Esguerra is a beautiful graphic novel set in the twentieth century in a land where the aviation controls most of the territory, its operations and its citizens. Representation: queer protagonists, protagonist of colour, secondary and tertiary characters of colour.Ĭontent Warning: violence, oppression, war, mafia, bombing, death, homophobia, slurs, torture, post-traumatic stress disorder, child death, elitism.Įighty Days by A.C. Great art.ĭRC provided by BOOM! Studios via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read it and still don't know.īut then the book opens with this. Please tell me what's happening on this page. I think the author made everyone chain smoke just so they could add swirling smoke to every panel.Īn example of an action sequence. I couldn't make out most of the action sequences. Other pages were a swirl of smoke and speed lines to the point I couldn't make out anything on the page. A map of the world would have helped greatly to make these movements more interesting. That was all meaningless to me though because the countries were never nothing more than just a made up name such as 'Easterly'. The book also spends a lot of time traveling between these made up countries. At first I was with it and then it just kept on going to the point of nonsense. It completely lost me as it just descends into gibberish as a plot device. One of the main characters is a radio genius. The book's plot is mainly about radio signals. As soon as they figure out their love for one another, the book shifts to a new chapter that is completely war focused and the romance is dropped until the end while they are torn apart. Starts off about a pilot and a radio operator traveling through some made up countries while a fascist government (AVO) quickly starts taking over nearby countries. now lives in Los Angeles with their partner and pets.Ī queer romance set in the backdrop of psuedo World War II. They are represented by Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency for publishing and Sean Watkins at Athenaeum Comic Art for original art sales.īorn in Manila, Philippines, A.C. is a Visiting Author for the Lambda Literary LGBTQ+ Writers In Schools Program and has spoken on panels about the intersections of queerness, history and comics at events including San Diego Comic Con, Toronto Comic Arts Festival and West Hollywood Pride. They regularly contribute writing about stationery and analog lifestyle to Baum-kuchen Studio.Ī.C. They continue to self-publish short comics and zines at various comic conventions and festivals and are a member of the Cartoonist Cooperative. They have also exhibited and sold artwork with Gallery Nucleus, Nucleus Portland and internationally. Carrick's Rook & Rose fantasy trilogy, to various sci-fi and adult comics, to City of Poets, a series of public art comics posters about revolutionary poets of color throughout history for the San Francisco Arts Commission. has worked on a range of projects: from a tarot card deck based on the world of M.A. A.C.'s second graphic novel was Who Was A Daring Pioneer Of The Skies?: Amelia Earhart (Penguin Workshop Books, 2022), a nonfiction comic written by Melanie Gillman for younger readers.Īs a freelance illustrator, A.C. The following year, Eighty Days was named one of YALSA (Young Adult Library Association)’s “Great Graphic Novels for Teens”, shortlisted for the International School of Beijing Panda Book Awards, and nominated for the 33rd GLAAD Media Awards in the Outstanding Graphic Novel/Anthology category. The complete graphic novel was published by Archaia in 2021 and received a starred review from Booklist as well as features from the L.A. The self-published first part of the comic won a PRISM Comics Queer Press Grant in 2016. Their debut graphic novel was Eighty Days, a queer historical epic about pilots, romance and rebellion in an alternate-1930s.

Their storytelling centers people of color and queer characters and perspectives while drawing inspiration from Golden Age illustration, manga, literature, fashion, poetry, and world history and culture. blueludebar) is an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator who blends history and fantasy in bold, intricate traditional ink and watercolor.

80 days book