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Two Brothers
New groundbreaking work from Ba and Moon! Twin brothers Omar and Yaqub may share the same features, but they could not be more different from one another. After a brutally violent exchange between the young boys, Yaqub is sent from his home in Brazil to live with relatives in Lebanon, only to return five years later as a virtual stranger to the parents who bore him, his tensions with Omar unchanged. Family secrets engage the reader in this profoundly resonant story about identity, love, loss, deception, and the dissolution of blood ties. * From the Eisner Award-winning and New York Times best-selling duo behind Daytripper, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon! "Ba's distinctive lines render characters in minimal strokes; clever transitions, well-placed shadows, and atmospheric scene-setting live up to the twins' already well-deserved reputation for beautiful art."-Publishers Weekly
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews
February 19, 2016
Two Brothers is a 2015 graphic novel about twin Brazilian brothers by twin Brazilian brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá. The text is based on popular Brazilian novelist Milton Hatoum's 2000 novel Brothers, and is set in Manaus, where Hatoum was born and grew up. Hatoum's father was Lebanese, and thus had occasion to think about living bi-culturally.
The novel is multi-generational, and is essentially about the passionate interrelations of one family. As with Moon and Bá's Daytripper, it is lusty, thoughtful. This one is far darker, almost an opposite in immediate effects, with more anger and violence, jealousy, deception, loss, but it is still passionate about love and sex and family and loss. And identity. The mother is central in this story, siding with the wild brother over the accomplished one. The plot's really too complicated for me to relate here, but if you want to know more, there're a lot of reviews to look at to help you with that.
I love the attention to how the story is narrated, from the perspective of the caretaker Dominga's son. I also like the way it ends, sort of open. It's a big, multi-generational, sort of swash-buckling swirl of emotions, where I think the drama of the story is matched by the dramatic and wonderful art, which alone might make it a 5. I don't usually love books with a scope this wide, and none of the characters are particularly likable, but this is really admirable art and may be seen as in the canon of great works of this time of an explosion of graphic novels, the golden age. I think there's nothing like it anywhere else.
The novel is multi-generational, and is essentially about the passionate interrelations of one family. As with Moon and Bá's Daytripper, it is lusty, thoughtful. This one is far darker, almost an opposite in immediate effects, with more anger and violence, jealousy, deception, loss, but it is still passionate about love and sex and family and loss. And identity. The mother is central in this story, siding with the wild brother over the accomplished one. The plot's really too complicated for me to relate here, but if you want to know more, there're a lot of reviews to look at to help you with that.
I love the attention to how the story is narrated, from the perspective of the caretaker Dominga's son. I also like the way it ends, sort of open. It's a big, multi-generational, sort of swash-buckling swirl of emotions, where I think the drama of the story is matched by the dramatic and wonderful art, which alone might make it a 5. I don't usually love books with a scope this wide, and none of the characters are particularly likable, but this is really admirable art and may be seen as in the canon of great works of this time of an explosion of graphic novels, the golden age. I think there's nothing like it anywhere else.
August 5, 2017
Dostlar, Romalılar, Yurttaşlar!
Önyargılar hakkında önyargılı olduğunuzu düşünüyorum.
Zira, beni hemen hemen hiç yanıltmadıkları ve de bu sayede iyi seçimler yapmamı ve zaman kazanmamı sağladıkları için onlara müteşekkirim.
Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba kardeşlerin ürettikleri herhangi bir şeyin elbet güzel olacağı önyargım!
Öne çık! Zira, seni kutsayıp, şövalye ilan edeceğim!
Bu grafik roman, Milton Hatoum'un The Brothers kitabının uyarlaması. Bu kitap dilimize çevrilmemiş. Gördüğüm kadarıyla yazarın Türkçeye çevrilmiş başka bir kitabı da yok. Neden bilmem. 4 romanından 3'ü sinemaya uyarlanmakta olan, bu grafik romanın uyarlandığı romanı Brezilya'da son yılların en iyi romanlarından gösterilen yazarı bizim yayınevleri nasıl çevirmezler basmazlar? Bizi Latin Amerikaya karşı nasıl mahçup ederler! Hepsi bir yana ben nasıl olur da Tevfik Fikret'in ölüm yıl dönümünü unuturum? Bunları kamuoyunun takdirine bırakıyorum.
Grafik-romanda Ortadoğu göçmeni -Turco- ailenin 3 nesli üzerinden hem Brezilyanın ekonomik ve sosyolojik değişimine hem de aile içi ilişkilere, çatışmalara tanıklık ediyoruz. Fizik olarak aynı olsalar da mizaçları tamamen farklı ikizlerin hikayesi hem bu farklılıkların oluşumuna, hem gelişimine hem de sonuçlarına odaklanıyor.
Bu açıdan kitap bana masalsız gerçekçi bir Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık nostaljisi yaptırmadı değil. 3 nesli ve onca bağlantılı olayı hemen hepsi derinlikli çoklu karakterlerle işlediğini tahmin ettiğim bir kitabı arka planlarıyla grafik-romanın 230 sayfasına sığdırmak kolay olmasa gerek. Ama bence bu işi olabildiğince başarmış Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon kardeşler. (Kitaptaki Ömer ve Yakup gibi çizerler Gabriel ve Fabio da ikiz, yani ikizler ikizleri çiziyor; -ne yani yumurtadan anlamak için tavuk mu olmak lazım? - Hayır, tek yumurtadan!).
Zamanın ve hikayenin ruhuna uygun düşen siyah-beyaz çizgiler, yoğun hikayede bazı şeyleri kaçırmanıza & yanlış anlamanıza neden olabilir. Yai, hikayeyi 2 kez okumakta fayda var. İkinci okuyuşumda kafamdaki soru işaretleri tamamen yok oldu ve çok daha fazla zevk aldım kitaptan.
Özetle; Okuyun, okutun. Asli kitabın Türkçeye çevrilmesi için de lobi yapın.
#translatetobesiktas
NOT: Kitapta ikizlerden Ömer, Yakup'tan birkaç dakika geç doğuyor ve bu yüzden ona Çaçula yani küçük kardeş lakabı takılıyor. Sizce yani genetik ve biyoloji bilimince ikizlerin hangisi büyük olur? İlk doğan mı sonra doğan mı? Üretim sistemi; First in Last out mu? Last in first out mu? Buyrun sohbete..
Önyargılar hakkında önyargılı olduğunuzu düşünüyorum.
Zira, beni hemen hemen hiç yanıltmadıkları ve de bu sayede iyi seçimler yapmamı ve zaman kazanmamı sağladıkları için onlara müteşekkirim.
Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba kardeşlerin ürettikleri herhangi bir şeyin elbet güzel olacağı önyargım!
Öne çık! Zira, seni kutsayıp, şövalye ilan edeceğim!
Bu grafik roman, Milton Hatoum'un The Brothers kitabının uyarlaması. Bu kitap dilimize çevrilmemiş. Gördüğüm kadarıyla yazarın Türkçeye çevrilmiş başka bir kitabı da yok. Neden bilmem. 4 romanından 3'ü sinemaya uyarlanmakta olan, bu grafik romanın uyarlandığı romanı Brezilya'da son yılların en iyi romanlarından gösterilen yazarı bizim yayınevleri nasıl çevirmezler basmazlar? Bizi Latin Amerikaya karşı nasıl mahçup ederler! Hepsi bir yana ben nasıl olur da Tevfik Fikret'in ölüm yıl dönümünü unuturum? Bunları kamuoyunun takdirine bırakıyorum.
Grafik-romanda Ortadoğu göçmeni -Turco- ailenin 3 nesli üzerinden hem Brezilyanın ekonomik ve sosyolojik değişimine hem de aile içi ilişkilere, çatışmalara tanıklık ediyoruz. Fizik olarak aynı olsalar da mizaçları tamamen farklı ikizlerin hikayesi hem bu farklılıkların oluşumuna, hem gelişimine hem de sonuçlarına odaklanıyor.
Bu açıdan kitap bana masalsız gerçekçi bir Yüzyıllık Yalnızlık nostaljisi yaptırmadı değil. 3 nesli ve onca bağlantılı olayı hemen hepsi derinlikli çoklu karakterlerle işlediğini tahmin ettiğim bir kitabı arka planlarıyla grafik-romanın 230 sayfasına sığdırmak kolay olmasa gerek. Ama bence bu işi olabildiğince başarmış Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon kardeşler. (Kitaptaki Ömer ve Yakup gibi çizerler Gabriel ve Fabio da ikiz, yani ikizler ikizleri çiziyor; -ne yani yumurtadan anlamak için tavuk mu olmak lazım? - Hayır, tek yumurtadan!).
Zamanın ve hikayenin ruhuna uygun düşen siyah-beyaz çizgiler, yoğun hikayede bazı şeyleri kaçırmanıza & yanlış anlamanıza neden olabilir. Yai, hikayeyi 2 kez okumakta fayda var. İkinci okuyuşumda kafamdaki soru işaretleri tamamen yok oldu ve çok daha fazla zevk aldım kitaptan.
Özetle; Okuyun, okutun. Asli kitabın Türkçeye çevrilmesi için de lobi yapın.
#translatetobesiktas
NOT: Kitapta ikizlerden Ömer, Yakup'tan birkaç dakika geç doğuyor ve bu yüzden ona Çaçula yani küçük kardeş lakabı takılıyor. Sizce yani genetik ve biyoloji bilimince ikizlerin hangisi büyük olur? İlk doğan mı sonra doğan mı? Üretim sistemi; First in Last out mu? Last in first out mu? Buyrun sohbete..
December 23, 2015
Although I enjoyed the illustrations, I wasn't too fond of the storytelling. I didn't like any of the characters, I hated this toxic jealousy that existed within the brothers, and the toxic relationship between the mother and her favourite child. I understand that this is all part of the storyline, but it wasn't one I enjoyed reading about.
Despite the fact that the story pretty much starts out with a good brother and an evil brother, it moves on to show the downwards spiral of the good brother and how vengeance and hatred takes over any good sense he may have had. I didn't like the stereotypical depiction of the "evil" brother being useless, a failure, a criminal and his mom's favourite spoiled child, and the "good" brother being the stable, successful, smart, emotionally detached one.
This is a very dysfunctional story about a very dysfunctional family, one that really seems to go nowhere, with ins and outs that did not keep me invested in the story or gripped by the events taking place. I didn't find myself rooting for anyone, and I didn't find myself caring what happens to any of the characters, and that to me is a sign that the writer did not succeed in creating a fully developed story with fully developed characters.
Lacks development and depth.
Despite the fact that the story pretty much starts out with a good brother and an evil brother, it moves on to show the downwards spiral of the good brother and how vengeance and hatred takes over any good sense he may have had. I didn't like the stereotypical depiction of the "evil" brother being useless, a failure, a criminal and his mom's favourite spoiled child, and the "good" brother being the stable, successful, smart, emotionally detached one.
This is a very dysfunctional story about a very dysfunctional family, one that really seems to go nowhere, with ins and outs that did not keep me invested in the story or gripped by the events taking place. I didn't find myself rooting for anyone, and I didn't find myself caring what happens to any of the characters, and that to me is a sign that the writer did not succeed in creating a fully developed story with fully developed characters.
Lacks development and depth.
October 27, 2015
Exquisitely beautiful story of a family. Of jealousy within a family, of a father's jealousy over his wife,'s love for the children, the mother's jealousy over her best-loved child, the male member's jealousy over the females and vice versa, the mother's jealousy of the women who come to love her son's but biggest of all is the jealousy between twin boys for the love of the same girl. Parents grow older and die and sons grow older and become fathers. But the twins father one son between them never knowing which is the one true father. It's a tangled sordid affair, a woman who loved dearly but only receives rape in return. The child lives in the house as a son of the house but is never rightfully claimed, but perhaps the family ends with this boy who puts the passion, jealousy, adventure and love into something more positive now that it has destroyed all but him. A literary family drama told with such intensity you can feel the heat rising from the pages; I always love the art from this team and the b/w splashes across the pages with emotion. I would love to read the novel this graphic was adapted from.
August 16, 2015
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK DARK HORSE FOR PROVIDING ME WITH THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
Oh wow.
That was unexpected.
I didn't think the story would be this deep and so dark and depressing at times.
Full review to follow.
Oh wow.
That was unexpected.
I didn't think the story would be this deep and so dark and depressing at times.
Full review to follow.
November 4, 2024
Li esta adaptação gráfica logo após terminar a leitura do romance de Milton Hatoum e esta é uma adaptação muito boa. Os autores que, curiosamente, são irmãos gémeos como os protagonistas da história, conseguiram captar totalmente a história e o ambiente do livro. Apesar do uso do preto e branco, as personagens não se confundem, as paisagens e imagens da cidade e edifícios são muito bonitas e o todo é bastante harmonioso. Arrisco até a dizer que não senti falta de nenhum pormenor do romance.
February 1, 2019
I became aware of this one through my daughter, although I have read the wonderful Daytripper in the past.
This one is a passionate, emotional, dark tale of the jealousy between two brothers that follows them all their lives and hurts everyone around them. The story is somewhat black and white, with the jealousy between the two brothers never wavering. The artwork fills in a lot of the emotion that the story may not delve into. I didn't realize this was based on a book by Milton Hatoum, and I immediately tried to look for this, but sadly I wasn't able to locate it through my library.
Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá won me over with Daytripper and have now earned a place on my favorites list of authors with this book.
This one is a passionate, emotional, dark tale of the jealousy between two brothers that follows them all their lives and hurts everyone around them. The story is somewhat black and white, with the jealousy between the two brothers never wavering. The artwork fills in a lot of the emotion that the story may not delve into. I didn't realize this was based on a book by Milton Hatoum, and I immediately tried to look for this, but sadly I wasn't able to locate it through my library.
Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá won me over with Daytripper and have now earned a place on my favorites list of authors with this book.
February 28, 2022
Açıkçası karakterlere de hikayeye de çizimlere de ısınamadım. Normalde Fabio Moon sevdiğim bir sanatçıdır, belki de dönemime denk geldi. Biraz da kitaplardan uyarlanan çizgi romanların ağızda müthiş bir tat bırakmadığını düşünüyorum. Yine de gördüğüm kadarıyla beğeneni çok.
Herkese keyifli okumalar.
Herkese keyifli okumalar.
April 28, 2016
This graphic novel is an adaptation of Brothers, a novel written by the popular Brazilian writer Milton Hatoum. I had not heard of either the book or the original author, so was interested to get my hands on it.
The story revolves around the relationship of twin brothers, Omar and Yaqub, and the people in their circles. I really liked that the Brazilian setting and that the Lebanese angle, however I did not connect to the story in any way. I did not love the sketchy black and white art, and the story failed to resonate with me. I enjoyed most the relationship of the twin's parents, and there are some wonderful moments of inter-generational angst, but overall, this one just did not work for me. I might see if I can get my hands on the original novel to see if I was simply lost in translation.
The story revolves around the relationship of twin brothers, Omar and Yaqub, and the people in their circles. I really liked that the Brazilian setting and that the Lebanese angle, however I did not connect to the story in any way. I did not love the sketchy black and white art, and the story failed to resonate with me. I enjoyed most the relationship of the twin's parents, and there are some wonderful moments of inter-generational angst, but overall, this one just did not work for me. I might see if I can get my hands on the original novel to see if I was simply lost in translation.
July 3, 2016
Adapted from Brazilian writer Milton Haltom’s book The Brothers it is the story of radically different twin brothers set against each other since childhood. Significant in that Ba and Moon are also twins. I found the artwork and story compelling but difficult to resolve as the narrator moves back and forth through time and across generations. It touches on larger themes and hints at varied motivations but is confined by the medium. I suspect the original book might answer some of the questions I have.
April 27, 2016
While I don't think it'll resonate with me quite as long as Daytripper did, it's still a very beautiful and good read. A good comic that isn't capes and tights, but about two twin brothers and a family.
July 21, 2017
İki kardeş, başka bir iki kardeşin öyküsünü çizgilere dönüştürmüş. Milton Hatoum'un romanından uyarlanan çizgi romanda, birbirinden tamamen zıt karakterde iki kardeşin öyküsü anlatılıyor. Bu iki kardeşi birleştirmeye çalışan bir anne, abilerine yardım eden bir kardeş, zorluklar içinde bir baba, bakıcı kadın ve çocuğunun hikayeleri de bizlerle beraber oluyor. Yine güzel bir uyarlama gelmiş Fabio ve Gabriel kardeşlerden. Zor bir hayat kesiti okumak isteyenlere tavsiye ederim.
August 15, 2021
Uma história de ciúme, enganos e vingança. Gostei muito do estilo do desenho.
Baseado na obra original, vencedora do Prémio Jabuti, de Milton Hatoum.
Baseado na obra original, vencedora do Prémio Jabuti, de Milton Hatoum.
February 25, 2022
Some of our desires are only fulfilled by others. Our nightmares belong to us.
//
B&W is not my style so i'm struggling to catching story while focusing on illustrations in this kind books. When the art style is black and white storyline becoming super confusing and hard to follow. (At least for me lol)
Otherwise book is catchy.
Multi-generational story at your service with some heartbreaking yet intense way.
Phew.
//
B&W is not my style so i'm struggling to catching story while focusing on illustrations in this kind books. When the art style is black and white storyline becoming super confusing and hard to follow. (At least for me lol)
Otherwise book is catchy.
Multi-generational story at your service with some heartbreaking yet intense way.
Phew.
August 15, 2016
Two Brothers did not take me through as personal of a journey as Daytripper did, but it remains a powerful example of how creators can truly engage the reader and push comics well beyond the panels on each page.
This is an adaptation of Milton Hatoum’s Dois irmãos, a project that, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá explained to me in an interview, was a difficult one, even though the black and white art and story seem simplistic. This is the story of Lebonese immigrants who settled in Brazil and stared t a family against the wishes of the husband. The twins that are born become the centre of everything, with every character spiraling into misery around the relationships that the twins are expected to have versus the reality of their very divergent personalities and the unbalanced love that separated them at a young age.
A lot of assumptions are made about twins, such as the belief that they ought to get along, but this story defies that. It is not a happy story, which may make it a very difficult read for some, but I do not shy away from bittersweet endings and difficult reads.
www.bibliosanctum.com
This is an adaptation of Milton Hatoum’s Dois irmãos, a project that, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá explained to me in an interview, was a difficult one, even though the black and white art and story seem simplistic. This is the story of Lebonese immigrants who settled in Brazil and stared t a family against the wishes of the husband. The twins that are born become the centre of everything, with every character spiraling into misery around the relationships that the twins are expected to have versus the reality of their very divergent personalities and the unbalanced love that separated them at a young age.
A lot of assumptions are made about twins, such as the belief that they ought to get along, but this story defies that. It is not a happy story, which may make it a very difficult read for some, but I do not shy away from bittersweet endings and difficult reads.
www.bibliosanctum.com
August 2, 2016
Epic family saga adaptation of a 2000 book by Milton Hatoum.
Pretty engrossing and sexy in places. It took me a bit to figure out who was narrating, which might be on purpose. I missed having color in the Moon/Ba illustrations. I honestly can't remember if it stays strictly in reality or flirts with magical realism at all.
Plays with themes of family subtext, assumptions, hidden and not-so-hidden resentments, and attachments.
Pretty engrossing and sexy in places. It took me a bit to figure out who was narrating, which might be on purpose. I missed having color in the Moon/Ba illustrations. I honestly can't remember if it stays strictly in reality or flirts with magical realism at all.
Plays with themes of family subtext, assumptions, hidden and not-so-hidden resentments, and attachments.
August 28, 2020
Müthiş bir çizgi roman. Çok sürükleyici, bir oturuşta okunacak cinsten. Bende en sevdiğim filmlerden biri olan The Best of Youth'takine benzer bir tat bıraktı. Bu filmi de çizgi romanı da şiddetle tavsiye ederim.
Çizgi roman, Milton Hatoum'un aynı isimli romanından uyarlanmış. Onu da mutlaka okuyacağım.
Çizgi roman, Milton Hatoum'un aynı isimli romanından uyarlanmış. Onu da mutlaka okuyacağım.
April 22, 2018
The person who gifted me this book obviously thought that a book about twins by twins would be perfect for me, who has a twin.
And such a perfect book.
The art style in Two Brothers is completely different to that of day-tripper and that the same people could manage to draw such different styles is a sign of great talent itself.
The subject matter and the relationships between each family member as well as the narrator are so serious in nature sand yet so beautifully translated through wonderful art and storytelling.
Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba will forever have my heart.
And such a perfect book.
The art style in Two Brothers is completely different to that of day-tripper and that the same people could manage to draw such different styles is a sign of great talent itself.
The subject matter and the relationships between each family member as well as the narrator are so serious in nature sand yet so beautifully translated through wonderful art and storytelling.
Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba will forever have my heart.
April 9, 2018
First time seeing the brothers work in B&W. Much prefer them in color. Would've added another dimension to the tropical sort of magical realist setting the book was going for which I loved.
The narrative voice is what made me give 5 stars (4-4.5 actually). It's stong and makes you root for the narrator. Which must have come fromit being adapted from a novel.
Though I couldn't understand what was bothering the characters so much. I mean most of their conflicts were kinda petty. Maybe because the story was old fashioned and was in stark contrast with the modern looking art that I expected it to be resolved in a more contemporary way. Or maybe I just didn't understand it that much😁
The narrative voice is what made me give 5 stars (4-4.5 actually). It's stong and makes you root for the narrator. Which must have come fromit being adapted from a novel.
Though I couldn't understand what was bothering the characters so much. I mean most of their conflicts were kinda petty. Maybe because the story was old fashioned and was in stark contrast with the modern looking art that I expected it to be resolved in a more contemporary way. Or maybe I just didn't understand it that much😁
December 28, 2019
I haven't read Brazilian writer Milton Hatoum's original work Brothers. I hadn't even heard of it until I came across this book which I discovered after reading the amazing Daytrippers by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. However, I didn't know what to expect and I must say Two Brothers is a story of complex emotions. On one end we have Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, brothers who work together and I presume they get along fantastically well and this particular story is about brothers - twins who are consumed by insecurity and jealousy. Set in Manaus, a town in Brazil just around the time of the World Wars, we delve into the cultural amalgamation that societies came out to be. Ironically enough, even though the story is about Omar and Yakub, two brothers of Lebanese descent, for me the most interesting characters were not the protagonists. The familial relationships delved into are convoluted with the mother favoring one son over the other even to extent of obsession, the exuberant jealousy between the siblings but not for the reason you think it would be for, the indifference of certain characters - all these are an example of the writers' understanding of human psyche.
However without needing a spoiler alert, the characters are all headed for damnation and there's no closure as such but maybe that's what makes it realistic?
The art work, all black and white isn't anything extraordinary but it goes perfectly for the theme of the narrative of two opposing forces ready to fuel it out.
However without needing a spoiler alert, the characters are all headed for damnation and there's no closure as such but maybe that's what makes it realistic?
The art work, all black and white isn't anything extraordinary but it goes perfectly for the theme of the narrative of two opposing forces ready to fuel it out.
March 3, 2018
Two Brothers
Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá
This graphic novel is based on the work of Milton Hatoum. The authors, who are brothers and very talented artists, clearly did the graphics.
One quickly realizes that much of the plot centers on two twin brothers who are separated as children. Five years later, when reunited, one sees how the two have diverged.
To distinguish the two apart, the authors give one twin a head with all black hair; the other twin has a blaze of white at center front. I wish the rest of the story tried for that clarity.
Several mildly annotated time shifts did not help continuity. Several key plot transitions were detectable only through a close study of a graphic panel; these transitions were easy to miss.
In my opinion this work is greatly overshadowed by their Daytripper work.
Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá
This graphic novel is based on the work of Milton Hatoum. The authors, who are brothers and very talented artists, clearly did the graphics.
One quickly realizes that much of the plot centers on two twin brothers who are separated as children. Five years later, when reunited, one sees how the two have diverged.
To distinguish the two apart, the authors give one twin a head with all black hair; the other twin has a blaze of white at center front. I wish the rest of the story tried for that clarity.
Several mildly annotated time shifts did not help continuity. Several key plot transitions were detectable only through a close study of a graphic panel; these transitions were easy to miss.
In my opinion this work is greatly overshadowed by their Daytripper work.
February 3, 2016
This book was rather enjoyable, and had I not read Moon and Ba's other work, Daytripper the same day, I might have appreciated it more. It is a story of twin brothers whose paths in life diverge and who then come into conflict again and again under the weight of their family's favoritism and expectations.
The book is a retelling of someone else's story, rendered in black and white. Not a bad book at all, it just didn't have nearly as much emotional resonance for me as Daytripper did. It's like apples and oranges, though. Moon and Ba accomplish what they set out to do in Two Brothers, which is enjoyable but not transcendent.
The book is a retelling of someone else's story, rendered in black and white. Not a bad book at all, it just didn't have nearly as much emotional resonance for me as Daytripper did. It's like apples and oranges, though. Moon and Ba accomplish what they set out to do in Two Brothers, which is enjoyable but not transcendent.
December 23, 2015
This has to be one of my favorite titles of 2015. I'm a fan of Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon, Daytripper being one of my favorites. (Man, it's been a long time since I read that. It needs revisiting!), and I had high hopes for this one. I wasn't disappointed. I'm not familiar with the original novel from which this book is adapted, and I'm curious how "true" they are to Milton Hatoum's 2000 book, Dois Irmãos. This story has a "rough" ending, and by that I mean one that isn't neat or polished in any way. I like that, and I tend to privilege those narratives with equivocal endings. The way that the brothers handle the book's narration, as well, is highly impressive, teasing out the narrating parameters as the story develops.
May 5, 2017
A ravishing comics version of a complex and troubling family saga. I love what this book shows me about its Brazilian cultural setting, and love its lush, fully realized world. It's an elliptical, sometimes confounding read, populated by many multidimensional characters and marked by some dizzying turns of plot. At times I couldn't quite distinguish some of the characters, or follow some of the unseen (off-panel) action; at times I longed to know more about the political history alluded to. Re-reading will definitely help -- I do expect to re-read it! Lovely, transporting comics, very literary, very steeped in Brazilian life and geography, and atmospheric.
PS. You can see author Hatoum's love of Faulkner here.
PS. You can see author Hatoum's love of Faulkner here.
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January 31, 2016The setting is the port city of Manaus, in Brazil. We are introduced to twin brothers, Yaqub , “the good” and Omar, “the bad”. As boys, there is a violent exchange between the pair and Yaqub is sent to Lebanon, to live with relatives. He returns after five years and discovers, nothing changed. Tensions and animosities, are hotter than ever.
This stark, gothic tale, is about family, secrets, identity and loss. The illustrations are black and white, pairing well with the dark story. Another stunning achievement, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, who also happen to be twin brothers. This one is not to be missed.
This stark, gothic tale, is about family, secrets, identity and loss. The illustrations are black and white, pairing well with the dark story. Another stunning achievement, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, who also happen to be twin brothers. This one is not to be missed.
July 31, 2016
Graphic novel about a split between twin bothers that is never reconciled. Explores many forms of loss. Fairly dark & depressing story.
August 4, 2021
Eu conheci a história através da minissérie da globo - que pretendo rever - e agora que finalizei a HQ, não vejo a hora de ler a obra original. É um livro curto, mas a história é grandiosa.
A história de amor de Halim e Zana é muito apaixonante e é triste perceber que seu maior desejo foi o que causou o seu fim com tanto sofrimento. Halim não é isento das atitudes dos filhos, mas é perceptível que o amor dele por Zana fazia com que ele repensasse ações que poderiam tornar a situação menos complicada.
Omar é tremendamente odiável com suas atitudes tão desprendidas enquanto não consegue se manter sem explorar os outros - e aqui não falo só dos bens materiais -, já o Yaqub, apesar de ser extremamente correto, esconde muito do caos dentro de si, e isso pesa o tempo todo na história. No fim, os irmãos são espelhos um do outro nos extremos: enquanto um se joga na vida até o último pulsar, o outro se resguarda de tudo por sentir que parte dele foi embora de vez na infância e molda sua vida em torno de uma vingança que foca no irmão, mesmo sendo ressentido com todos.
Domingas, apesar de ser a empregada que deveria ser invisível, nos presenteia com o narrador da história e carrega um segredo que a história vai lançando algumas pistas, o que dá para imaginar o que seja, mas isso impende que a revelação ao filho seja forte. O fim eu considero agridoce pela vida sossegada que um dos personagens consegui ter, mas penso nas palavras finais que não foram ditas e então volto ao passado dramático dessa família e fico triste de novo - Zana, Halim e Domingas mereciam muito mais.
Ainda assim, sofrer por ficção é super válido, então eu recomendo demais!
A história de amor de Halim e Zana é muito apaixonante e é triste perceber que seu maior desejo foi o que causou o seu fim com tanto sofrimento. Halim não é isento das atitudes dos filhos, mas é perceptível que o amor dele por Zana fazia com que ele repensasse ações que poderiam tornar a situação menos complicada.
Omar é tremendamente odiável com suas atitudes tão desprendidas enquanto não consegue se manter sem explorar os outros - e aqui não falo só dos bens materiais -, já o Yaqub, apesar de ser extremamente correto, esconde muito do caos dentro de si, e isso pesa o tempo todo na história. No fim, os irmãos são espelhos um do outro nos extremos: enquanto um se joga na vida até o último pulsar, o outro se resguarda de tudo por sentir que parte dele foi embora de vez na infância e molda sua vida em torno de uma vingança que foca no irmão, mesmo sendo ressentido com todos.
Domingas, apesar de ser a empregada que deveria ser invisível, nos presenteia com o narrador da história e carrega um segredo que a história vai lançando algumas pistas, o que dá para imaginar o que seja, mas isso impende que a revelação ao filho seja forte. O fim eu considero agridoce pela vida sossegada que um dos personagens consegui ter, mas penso nas palavras finais que não foram ditas e então volto ao passado dramático dessa família e fico triste de novo - Zana, Halim e Domingas mereciam muito mais.
Ainda assim, sofrer por ficção é super válido, então eu recomendo demais!
September 13, 2021
Two Brothers is a graphic novel written by Fábio Moon and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. It centers on twin brothers Omar and Yaqub, who may share the same features, but they could not be more different from one another as they go through life in Brazil.
Narrated mostly by Nael, the illegitimate son of one of the brothers, the tale is presented in a nonlinear narrative with multiple flashbacks, as stories within stories begin to fill in the greater family chronicle spiraling around the twins and their simmering rivalry and hatred. The intricate secrets and lies at the heart of families are set against a backdrop of almost cinematic cityscapes and vistas.
Two Brothers is written and constructed rather well. Based on a work by acclaimed novelist Milton Hatoum, it is a stunningly remained of that novel in graphic novel form. Bá and Moon present the naturalistic dynamism of Brazil in their art: sweeping, dramatic organic shapes against the sharp angularity of the people. The stark black and white art crackles to express the subtleties of palpable, barely contained tension between kin, a brutal police beating, and the erotic electricity of an exotic dance. Bá and Moon bring a cool, confident sharpness to their narrative to reflect the shades of gray in this powerful family saga.
All in all, Two Brothers is a wonderful graphic novel that celebrates the vibrant life and diversity of Brazil.
Narrated mostly by Nael, the illegitimate son of one of the brothers, the tale is presented in a nonlinear narrative with multiple flashbacks, as stories within stories begin to fill in the greater family chronicle spiraling around the twins and their simmering rivalry and hatred. The intricate secrets and lies at the heart of families are set against a backdrop of almost cinematic cityscapes and vistas.
Two Brothers is written and constructed rather well. Based on a work by acclaimed novelist Milton Hatoum, it is a stunningly remained of that novel in graphic novel form. Bá and Moon present the naturalistic dynamism of Brazil in their art: sweeping, dramatic organic shapes against the sharp angularity of the people. The stark black and white art crackles to express the subtleties of palpable, barely contained tension between kin, a brutal police beating, and the erotic electricity of an exotic dance. Bá and Moon bring a cool, confident sharpness to their narrative to reflect the shades of gray in this powerful family saga.
All in all, Two Brothers is a wonderful graphic novel that celebrates the vibrant life and diversity of Brazil.
May 22, 2021
On one hand this is quite good, very interesting and nearly impossible to put down. On the other though, it’s grammatical structure is just a narrator giving the reader a list of events that happened. Perhaps there’s something lost in the translation or lost in the adaptation. In either case, it makes the story enjoyable and entertaining, but also distancing.
April 27, 2017
Heartbreaking story, beautiful art.
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