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Wordt Vervolgd Novellen #21
Boca de Diablo
Yuri, un joven huérfano ucraniano apodado “boca de diablo” por culpa de una malformación en el labio, cae en las manos tutelares de la KGB en pleno estalinismo, que le someterá a una formación intensiva para hacer de él un soldado espía de primera fila. Una vez terminada su preparacón, será enviado a los Estados Unidos bajo el nombre de William Budd, para combatir a Occidente en nombre de la revolución socialista.
J. Charyn y F. Boucq son los autores de esta intriga histórica que combina acción, amor y traiciones mediante un dibujo espléndido. Norma recupera una obra de los años 90 que marcó un punto de inflexión en la carrera de Boucq. Un cuarto de siglo después, su dibujo nos sigue asombrando.
J. Charyn y F. Boucq son los autores de esta intriga histórica que combina acción, amor y traiciones mediante un dibujo espléndido. Norma recupera una obra de los años 90 que marcó un punto de inflexión en la carrera de Boucq. Un cuarto de siglo después, su dibujo nos sigue asombrando.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
5 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Jerome Charyn
221 books230 followersJerome Charyn is an award-winning American author. With more than 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life.
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon calls him "one of the most important writers in American literature." New York Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac," and the Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among American writers."
Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published thirty novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays, and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year.
Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the American University of Paris.
In addition to writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top ten percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."
Charyn's most recent novel, Jerzy, was described by The New Yorker as a "fictional fantasia" about the life of Jerzy Kosinski, the controversial author of The Painted Bird. In 2010, Charyn wrote The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, an imagined autobiography of the renowned poet, a book characterized by Joyce Carol Oates as a "fever-dream picaresque."
Charyn lives in New York City. He's currently working with artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka on an animated television series based on his Isaac Sidel crime novels.
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon calls him "one of the most important writers in American literature." New York Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac," and the Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among American writers."
Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published thirty novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays, and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year.
Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the American University of Paris.
In addition to writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top ten percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."
Charyn's most recent novel, Jerzy, was described by The New Yorker as a "fictional fantasia" about the life of Jerzy Kosinski, the controversial author of The Painted Bird. In 2010, Charyn wrote The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, an imagined autobiography of the renowned poet, a book characterized by Joyce Carol Oates as a "fever-dream picaresque."
Charyn lives in New York City. He's currently working with artists Asaf and Tomer Hanuka on an animated television series based on his Isaac Sidel crime novels.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 24, 2020
It started quite interesting, path of the young orphan from kid to KBG agent, training, coming to age... Then he gets assigned to USA, and you won't get traditional spy story. More like some strange nonsense, ending very strangely, with some mystical aspects. If the aim was to point to religious part of life and show some importance it didn't worked really... Whole line with old native american doesn't feel right, more like something forced, unnatural and unnecessary for this particular story.
August 7, 2022
This comic starts out fairly well, but it falls off hard around the midway point. The first quarter is quite promising, following a Ukrainian orphan who, in the aftermath of the Second World War, gets taken in by the KGB and trained to be an elite soldier-spy. The second quarter is reasonably interesting too, as the story delves into Cold War espionage. Unfortunately, around the halfway mark the plot starts to escalate, and from here onwards things just become increasingly melodramatic, absurd and convoluted. Too many different elements are thrown together – including some uninspiring and superfluous magical/spiritual aspects – and nothing’s really resolved. After a rush of action in the final act, the ending is abrupt, flat and very unsatisfying.
Even in the first half, when the story’s quite engaging, the characters are paper thin and the situations sometimes stretch suspension of disbelief. Special mention is warranted for a ridiculous and very out-of-place indigenous American character who seems to exist to serve as a checklist of incredibly dumb ethnic clichés: he’s magical and badass and of course very noble, and he walks around 1960s New York in a loincloth. This comic was published in 1990, not 1890!
I suppose François Boucq’s artwork is this comic’s real draw, not the half-baked story. The drawings of landscapes, buildings and bustling city scenes are all wonderful, with a lot of detail and a wonderful sense of composition. I’m not a big fan of how the faces are drawn – I don’t like the particular blend of realism and cartoonishness – but I think that’s just a matter of personal taste, rather than a criticism I could put into words. One criticism I will level, though, is that Boucq doesn’t draw action scenes well: they never feel dynamic or exciting, and sometimes it’s even hard to follow what’s happening.
In conclusion, then, this comic has some nice art and a moderately engaging first half, but I can’t really recommend it. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more Charyn-Boucq comics in the future.
Even in the first half, when the story’s quite engaging, the characters are paper thin and the situations sometimes stretch suspension of disbelief. Special mention is warranted for a ridiculous and very out-of-place indigenous American character who seems to exist to serve as a checklist of incredibly dumb ethnic clichés: he’s magical and badass and of course very noble, and he walks around 1960s New York in a loincloth. This comic was published in 1990, not 1890!
I suppose François Boucq’s artwork is this comic’s real draw, not the half-baked story. The drawings of landscapes, buildings and bustling city scenes are all wonderful, with a lot of detail and a wonderful sense of composition. I’m not a big fan of how the faces are drawn – I don’t like the particular blend of realism and cartoonishness – but I think that’s just a matter of personal taste, rather than a criticism I could put into words. One criticism I will level, though, is that Boucq doesn’t draw action scenes well: they never feel dynamic or exciting, and sometimes it’s even hard to follow what’s happening.
In conclusion, then, this comic has some nice art and a moderately engaging first half, but I can’t really recommend it. I don’t think I’ll be reading any more Charyn-Boucq comics in the future.
March 19, 2020
Voor iemand die al 40 jaar onophoudelijk in de ban is van strips is Boucq een late ontdekking. Om één of andere reden las ik geen enkel beeldverhaal van de man tot ik me in 2015 "Little Tulip" (ook door Charyn geschreven) aanschafte. Wat een schitterende strip was me dat. Kort erop las ik de integrale van Jodorowskys "Bouncer" (via de Amerikaanse uitgever Humanoids) die ook een enorme indruk op me maakte. Door "Little Tulip" ging ik op zoek naar Duivelsmond (de vorige samenwerking van Charyn en Boucq uit 1990) maar deze stripklassieker werd nooit herdrukt, was uitverkocht en geen enkele bibliotheek in mijn streek beschikt over een exemplaar. Gelukkig heb ik het boek tweedehands kunnen aanschaffen. Net zoals bij voornoemde titels is dit een aankoop die ik me niet beklaag.
Het leest als een epische spionage-thriller met een vleugje fantasy. Zeer boeiend ! Eigenlijk is dit zo'n boek die altijd beschikbaar zou moeten zijn voor stripliefhebbers.
Het leest als een epische spionage-thriller met een vleugje fantasy. Zeer boeiend ! Eigenlijk is dit zo'n boek die altijd beschikbaar zou moeten zijn voor stripliefhebbers.
December 4, 2014
This is the first Jerome Charyn graphic novel I've read, and I was more than pleasantly surprised by it.
At this point I've read a dozen of his novels, and have gotten a pretty good grasp of Charyn's themes and tendencies as a writer. Many of them are present in Billy Budd, KGB, but the new medium seemed to have freed him in ways that only a radical departure such as the literary journal format of The Tar Baby had previously suggested. Needing fewer words to tell his story, Charyn lets the story develop more freely, which is to say this is a far more conventional Charyn than you're likely to find in the novels, strangely enough. If you've tried the books, then maybe it's the graphic novels that will help you discover Charyn's talent.
As the title may imply, this is a spy story concerning a Russian agent on American soil. The thing is, and this was something I'd been thinking while reading some of the books, is that Charyn's eerie foreshadowing of Stieg Larrson's Lisbeth Salander (from the Millennium Trilogy; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, et al) is perhaps at its strongest here. Our main character, although in this instance male instead of female, escapes the clutches of a brutal father by burning him. Later he becomes embroiled in a complicated state of affairs and finds an unlikely ally who alone understands his gifts.
Well, fine, I don't know how many stories could be simplified that way, but it's a feeling I've had and it was interesting to see such parallels.
The thing is, Charyn always writes about orphans of one kind or another, finding sympathy where few others would, and helping his reader feel it too, basically without a choice in the matter, showing them with all of their strengths and de-emphasizing the flaws others would define them by.
It's also clever to write a Melville story set in the Cold War, which is a natural juxtaposition that maybe Charyn alone was capable of making. I've associated Charyn several times with Dickens, but there's a lot of Melville in him, too. Have I yet to discover his Moby Dick? The prospect makes me giddy...
At this point I've read a dozen of his novels, and have gotten a pretty good grasp of Charyn's themes and tendencies as a writer. Many of them are present in Billy Budd, KGB, but the new medium seemed to have freed him in ways that only a radical departure such as the literary journal format of The Tar Baby had previously suggested. Needing fewer words to tell his story, Charyn lets the story develop more freely, which is to say this is a far more conventional Charyn than you're likely to find in the novels, strangely enough. If you've tried the books, then maybe it's the graphic novels that will help you discover Charyn's talent.
As the title may imply, this is a spy story concerning a Russian agent on American soil. The thing is, and this was something I'd been thinking while reading some of the books, is that Charyn's eerie foreshadowing of Stieg Larrson's Lisbeth Salander (from the Millennium Trilogy; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, et al) is perhaps at its strongest here. Our main character, although in this instance male instead of female, escapes the clutches of a brutal father by burning him. Later he becomes embroiled in a complicated state of affairs and finds an unlikely ally who alone understands his gifts.
Well, fine, I don't know how many stories could be simplified that way, but it's a feeling I've had and it was interesting to see such parallels.
The thing is, Charyn always writes about orphans of one kind or another, finding sympathy where few others would, and helping his reader feel it too, basically without a choice in the matter, showing them with all of their strengths and de-emphasizing the flaws others would define them by.
It's also clever to write a Melville story set in the Cold War, which is a natural juxtaposition that maybe Charyn alone was capable of making. I've associated Charyn several times with Dickens, but there's a lot of Melville in him, too. Have I yet to discover his Moby Dick? The prospect makes me giddy...
October 8, 2022
Lo leí en su momento por estar dibujado por Boucq y no me dejó excesivo recuerdo. Lo releo ahora y le veo todos los agujeros en una trama que podría ser interesante (espía infiltrado de la URSS en EEUU) pero que no lo es.
September 19, 2022
Com os desenhos inimitáveis de Boucq, a história de Charyn sobre a indoctrinação do socialismo da união soviética na pós segunda guerra mundial usando e fazendo lavagem cerebral total aos mais fracos e vulneráveis prometendo-lhes um futuro brilhante a servir o paizinho e a ideologia cega comunista assassina.
O nosso herói é o Boca do Diabo por ter nascido com um lábio defeituoso que é educado e tratado para vir a ser um cidadão americano e espião perfeito lidando com os infiltrados e cumprindo missões para servir a pátria . Mas por vezes é possível perceber o fanatismo e paranóia por detrás da ideologia .
Muito bem desenhado e construído .
O nosso herói é o Boca do Diabo por ter nascido com um lábio defeituoso que é educado e tratado para vir a ser um cidadão americano e espião perfeito lidando com os infiltrados e cumprindo missões para servir a pátria . Mas por vezes é possível perceber o fanatismo e paranóia por detrás da ideologia .
Muito bem desenhado e construído .
September 19, 2017
Glorious nonsense.
A strange Cold War fable about the importance of Christianity to the former Soviet Union and the Native Americans who built the skyscraper I guess. It doesn't make a lot of sense. I get that it's supposed to be about God and America.
This guy is lousy at drawing action but amazing at drawing environments. The sewer chase doesn't work as a chase but as strange pictures of sewers go it's as as good as it gets.
You could literally stop reading at any page, declare it the ending, and it would make as much sense as the actual ending.
A strange Cold War fable about the importance of Christianity to the former Soviet Union and the Native Americans who built the skyscraper I guess. It doesn't make a lot of sense. I get that it's supposed to be about God and America.
This guy is lousy at drawing action but amazing at drawing environments. The sewer chase doesn't work as a chase but as strange pictures of sewers go it's as as good as it gets.
You could literally stop reading at any page, declare it the ending, and it would make as much sense as the actual ending.
January 18, 2018
In this Cold War novel, a KGB spy in America is exposed to the possibility of an enlightened spiritual existence, and everything changes. It's a thoughtful and provocative story. The art is beautiful, reminding me of other popular comics from the nineties coming out of European nations. Recommended.
☠
Trade Paperback
Dover Publications, 2016
Translated by the author, Jerome Charyn
Introduced by Paul Pope
Four Stars
January 17-18, 2018
☠
☠
Trade Paperback
Dover Publications, 2016
Translated by the author, Jerome Charyn
Introduced by Paul Pope
Four Stars
January 17-18, 2018
☠
August 17, 2020
Este cómic pasó demasiado desapercibido, lo cual es una lástima teniendo en cuenta lo bueno que es. Tiene espionaje, acción, romance, giros imprevisibles...
A destacar también el dibujo que va entre lo grotesco de las caras a los fondos realistas y muy detallados.
La edición de Norma es tapa dura y más grande que los europeos tradicionales, así que el disfrute del arte es mucho mayor.
A destacar también el dibujo que va entre lo grotesco de las caras a los fondos realistas y muy detallados.
La edición de Norma es tapa dura y más grande que los europeos tradicionales, así que el disfrute del arte es mucho mayor.
May 1, 2024
The plot is not bad, the beginning is captivating (even though there's a huge load of propaganda in it), but then it gets a bit lost. I don't particularly dislike the "mystical" bits, but they sometimes just don't make any sense. I was expecting a more bombastic ending, but it was just meh. The art, however, is incredible. Overall a nice read.
June 1, 2017
great work, though might be better for longer format
March 10, 2018
Started really well but then it feels rushed and it didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
December 19, 2020
The art is AMAZING. The script is poor, it’s the genius of Boucq makes this book wonderful.
June 13, 2021
Juste trop bien ! Comme tous les Bandes dessinées de Boucq.
April 25, 2025
Une BD datée mais qui se lit vite. L'histoire d'un espion russe aux Etats-Unis.
October 19, 2025
3,5 ☆... niet overtuigend genoeg voor 4 ☆
February 12, 2017
Another Charyn/Boucq collaboration that I'm reading for an upcoming episode of The Comics Alternative's Euro Comics series. Much like Little Tulip, this is an engaging story with a blunt, even equivocal ending.
January 12, 2014
Hyvää sujuvaa kuvaa, mukava, piskuisen yliluonnollinen vakoilu juoni, komaa ajankuvaa. Loppu oli tosin tyhmä.
June 2, 2020
Loose Melville adaptation
I loved the EXQUISITE art but Charyn's stories annoy me with unnecessary absurdity and confusion at nearly every angle.
I loved the EXQUISITE art but Charyn's stories annoy me with unnecessary absurdity and confusion at nearly every angle.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews