Press Enter to Continue

by Ana Galvañ

Galvan's characters navigate a candy-colored world of geometric energy. Departments of inhumane resources dehumanize the people it is purported to protect; information is determinedly mined like the gold of the 21st century that it is; induced suicidal thoughts are a tool to manage overpopulation. Like Black Mirror, Galvan's near future is less paranoid dystopia than it is a logical extension of things to come, where the malice of large corporations manifests in small, everyday ways.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Surreal

100 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2018

About the author

Ana Galvañ is a comic book writer and illustrator from Murcia, Spain. After studying Art in Valencia, she moved to Madrid, where she works from her own studio for publishers and advertising agencies. One of her strengths is poster and campaign design for events, and her comic book stories have been published by Fantagraphics, Nobrow, Ultrarradio, Vertigo DC, Off Life, Autsáider, Apa-Apa and Fosfatina, among others. She recently published Pulse enter para continuar (Apa, 2018), a compilation of five stories that combines science fiction and fantasy. She was also curator of the cycle of exhibitions at CentroCentro, “The Comic Strip City”, featuring unpublished mural illustrations about Madrid, and coordinated the anthology Teen Wolf.

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a book that will make you say “uh…what the fuck?” DO I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU! A bizarre yet satisfying fever dream of a graphic novel, Press Here to Continue by Spanish artist Ana Galvañ taps into human discomfort in a technological world across five brief graphic shorts. Set in an uncanny valley reality, you can feel the humanness being deleted from existence through stories which are more surreal and threatening vibes than concrete narrative. Not that there isn’t a story to glean, but they come across as fragments full of dread, building a wave of unease through lack of a larger context. It is successfully destabilizing, with a bright art style that feels very much like eerie corporate pamphlets, using a lack of details to further dehumanize the characters and make the setting feel universal. It is a quick read, but one that will linger like a splinter in the mind.


I really enjoyed how unsettling these are. The title recalls video games and here it feels like the humans are pawns in a system where nothing quite adds up and everything seems ominously sadistic. There are some serious Philip K. Dick vibes touching on technology anxiety that will make you begin to understand why Lord Byron was a Luddite. Though it also feels like a more abstract and punchy collection of Black Mirror shorts. I feel like Radiohead should probably be playing.


The dehumanization aspect plays large here, always seeming like some larger power is pulling strings and everyday people are their prey. We have a doll head that seems to take over it’s victims bodies by luring them through sex, a corporate interview full of mind games, and a sort of computer virus that thrives on trauma—it’s all very sinister and creepy. It never seems to fully land or be explainable but that sense of chaos only adds to the discomfort in a successful way. It is a bit brief and readers may want more to latch onto, but if you need some disquieting and menacing vibes, this is for you.

3.5/5

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ana Galvañ’s Press to Continue has sweet cotton candy colors that belie a sinister premise in all these experimental shorts, all of which are unnamed and many of which are wordless. All these things apply: Art comics, futuristic, dystopian, technological, surreal, atmospheric, unemotional. The title points to digital/video gaming in which participants (us) are victimized in and through tech by people in power. We see featureless faces, anyone is everyone. Few backgrounds.

In one a tiger seems to come through a screen and actually injures/kills a woman--the other women escape; in another a new trapeze artist at a circus hooks up with Scandal, The Human Doll, a robot, but he’s warned away from her when he finds what happened to his predecessor. The third features a bizarre interview format where a woman feels threatened, calls her interviewer on it, but she gets a second interview, anyway, and is a little disturbed to not know why. A fourth focuses on a boy who is sent to a camp with a lot of surveillance.

Oh, I saw at a glance references to Philip K. Dick in a couple other reviews, and this seems right: The speculative paranoia. Very thoughtful and coolly distant work.

[Adrián Ciutat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo primero es lo primero y en este caso lo primero es reconocer el admirable trabajo de Apa Apa Cómics sacando tebeos personalísimos, rozando lo experimental, dándoles a esas creativas mentes de trazo diestro un hogar y un escaparate.
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Ana Galvañ es una de las creadoras más punteras del cómic patrio actual. Militante del underground, hasta ahora sólo había desarrollado sus historietas en pequeño formato, y digo hasta ahora porque este ‘Pulse Enter Para Continuar’ tiene casi cien páginas.
Cien páginas de tornasolados colores pastel que reflejan la energía geométrica de sus deformes y adictivos monigotes.
Cien páginas que, si bien no tejen una única historia, si que poseen sus lugares comunes en la distopía y la deshumanización.
Cien páginas que son su Black Mirror particular.
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La transfiguración de una mujer de múltiple persona -¿lidad?- que queda atrapada al otro lado de su refugio, la pantalla de la televisión; una mujer-muñeca fracasada que trabaja en un circo y devora hombres; un murmurante departamento de recursos inhumanos; un extraño campamento en el que se trafica con el oro del siglo XXI, la información; y una teoría conspiranoica que utiliza los traumas para que la gente se suicide en masa y así acabar con el problema de la superpoblación.
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Me quedo un poco con las ganas de una única y extensa historieta, en la que predomine lo narrativo sobre lo gráfico, pero es una bella experiencia psicodélica protagonizada por el futuro aterrador.

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this the first time, I immediately bought it, and then it sat on my shelf for 5 years. I basically forgot it, because who can remember a dream upon waking. I'm doing a gentle downsizing of my books right now so I grabbed it, thinking it was going to go to greener pastures (the laundromat or local hipster cafe). Never mind. Still 5 stars. You will stay here because you are beautiful.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The drawing style reminds me somewhat of Jesse Jacobs' marvelous Safari Honeymoon, with the minimal cartoony figures, but more abstract. Galvañ also does interesting things with color and texture. The design of the collection is immediately unusual and intriguing. There's what looks like a contents page listing five stories, but none of them have titles. Successive stories are separated by endpaper-like pages, with a similar design theme. (I won't even try to describe these; you have to see them to get the effect.)

Some of the pieces are cryptic pseudo-narratives, with many text-less pages; then there's the job interview from hell, whew. And p.53 starts off with these deliciously unsettling texts, placed ambiguously around surreal line drawings in psychedelic colors:

Here, Father 734? is much older and sadder. I really miss him.
[...]
The day I arrived, your pet kept barking at me. She was the only one who noticed.
[...]
I'll take good care of her. Don't worry.
[...]
I can't imagine what it's like for you. I hope you've gotten used to it, too.

The final story is a lovely strange tale with a more conventional (but open-ended) narrative than the earlier pieces. I really liked its unreliable communications and chilling interactions with technology.

This is one of the more original and memorable graphic novels I've come across in awhile. There are reviews online, but I think looking at a random page or two can be disappointing. I had to settle down before I could take in the design and the quiet, contemplative strangeness. This seems to be Galvañ's only book in English; I hope there's more to come soon.

[Ed Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surreal, trippy, and Philip K. Dicky (if PKD could draw). Not sure what was really going on most of the time, but it was cool.

Note there is some sexual content, but it is abstracted to the point where it is basically a cylinder meets a round hole.

Also, this is Ana Galvañ, not Ana Galván. They are different people. I'll try to get it corrected.

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection of graphic shorts! Ana Galvan's collection is a geometric color bomb, where characters navigate the mundane that becomes or feels surreal. Often cyclical, the stories are tinged with a quiet horror and melancholy and hint at sinister going ons beyond what's on the page. A woman wakes up, multiplies as she walks through her house, sits down to watch TV (as others keep going and get pounced on by a prowling, multiplying tiger), only to find herself in side the TV (which is not a TV, it turns out). A trapeze artists joins a new circus, only to find out the mystery behind the disappearance of the previous trapeze artist (and why Scandal, the Human Doll, always wears a mask). A woman interviews for a job, where she keeps hearing a humming sound, which she gets convinced the interviewer is causing somehow, only to find out the bizarre mind games were a part of the "test." Overall, the collection is fun and thought-provoking. Recommended for those who like pet doors, secret underwater passages, summer camp, and conspiracy theories.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

"Press Enter..." is translated from Spanish but it is as icy as the Arctic. The pseudo-scientific language and jarring scenarios make this really eerie and disorientating. The colouring looks like it has been sourced from repurposed sweetie wrappers and the art work uses the kind of characters you would find in an 80s airplane safety manual. It has some elements of the familiar which clash powerfully with the unfamiliar creating that chilling, detached feel.

This addresses some of the long running themes of science fiction and as a result it brings to mind the likes of Ballard, Dick and even Ray Bradbury. You couldn’t call this great, but there is something memorable about it. This is made up of a number of short vignettes, none of them really go anywhere and there seems to be no genuine craft in terms of prose or development, but there is some sinister Sci-Fi and anti-technology shenanigans goings on all soaked in fear and paranoia.

[André Habet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dug the art style used across these various Pastel dystopias. The overarching theme of surveillance, paranoia, and alienation are covered across a few disconnected shorts, yet I came away from most without anything in the way of insight of feeling. There’s a detachment to the dialogue that seems to strive for sardonic or morbid, but instead comes across as bored. I was most into the story featuring the subliminal imagery used to induce suicide. Its mystery component gave it an urgency and intrigue that the other stories lacked for me. I think folks into alt depictions of the future may be into this, but for a comics shorts collection that has some futurist interest id instead recommend Eleanor Davis’ How to be Happy’ or Ines Estrada’s ‘Alienation.’

[Alasondro Alegré · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½

[aqilahreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a weird read!!!!!!! im still like......having a moment of what i just read. 😂 honestly the art is so amazing and something that i have never seen before omg its just so refreshing. 👀✨ this is one of those books where you just dont get it but its the reason why you will remember it for a long time lololol. apparently i had to read other reviews to see if im just the only one but it turns out that im not!!!! so its pretty cool to see how others are enjoying this as much as i do regardless of the story. its so unique & the colours are just so pretty to look at. if youre into art, you might want to get into this! i guess its more on how youre going to interpret the stories as well and just let your opinions flow. super strange but love it! 💫

[Doze · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely beautiful illustrations. the use of gradients and texture really drives in the fever-dream of vignettes throughout the book. every story is an almost nightmare, quiet; it's solemn in the way that the main character of each story feels alone even when slews of other background characters envelope the page, but also so busy with texture and life.

this is one of those graphic novels that rides the line of pretension and wholesome exploration, the way twilight zone sometimes does. because of this it will definitely stick around in my library for many more revisits.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐

Lol whut???

Quirky and subtly creepy with some underlying commentary. I also liked the gorgeous pop colours and fun futuristic vibes but the lack of a clear narrative wasn't my cup of tea. Still a very refreshing read like no other though!

👩🏻 cherreading mood: Quickie at the library.

[Laissez Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uh, I need to read this at least once more to begin to have an opinion.

After reading it again: a couple stories are fantastic and a couple make little sense. The art is distinctive
but I wanted the stories to breathe a little rather than be as short as they are.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

An abstract anthology.


This is definitely one of those books you just have to go along with. The more I tried to make sense of it, the more confused I got. Not that it doesn't make sense but when I was trying to "piece" things together I realized it was more of an anthology or a book of poems than liner. Its also a little hard to describe what was just read because you just have to see it for yourself.
A new circus recruit learns what happened to the man he is replacing, Kids have fun at camp but not for forever and a woman finds out memories may have been planted in her head by the government.
There were a few stories that I couldn't figure out what was happening, but that was also the fun part! You get to make up your own interpretation of whats happening. The art work was amazing! Very strange but I loved it. I also really liked the way they used shapes and highlights to guide you through the reading, it was interesting.
Excited to see what else this creator can do!

[Mangrii · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 / 5

Ana Galván plantea cinco historias, inspiradas y basadas en una obra de John Varley, que piden del lector ser activo, observador y les de cierta dirección. Si algo se les puede decir a las 95 páginas de 'Pulsa enter para continuar' sin destripar las historias, es que reúnen un trabajo de lo más reflexivo en torno a cuestiones que nos atañen cada día más: la desigualdad de poder, la búsqueda perpetua de la propia identidad, la soledad que nos encadena más cada día o la dependencia que tenemos de los demás.

Cada historia, abierta a la máxima interpretación, no tiene una conclusión o moraleja. Ana nos invita a seguir adelante, a sacar nuestras conclusiones, en una mezcla de ciencia ficción y paranoia especulativa de lo más inquietante que pone en tela de juicio los efectos negativos de la tecnología. Una especie de Black Mirror mirado con un prisma de tonos pastel, degradados y diferentes formas geométricas, donde la imagen prevalece sobre los diálogos y el color saturado funciona como cohesión.

[hope h. · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick read that will nonetheless stick with you for days - this graphic novel really effectively uses simple linework, blindingly bright colors, and geometric, escheresque backgrounds to tell a series of short dystopian stories that are 1. really fucking weird and 2. really fucking creepy. i read the whole thing really quickly, went "....what did i just read" and then couldn't stop thinking about the doll-headed circus performer who preys on people and pilots their bodies, or the bizarre and unsettling job interview punctuated by eerie humming. the stories are short, the whole book is short, everything is weird and unsettling and never really explained or resolved in a satisfying way, but all of this is done in a way that feels very purposeful and adds to the tone of the book rather than detracting from it. and it had enough horror flair to it to give me actual chills a few times, so like, obviously i'm going to recommend it. definitely worth checking out if you enjoy scifi and are looking for something that's kind of like....far side on acid??

[Megan Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was odd! It describes itself as a psychedelic black mirror, which is what it felt like! Totally bizarre think pieces.

I enjoyed it, art was simple but fit so well within whole aesthetic.
Will be checking out more from this artist!

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it's okay... maybe more of a 2-star experience, not sure. Stories--if you can call them that since many/most had only images--were interesting, but I think mostly because they were confusing and a little unsettling. One I feel certain must have been missing a page or two... but maybe the jump/gap was intentional. Maybe it was just gibberish concocted by an imaginative but inarticulate artist? Maybe it was a deeply nuanced critique of our obsession with digital experiences and a warning of the potential long term ramifications of blending VR and AR with actual reality? Maybe I just don't really know what to make of it? Definitely weird, but the artwork was unique. Kaleidoscopic.

[Alexandra Bazhenova-Sorokina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and haunting feminine vision of Zamyatin’s “Us” and of Pfilip K Dick’s worlds. I definitely need a reread, but even without understanding some parts I felt scared, sad and lonely together with the characters. A very strange combination of real emotions and otherworldly setting, at some point I thought that the characters did live inside a computer as our digital selves. Now I think this is probably not the idea, and yet, and yet. I love sci-fi which is deliberately weird and alienating, not rational through and through, and this is a great example of how visual and textual contents and entrance you while actually giving a comment about our present and future.

[Edward Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This predominantly wordless graphic novel is a beatific triumph of bold and daring art communicating the digital lock on humanity: audacious pastels, dot and line patterns, drafted diagonals that suggest what might have happened if Chris Ware had gone another direction in his career. It is simply gorgeous and jaw-dropping to look at. Ana Galvan is a hell of a talent and I can see why she won Eisners for this. Her art itself tells the story. And the way that she uses shape blocks must be seen to be known!

[Mark Robison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this and didn't like it so I read many positive Goodreads reviews to understand it better. Then I read it again and still didn't care for it. It's too vague, cool and distant, the stories too underdeveloped. I prefer books that pull readers in as opposed to keeping them at a distance. I'd rather read a book about what the creator was trying to accomplish than to read this book again.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Philip K. Dick-like tale of paranoia in which technology is used primarily for its evil, human-controlling abilities: control through fear, confusion, humiliation, and murder.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disjointed and beautiful.

[Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Beautiful artwork and design and wonderfully oblique and surreal narratives, many with science-fictional elements.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far-out and wonderful!

[Ann (Inky Labyrinth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely surreal, brilliantly illustrated, slightly terrifying, and a truly unique and vibrant feast for the eyes. Weird as fuck in the best way. May or may not induce colorful nightmares.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love the shades and stylistic motiffs, beyond that i couldnt follow along very well. its obviously a warning on conformity and social constructs but something is lost in the translation.

[Lauren Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting and beautiful art, but not sure I really understood what was going on. Maybe I wasn't supposed to.