh, that was pretty okay. I mean, pretty much exactly like every book of literary fiction ever written, but with pictures. But you know. Okay."
And those people? Those people who really need to let comics into their lives?
They will wander right back out the door and go back to reading prose again without giving comics another thought.
Because, you know, they tried comics once. Liked 'em fine. Got that checked off the list.
And that is WRONG.
Comics are not "fine." They are not "okay." Comics are capable of amazing, wonderful things -- different kinds of narrative, abstraction of narrative, of creating associational relationships between words and pictures that actually REWIRE YOUR BRAIN WHILE YOU READ THEM, to say nothing of all the lovely jaunts they can take into genre and silliness right next to sturm und drang without thinking twice, that you're simply not allowed to do in modern prose.
Comics occupy their own special place in the universe, and shame on you for forgetting.
Folks, as lovely and unassuming as Daytripper is, and as much of a beautiful friggin romp it is through a Photoshop palette, it ain't no classic. It's not doing anything that can't be found in like a hundred thousand other comics, novels, films, TV shows, or Hallmark cards.
I know. I know! You don't believe me now. Right now you're looking at the pretty pictures and thinkin' about life and stuff and oh man, there's like stars and feelings and babies and stuff that made me cry so shut up I love this book forever.
Yeah, but you know, we all thought Titanic deserved Best Picture too.
Daytripper doesn't tell a story that hasn't been told a million times in basically the same way, and it doesn't exploit the medium in a fashion that makes up for the well-worn trails its storytelling follows.
So seriously.
STOP TRYING TO USE IT TO PROVE COMICS ARE GOOD.
Do you love the people you read with? Do you want to inspire them, to challenge them? Do you want to invigorate them with the joys of funnybooks?
Then give them something to melt their brains. Give them the books that made YOU excited about comics. The inroads were different for everybody, but sure as god is my whatever, none of us started reading comics because we looked at a book that was just like every other book we'd read, but with pictures.
We got excited because we were shown something new.
August 12, 2015
Life turns on little moments. Moments that you dwell on and play over and over again in your mind in the infinite ways that they could have resolved themselves.
What do you do next? Do you go talk to the girl? Do you walk out of the shop? Could this be one of those pivotal moments?
Twin brothers, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, have crafted a wonderful graphic novel that centers on the life of one man, Bras de Olivias Dominguez. Each issue contains a key segment in Bras’ life and each one ends in his death. Death here isn’t macabre or grizzly, but an outgrowth of the central theme of the book which is that death is central to life and should be accepted not avoided.
Daytripper revels in the ordinary and beautiful, the sad and unexpected and offers a thought provoking glimpse at life.
This is a comic that I could easily recommend to any friend who reads, regardless whether they read comic books or not. It was that profound and enjoyable of a reading experience.
It’s for those who “think” they know what comics can be about. Heh.
As my friend Kat Stark would say, “all of the stars”.
What do you do next? Do you go talk to the girl? Do you walk out of the shop? Could this be one of those pivotal moments?
Twin brothers, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, have crafted a wonderful graphic novel that centers on the life of one man, Bras de Olivias Dominguez. Each issue contains a key segment in Bras’ life and each one ends in his death. Death here isn’t macabre or grizzly, but an outgrowth of the central theme of the book which is that death is central to life and should be accepted not avoided.
Daytripper revels in the ordinary and beautiful, the sad and unexpected and offers a thought provoking glimpse at life.
This is a comic that I could easily recommend to any friend who reads, regardless whether they read comic books or not. It was that profound and enjoyable of a reading experience.
It’s for those who “think” they know what comics can be about. Heh.
As my friend Kat Stark would say, “all of the stars”.
June 16, 2023
A nicely written, well illustrated graphic novel. I didn't find it to be as clever or profound or unique as many readers seem to think it is, but it's certainly worth a read.
September 3, 2018
Great story. A writer meditates on the important points in life, family and living a life up until death. The book is part dream, part story and part memoir of his life. We see him die several times throughout the story. Is it a chapter in his life death, a metaphorical death, or just dreams of his life. We don't really know.
I love the childhood scene where he is a kid at his grandparents home with all the family around. Those are good memories of mine too. I had felt in this life, one of the greatest gifts I have been given is the blessing of family. I love my family and being with my family. I am fortunate. That scene felt real and I related to it.
This is such an interesting work of art. I am impressed and I'm so glad I read it. Death is part of life and it really is the end of the book. All things come to an end. This too shall pass. I've really been contemplating my life lately. What legacy do I want to leave behind. I'm at least half way through it more than likely and the 1st half went fast. I can only assume the 2nd half will go faster. It's now time to do something with my life. I want to be a healer and help people on their life journey. I want to not waste the precious time I have left. I feel the clock is ticking down on me and it's now or never. It's too late for me to have a family in this life, but it's not too late for me to leave a little something behind for the next generation.
This novel made me think and brought out deep musings I have been having. It is such an interesting novel.
I love the childhood scene where he is a kid at his grandparents home with all the family around. Those are good memories of mine too. I had felt in this life, one of the greatest gifts I have been given is the blessing of family. I love my family and being with my family. I am fortunate. That scene felt real and I related to it.
This is such an interesting work of art. I am impressed and I'm so glad I read it. Death is part of life and it really is the end of the book. All things come to an end. This too shall pass. I've really been contemplating my life lately. What legacy do I want to leave behind. I'm at least half way through it more than likely and the 1st half went fast. I can only assume the 2nd half will go faster. It's now time to do something with my life. I want to be a healer and help people on their life journey. I want to not waste the precious time I have left. I feel the clock is ticking down on me and it's now or never. It's too late for me to have a family in this life, but it's not too late for me to leave a little something behind for the next generation.
This novel made me think and brought out deep musings I have been having. It is such an interesting novel.
January 19, 2025
If someone told me three years ago that i will someday read a magical realism graphic novel on the highest level i would have told him you are tripping.
I was overwhelmed at the last 100 pages if i wasnt sleepy already i would have finished this yesterday
This is A graphic novel about Life in all its beauty all its sadness all its ups and downs
This is a graphic novel that lets you pause for a minute and think to yourself that you are actually living
it was beautiful with all its hopes and fears and sadness and happiness it was life , as it should always be
This is what all of us would feel if we someday get to step back and see the big picture the whole picture the divine beauty of it all
I am imperessed really i love magical realism which most of the time is only portrayed in novels and its the first time i read it in a graphic novel and get to see it as well with the beautiful art work of gabrial ba
the pacing of the artwork itself was amazing you can understand everything if you just understand what magical realism is all about thanks to how the art and the writing were blending together in a perfect sync
Thanks for making this masterpiece and thanks for giving us the opportunity to enjoy it.
I was overwhelmed at the last 100 pages if i wasnt sleepy already i would have finished this yesterday
This is A graphic novel about Life in all its beauty all its sadness all its ups and downs
This is a graphic novel that lets you pause for a minute and think to yourself that you are actually living
it was beautiful with all its hopes and fears and sadness and happiness it was life , as it should always be
This is what all of us would feel if we someday get to step back and see the big picture the whole picture the divine beauty of it all
I am imperessed really i love magical realism which most of the time is only portrayed in novels and its the first time i read it in a graphic novel and get to see it as well with the beautiful art work of gabrial ba
the pacing of the artwork itself was amazing you can understand everything if you just understand what magical realism is all about thanks to how the art and the writing were blending together in a perfect sync
Thanks for making this masterpiece and thanks for giving us the opportunity to enjoy it.
May 23, 2024
Twin brothers, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, craft a story of life and death, love and loss, family and friends, success and failure. It's centered around Bras de Olivias Dominguez who writes obituaries but is struggling to be a writer. Each chapter is a snapshot into his life at a different age. It's about the little moments that affect our lives so profoundly. Fabio Moon's and Dave Stewart's art is stunning. The dialogue feels so effortlessly put together, the way it flows like a melody in your head. If you read one graphic novel this year, make it this one.
April 28, 2025
This is a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel about the many twists and turns that fit into a single man’s life. It is also a contemplation of mortality and fate, of the dreams, family ties and friendships that shape us.
Against a Brazilian setting, equally exotic and familiar in its urban details, we observe the life of Brás de Oliva Domingos, writer of obituaries and aspiring author, son, husband and himself a father, unfold in ten chapters that, although chronologically jumbled, manage to carry his story all the way to the end. A narrative pattern is quickly established, one that doesn’t cease to remind us how flimsy the thread of life is, how chance can cut it at any given moment. Despite their predetermined endings, we read those chapters same as we live our days: with eager anticipation for what happens next.
Brás is a ‘daytripper’ who keeps dreaming of other lives while trying to live his own. Reality and fantasy merge into his personal universe.
I found both the art and plot captivating. Its drawings, meticulous in their details and rich colors, managed to communicate the characters’ emotions in a way that deeply moved me. Sometimes the text seemed plain in comparison, but in this genre its primary role is to support the visuals and not the other way around, so no harm done.
All in all, one of the finest works of that kind that have come my way. It was the second graphic novel I read together with Charles, a buddy read based on our mutual love for the genre. His insightful take on it, his comments and attention to detail enhanced the reading experience and I’m grateful for his initiative.
Against a Brazilian setting, equally exotic and familiar in its urban details, we observe the life of Brás de Oliva Domingos, writer of obituaries and aspiring author, son, husband and himself a father, unfold in ten chapters that, although chronologically jumbled, manage to carry his story all the way to the end. A narrative pattern is quickly established, one that doesn’t cease to remind us how flimsy the thread of life is, how chance can cut it at any given moment. Despite their predetermined endings, we read those chapters same as we live our days: with eager anticipation for what happens next.
Brás is a ‘daytripper’ who keeps dreaming of other lives while trying to live his own. Reality and fantasy merge into his personal universe.
I found both the art and plot captivating. Its drawings, meticulous in their details and rich colors, managed to communicate the characters’ emotions in a way that deeply moved me. Sometimes the text seemed plain in comparison, but in this genre its primary role is to support the visuals and not the other way around, so no harm done.
All in all, one of the finest works of that kind that have come my way. It was the second graphic novel I read together with Charles, a buddy read based on our mutual love for the genre. His insightful take on it, his comments and attention to detail enhanced the reading experience and I’m grateful for his initiative.
October 25, 2013
Brazilian twin brothers Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba created this beautiful meditation on life and death and love and art and fathers and sons and friendship.... There's some magical realism in it, just enough, and is gorgeously and romantically conceived and executed... Fundamentally allegorical, philosophical, and yet hard to put down. Not primarily chronological.... more of a meditation on meaning than a focus on plot. Lovely, powerful and (for me, at least), often pretty moving.
On second read, completed October 24, 2013, for my class, several people convince me it is not as good as I say above. I do like it, but I have moved it down a notch. It''s a young person's meditation on mortality, this book, and it's lovely watercolors, but maybe not that deep a meditation.. some in class convince me the women are not real, just all gorgeous… the Brazilian fantasy of the book reinforces American views of Brazilian upper middle and artist classes. Everyone is gorgeous and insightful, few people seem to really work, a fantasy of privilege about men by young men who only objectify women…and the book only has one conceit, repeated over and over again, that each section or chapter ends with a death… vastly different reading, this time? Yes. But I do still like the book a lot, it is a watercolor day DREAM as my student Ryan said, if not a Day TRIP… it's not an acid trip, it's not crazy, it's a contemplative reflection on friendship and fathers and sons… not that deep but compelling and attractive and I think a lot of young people might like it.
On second read, completed October 24, 2013, for my class, several people convince me it is not as good as I say above. I do like it, but I have moved it down a notch. It''s a young person's meditation on mortality, this book, and it's lovely watercolors, but maybe not that deep a meditation.. some in class convince me the women are not real, just all gorgeous… the Brazilian fantasy of the book reinforces American views of Brazilian upper middle and artist classes. Everyone is gorgeous and insightful, few people seem to really work, a fantasy of privilege about men by young men who only objectify women…and the book only has one conceit, repeated over and over again, that each section or chapter ends with a death… vastly different reading, this time? Yes. But I do still like the book a lot, it is a watercolor day DREAM as my student Ryan said, if not a Day TRIP… it's not an acid trip, it's not crazy, it's a contemplative reflection on friendship and fathers and sons… not that deep but compelling and attractive and I think a lot of young people might like it.
February 6, 2017
A recommendation from Craig Thompson was good enough for me to make me order this 'hidden' gem. Hidden might seem a bit of a stretch, given that the album was on the New York Times bestseller list, but it makes me wonder sometimes why we don't turn into movies these kind of gentle, ordinary people discovering the wonder and the pain of the world we live in, instead of CGI-heavy Batmans and Avengers. Thompson is the author of "Habibi" and "Blankets", two of my all time favorites adult sequential artbooks, and there is definitely a connection with the Brazilian authors Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, both in themes and in the graphic presentation. In his one page panel introduction to "Daytripper" Craig Thompson invites us to look on the story of Bras de Oliva Domingos as a quest of self-discovery through art:
Bras de Oliva Domingo is an aspiring artist, not unlike the authors of the comic. People have high expectations from him, given his heritage as the son of one of the most famous novelists in Brasil. Yet Bras feels he is wasting his life and his talent in his newspaper job, where he is tasked with writing the obituaries column.
Yet, in dealing with death every day of his life, Bras is able to separate the chaff from the grain of truth, able to pinpoint in a few paragraphs what was the most important aspect in the life of the deceased. Under the pens of Moon and Ba, Bras de Oliva Domingo becomes the hero of his own life story / obituary, each chapter in the album being a snapshot of a defining moment from the past, told in unlinear fashion and ending each time in a tragic accident. The structure is like a "memento mori" on steroids (a bit gimmicky after Bras dies for the sixth or seventh time, just as he was on the point of a major revelation about Life), but Moon and Ba actually make it work and in the presence of Death, life's fleeting moments of beauty and happiness become so much more precious.
As bleak as it may sound, I think it still manages to make life sound a bit more like a worthwhile adventure.
As we witness Bras jumping around back and forth in the timeline, from childhood innocence to cynical middle age, back to youthfull adventures, then personal fame, detoured into adult responsibilities and dissapointments, the one thread that links all the stories together is the way our lives are defined and enriched by the interactions with others: family, friendship, love and not by fame or wealth or success.
We live in a society populated by strangers. Each day, we feel more distant from each other, more alone, all while being surrounded by millions. Each day we watch as our city turns into a desert, one in which we are lost ... looking for an oasis we like to call ... "love". The more we wait, the more everything - and everyone - looks like a grain of sand escaping between our fingers before vanishing into the wind.
How do we find something - or someone - we can no longer see, but who is right there before us? And how do we hold on to what is most precious in life?
As Bras father's notes in his stump author speech, it's not easy to live in the modern world and often we get knocked down on our knees by adversity or lost in trivial pursuits. But at the end of the day, being alive is still the most extraordinary experience we are gifted with and our dreams are the only thing that can lift us out of the gutter, if only we act on them.
My dreams tell me who I am
I hope the artists will find time to draw more of these kind of stories, in between more financially succesful projects from the big publishers in the comic world. I will add their names on my comic radar system for new albums from outside the usual channels.
June 15, 2013
Brás de Oliva Domingos' life began 28 years ago and it ended on a Friday morning as he was hit by a truck on his way for his morning coffee. He was always there when his friends needed him, was close to his family, and he, like everyone else, was trying to find his way in the desert, looking for that oasis we like to call... "love."
Someone stop Brás de Oliva Domingos. He's the obituary writer and he is writing about only himself on a fierce ego trip.
I would rather that was the story. It might as well have been. He was a quiet man, kept pretty much to himself. No one would have ever suspected him of living in other worlds of.... Oh wait, it is more obituary columns. Die, obit. Or is it the bland obit and then die? I don't think that is how the saying goes. If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all is how the saying goes? If you don't have any pathos whatsoever bury it under every cliche under the sun. You don't need a story. You don't need characters. (Says who? Not me.) The ending is built-in. He dies. Look he's having a baby and look his father dies the same night. There are people in the world and they have babies and fathers. He could be one of them. Brás de Oliva Domingos is a cliched my daddy is super duper famous Brazilian author and I'm not! Don't we all have that problem. It's so unfair. He's I remember when I was young and I wasn't quite so whiny yet that everything magically didn't go my way. I wish I met a less whinier version because he's still a douche bag. Remember when I fell in love with a girl on first sight? Sure, I know nothing about her (didn't even say hello) but it is LOVE and we will get married for ever and ever. He chases after her down the street in a romantic life reborn after his first love crashes and burns on our careers aren't skyrocketing so it must be the fault of the person next to me. I didn't give a fuck about the first chick with the big boobs he meets who is la di da (she didn't want to say she didn't have a job, actually. She never gets one) look at your best friend, Jorge, the photographer. Freedom this and freedom that let's have sex and everything will be free magic. That's fine for them, if they were real, but what is in it for me? I'm drowning in the headstone version of the greeting card. He sees the world through his camera lens, Jorge. Kill me now. He doesn't do anything but make jokes that he's black and his friend is white. It must have been so boring if that was all you ever talked about. I was bored. Are you bored? Jorge will later murder his best friend for no reason. Tack on an obit about the power of friendship because he dies when his friend kills him. Or you could say the truth that he didn't have a choice in dying because he was stabbed in the chest. Every sudden death ends in an obituary column about what his life all meant and let me tell you the writer of the obituary is not a good writer. It never meant anything to me. His life is a never ending obituary column of generic shit you say about someone no one gave a crap about. If I died today they might write that my dog was happy to see me when I got home (he just doesn't know any better than this). Mariel finished reading a comic book that she had been struggling to finish for more than week. It won prestigious awards and rave reviews. Maybe there was something wrong with Mariel in wanting a character who wasn't a stock figure. She doesn't think she's wrong but she's dead and this will be buried under top reviews anyway. May as well bitch some more while she's still breathing. Even the art is stock figures. People will walk around as if someone forgot to draw in their face. Someone forgot what heads look like and they are shrunken heads on bodies outsizing the streets. Brás will sometimes fill the panel with a chest several times larger than it is when he's full bodied. He must have forgotten what he looked like and changes shape. He could have a new chest with every new life. Someone forgot the heart, too bad. He always stands like a too tall person on a stage of actors. Probably elementary school kids. No one knows how to act. All of the drawings look like bad kid actors who stand weird because they don't know what human beings look like when they aren't thinking about themselves constantly. I mean the do I look good and boring for my obituary thinking. I don't care if people have babies or the love of their lives. Not if it is some boring girl "Ooh aaah how pretty" and THAT'S IT. They are strangers. If there had been one moment that wasn't telling me what his whole life meant because he was really living it. It never happens. He's always dying to give any of it meaning. Oh yeah, and also he says things like "She's holding it together like a fortress, and I feel like a flimsy house of cards". His soul is compared to the coffee he prefers to drink black, only cold. It was terrible, just terrible. I hope he's really dead this time.
January 27, 2012
This is the life of Bras de Oliva Domingos, told in chapters which single out a memorable year in his life, jumping from his life at age 32 to his life age 11 to his life age 76. And at the end of each chapter, Bras dies (it's a nuance that sounds strange here but makes sense in the book).
Bras is an obituary writer aching to become a respected novelist like his father, a world famous writer, who casts a long shadow across his son. Meanwhile we see Bras' life filled with characters like an ex-girlfriend he met on a boat, his best friend who dodged a near-death experience only to change him irrevocably, to meeting the love of his life, and raising children of his own.
I loved this book. It's the kind of book you find yourself turning back the pages to stare at the panels and really savour them, maybe even subconsciously trying to prolong the book as the pages fly by. First and foremost is Fabio Moon's artwork - stunning doesn't give it enough emphasis. His artwork is a cross between Will Eisner's and Craig Thompson's, every panel he drew was a panel I wish I could carry around with me in my head, they're so beautiful. Just look at the amount of detail he puts into the most static of scenes, the small details he packs into every available space. It's so inspiring.
There needs to be a special mention for the colourist on the book, Dave Stewart. He does a phenomenal job, taking Moon's art and making it better. Just turn to any page in the book and look at how the colour pops out of the page. The scenes where Bras is 21 and at the fishing village were so gorgeous, I wanted to live in those pages. Or the countryside of Bras' youth when he was 11 - ah, I can't describe it, just look at it, it's amazing. I can't underline how good Stewart's colouring is in the book, I really think it made the book that much more successful. Imagine if the book had been in black and white - it's not the same is it?
The combination between Moon's artwork and Stewart's colours is lethal. I swear the people in the panels moved. The smoke wafts up in the page, the seas shimmer in the sunset glow. It's truly extraordinary.
And the storytelling's not bad either! Every chapter contains some truth, some moment that captures a feeling or experience anyone has gone through and does so with grace and elegance. There wasn't a dull chapter to read and even when there isn't a murder or a passionate love affair or a sickening loss, and is simply about a time of Bras' life when he was just happy and content with the way things were, you find yourself totally enraptured with the words and art in a way so few books can do.
"Daytripper" is magic, pure and true, distilled masterfully by Fabio Moon, his twin brother Gabriel Ba, and Dave Stewart. It's a shining example of the excellence of the comics medium and an instant classic to be enjoyed and revered by everyone who reads it. It's a jewel of a book just waiting to be discovered, and one to return to for those, like myself, who have read it and loved it.
Bras is an obituary writer aching to become a respected novelist like his father, a world famous writer, who casts a long shadow across his son. Meanwhile we see Bras' life filled with characters like an ex-girlfriend he met on a boat, his best friend who dodged a near-death experience only to change him irrevocably, to meeting the love of his life, and raising children of his own.
I loved this book. It's the kind of book you find yourself turning back the pages to stare at the panels and really savour them, maybe even subconsciously trying to prolong the book as the pages fly by. First and foremost is Fabio Moon's artwork - stunning doesn't give it enough emphasis. His artwork is a cross between Will Eisner's and Craig Thompson's, every panel he drew was a panel I wish I could carry around with me in my head, they're so beautiful. Just look at the amount of detail he puts into the most static of scenes, the small details he packs into every available space. It's so inspiring.
There needs to be a special mention for the colourist on the book, Dave Stewart. He does a phenomenal job, taking Moon's art and making it better. Just turn to any page in the book and look at how the colour pops out of the page. The scenes where Bras is 21 and at the fishing village were so gorgeous, I wanted to live in those pages. Or the countryside of Bras' youth when he was 11 - ah, I can't describe it, just look at it, it's amazing. I can't underline how good Stewart's colouring is in the book, I really think it made the book that much more successful. Imagine if the book had been in black and white - it's not the same is it?
The combination between Moon's artwork and Stewart's colours is lethal. I swear the people in the panels moved. The smoke wafts up in the page, the seas shimmer in the sunset glow. It's truly extraordinary.
And the storytelling's not bad either! Every chapter contains some truth, some moment that captures a feeling or experience anyone has gone through and does so with grace and elegance. There wasn't a dull chapter to read and even when there isn't a murder or a passionate love affair or a sickening loss, and is simply about a time of Bras' life when he was just happy and content with the way things were, you find yourself totally enraptured with the words and art in a way so few books can do.
"Daytripper" is magic, pure and true, distilled masterfully by Fabio Moon, his twin brother Gabriel Ba, and Dave Stewart. It's a shining example of the excellence of the comics medium and an instant classic to be enjoyed and revered by everyone who reads it. It's a jewel of a book just waiting to be discovered, and one to return to for those, like myself, who have read it and loved it.
July 12, 2016
Muazzam diyecek boyutta sevmediysem de çok sevdim.
Konu olarak çok farklı bir çizgi romandı. Devam ederken hep bir yerlerde son bulan bir hayatın hikayesiydi. Yaşamın ve ölümün hikayesi. Bras'ın hikayesi. Her bölümde sizi yansıtacak, size bir şeylerin ( dostluk, aşk, aile, yaşam, ölüm ) anlamını öğretecek alıntılar vardı. Çok severek okudum gerçekten. Süper kahramanlar dışında bir şeyler arıyorsanız bu çizgi romanı okumalısınız. Gerçek dünyanın hayal gücü ile bir araya gelmiş güzel bir harmanlamasaydı :')
Konu olarak çok farklı bir çizgi romandı. Devam ederken hep bir yerlerde son bulan bir hayatın hikayesiydi. Yaşamın ve ölümün hikayesi. Bras'ın hikayesi. Her bölümde sizi yansıtacak, size bir şeylerin ( dostluk, aşk, aile, yaşam, ölüm ) anlamını öğretecek alıntılar vardı. Çok severek okudum gerçekten. Süper kahramanlar dışında bir şeyler arıyorsanız bu çizgi romanı okumalısınız. Gerçek dünyanın hayal gücü ile bir araya gelmiş güzel bir harmanlamasaydı :')
October 14, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
♫♪♫♪♫♪She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah ♫♪♫♪♫♪
If I finally get off my duff and write this review will I stop singing this song???? Please????????????
Some may say Daytripper was “a story about death.” But in actuality, it was “really about life . . . but death has a big part in it.”
It was about searching for “the moment that won’t fade. The moment we all search for.”
It was about realizing that “in order to go after your dreams – you must live your life.”
It was about how “we carry our family inside of us. It’s who we are.”
It was about finding love and that no matter how many “Lolas” you see, there’s always that ONE woman you’re thinking of.
It was about the realization that “only when you accept that one day you’ll die can you let go and make the best out of life.”
It was the story of Brás de Oliva Domingos - “the story of my life. Take a deep breath, open your eyes and close the book.”
It was pretty phenomenal and even though a Stupidheaded Jeff Goldblum Hater
recommended it to me, he was right this one time. It even made me have a feeling . . .
Which is almost unforgiveable. And while I know diddly squat about art so you should probably take this part with like A POUND of salt, I found the full page panels to be absolutely breathtaking . . .
There was even a cameo by yours truly . . .
Highly recommended.
♫♪♫♪♫♪She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah ♫♪♫♪♫♪
If I finally get off my duff and write this review will I stop singing this song???? Please????????????
Some may say Daytripper was “a story about death.” But in actuality, it was “really about life . . . but death has a big part in it.”
It was about searching for “the moment that won’t fade. The moment we all search for.”
It was about realizing that “in order to go after your dreams – you must live your life.”
It was about how “we carry our family inside of us. It’s who we are.”
It was about finding love and that no matter how many “Lolas” you see, there’s always that ONE woman you’re thinking of.
It was about the realization that “only when you accept that one day you’ll die can you let go and make the best out of life.”
It was the story of Brás de Oliva Domingos - “the story of my life. Take a deep breath, open your eyes and close the book.”
It was pretty phenomenal and even though a Stupidheaded Jeff Goldblum Hater
recommended it to me, he was right this one time. It even made me have a feeling . . .
Which is almost unforgiveable. And while I know diddly squat about art so you should probably take this part with like A POUND of salt, I found the full page panels to be absolutely breathtaking . . .
There was even a cameo by yours truly . . .
Highly recommended.
July 7, 2012
This book is absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous! Seriously. I'm talking watercolor sunsets out the wazoo! Woowee! For all the lush scenery, we have to thank, not either of the authors, but "colorist" Dave Stewart. If only, if only the concept and storyline were as well done as the pink and yellow clouds drifting lazily over the ocean.
The main character dies. A lot. Once as a kid. Once as an old man. And many, many times in between.
I get it. Life is beautiful. Death is sad. But starting each story knowing what was going to be coming just a few pages later gave me a real Final Destination vibe. Ooooo! How's he going to die this time? Before long, that seems to be the only thing that matters, and the only reason to keep turning the pages.
Reading this book made me want to rewatch the excellent finale to HBO's Six Feet Under, a television show about death. There, we got to see everyone die, but at least we got to know them and care about them first.
Reading a book that makes you want to watch TV? For some reason, I don't consider that a good thing.
The main character dies. A lot. Once as a kid. Once as an old man. And many, many times in between.
I get it. Life is beautiful. Death is sad. But starting each story knowing what was going to be coming just a few pages later gave me a real Final Destination vibe. Ooooo! How's he going to die this time? Before long, that seems to be the only thing that matters, and the only reason to keep turning the pages.
Reading this book made me want to rewatch the excellent finale to HBO's Six Feet Under, a television show about death. There, we got to see everyone die, but at least we got to know them and care about them first.
Reading a book that makes you want to watch TV? For some reason, I don't consider that a good thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2020
Sadece bir hikaye olarak ya da sadece çizim olarak değil, bence çizgiroman (en azından benim okuyup bildiğim kısmı) için de çok farklı bir yerde Güngezgini. Hikayeden hikayeler çıkarırken çizimler ve renklerle duyguları harika bir şekilde destekliyordu.
Sıradan hikayelerin sadece görünürde sıradan olduğunu içinde mucizeler barındırdığını böyle kitaplar olmasa ne kadar anlarız emin değilim.
Sıradan hikayelerin sadece görünürde sıradan olduğunu içinde mucizeler barındırdığını böyle kitaplar olmasa ne kadar anlarız emin değilim.
July 22, 2022
One of the best books I have read in my life.
April 28, 2025
You only live once — unless you’re Brás de Oliva Domingos.
If you’re Brás, your dreams and daydreams take you not only back to what was, but to what could’ve been, in a series of thwarted ends and new beginnings. The São Paulo writer’s personal history unfolds in a disorderly manner in this graphic novel: it follows the logic of dreams instead of a neat timeline, and memories, good and bad, flood the pages. If you’re Brás, you live your life several times over as you recall every occasion where you could’ve died, from childhood to old age — yet didn’t.
Daytripper succeeds at this. On the surface, the daily grind of an aspiring young writer assigned to obituaries at a Brazilian newspaper provides the basics, and outside of work he meets women, eventually has a child, and watches his own parents grow old. But underneath, there are countless riches to be captured in even the smallest of his interactions, celebrating all manners of meaningful moments in life. Everything is in the details.
I drew particular pleasure from the art, and for one thing I loved the interiors: every home, every room seemed to have its redeeming features, from an aerial view to a spiral staircase, or a bricked partition wall, or just an interesting general layout. And through touches like these, a life was skillfully illustrated, at the same time it was cleverly told.
This is a graphic novel to be remembered, and in fact cherished. I have my friend and buddy reader extraordinaire Violeta to thank for this inspired selection, in a two-part program that took us this spring from the UK to California, and now to Brazil. You can find her own glorious review of Daytripper here.
If you’re Brás, your dreams and daydreams take you not only back to what was, but to what could’ve been, in a series of thwarted ends and new beginnings. The São Paulo writer’s personal history unfolds in a disorderly manner in this graphic novel: it follows the logic of dreams instead of a neat timeline, and memories, good and bad, flood the pages. If you’re Brás, you live your life several times over as you recall every occasion where you could’ve died, from childhood to old age — yet didn’t.
Daytripper succeeds at this. On the surface, the daily grind of an aspiring young writer assigned to obituaries at a Brazilian newspaper provides the basics, and outside of work he meets women, eventually has a child, and watches his own parents grow old. But underneath, there are countless riches to be captured in even the smallest of his interactions, celebrating all manners of meaningful moments in life. Everything is in the details.
I drew particular pleasure from the art, and for one thing I loved the interiors: every home, every room seemed to have its redeeming features, from an aerial view to a spiral staircase, or a bricked partition wall, or just an interesting general layout. And through touches like these, a life was skillfully illustrated, at the same time it was cleverly told.
This is a graphic novel to be remembered, and in fact cherished. I have my friend and buddy reader extraordinaire Violeta to thank for this inspired selection, in a two-part program that took us this spring from the UK to California, and now to Brazil. You can find her own glorious review of Daytripper here.
February 9, 2017
Disclaimer: Even if you don’t read graphic novels, pause to read this.
Here’s the deal. I spoilered quotations (once again) just in case people don’t want me to steal the joy of reading them for the first time on the actual pages they originate from.
I want you to read this book and in order to convince you, I want you to read the quotations (obviously, that’s why they’re included.) So I advise you randomly select two, read just those, and let the rest swoop in from the beautiful pages of this graphic novel and take you by surprise. Deal? Deal.
Here’s your first temptation:
It’s sad to think that comic books are often misrepresented. Most readers have at one time or another encountered a comic book and, like most other reading material, passed judgment on that one—or one of few—experience. Not that there’s blame to be had in that; there’s a lot of good stuff to read and there’s no time for bad stories. Comic books often get depicted with superheroes. After all, that Marvel craze of starring their most popular superheroes in motion pictures has highlighted this.
My point being, if you’re one who isn’t for a superhero tale, give comic books another chance. There is a wide selection of stories that evoke the broadest array of emotions, and unlike novels, they tell stories assisted by (sometimes) beautiful artwork.
This is one of those stories that should catch the attention of all readers.
Let’s begin with the end. From the authors, who are twin brothers:
”We wanted that feeling that life was happening right there, in front of every one of us, and we were living it.
And we did live it.
And sometimes we die to prove that we lived.”
This is a story of Brás. This is actually many stories of Brás. In a vignette form, we get stories of all parts of life seen through the eyes of this one character: childhood, marriage, the first kiss, the first love, the end of life… This provokes the reader to realize that life is short and can end at any time.
We can be afraid of it.
Or we can accept it, and make the most out of every day, every experience, every love and kiss and goodbye.
There’s your selection. Choose wisely.
Graphic novels take a fraction of the time to read, and can be enjoyed slowly if one has the willpower. This one I knew from the very first episode that it was going to be one of those monumental books that I cherish and hold to such a high regard that a portion of me wants to keep it to myself, lest someone not see the same glory that I do, and the other part of me wants to buy copies for everyone, guilting them into reading it. Since I’m poor, I decided to write a review instead.
When we encounter something sweet, delectable, tasty to the mind, and pleasing, it’s hard not to consume it all at once. You can think of plenty of examples of this. Food, sex, music… books. I somehow managed to slow myself down at the start and take this one story at a time to fully embrace what the authors were attempting to convey. I will be reading this again, shortly. It’s that good..
Here’s the deal. I spoilered quotations (once again) just in case people don’t want me to steal the joy of reading them for the first time on the actual pages they originate from.
I want you to read this book and in order to convince you, I want you to read the quotations (obviously, that’s why they’re included.) So I advise you randomly select two, read just those, and let the rest swoop in from the beautiful pages of this graphic novel and take you by surprise. Deal? Deal.
Here’s your first temptation:
It’s sad to think that comic books are often misrepresented. Most readers have at one time or another encountered a comic book and, like most other reading material, passed judgment on that one—or one of few—experience. Not that there’s blame to be had in that; there’s a lot of good stuff to read and there’s no time for bad stories. Comic books often get depicted with superheroes. After all, that Marvel craze of starring their most popular superheroes in motion pictures has highlighted this.
My point being, if you’re one who isn’t for a superhero tale, give comic books another chance. There is a wide selection of stories that evoke the broadest array of emotions, and unlike novels, they tell stories assisted by (sometimes) beautiful artwork.
This is one of those stories that should catch the attention of all readers.
Let’s begin with the end. From the authors, who are twin brothers:
”We wanted that feeling that life was happening right there, in front of every one of us, and we were living it.
And we did live it.
And sometimes we die to prove that we lived.”
This is a story of Brás. This is actually many stories of Brás. In a vignette form, we get stories of all parts of life seen through the eyes of this one character: childhood, marriage, the first kiss, the first love, the end of life… This provokes the reader to realize that life is short and can end at any time.
We can be afraid of it.
Or we can accept it, and make the most out of every day, every experience, every love and kiss and goodbye.
There’s your selection. Choose wisely.
Graphic novels take a fraction of the time to read, and can be enjoyed slowly if one has the willpower. This one I knew from the very first episode that it was going to be one of those monumental books that I cherish and hold to such a high regard that a portion of me wants to keep it to myself, lest someone not see the same glory that I do, and the other part of me wants to buy copies for everyone, guilting them into reading it. Since I’m poor, I decided to write a review instead.
When we encounter something sweet, delectable, tasty to the mind, and pleasing, it’s hard not to consume it all at once. You can think of plenty of examples of this. Food, sex, music… books. I somehow managed to slow myself down at the start and take this one story at a time to fully embrace what the authors were attempting to convey. I will be reading this again, shortly. It’s that good..
November 21, 2024
2024 Review: STILL Fantastic. This is a story about death, but also just as much about life. As someone who struggles with the concept of death, especially getting older, this book hits me right in the heart. I love the idea of death being able to take us at anytime, and our main character basically dies so many points in his life, or not, depending on which story read next. I read this again in one sitting. Originally reading it in my 20's, and now in my 30's, I'll probably be re-reading this multiple times in my life. A 5/5.
Original 2017 review: Wow...Anybody seeing this review please do yourself a favor and buy this right away or download it on E-reader. It NEEDS to be read.
While I sit here I'm still trying to gather all my thoughts of this title in one review. I mean the emotions this Graphic Novel gave me is...just...I don't even have words. It made me sad, made me think, almost made me cry, made me smile, made me laugh...I mean it hit it all. It's truly an amazing title that I had no clue what I was getting when I opened it and I already knew it was highly rated (one of the highest on this site actually.)
Bras is a writer. The story focuses around his life, throughout various important moments, and at first it might strike you as a odd choice when the first issue ends. But as you read on you begin to see that the ending to each chapter is special, because it's an end, and you'll understand more of that when you read.
Without spoilers these stories focus on important parts of your life. From Love, to loss, to work, to family you get various stories focusing on things you might not even notice in your own life. I won't even lie, the dialog is some of the best I've ever read. The art is stunning, giving a realistic feel but almost dream-like. You know what I mean? It's so hard to describe because I never felt that way till today when reading a graphic novel.
I want to speak soooo much about this book but so much is spoilers and honestly I don't want to ruin the overall story for anyone. I just need to state again this graphic novel NEEDS to be read. It's one of the best books I've ever read. It hit me on so many levels that I can't even sum it up in this review. Just please do yourself a favor and pick this up right now. Just be prepare to reflect on life a bit after ;) 5/5.
Original 2017 review: Wow...Anybody seeing this review please do yourself a favor and buy this right away or download it on E-reader. It NEEDS to be read.
While I sit here I'm still trying to gather all my thoughts of this title in one review. I mean the emotions this Graphic Novel gave me is...just...I don't even have words. It made me sad, made me think, almost made me cry, made me smile, made me laugh...I mean it hit it all. It's truly an amazing title that I had no clue what I was getting when I opened it and I already knew it was highly rated (one of the highest on this site actually.)
Bras is a writer. The story focuses around his life, throughout various important moments, and at first it might strike you as a odd choice when the first issue ends. But as you read on you begin to see that the ending to each chapter is special, because it's an end, and you'll understand more of that when you read.
Without spoilers these stories focus on important parts of your life. From Love, to loss, to work, to family you get various stories focusing on things you might not even notice in your own life. I won't even lie, the dialog is some of the best I've ever read. The art is stunning, giving a realistic feel but almost dream-like. You know what I mean? It's so hard to describe because I never felt that way till today when reading a graphic novel.
I want to speak soooo much about this book but so much is spoilers and honestly I don't want to ruin the overall story for anyone. I just need to state again this graphic novel NEEDS to be read. It's one of the best books I've ever read. It hit me on so many levels that I can't even sum it up in this review. Just please do yourself a favor and pick this up right now. Just be prepare to reflect on life a bit after ;) 5/5.
December 30, 2020
“Hayat böyle anılarla doludur evlat. İlişkiler böyle anlar, tercihler ve hamleler üzerine kuruludur..
Ve diğer anılar yavaş yavaş silinmeye başladığında, benim hatırlamayı sürdüreceğim tek an da bu. Çünkü o, diğerlerinin hepsini yaşamaya değer kıldı.”
Muazzam bir çizgi roman. Sadece çizimleriyle bile sizi çocukluğun korunaklı köşelerine götürüp, sonrasında da gerçek hayatla yüzleşmenize sebep olan o ilk kırılımı zihninizde canlandırabilecek güce sahip. Kalbinizi eze eze size hayatı - önem sıralamanızı yeniden hatırlatıyor. Biz çizgi romanın size bu kadar çok şey anlatabileceğini hiç beklemiyorsunuz ama ölümün altını çize çize size hayatın ne kadar anlık olduğunu anlatıyor. Çizgi romanlardan hoşlanmıyorsanız bile mutlaka okumanız gereken kitaplardan birisi. Sıradan Zaferler ile birlikte bu yıl okuduğum en iyi çizgi romanlardan.
“Ailelerimizi içimizde taşırız. Bizi biz yapan budur.”
Ve diğer anılar yavaş yavaş silinmeye başladığında, benim hatırlamayı sürdüreceğim tek an da bu. Çünkü o, diğerlerinin hepsini yaşamaya değer kıldı.”
Muazzam bir çizgi roman. Sadece çizimleriyle bile sizi çocukluğun korunaklı köşelerine götürüp, sonrasında da gerçek hayatla yüzleşmenize sebep olan o ilk kırılımı zihninizde canlandırabilecek güce sahip. Kalbinizi eze eze size hayatı - önem sıralamanızı yeniden hatırlatıyor. Biz çizgi romanın size bu kadar çok şey anlatabileceğini hiç beklemiyorsunuz ama ölümün altını çize çize size hayatın ne kadar anlık olduğunu anlatıyor. Çizgi romanlardan hoşlanmıyorsanız bile mutlaka okumanız gereken kitaplardan birisi. Sıradan Zaferler ile birlikte bu yıl okuduğum en iyi çizgi romanlardan.
“Ailelerimizi içimizde taşırız. Bizi biz yapan budur.”
January 25, 2021
Lisede ve üniversitedeyken başımı Spider-man'den, Batman'den kaldıramazdım. Sanırım insan yaşlandıkça zevkleri de değişiyor. Uzun bir çizgiroman arası verdikten sonra artık yaşıma daha uygun şeylerden keyif alıyorum. Mesela Sualtı Kaynakçısı, mesela Essex County, mesela Sıradan Zaferler, mesela Güngezgini.
Çizimler benim için tek kelimeyle mükemmeldi. Hatta bazen yazıya o kadar odaklanıyorum ki acaba çizimlerden yeteri kadar keyif almıyor muyum diye düşünüyorum. Belki her bir çizgiromanı en az iki kez okumak lazım. Biri hikayesi için, diğeri her bir çizgisine, ortamına, objesine, açısına, rengine minnettar olmak için. Hikayeyi mükemmel bulmadım ama mükemmele gerçekten çok yakındı. Bras'ın çeşitli yaşlardaki hali de çok iyi yansıtılmıştı.
Kitaplığımda okunmayı bekleyen bu tarz çizgiroman kalmadı. Önerebileceğiniz (piyasada olan) çizgiroman olursa memnuniyetle bakarım.
"Ee ne iş yapıyorsun?"
"Neden sordun?"
"Bilmem, yeni tanıştık ve sanırım seni daha yakından tanımak istiyorum. Kimsin, hayattan beklentilerin ne?"
"Yaptığım işi bilmek benim kim olduğumu öğrenmeni sağlamaz. Hele hayattan beklentilerimi asla".
"Annem alzheimera yakalandı ve durumu kötü. Bazen bana baktığında sanki o gözlerinin arkasında kimse yokmuş gibi geliyor."
Herkese keyifli okumalar.
Çizimler benim için tek kelimeyle mükemmeldi. Hatta bazen yazıya o kadar odaklanıyorum ki acaba çizimlerden yeteri kadar keyif almıyor muyum diye düşünüyorum. Belki her bir çizgiromanı en az iki kez okumak lazım. Biri hikayesi için, diğeri her bir çizgisine, ortamına, objesine, açısına, rengine minnettar olmak için. Hikayeyi mükemmel bulmadım ama mükemmele gerçekten çok yakındı. Bras'ın çeşitli yaşlardaki hali de çok iyi yansıtılmıştı.
Kitaplığımda okunmayı bekleyen bu tarz çizgiroman kalmadı. Önerebileceğiniz (piyasada olan) çizgiroman olursa memnuniyetle bakarım.
"Ee ne iş yapıyorsun?"
"Neden sordun?"
"Bilmem, yeni tanıştık ve sanırım seni daha yakından tanımak istiyorum. Kimsin, hayattan beklentilerin ne?"
"Yaptığım işi bilmek benim kim olduğumu öğrenmeni sağlamaz. Hele hayattan beklentilerimi asla".
"Annem alzheimera yakalandı ve durumu kötü. Bazen bana baktığında sanki o gözlerinin arkasında kimse yokmuş gibi geliyor."
Herkese keyifli okumalar.
September 12, 2023
grafik romanların bu kadar etkili olduğunu fark etmek için teee bu yaşıma gelmem gerekiyormuş.
güngezgini hayata dair ama en çok ölüme. okurken brás her öldüğünde hayatımı düşündüm. dönüm noktalarını… nerelerde eksik, nerelerde tam olduğunu. o an bir şey olsa ve ölmüş olsam neyin eksik kalacağını, neyin tamamlanmış olacağını.
babamı düşündüm. cenazesinde dahi çekirdek ailemizi etkileyen bir küslüğün son bulduğunu… giderken bile bizi birleştirdiğini. şu hayatta tamamlanmış olarak gitmenin en mutlu, en doyurucu son olduğunu.
nitekim kitabın sonunda da brás hele şükür tamamlanıyor. babasının ona yazdığı bir mektupla. ailelerimiz seçemiyoruz evet ama hayatta bize denk gelen güzel bir aileyse bir sıfır önde başlıyoruz. her şeye.
her hayat bir mucize. spermin yumurtayı döllemesi, bir embriyonun bebeğe dönüşüp sağlıklı olarak dünyaya gelmesi bile. bunu biraz derin düşünürsek delirecek gibi oluyoruz. bu mucizenin üstüne kendimizden bir şeyler daha katarsak, işte o zaman sanat oluyor. bu kitap gibi. elektrik kesintisi sırasında doğan çocuğun yıllar boyu anlatılan hikayesi gibi.
mitolojik göndermeleri, yanlış yapılan ama yıkılınmayan günleri, kıymetli bir arkadaşlığı anlattığı için çok sevdim.
güngezgini hayata dair ama en çok ölüme. okurken brás her öldüğünde hayatımı düşündüm. dönüm noktalarını… nerelerde eksik, nerelerde tam olduğunu. o an bir şey olsa ve ölmüş olsam neyin eksik kalacağını, neyin tamamlanmış olacağını.
babamı düşündüm. cenazesinde dahi çekirdek ailemizi etkileyen bir küslüğün son bulduğunu… giderken bile bizi birleştirdiğini. şu hayatta tamamlanmış olarak gitmenin en mutlu, en doyurucu son olduğunu.
nitekim kitabın sonunda da brás hele şükür tamamlanıyor. babasının ona yazdığı bir mektupla. ailelerimiz seçemiyoruz evet ama hayatta bize denk gelen güzel bir aileyse bir sıfır önde başlıyoruz. her şeye.
her hayat bir mucize. spermin yumurtayı döllemesi, bir embriyonun bebeğe dönüşüp sağlıklı olarak dünyaya gelmesi bile. bunu biraz derin düşünürsek delirecek gibi oluyoruz. bu mucizenin üstüne kendimizden bir şeyler daha katarsak, işte o zaman sanat oluyor. bu kitap gibi. elektrik kesintisi sırasında doğan çocuğun yıllar boyu anlatılan hikayesi gibi.
mitolojik göndermeleri, yanlış yapılan ama yıkılınmayan günleri, kıymetli bir arkadaşlığı anlattığı için çok sevdim.
October 26, 2020
**3rd time read. If I've read it this many times, this is a 5 star book. I keep being haunted and moved by this book. Still as beautiful and affecting as the past two times.
End of review for 3rd read.**
1st time read review: (I guess when you add more than one date read it messes with the other dates included. Just for note this first read was started May 11, 2015 and finished May 12, 2015.)
Wow! I’m not sure how to put into words what I just finished reading. I’m not even quite sure why I’m feeling like this but I really want to crawl into some little space and just bawl like a baby.
I will not even attempt to describe this book. I enjoyed reading each chapter, some hitting me like a giant wave, others feeling a bit forced, and others just good in their flow of the story. And I wasn’t sure where this all was flowing to, so I was very ready to give this a 3.5 star rating. But that ending just took it all out of me and broke my heart into pieces and filled me with love. I was not prepared for it. Perhaps it hit me on a more personal level than it might hit another person. All I know is that I want to go into a quiet little room and read this book all over again.
And by the way, thanks to my GR friend Tabasco for recommending this book.
End of review for 3rd read.**
1st time read review: (I guess when you add more than one date read it messes with the other dates included. Just for note this first read was started May 11, 2015 and finished May 12, 2015.)
Wow! I’m not sure how to put into words what I just finished reading. I’m not even quite sure why I’m feeling like this but I really want to crawl into some little space and just bawl like a baby.
I will not even attempt to describe this book. I enjoyed reading each chapter, some hitting me like a giant wave, others feeling a bit forced, and others just good in their flow of the story. And I wasn’t sure where this all was flowing to, so I was very ready to give this a 3.5 star rating. But that ending just took it all out of me and broke my heart into pieces and filled me with love. I was not prepared for it. Perhaps it hit me on a more personal level than it might hit another person. All I know is that I want to go into a quiet little room and read this book all over again.
And by the way, thanks to my GR friend Tabasco for recommending this book.
November 30, 2014
While reading this, I was reminded of the title So Many Ways to Begin, though this is So Many Ways to End. Beautiful story, beautifully rendered, and with a perfect ending. I'd love to quote the ending, but it should be experienced in its own time and setting.
September 30, 2012
I am absolutely sure that loads of readers will love this graphic novel and that it deserves better than what I could say about it. The weaving of well-worn story lines into one whole is done “artfully” with some good moments, text and art matching nicely, and with some clever presentation. However, I found the writing itself laden with superficial self-importance that can only come when a writer writes about being a troubled writer, sort of Latino Indie Film existential bombast (if that’s possible) complete with lots of cigarette smoking and death. No new or original thoughts, no new insight, other than the well-worn brooding young man who has an overblown sense of self, sort of a simplistic “circle of life” presented in a somewhat clever format, artful and painstakingly arranged. All in all, good for youngsters who have yet to think too much about their mortality. I probably sound like the typical cynical old man offering nothing new of my own, and maybe younger reviewers feel differently. Three stars for good art and the clever manipulation of a well-worn story.
Jeffrey Penn May
Where the River Splits
Cynthia and the Blue Cat's Last Meow
No Teacher Left Standing
Jeffrey Penn May
Where the River Splits
Cynthia and the Blue Cat's Last Meow
No Teacher Left Standing
June 10, 2011
A lot of people seem to be REALLY inspired by this graphic novel. Maybe because it tells a kind of story that graphic novels usually don't - a story about everyday life and the special moments like the first kiss or meeting your soul mate for the first time, or loosing your parent... That formula really hasn't been used in many graphic novels, true. But have been used time and time again in movies and books and more movies and more books and more movies and more books...
I don't know, maybe I just didn't feel the story the way I was supposed to. The protagonist was too melancholic in my opinion and that's what sets the tone of the whole novel. The stories are melancholic, bitter-sweet and it's not definitely a bad thing, but it gets repetitive after 50-60 pages and just doesn't grasp me. All the supporting characters like his mother or his wife are completely one-dimensional... Actually the whole book looks at life in a way which is supposed to be deep and profound, but it is actually quite superficial.
On the plus side - the art it good. Nothing astonishing, but pretty good and sweet. If the writing was as good as the art, I would have given it at least 3 stars. The two-star rating says "It was okay" and that is really the way I feel about that book. It wasn't really bad or anything, but it could hardly be more than okay.
I don't know, maybe I just didn't feel the story the way I was supposed to. The protagonist was too melancholic in my opinion and that's what sets the tone of the whole novel. The stories are melancholic, bitter-sweet and it's not definitely a bad thing, but it gets repetitive after 50-60 pages and just doesn't grasp me. All the supporting characters like his mother or his wife are completely one-dimensional... Actually the whole book looks at life in a way which is supposed to be deep and profound, but it is actually quite superficial.
On the plus side - the art it good. Nothing astonishing, but pretty good and sweet. If the writing was as good as the art, I would have given it at least 3 stars. The two-star rating says "It was okay" and that is really the way I feel about that book. It wasn't really bad or anything, but it could hardly be more than okay.
August 25, 2021
Απογοητεύτηκα λίγο είναι η αλήθεια. Ωραίο το μήνυμα του, αλλά το παρουσιάζει με πολύ in-your-face και όχι ιδιαίτερα δημιουργικό τρόπο. Δεν μου είπε κάτι που δεν ήξερα, ούτε με έκανε να σκεφτώ κάτι καινούριο. Οι χαρακτήρες ήταν μάλλον αδιάφοροι αλλά είχε ωραία ατμόσφαιρα και ήταν κάπως μελαγχολικό και οικείο.
Όσο αναφορά το σχέδιο και τα χρώματα ήταν μια χαρά αλλά όχι κάτι ιδιαίτερα ξεχωριστό.
Μπορώ να καταλάβω γιατί αρέσει σε πολλούς, αλλά εμένα μάλλον δεν μου ταίριαξε.
(Το 3 μάλλον είναι γενναιόδωρο και το 2 λίγο, οπότε κάπου στο ενδιάμεσο)
Όσο αναφορά το σχέδιο και τα χρώματα ήταν μια χαρά αλλά όχι κάτι ιδιαίτερα ξεχωριστό.
Μπορώ να καταλάβω γιατί αρέσει σε πολλούς, αλλά εμένα μάλλον δεν μου ταίριαξε.
(Το 3 μάλλον είναι γενναιόδωρο και το 2 λίγο, οπότε κάπου στο ενδιάμεσο)
September 25, 2024
Once again, gravitating to pretty covers in a bookshop yielded a brilliant book that I probably would never have found otherwise. Aesthetic illustrations, a unique narrative, and beauty in simplicity.
Contemplating one's death can take one on many philosophical journeys. Contemplating the random nature of the most important turns of one's life is yet another voyage. The authors here take these two and create an ode to the little moments and decisions that shape lives, and the arbitrary pathways that divide one's life and death.
This is by no means a unique story or perspective. It's beautiful, immersive, and art for art's sake, and isn't that the very best thing?
Contemplating one's death can take one on many philosophical journeys. Contemplating the random nature of the most important turns of one's life is yet another voyage. The authors here take these two and create an ode to the little moments and decisions that shape lives, and the arbitrary pathways that divide one's life and death.
This is by no means a unique story or perspective. It's beautiful, immersive, and art for art's sake, and isn't that the very best thing?
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