AUTHOR: Miguelanxo Prado
ILLUSTRATOR: Gabriel Guzman, Java Tartaglia
PUBLISHER: NBM Graphics
PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2017 (first published January 1st 1994)
PAGES: 106
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:
n the occasion of NBM’s 40th anniversary, a classic is brought back in print! A small streak of an island in the Atlantic. On no map. In heavy summer heat. One general store with a woman and her taciturn boy. A lighthouse with no light. Memories and messages graffitied on the pier wall. A chance encounter with a beautiful elusive woman. A Murder. Or was it? Nothing seems completely real. Only the graffitied memories are constant. A mysterious multifaceted novel steeped in magical realism that can be read a number of ways, Streak of Chalk is one of Spain’s best comics authors’ magnum opus, and one of the greatest, most pioneering graphic novels NBM ever published.
MY RATING:The Streak of Chalk is considered as Miguelanxo Prado's magnum opus. It was first published on 1994 and was already translated to different languages, such as German, Dutch, Croatian, Serbian, Portuguese, Valencian, Catalan and English. Moreover, it also won the Best Foreign Comic on 1994 at Angoulême International Comics Festival; Best Work by Saló del Còmic of Barcelona on 1994; Prize of Honor at Amadora Festival on 1994; Best Book of the Year at Hyères Festival on 1993; and nominations at Eisner Award for Best Painter, and Harvey Award for Best Foreign Comics.
What drawn me into this award winning graphic novel is the stunning illustrations and the intriguing story of that mysterious island somewhere in the Atlantic. The picturesque sketches of Miguelanxo Prado, for this graphic novel, were very impressive; and I reckon that these might not be computer-generated or were edited by using a computer graphic software. As this was published on 1994, the used of software to alter images or illustrations were still not prevalent then, so I believe that these are unadulterated work of art of Prado.
I really admired the illustrations that's why I took a lot of time to checked each comic panel as I was reading the dialogues. The story is quite engrossing and the finale gave me chills. Those who love graphic novels and those who are into mystery novels/stories would enjoy this magnificent piece of fiction by Miguelanxo Prado.
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