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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
The Eternaut is a cultural icon in Argentina and the image of Juan Salvo, the "hero" of this graphic novel, is still seen in art and murals decades (half-century+) years after its release. It's an epic tale, and one that captures the Cold War-era (written in 1957) along with the golden age of pulp science fiction. A classic in Argentina, and now, finding a larger audience in translations all over the world.
The story begins with an illustrator, drawing at home. An apparition appears, introducing himself as "The Eternaut". He wants to tell his story... And who better to tell it to than this illustrator?
In Buenos Aires, 4 friends are playing a card game. Snow begins to fall outside. But this "snow" kills upon contact with skin. As the world outside is decimated, the friends create sealed suits to venture out and find other survivors and provisions. It is soon obvious that this deadly snow is a distraction for the real threat - an alien invasion is taking place. Juan Salvo and his friends join forces with other survivors to fight 3 different alien species: beetles, dinosaur-like gurbos, and the humanoid "hand" creatures.
Oesterheld, the author, continued to write more Salvo stories, and collaborated for other graphic works. In a truly devastating fate - he and all 4 of his adult daughters were "disappeared" / assassinated by the military dictatorship in the Dirty War in 1977.
This English translation, published by Fantagraphics in 2015 and and re-released in 2019 is a stunning work, both in content and in its book form. There are the original art/comic panels, the translated text, and also contextual pieces by the translator, consultants, and an afterword essay and biographies on Oesterheld and Lopez.
The story begins with an illustrator, drawing at home. An apparition appears, introducing himself as "The Eternaut". He wants to tell his story... And who better to tell it to than this illustrator?
In Buenos Aires, 4 friends are playing a card game. Snow begins to fall outside. But this "snow" kills upon contact with skin. As the world outside is decimated, the friends create sealed suits to venture out and find other survivors and provisions. It is soon obvious that this deadly snow is a distraction for the real threat - an alien invasion is taking place. Juan Salvo and his friends join forces with other survivors to fight 3 different alien species: beetles, dinosaur-like gurbos, and the humanoid "hand" creatures.
Oesterheld, the author, continued to write more Salvo stories, and collaborated for other graphic works. In a truly devastating fate - he and all 4 of his adult daughters were "disappeared" / assassinated by the military dictatorship in the Dirty War in 1977.
This English translation, published by Fantagraphics in 2015 and and re-released in 2019 is a stunning work, both in content and in its book form. There are the original art/comic panels, the translated text, and also contextual pieces by the translator, consultants, and an afterword essay and biographies on Oesterheld and Lopez.
El dibujo hiperrealista. Una invasión donde jamas vemos al invasor. Los restos de humanidad que van quedando y que son-a partes iguales- el ancla y lo que rompe a Juan Salvo. Me conmovió también la historia de Oesterheld, Latinoamerica siempre ha sido un patio lleno de cruces producto de las dictaduras y en el caso de él, con esta historia a cuestas, se hace casi imposible asimilar a los "Ellos" de una forma distinta del enemigo que hizo a desaparecer al autor en la vida real.
Todo ese background le da otra lectura al Eternauta. Un lugar donde la supervivencia es impensada, mas siempre vemos personajes complicados, pero repletos de esperanzas, miedos y con costumbres sumamente propias: Mosca, quien sabe que es necesario conservar la(s) historia(s) a toda costa pues no hay mayor legado que ese, Favalli y el poder del conocimiento o bien Franco y la tozudez.
Todo eso dentro de un acabado que enmarca la obra dentro de un tipo de ficción que hace de su universo reconocible sin ser en exceso tirado de las mechas. Ademas juega con la circularidad temporal que a estas alturas es una de las cosas que más me gustan dentro de cualquier narrativa.
Todo ese background le da otra lectura al Eternauta. Un lugar donde la supervivencia es impensada, mas siempre vemos personajes complicados, pero repletos de esperanzas, miedos y con costumbres sumamente propias: Mosca, quien sabe que es necesario conservar la(s) historia(s) a toda costa pues no hay mayor legado que ese, Favalli y el poder del conocimiento o bien Franco y la tozudez.
Todo eso dentro de un acabado que enmarca la obra dentro de un tipo de ficción que hace de su universo reconocible sin ser en exceso tirado de las mechas. Ademas juega con la circularidad temporal que a estas alturas es una de las cosas que más me gustan dentro de cualquier narrativa.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This took me by surprise, but I loved it.
It reads like a classic golden age alien invasion story, of which I'm sure some becomes lost in translation. Under the veneer of a pulp science fiction story is a layered plot, attempting to dissect colonialism, geopolitics, power and class. Very well done and one that I will more than likely return to in the future.
It reads like a classic golden age alien invasion story, of which I'm sure some becomes lost in translation. Under the veneer of a pulp science fiction story is a layered plot, attempting to dissect colonialism, geopolitics, power and class. Very well done and one that I will more than likely return to in the future.
It took me a while to finish it, but it's one of those books that you need to digest slowly to enjoy and understand it in the best way possible.
Una lectura importante si sos argentino, específicamente.
Una lectura importante si sos argentino, específicamente.