By d. emerson eddy — The history of comics is a fascinating subject. From execution of form―dating back to early pictographs from our ancient ancestors to modern digital comics―to the interpersonal lives of the creators―their ups and downs, successes and failures―with everything in between. It's interesting to see how the medium has changed and adapted over both the decades and to the demands of different countries and cultures. Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Paco Roca (he just won this year for Fantagraphics publication of The House) delves into the history of Spain's burgeoning comics scene following the Spanish Civil War in The Winter of the Cartoonist.

The central narrative is a group of five cartoonists, who were the most popular of their day, as they transition from essentially the largest publisher, Editorial Bruguera, to founding their own magazine of Tio Vivo. They basically go from poor working conditions, low pay, and lack of control of their characters and strips, to the freedom of running and owning their own stuff. If this sounds familiar to what occurred in the '90s with Image, you wouldn't be alone in thinking that. It's funny how something in late '50s Spain would be relevant again, not just in North America, but more across European and Asian publishing houses as well.

Roca approaches the telling of the tale in a fairly interesting way. The book is split into a series of vignettes across time, alternating between the winter of 1958 and the summer of 1957. It starts essentially at the end of the life span of the cartoonists' magazine, just giving the impression that it has failed and they're coming back to Editorial Bruguera. It then flips back and forth between the two time periods, laying out what happened leading up to the operation of the rival magazine and bits and pieces of the lives and interactions of both sides. Including some subterfuge and sabotage as the heads of Editorial Bruguera look to hamstring their former most popular cartoonists.

The non-linear nature of the story, the changing time frames, and the unfamiliarity that a lot of us will have with the subject matter may serve initially as a barrier, but as the story unfolds and the characters begin to grow on you, it encourages multiple readings to see how it plays once you fully know what's going on. I was intrigued by the plight of Manuel Vazquez, his entanglement with half-assing his work and ultimately defrauding his employer, on my first read through, but the other characters become enriched as you see how they fit in and a bit more of their backstory. Especially with the very helpful essay at the back on the history of the period from Antoni Guiral and a dramatis personae that gives us more information on the people in the story. It gives greater context and depth to the story and information on the lives of the people involved.

All of it is beautifully rendered by Roca. The art itself is a joy even as you're navigating the unfolding real-life story. Roca uses a style that straddles realism and deceptively simple cartooning, reminiscent a bit of Hergé, Blutch, or David Mazzucchelli's in City of Glass. It's made even more gorgeous by his choice of colors, utilizing a blue theme for the winter segments and an orange-red for the summer season. Visually it ensures that the time periods are distinct, but it also gives the impression of the initial separation and founding of the competing magazine is fiery and active, while the cartoonists returning to Editorial Bruguera is a cooling, sobering narrative. The only thing I personally wish there was more of is interpretations of the cartoonists' work. There's one page that nicely shows some of the different strips and it's glorious, I just wish there was more.

Overall, Fantagraphics English translation of Paco Roca's The Winter of the Cartoonist is wonderful. It gives a unique and heavily researched look into a period of time in Spain's comics history and shows some conditions and events that we can learn from even going forward. The history and the characters are fascinating and Roca's artwork is stunning. This is a must for people who want to know more about the history of comics.

The Winter Cartoonist - REVIEW

The Winter of the Cartoonist
Writer/Artist: Paco Roca
Translator: Andrea Rosenberg
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Price: $21.99
A graphic nonfiction story of the five extraordinary cartoonists who decided to rebel in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and WWII. In 1957, Editorial Bruguera was one of Spain's largest publishing houses, putting out hugely popular weekly magazines and comics for young and old ― while retaining all rights and creative control of their artists' work. Spanish comics superstar Paco Roca investigates the true story of five cartoonists who, spurred by poor working conditions, arbitrary editorial edicts, and nationwide dictatorial rule, went on a quest for creative freedom. Little did they know that the corporation had begun actively trying to thwart their distribution and publishing efforts, turning their battle into a real-life David and Goliath tale. The Winter of the Cartoonist provides historical context and short profiles of these artists as they serve as everyday heroes for all of those who have chased a dream, no matter how high the obstacles that stand in front of them.
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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.