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Ruines
Samantha and George are a couple heading towards a sabbatical year in the quaint Mexican town of Oaxaca. For Samantha, it is the opportunity to revisit her past. For George, it is an unsettling step into the unknown. For both of them, it will be a collision course with political and personal events that will alter their paths and the town of Oaxaca forever.
In tandem, the remarkable and arduous journey that a Monarch butterfly endures on its annual migration from Canada to Mexico is woven into Ruins. This creates a parallel picture of the challenges of survival in our ever-changing world.
Ruins explores the shadows and light of Mexico through its past and present as encountered by an array of characters. The real and surreal intermingle to paint an unforgettable portrait of life south of the Rio Grande.
In tandem, the remarkable and arduous journey that a Monarch butterfly endures on its annual migration from Canada to Mexico is woven into Ruins. This creates a parallel picture of the challenges of survival in our ever-changing world.
Ruins explores the shadows and light of Mexico through its past and present as encountered by an array of characters. The real and surreal intermingle to paint an unforgettable portrait of life south of the Rio Grande.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2015
15 people are currently reading
804 people want to read
About the author
Peter Kuper
118 books142 followersPeter Kuper is an American alternative comics artist and illustrator, renowned for his politically charged, socially conscious, and often autobiographical work. He co-founded the influential anthology World War 3 Illustrated, and is best known for his long-running reinvention of Spy vs. Spy for Mad magazine from 1997 to 2022. Kuper has produced numerous graphic novels, including award-winning adaptations of Franz Kafka’s Give It Up! and The Metamorphosis, as well as autobiographical works like Stop Forgetting To Remember and Diario de Oaxaca, documenting life, travel, and social struggles. His illustration work has appeared on covers and in publications such as Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. Kuper’s style often merges comics and illustration techniques, with both wordless narratives and text-driven storytelling, reflecting his belief that the two disciplines are inseparable. He has traveled extensively across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia, often documenting these experiences in sketchbook journals. Kuper has taught courses on comics and illustration at the Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and Harvard University’s first class on graphic novels. He has received numerous awards, including recognition from the Society of Newspaper Designers, the Society of Illustrators, and Eisner and NCS awards for his work. His comics combine sharp political commentary, personal observation, and inventive visual storytelling, establishing him as a prominent figure in contemporary alternative comics and illustration.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
January 13, 2016
Kuper Under the Mexican Sun
It took me a while to get into this one. At first, relationship issues between Samantha and George take center stage, and I’m afraid I did not much care for those. Looking back, that was probably in part because I did not yet much care for Samantha and George.
As soon as former photojournalist Alejandro arrives on the scene, however, the story, its characters, and its Mexican setting magically come to life. I suddenly started to notice the looseness and softness in Kuper’s artistic approach, though those sharp lines and angles he is known for are not completely gone. I also started to notice the beautiful palette of sun-drenched colors, the color-coded text, the stylistic shifts from realistic to cartoony to impressionistic, from text-heavy to wordless, from ink to colored pencils to watercolors.
It all feels appropriately loose yet interconnected, and before I knew it I was intrigued not only by the Mexican town of Oaxaca and its role in the bigger scheme of things, but even by those good old relationship issues. FYI, I am now officially lost somewhere between the ruins of Peter Kuper’s partially fictionalized, densely textured, highly recommended travelogue.
It took me a while to get into this one. At first, relationship issues between Samantha and George take center stage, and I’m afraid I did not much care for those. Looking back, that was probably in part because I did not yet much care for Samantha and George.
As soon as former photojournalist Alejandro arrives on the scene, however, the story, its characters, and its Mexican setting magically come to life. I suddenly started to notice the looseness and softness in Kuper’s artistic approach, though those sharp lines and angles he is known for are not completely gone. I also started to notice the beautiful palette of sun-drenched colors, the color-coded text, the stylistic shifts from realistic to cartoony to impressionistic, from text-heavy to wordless, from ink to colored pencils to watercolors.
It all feels appropriately loose yet interconnected, and before I knew it I was intrigued not only by the Mexican town of Oaxaca and its role in the bigger scheme of things, but even by those good old relationship issues. FYI, I am now officially lost somewhere between the ruins of Peter Kuper’s partially fictionalized, densely textured, highly recommended travelogue.
January 20, 2016
A departure from Kuper's sort of alt/art comics style, his most accessible work to date. A big, ambitious book, but with softer lines than he usually uses, as he tries to tell a story more about humans than ideas. The story is about a couple traveling to Oaxaca, Mexico for the woman's, Sam's, sabbatical ostensibly so she can write a book. She also seems ready to have a baby. The guy, George, draws bugs for a living, or did--he just lost his job with a NYC museum, maybe the Natural History museum. Not clear at all he wants a baby or is ready for it. He used to be a painter, and as she tries to get in touch with her past, she encourages him to paint again. This for her has to do with the basis for her interest in him, the beginnings of the relationship, when he was passionate about art and life and her.
Now George is interested in bugs, nature, the environment, and its increasing destruction. Different sections of the book are separated by depictions of various places Monarch butterflies light in their migratory journies. The birth of the butterfly is thematically important to their personal/relational trajectories, and though not original as a trope, the usually full page representations of the butterflies are beautiful. Kuper's art in general is impressive in this book, expansive, ambitious, and showing us the range of what he can do in creating landscapes and characters.
The two characters themselves are not really very interesting or compelling to me, nor likable, but I don't mind surly (George) or annoying (Sam) characters if they are interesting. They are both unsympathetic to me, though she is a little more interesting, maybe. And the focus of the book is mainly on their personal trajectories and the relationship. When George meets a photojournalist and we see some political activity going on Oaxaca, things get more interesting, more engaging. There's an interesting character, finally! And he does make George a bit more interesting, ropes him in to doing more than just whining.
Finally, it's all pretty lovely, more than I expected, and I come to care a bit for Sam, at least. I like all the wordless pages and panels. The dialogue isn't that great, and the story isn't that great, either, but the art takes a center place in this text. That's worth picking this up for. I might have hoped for more of an environmental/political story than just a personal "finding yourself" tale--the whole idea of birth and rebirth runs through this story--but it's pretty solid as a story and remarkable for the art. The art bumps it up from a 3 or 3.5 story to a 4.
Now George is interested in bugs, nature, the environment, and its increasing destruction. Different sections of the book are separated by depictions of various places Monarch butterflies light in their migratory journies. The birth of the butterfly is thematically important to their personal/relational trajectories, and though not original as a trope, the usually full page representations of the butterflies are beautiful. Kuper's art in general is impressive in this book, expansive, ambitious, and showing us the range of what he can do in creating landscapes and characters.
The two characters themselves are not really very interesting or compelling to me, nor likable, but I don't mind surly (George) or annoying (Sam) characters if they are interesting. They are both unsympathetic to me, though she is a little more interesting, maybe. And the focus of the book is mainly on their personal trajectories and the relationship. When George meets a photojournalist and we see some political activity going on Oaxaca, things get more interesting, more engaging. There's an interesting character, finally! And he does make George a bit more interesting, ropes him in to doing more than just whining.
Finally, it's all pretty lovely, more than I expected, and I come to care a bit for Sam, at least. I like all the wordless pages and panels. The dialogue isn't that great, and the story isn't that great, either, but the art takes a center place in this text. That's worth picking this up for. I might have hoped for more of an environmental/political story than just a personal "finding yourself" tale--the whole idea of birth and rebirth runs through this story--but it's pretty solid as a story and remarkable for the art. The art bumps it up from a 3 or 3.5 story to a 4.
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January 20, 2016Exemplary
Let this graphic novel speak for itself. An American couple takes a sabbatical and a Monarch Butterfly takes wing on its round trip journey from Canada to Mexico. The title Ruins is metaphoric in many ways. Each reader will come to his or her own conclusions. At times lyrical, at others, harsh, the landscape and politics of Oaxaca come alive in the various mediums used. Based on the author’s experiences of living in Oaxaca during the 2006 Teacher’s Strike. Beautiful!
Let this graphic novel speak for itself. An American couple takes a sabbatical and a Monarch Butterfly takes wing on its round trip journey from Canada to Mexico. The title Ruins is metaphoric in many ways. Each reader will come to his or her own conclusions. At times lyrical, at others, harsh, the landscape and politics of Oaxaca come alive in the various mediums used. Based on the author’s experiences of living in Oaxaca during the 2006 Teacher’s Strike. Beautiful!
July 2, 2018
In the past few years I’ve made a conscious effort to get more into graphic novels. In that time I’ve discovered some real gems, and Ruins is among my favorites. It appealed to me because of its environmental theme, but I found so much more to love. For one thing, it’s a simply gorgeous book, what with the embossed title on the cover and spine, the red-edged pages, the built-in ribbon bookmark, and the entomological drawings on the endpapers. Luckily what’s inside is just as special as the packaging.
In essence, this is the bittersweet story of an American couple traveling from Manhattan to Oaxaca, Mexico for a sabbatical year. Samantha hopes to brush up on her Spanish, work on a book about Mexican history and legends, and finally get pregnant. George, recently laid off from his job as an entomologist at the Natural History Museum, is delighted with Oaxaca’s invertebrate life – leafcutter ants, edible grasshoppers, and a pesky scorpion – but not so convinced about having a baby; surely the world is too messed up to bring a new life into?
The novel’s small cast also includes Angelina, their housekeeper; another George, a British bookseller; and Al, a former photojournalist and heavy drinker who joins with our George to document the local teachers’ strike. We learn that Samantha has lived here before and has returned in part to exorcise tragic events from her past. The book’s title thus has many meanings in context: not only the ruined cities Samantha and George visit as tourists and the ruin corrupt Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz is currently making of the place, but also the decay of relationships old and new and the decline of the environment.
The environmental agenda comes through in the parallel story of one monarch’s migration. Sections set in Mexico alternate with short interludes showing the butterfly’s journey south from America to Michoacan, Mexico, where monarchs gather en masse in a pine forest. The limited palette of these spreads, in contrast with the vibrant colors of the Oaxaca scenes, is particularly effective: the monarch is generally the only speck of color against a monochrome blue-gray background showing rather dreary American scenes. Tagged in Pennsylvania, the monarch flies over polluted rivers, a nuclear power plant, an abandoned West Virginian mine, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Monsanto tomato pickers, a Texas border arrest, and a Mexican drug deal gone wrong – a symbol of precarious hope in spite of circumstance.
A Mexican folk belief has it that monarchs are the souls of dead children returning. At the end of the book a newly hatched butterfly starts its journey north – but what has become of our human heroes? That’s for readers lucky enough to get their hands on a copy of this wonderful book to find out.
Kuper and his family lived in Oaxaca from 2006 to 2008 and return annually for visits; you can see both familiarity and love in his terrific drawings of the city and its natural surroundings. Just as it tempers monochrome with color, Ruins carefully balances sadness and hope. If you think a graphic novel can’t sustain an involved and satisfying plot, think again. I’d especially recommend this to Barbara Kingsolver fans – the Mexican setting and monarch migration theme tie in with The Lacuna and Flight Behavior, respectively.
With thanks to the publisher, SelfMadeHero, for the free copy.
(Originally published with images at my blog, Bookish Beck.)
In essence, this is the bittersweet story of an American couple traveling from Manhattan to Oaxaca, Mexico for a sabbatical year. Samantha hopes to brush up on her Spanish, work on a book about Mexican history and legends, and finally get pregnant. George, recently laid off from his job as an entomologist at the Natural History Museum, is delighted with Oaxaca’s invertebrate life – leafcutter ants, edible grasshoppers, and a pesky scorpion – but not so convinced about having a baby; surely the world is too messed up to bring a new life into?
The novel’s small cast also includes Angelina, their housekeeper; another George, a British bookseller; and Al, a former photojournalist and heavy drinker who joins with our George to document the local teachers’ strike. We learn that Samantha has lived here before and has returned in part to exorcise tragic events from her past. The book’s title thus has many meanings in context: not only the ruined cities Samantha and George visit as tourists and the ruin corrupt Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz is currently making of the place, but also the decay of relationships old and new and the decline of the environment.
The environmental agenda comes through in the parallel story of one monarch’s migration. Sections set in Mexico alternate with short interludes showing the butterfly’s journey south from America to Michoacan, Mexico, where monarchs gather en masse in a pine forest. The limited palette of these spreads, in contrast with the vibrant colors of the Oaxaca scenes, is particularly effective: the monarch is generally the only speck of color against a monochrome blue-gray background showing rather dreary American scenes. Tagged in Pennsylvania, the monarch flies over polluted rivers, a nuclear power plant, an abandoned West Virginian mine, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Monsanto tomato pickers, a Texas border arrest, and a Mexican drug deal gone wrong – a symbol of precarious hope in spite of circumstance.
A Mexican folk belief has it that monarchs are the souls of dead children returning. At the end of the book a newly hatched butterfly starts its journey north – but what has become of our human heroes? That’s for readers lucky enough to get their hands on a copy of this wonderful book to find out.
Kuper and his family lived in Oaxaca from 2006 to 2008 and return annually for visits; you can see both familiarity and love in his terrific drawings of the city and its natural surroundings. Just as it tempers monochrome with color, Ruins carefully balances sadness and hope. If you think a graphic novel can’t sustain an involved and satisfying plot, think again. I’d especially recommend this to Barbara Kingsolver fans – the Mexican setting and monarch migration theme tie in with The Lacuna and Flight Behavior, respectively.
With thanks to the publisher, SelfMadeHero, for the free copy.
(Originally published with images at my blog, Bookish Beck.)
August 4, 2017
Phenomenal. From the insects, to the style, to the politics, to the history, to the setting, to the complex realistic characters, to the relationship. Wow. Incredible.
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February 3, 2016I really liked this book, even with all of its faults. I particularly enjoy the breaking up of the book into parts, and how, with each segment, we see the migratory route of a single monarch butterfly.
As both Jan and David note, the two main characters are not super likable or interesting, and their relationship struggles don't make sense as the central focus of this big, beautiful book. But the book's scope is both large and small. And while there are some frustratingly over-worn tropes about people from the U.S. traveling to Mexico to find their inner self, there is a lot of external, and local to Oaxaca details to offset that activity of projection.
George and Samantha begin in New York and go (George somewhat reluctantly) to Oaxaca for Sam's sabbatical, ostensibly so she can do research for a book, and also to process through or make sense of some old trauma, something in her life that took place in Mexico a decade or two ago. Her husband George comes along and he's fairly bug-obsessed, and somewhat miserable after recently being laid off from his job drawing bugs at a natural history museum. They haven't been getting along for a while, and Sam is hoping for a new start in Mexico, with or without George.
So, we spend time in Oaxaca with Sam and George and see how little travel is helping their relationship. George meets an interesting friend and they try to document the plight of workers who are striking for better wages and working conditions. There are nice friends, a nice housekeeper Angelina, nice meals, a visit to a beach, arachnids, insects, political unrest, a trip to see butterflies doing butterfly things.
This book has a lot of flaws and it's a bit uneven, but I found it to be worth reading with some interesting history, important lessons and a few brilliant, transcendent moments.
As both Jan and David note, the two main characters are not super likable or interesting, and their relationship struggles don't make sense as the central focus of this big, beautiful book. But the book's scope is both large and small. And while there are some frustratingly over-worn tropes about people from the U.S. traveling to Mexico to find their inner self, there is a lot of external, and local to Oaxaca details to offset that activity of projection.
George and Samantha begin in New York and go (George somewhat reluctantly) to Oaxaca for Sam's sabbatical, ostensibly so she can do research for a book, and also to process through or make sense of some old trauma, something in her life that took place in Mexico a decade or two ago. Her husband George comes along and he's fairly bug-obsessed, and somewhat miserable after recently being laid off from his job drawing bugs at a natural history museum. They haven't been getting along for a while, and Sam is hoping for a new start in Mexico, with or without George.
So, we spend time in Oaxaca with Sam and George and see how little travel is helping their relationship. George meets an interesting friend and they try to document the plight of workers who are striking for better wages and working conditions. There are nice friends, a nice housekeeper Angelina, nice meals, a visit to a beach, arachnids, insects, political unrest, a trip to see butterflies doing butterfly things.
This book has a lot of flaws and it's a bit uneven, but I found it to be worth reading with some interesting history, important lessons and a few brilliant, transcendent moments.
March 21, 2020
Videorecensione:
https://youtu.be/40UvMnWBYEg
https://youtu.be/40UvMnWBYEg
November 19, 2015
Samantha and George, are an unhappy married couple, who decide to spend a year in Oaxaca, Mexico. They hope to use this time, so Sam can finish a book she is writing and George can rediscover his passion for painting. They also hope to mend a broken marriage.
Paralleling, this story is the journey of a monarch butterfly, as it migrates, from Canada to Mexico.
Wow! This was a terrific surprise and will end up being one of the best GNs I have read this year. It is well-written and it is gorgeously illustrated. The author captures the Mexican setting with beauty and grace. I had never heard of Peter Kuper but he has sure got my attention now.
If I could rate it 4 1/2 I would.
Paralleling, this story is the journey of a monarch butterfly, as it migrates, from Canada to Mexico.
Wow! This was a terrific surprise and will end up being one of the best GNs I have read this year. It is well-written and it is gorgeously illustrated. The author captures the Mexican setting with beauty and grace. I had never heard of Peter Kuper but he has sure got my attention now.
If I could rate it 4 1/2 I would.
April 1, 2016
Bert bought me this when i was sick ! Thanks Bert. I love graphic novels and I love Mexico, so this was perfect. Initially I thought this was a memoir, but it's fiction but reads memoir style. The section with the butterflies is gorgeous. Loved the story and the artwork.xxx
April 26, 2020
Da anni voglio visitare il Messico; il mio sogno sarebbe di andarci in ottobre, per partecipare alle celebrazioni del Dias de los muertos. Per questo motivo "Rovine", che racconta di un viaggio proprio in Messico mi ha subito attirato.
Samantha e George, marito e moglie, hanno preso un anno sabbatico che passeranno a Oaxaca; si tratta di un viaggio che porterà lei a riconnettersi con un evento passato molto potente e lui a ritrovare la propria ispirazione artistica. I due, da tempo, si trovano in una situazione di stallo nel loro rapporto e in generale nella loro vita.
Il libro però racconta anche di un viaggio speciale, quello della farfalla Monarca che affronta un lunghissimo viaggio, nella sua migrazione annuale, dal Canada al Messico.
Quindi la storia dei due coniugi si intreccia alle poetiche tavole che raccontano il percorso di una farfalla, raccontando in questo modo un'altra storia di resistenza incredibile.
Mi piacciono le storie che parlano di viaggi, che siano solo avventure in cui si scoprono posti nuovi o anche avventure interiori e spirituali. Ho trovato la storia molto profonda, intima e delicata, e interessante lo spunto socioculturale con cui è intrecciata. Infatti un po' di politica entra nella storia, quando i protagonisti si ritrovano nel bel mezzo di manifestazioni contro il governatore Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Si scopre un Messico combattivo - in particolare la città di Oaxaca - che lotta nel sangue ma non annega. Poi, ovviamente, ci sono i richiami al passato millenario della città, da me molto apprezzati, e i rimandi alla storia di Cortez e Montezuma. Le rovine, insomma, che però sembrano essere più vive che mai e che trasmettono tanto. Il viaggio di Samantha e George sarà l'inizio di un terremoto che cambierà tutto, che finalmente li porterà verso una nuova vita.
Bellissima graphic novel, è riuscita a farmi viaggiare e riflettere. Decisamente una perla.
Samantha e George, marito e moglie, hanno preso un anno sabbatico che passeranno a Oaxaca; si tratta di un viaggio che porterà lei a riconnettersi con un evento passato molto potente e lui a ritrovare la propria ispirazione artistica. I due, da tempo, si trovano in una situazione di stallo nel loro rapporto e in generale nella loro vita.
Il libro però racconta anche di un viaggio speciale, quello della farfalla Monarca che affronta un lunghissimo viaggio, nella sua migrazione annuale, dal Canada al Messico.
Quindi la storia dei due coniugi si intreccia alle poetiche tavole che raccontano il percorso di una farfalla, raccontando in questo modo un'altra storia di resistenza incredibile.
Mi piacciono le storie che parlano di viaggi, che siano solo avventure in cui si scoprono posti nuovi o anche avventure interiori e spirituali. Ho trovato la storia molto profonda, intima e delicata, e interessante lo spunto socioculturale con cui è intrecciata. Infatti un po' di politica entra nella storia, quando i protagonisti si ritrovano nel bel mezzo di manifestazioni contro il governatore Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. Si scopre un Messico combattivo - in particolare la città di Oaxaca - che lotta nel sangue ma non annega. Poi, ovviamente, ci sono i richiami al passato millenario della città, da me molto apprezzati, e i rimandi alla storia di Cortez e Montezuma. Le rovine, insomma, che però sembrano essere più vive che mai e che trasmettono tanto. Il viaggio di Samantha e George sarà l'inizio di un terremoto che cambierà tutto, che finalmente li porterà verso una nuova vita.
Bellissima graphic novel, è riuscita a farmi viaggiare e riflettere. Decisamente una perla.
June 24, 2022
Narra la vida de Samantha y George, que hacen un viaje a Oaxaca durante un año.
De manera alterna nos habla del recorrido que hace la mariposa Monarca desde Canadá hasta México.
Tiene muy buenas ilustraciones que realizó el autor y menciona también los sucesos violentos que ocurrieron en Oaxaca entre 2006 y 2008.
"Los humanos gastan tanta energía tratando de crear algo, solo para verlo destruido en un pestañeo".
Una novela gráfica muy recomendable.
De manera alterna nos habla del recorrido que hace la mariposa Monarca desde Canadá hasta México.
Tiene muy buenas ilustraciones que realizó el autor y menciona también los sucesos violentos que ocurrieron en Oaxaca entre 2006 y 2008.
"Los humanos gastan tanta energía tratando de crear algo, solo para verlo destruido en un pestañeo".
Una novela gráfica muy recomendable.
March 5, 2021
Jeff says:
Alternating between following a monarch butterfly on its migration and a couple taking a year to live in Mexico, Ruins is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel featuring bugs, ruins, and the city of Oaxaca. George is an artist who just lost his job at a museum drawing bugs, and Samantha is a writer trying to finish a book. I really enjoyed the illustrations, especially of the butterfly’s travels and the landmarks in Mexico. The story of George and Sam is interesting but secondary to the illustrations for me. The story gets a little more interesting when George meets Al, who is a photo journalist, and Sam meets a local artist and confronts her past.
Alternating between following a monarch butterfly on its migration and a couple taking a year to live in Mexico, Ruins is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel featuring bugs, ruins, and the city of Oaxaca. George is an artist who just lost his job at a museum drawing bugs, and Samantha is a writer trying to finish a book. I really enjoyed the illustrations, especially of the butterfly’s travels and the landmarks in Mexico. The story of George and Sam is interesting but secondary to the illustrations for me. The story gets a little more interesting when George meets Al, who is a photo journalist, and Sam meets a local artist and confronts her past.
May 20, 2018
Kuper's RUINS is a fictional travel diary/family drama of a couple's sabbatical in Oaxaca, Mexico. The story is juxtaposed with a single monarch butterfly's migration from New York to the butterfly reserve in Michoacán. The artwork was beautiful, and the story was well-done overall (the characters could have been developed a bit more), but overall this was a great combination of art and story. I really liked this one.
4.5/5
4.5/5
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July 17, 2016(Note: A version of this review was published, in German, in the Swiss comics journal STRAPAZIN.)
Peter Kuper is a terribly underappreciated American cartoonist. Co-founding the radical and influential ‘zine WORLD WAR III in the early 1980’s should have been accomplishment enough to merit wider recognition, but beyond that Kuper has an admirable bibliography: adaptations of Franz Kafka, a dozen or more comic books, sketchbooks, collections of syndicated strips and illustrations, and many appearances in anthologies—not to mention having drawn the legendary “Spy vs Spy” gag cartoon for MAD MAGAZINE for nearly twenty years. What his resume has lacked, however, is “the big book”—the masterpiece long-form narrative so important in our age of the graphic novel.
Kuper’s reputation should therefore be catapulted by the late 2015 publication of RUINS, a substantial (256 pages) and lavishly produced graphic novel that showcases the work of a mature cartoonist at the top of his game. Kuper is a gifted artist who effortlessly merges masterful illustration with deft and effortless comics storytelling. The drawings here have the kinetic graffiti-influenced energy familiar to his longtime fans (I am one), seasoned by decades of serious drawing since the punk days of his youth, but the narrative and story are what carry the day. RUINS is a complex, insightful, and introspective tale about a couple who take a sabbatical in Oaxaca, Mexico to sort out their lives both professionally (Samantha is having difficulty write her book; George was fired from his job at the Museum of Natural History and is trying to rekindle his vocation as a painter) and personally (Samantha wants to have a child; George probably doesn’t; and their marriage is in worse shape than either of them is willing to admit). In fact, RUINS has a novelistic sophistication rarely seen in American graphic novels that are not autobiographical. The characters are not entirely likable, the way the story unfolds is not entirely predictable, and the book is better because of those decisions.
Kuper layers onto the story of these two characters a broader set of narrative threads: civil unrest and violence of the teachers’ strikes of 2006 (which he and his wife experienced while living in Oaxaca); a down-on-his-luck melancholy photojournalist; a rakish artist competing for Samantha’s attention; and the rhythms of life as an expatiate, captured with the eye of a seasoned travel writer via the sun-washed colors of Mexico and quotidian details of life in a city Kuper clearly loves. So while the story does carry the day, the drawings are a joy to study, and I found myself moving through the book at a leisurely pace, and re-reading chapters to enjoy the visual richness, even through the story wanted to tug me to its conclusion. An additional bonus: Kuper seems to have a genuine interest in entomology (George’s job at the museum was cataloguing insects) and the drawings of bugs are just fantastic.
A central trope of RUINS, running through it like a backbone, is a wordless account of the migration of Monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico. To be honest, for the first half of the book the metaphor felt heavy-handed. Butterflies struggle to survive on a challenging journey—some don’t. Caterpillars transform into butterflies, just as humans change over the course of their lives. Butterflies are driven by instinct; are people also driven by instinct, and is the destination of each of our life’s journeys as predetermined as that of the butterflies? Can we change our destiny? But as the book progresses the metaphor begins to work, and in the end those butterflies are, in a beautiful and bittersweet way, the key to the story’s surprising but inevitable resolution. The cycle of nature continues, and our human foibles seem somehow both minor and natural in contrast.
Peter Kuper is a terribly underappreciated American cartoonist. Co-founding the radical and influential ‘zine WORLD WAR III in the early 1980’s should have been accomplishment enough to merit wider recognition, but beyond that Kuper has an admirable bibliography: adaptations of Franz Kafka, a dozen or more comic books, sketchbooks, collections of syndicated strips and illustrations, and many appearances in anthologies—not to mention having drawn the legendary “Spy vs Spy” gag cartoon for MAD MAGAZINE for nearly twenty years. What his resume has lacked, however, is “the big book”—the masterpiece long-form narrative so important in our age of the graphic novel.
Kuper’s reputation should therefore be catapulted by the late 2015 publication of RUINS, a substantial (256 pages) and lavishly produced graphic novel that showcases the work of a mature cartoonist at the top of his game. Kuper is a gifted artist who effortlessly merges masterful illustration with deft and effortless comics storytelling. The drawings here have the kinetic graffiti-influenced energy familiar to his longtime fans (I am one), seasoned by decades of serious drawing since the punk days of his youth, but the narrative and story are what carry the day. RUINS is a complex, insightful, and introspective tale about a couple who take a sabbatical in Oaxaca, Mexico to sort out their lives both professionally (Samantha is having difficulty write her book; George was fired from his job at the Museum of Natural History and is trying to rekindle his vocation as a painter) and personally (Samantha wants to have a child; George probably doesn’t; and their marriage is in worse shape than either of them is willing to admit). In fact, RUINS has a novelistic sophistication rarely seen in American graphic novels that are not autobiographical. The characters are not entirely likable, the way the story unfolds is not entirely predictable, and the book is better because of those decisions.
Kuper layers onto the story of these two characters a broader set of narrative threads: civil unrest and violence of the teachers’ strikes of 2006 (which he and his wife experienced while living in Oaxaca); a down-on-his-luck melancholy photojournalist; a rakish artist competing for Samantha’s attention; and the rhythms of life as an expatiate, captured with the eye of a seasoned travel writer via the sun-washed colors of Mexico and quotidian details of life in a city Kuper clearly loves. So while the story does carry the day, the drawings are a joy to study, and I found myself moving through the book at a leisurely pace, and re-reading chapters to enjoy the visual richness, even through the story wanted to tug me to its conclusion. An additional bonus: Kuper seems to have a genuine interest in entomology (George’s job at the museum was cataloguing insects) and the drawings of bugs are just fantastic.
A central trope of RUINS, running through it like a backbone, is a wordless account of the migration of Monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico. To be honest, for the first half of the book the metaphor felt heavy-handed. Butterflies struggle to survive on a challenging journey—some don’t. Caterpillars transform into butterflies, just as humans change over the course of their lives. Butterflies are driven by instinct; are people also driven by instinct, and is the destination of each of our life’s journeys as predetermined as that of the butterflies? Can we change our destiny? But as the book progresses the metaphor begins to work, and in the end those butterflies are, in a beautiful and bittersweet way, the key to the story’s surprising but inevitable resolution. The cycle of nature continues, and our human foibles seem somehow both minor and natural in contrast.
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March 24, 2016Kuper has really outdone himself here, methinks. I can't say that I'm well-versed in his work, but the general overall impression I've had from what I've read up to this point leans towards a sort of depressed cynicism laced with a sharp sense of humor. There's none of that here. It comes across pretty straightforwardly sincere and the colors and layouts and story communicate a genuine hopefulness despite the sad realities of life--ranging in impact and intensity from restlessness and miscommunication leading to distance in a relationship to an oppressive government denying their citizens basic human rights to an entire civilization being brought to ruin by another. The juxtaposition of the monarch's journey against the main narrative also brilliantly reflects that range of realities. It's about the physical and, hence, the cultural journey from the first world to the third as well as (more obviously) the personal journeys of our main characters, and dare I say, the reader's.
Seriously, every panel in this book is intentional and meant to communicate layers of meaning. I'll have to read it a couple more times before I can talk more about what those might be.
Seriously, every panel in this book is intentional and meant to communicate layers of meaning. I'll have to read it a couple more times before I can talk more about what those might be.
January 29, 2016
Disappointing. Because of the place they were in their relationship, I found neither of the main characters particularly likable or interesting. And exploring the problems of a foreign country through the perspective of a white American couple is always problematic, if not cliche and lazy. While the white couple has their heads up their asses, the residents of Oaxaca are barely developed. Off the top of my head I really only recall four major supporting characters and one of those was a white bookstore owner. So the population of Mexico is represented by a wild, drunken photographer of mixed heritage, a sleazy artist and a maid who generally just tries to stay under the radar. Not a lot of depth there. Hell, the flying butterfly gets more pages than any of those characters. Kuper's art is nice and creates a beautiful setting at least.
December 29, 2015
This was a lovely book! An American couple takes a sabbatical to Oaxaca, Mexico. Samantha wants to write and recapture something of her past. George has never been and is looking for a change. Their relationship morphs during their stay as each learns more about themselves and they get caught up in local politics. Chapters about them alternate with chapters showing a monarch butterfly on its migration. Peter Kuper's style has changed a bit over the years. He used to be all about stencils and hard angles, and, while that is all still recognizable, his edges have grown softer, his lines more varied. There's still a marked political influence in his work, but it's less strident, more nuanced. He's aged well, and this is some of his finest work to date.
February 20, 2016
Maravilloso. No tengo otra palabra para definirlo. El arte, la historia, la situación que vivió Oaxaca retratada de esta forma tan única. Los saltos al pasado y los vistazos a los lugares que forman la ruta de la mariposa monarca logran formar algo tan bello y mágico como este libro. Un retrato de México en todas sus facetas.
August 16, 2024
Sam: Look, George! There's Oaxaca!
Airline Announcer: ...And below you can see the ruins of Monte Albam...
George: How can O-A-X-A-C-A be pronounced WAH-HA-KA?? Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...definitely NOT Kansas...Texas, Maybe.
Sam: Hola!
Customs Agent: EL Motivo de su Visita A Mexico?
George: Uh...Sam.
Sam: Touristas en sabatico.
Customs Agent: PASE.
The artwork of Peter Kuper's Ruins is incredible. For that alone, this book is worth at least three stars. However, the "novel" aspect of "graphic novel" is missing here. The dialogue is wooden, the plot is trite, and most characters are stereotypes. In fact, we never really meet any citizens of Oaxaca (unless we count a montage showing how the housekeeper has to throw rocks at growling dogs on her way home to her cramped living space).
I wanted to know more about Oaxaca, its social and historical circumstances. I didn't want to know anything more about George and Sam, two New Yorkers who decide to slum in Mexico for reasons never really clear. Sam, George's wife, is purportedly writing a book on her sabbatical, but the examples Kuper gives of her book in progress only show how insipid and pointless her writing is. What publisher is waiting on this dreck? Why did she need to go to Oaxaca to write this book? Couldn't she do some shitty writing in her Manhattan apartment?
Sigh. I'll stop here. I really wish the story was worthy of the artwork within this book.
February 4, 2020
Caramba! Como eu demorei para ler esse quadrinho! Acho que tinha ele desde 2016. Talvez o tamanho e porte dele tenha me assustado. Contudo, contrariando minhas expectativas, a leitura de Ruínas de Peter Kuper - famoso cartunista da revista MAD -, é muito fluida e muito envolvente. Esse é aquele tipo de quadrinho poderia muito bem funcionar sendo impresso somente impresso em preto e branco. Mas o autor vai mais além e faz ele todo colorido, conferindo nuances e um embelezamento, um encanto com as paisagens exóticas - só que nem tanto para nós, brasileiros. De certa forma, Ruinas lembra outro trabalho norte-americano, que é o Asterios Polyp, de David Mazzucchelli, que também foi muito elogiado pelo público e pela crítica. Uma das semelhanças entre os dois é que em ambos os personagens "falam" de uma maneira muito própria: cada um deles se expressa numa fonte tipográfica diferente e num formato e cor de balões diferentes. Tudo isso nos confere uma dinâmica muito maior ao quadrinho e uma unicidade no discurso e na maneira de falar de cada personagem sem que precise ser mudado o coloquialismo e o tom da fala. Um ótimo quadrinho!
March 19, 2018
“Ruinas” es la historia de una pareja estadounidense que se toma un año sabático en México para poder retomar sus pasiones. Pero también es una carta de amor a la cultura mexicana, a sus tradiciones, su gastronomía, sus colores y su historia.
La historia de los aztecas se intercala con el presente mexicano... y la corrupción política, las luchas sociales y la violencia se mezclan en esta obra con la historia de las mariposas monarcas que, desde Canadá, llegan a Oaxaca sólo para reproducirse.
Esta novela gráfica es una auténtica genialidad en un sentido plástico: hay paginas que te apabullan, que te dejan sin palabras. Además (aunque no sea su función) también es muy didáctica y te hace aprender sobre cosas tan distintas como los insectos, la gastronomía, los excesos de los conquistadores españoles o la geografía norteamericana.
Este libro es un auténtico ejercicio de amor por la bibliofilia: pocas ediciones he visto más cuidadas y primorosas en mi vida.
La historia de los aztecas se intercala con el presente mexicano... y la corrupción política, las luchas sociales y la violencia se mezclan en esta obra con la historia de las mariposas monarcas que, desde Canadá, llegan a Oaxaca sólo para reproducirse.
Esta novela gráfica es una auténtica genialidad en un sentido plástico: hay paginas que te apabullan, que te dejan sin palabras. Además (aunque no sea su función) también es muy didáctica y te hace aprender sobre cosas tan distintas como los insectos, la gastronomía, los excesos de los conquistadores españoles o la geografía norteamericana.
Este libro es un auténtico ejercicio de amor por la bibliofilia: pocas ediciones he visto más cuidadas y primorosas en mi vida.
June 7, 2022
A worthy and important work of graphic storytelling. A married couple take a sabbatical in Oaxaca. He is a struggling insect-enthusiast, and she is working on a novel. They gravitate away and toward one another while they explore the urban desolation and natural splendor of their surroundings. It resonates strongly with political tensions, historical tidbits, and entomological side comments. They see the good and bad of a "ruined" country in the sense that the incredible store of rich resources and historical value have been subjugated, ravished, and despoiled for 400 years. They engage with the local people in their fight for vague political movement, while tackling their inner demons. Establishing a second home in a foreign country always requires sacrifice. Countries swallow people whole. You get digested by your environment, and that digestive juice transforms you. Will they emerge whole? The motif of butterflies and their supernatural migrations is woven through the narrative. An absorbing read that doesn't overstay its welcome.
July 19, 2016
Oh man, this is a gorgeously produced work. The binding (there's a damn ribbon!), red edges, stunning end papers (bugs!), full color. Classy classy SelfMadeHero.
I've read Kuper's more strictly autobiographical stuff ( ComicsTrips: A Journal of Travels Through Africa and Southeast Asia, Diario de Oaxaca: A Sketchbook Journal of Two Years in Mexico), and loved it.
Here, he jumps off from that content, to create a more fully rounded (and fictional) story.
A heterosexual amerikan couple follows the woman's job to Oaxaca, just as revolutionary events are happening there. There's also a butterfly.
It's beautiful work. Flows very readably. Gorgeous layouts, and nice, intentional, use of color.
Including it in my GNTravelogue file, because that's very much what this is, just with different characters than Kuper himself.
I loved watching them discover their own limits. Yeah, you think you'll be willing to drive, but when it actually comes down to it, you may not feel safe doing so, and should your partner accept that when you said something else?
It's good. I wish he'd more explicitly examined privilege. He does tackle a lot already, though.
I've read Kuper's more strictly autobiographical stuff ( ComicsTrips: A Journal of Travels Through Africa and Southeast Asia, Diario de Oaxaca: A Sketchbook Journal of Two Years in Mexico), and loved it.
Here, he jumps off from that content, to create a more fully rounded (and fictional) story.
A heterosexual amerikan couple follows the woman's job to Oaxaca, just as revolutionary events are happening there. There's also a butterfly.
It's beautiful work. Flows very readably. Gorgeous layouts, and nice, intentional, use of color.
Including it in my GNTravelogue file, because that's very much what this is, just with different characters than Kuper himself.
I loved watching them discover their own limits. Yeah, you think you'll be willing to drive, but when it actually comes down to it, you may not feel safe doing so, and should your partner accept that when you said something else?
It's good. I wish he'd more explicitly examined privilege. He does tackle a lot already, though.
July 22, 2016
In this gorgeous graphic novel we are treated to two parallel stories: the voyage of a butterfly on its long flight to Mexico, and the travels of a couple visiting Oaxaha. The main characters are a young couple: one of them is a writer, the other likes art, and together they navigate the beauty and perils of Mexico, experiencing heartbreak, joy and a bad tummy along the way. The artwork is simply beautiful. The plot itself was pretty good. I would recommend this to anyone who likes travel and a little bit of drama.
May 27, 2017
Ruins
Peter Kuper
Jules Feiffer has this to say about Ruins: "Kuper's art is, page after page, astonishing."
I agree. Yet it takes more than art for this story to jell. There are actually several different stories that do not significantly interact with one another.
One story is about George and Samantha going to Oaxaca. Another is a teacher strike. Number three is Samantha's effort to get pregnant. Number four is the migration of the monarch butterflies. And on and on.
None of it really reinforces the whole, if there is a whole. It takes more than art to make a graphic novel.
Peter Kuper
Jules Feiffer has this to say about Ruins: "Kuper's art is, page after page, astonishing."
I agree. Yet it takes more than art for this story to jell. There are actually several different stories that do not significantly interact with one another.
One story is about George and Samantha going to Oaxaca. Another is a teacher strike. Number three is Samantha's effort to get pregnant. Number four is the migration of the monarch butterflies. And on and on.
None of it really reinforces the whole, if there is a whole. It takes more than art to make a graphic novel.
November 16, 2017
Colorful, about a married couple who travels from NYC to a small town in Mexico for work related/sabbatical reasons. The wife recalls a previous visit that did not go well and the husband takes photos and meets a photog. Swearing and bare skin/hook-up. Oh, and a monarch butterfly is a co-star.
February 26, 2023
This story was interesting, but honestly, I’m not sure what the true outcome was. Plus, the artist kept switching how the pages were supposed to be read so I kept reading things out of order.
June 20, 2022
L'ho letto perché l'ho trovato al Libraccio a metà prezzo. Avrei dovuto ricordarmi che era il tipo dell'adattamento a fumetti della Metamorfosi di Kafka.
La cornice del racconto è rappresentata dal viaggio di una farfalla dal Canada al Messico. L'autore sceglie dei passaggi simbolici di questa farfalla attraverso gli Stati Uniti per segnare i capitoli del suo racconto, ma non credo di aver capito tutti i riferimenti geografici.
E poi c'è la storia principale di una coppia che prende un anno sabbatico per andare in Messico. Lei cerca di rimanere incinta anche se lui non è propenso all'idea. Inoltre passa tutto l'anno a scrivere un libro in cui cerca di mettere in ordine tutto quello che è successo nella sua vita, compreso il perché abbia scelto proprio la città di Oaxaca. Lui non sembra avere personalità. Non guida, non vuole figli, non sa lo spagnolo... Va in giro e scopre gli abitanti di Oaxaca, partecipa allo sciopero degli insegnanti e sembra tornare un po' in vita. Però poi l'anno finisce.
La fine non mi ha entusiasmato, per quanto riconosca che era l'unico finale possibile. Ero anche riuscita a capire il significato della farfalla intorno a metà libro, cosa che non è usuale per me.
I disegni sono coloratissimi - molto messicani - ma è il tratto che ho fatto fatica a digerire. Fantastica la pagina doppia con tutte le farfalle.
Particolare, per carità, ma niente che rileggerò in un prossimo futuro.
La cornice del racconto è rappresentata dal viaggio di una farfalla dal Canada al Messico. L'autore sceglie dei passaggi simbolici di questa farfalla attraverso gli Stati Uniti per segnare i capitoli del suo racconto, ma non credo di aver capito tutti i riferimenti geografici.
E poi c'è la storia principale di una coppia che prende un anno sabbatico per andare in Messico. Lei cerca di rimanere incinta anche se lui non è propenso all'idea. Inoltre passa tutto l'anno a scrivere un libro in cui cerca di mettere in ordine tutto quello che è successo nella sua vita, compreso il perché abbia scelto proprio la città di Oaxaca. Lui non sembra avere personalità. Non guida, non vuole figli, non sa lo spagnolo... Va in giro e scopre gli abitanti di Oaxaca, partecipa allo sciopero degli insegnanti e sembra tornare un po' in vita. Però poi l'anno finisce.
La fine non mi ha entusiasmato, per quanto riconosca che era l'unico finale possibile. Ero anche riuscita a capire il significato della farfalla intorno a metà libro, cosa che non è usuale per me.
I disegni sono coloratissimi - molto messicani - ma è il tratto che ho fatto fatica a digerire. Fantastica la pagina doppia con tutte le farfalle.
Particolare, per carità, ma niente che rileggerò in un prossimo futuro.
December 7, 2025
Ruinas es una joya de novela gráfica, llena de crítica social y paisajes maravillosos. El tema: las luchas de los maestros en Oaxaca con la brutal represión del Estado. El autor: un gringo (qué ironía). Pero no cualquier gringo, sino el gran Peter Kuper.
Las vacaciones de un matrimonio americano son el pretexto para confeccionar una historia de amor con profunda conciencia social, y de paso cuestionar el colonialismo capitalista. De fondo: el increíble camino de la mariposa Monarca, de Canadá a México.
La sensibilidad de Kuper radica no solo en asombrarse y retratar la belleza de una ciudad desde la predecible visión del turista (en la que caemos casi todos), sino en implicarse en la realidad que aqueja a los habitantes. Bien lo dice uno de los protagonistas cuando su vida está en juego: "si ni siquiera es mi país". Sin embargo, decide implicarse desde su privilegio de extranjero, empatizar con la injusticia que no se puede ignorar y visibilizarla hacia el mundo (Ojalá tuvieran un poco de eso los extranjeros que gentrifican ciudades en todo el mundo).
Ruinas es un artefacto de compromiso social, con una narrativa envolvente y paisajes que podrían exhibirse en cualquier museo del mundo. Qué ganas de presenciar el viaje de la mariposa Monarca, pero también de conocer Oaxaca y entender la histórica, inagotable y ejemplar lucha de los maestros para exigir sus derechos. Vale cada peso de los $70 en los que se remata en las Ferias de Libro de la CDMX. Una ganga y una joya.
Las vacaciones de un matrimonio americano son el pretexto para confeccionar una historia de amor con profunda conciencia social, y de paso cuestionar el colonialismo capitalista. De fondo: el increíble camino de la mariposa Monarca, de Canadá a México.
La sensibilidad de Kuper radica no solo en asombrarse y retratar la belleza de una ciudad desde la predecible visión del turista (en la que caemos casi todos), sino en implicarse en la realidad que aqueja a los habitantes. Bien lo dice uno de los protagonistas cuando su vida está en juego: "si ni siquiera es mi país". Sin embargo, decide implicarse desde su privilegio de extranjero, empatizar con la injusticia que no se puede ignorar y visibilizarla hacia el mundo (Ojalá tuvieran un poco de eso los extranjeros que gentrifican ciudades en todo el mundo).
Ruinas es un artefacto de compromiso social, con una narrativa envolvente y paisajes que podrían exhibirse en cualquier museo del mundo. Qué ganas de presenciar el viaje de la mariposa Monarca, pero también de conocer Oaxaca y entender la histórica, inagotable y ejemplar lucha de los maestros para exigir sus derechos. Vale cada peso de los $70 en los que se remata en las Ferias de Libro de la CDMX. Una ganga y una joya.
May 8, 2017
Finally got around to finishing "Ruins" after having an on-and-off again reading relationship with it for a while. I think it was more of my own personal annoyance at the inherent pettiness that Samantha & George, two supposedly mature adults in a committed relationship, exhibited towards each other during the first half of the book that somehow prevented me from wanting to find out where their story goes as they tried to make something out of their stay in Oaxaca. The conflict escalation in the city and the resulting fallout in the second half of the book made for better pacing, as well as the fact that this is where I finally saw some growth out of George.
It's a brilliant book, and I didn't grasp that until the parallelism between the Monarch butterlies' migration and Samantha & George's journey to Mexico finally clicked for me. Our respective journeys through Life takes us through a myriad of places, and we may not know where we're all going most of the time, but somehow, someway, we all end up where we need to be. We either make the best of where we are when we get there, or just move on to the next stop. Life goes on either way.
It's a brilliant book, and I didn't grasp that until the parallelism between the Monarch butterlies' migration and Samantha & George's journey to Mexico finally clicked for me. Our respective journeys through Life takes us through a myriad of places, and we may not know where we're all going most of the time, but somehow, someway, we all end up where we need to be. We either make the best of where we are when we get there, or just move on to the next stop. Life goes on either way.
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