{"id":16389,"date":"2017-01-20T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T08:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=16389"},"modified":"2017-01-17T10:52:44","modified_gmt":"2017-01-17T10:52:44","slug":"the-lighthouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2017\/01\/20\/the-lighthouse\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lighthouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\"\"
\nBy Paco Roca, translated by Jeff Whitman <\/strong>(NBM Graphic Novels)
\nISBN: 978-1-68112-056-0<\/p>\n

Francisco Mart\u00c3\u00adnez Roca was born in Valencia in 1969: a time when Franco’s fascist government still controlled every aspect of Spanish life. Roca was part of an artistic explosion that benefited from the dictator’s death and a return to liberalising democracy, with his earliest efforts appearing in La Cupula<\/em><\/strong> in 1994. As Paco Roca, he contributed (with Rafa Fonteriz) erotic strips starring Peter Pan<\/em> and Aladdin<\/em> to Kiss Comics<\/em><\/strong> and with Juan Miguel Aguilera devised experimental 3D series ‘Road Cartoons’<\/em> for El Vibora<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

His earliest serious works dealt with aspects of Spanish culture and history (El Juego L\u00c3\u00bagubre<\/em> in 2001 – his fictional yarn about Salvador Dali – and 2004’s Spanish Civil War tale El Faro<\/em>).<\/p>\n

These were followed by internationally acclaimed works Hijos de la Alhambra<\/em><\/strong> and 2007’s multi-award winning Wrinkles<\/strong>, which was adapted into an equally celebrated and critically-rewarded animated movie.<\/p>\n

More astounding stuff you’ll definitely want to see includes Las Callas de Arena<\/em><\/strong> (Streets of Sand<\/em>) and semi-autobiographical Sunday strip Memorias de un hombre en pyjama<\/em> from newspaper Las Provincias<\/em><\/strong> or El invierno del dibujante<\/em>, about comic creators working for the Bruguera<\/em> magazine Tio Vivo<\/em><\/strong> in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

When not astonishing folk with his mastery of graphic narrative and understanding of human nature, Roca can be found making animated films and hosting his own radio show in Valencia.<\/p>\n

After the success of Wrinkles<\/strong> it was only a matter of time before his other works started being translated into English, so bravo to NBM for picking up this sublime and elegiacally esoteric little gem\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The Lighthouse<\/strong> is a digest-sized (234 x 157 mm) duotone hardback – or eBook if you’re digitally inclined – which magically celebrates the solace of imagination and recaptures the hope of liberation in a beguiling black, blue and white wave of perfectly sculpted images.<\/p>\n

As the Civil War staggers to its end, wounded Francisco<\/em> flees for his life. The victorious fascistas are gathering up the defeated foe and the wounded youngster has no intention of being interned or worse.<\/p>\n

After a bloody and eventful flight, he makes it to the coast and after passing out finds himself bandaged and rested in someone’s bed. He is in a lighthouse, crammed with fascinating remnants and artefacts\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

After some cautious poking about, he finally finds a garrulous old lighthouse keeper on the beach, joyously hauling ashore flotsam, jetsam and assorted treasures torn from unfortunate vessels during the last storm.<\/p>\n

Telmo<\/em> is a jolly giant, constantly quoting from his favourite books about the sea, although Francisco – a soldier since he was sixteen – barely understands what the old man is talking about\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The old man’s good humour is infectious and gradually even infects battle-scarred Francisco. Soon the boy-soldier is helping the incessantly cheerful senior maintain the great lamp and sharing his only anxiety, about when – if ever – the light will shine again. The government have been promising a new bulb for years and Telmo is convinced now peace reigns again, that moment will be any day now\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

To pass the days the old man combs the beaches for useful finds and tends to his special project: building a fabulous boat to carry him across the waters to the impossibly wonderful island of Laputa<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Gradually sullen Francisco – perpetually bombarded by the lighthouse keeper’s wondrous stories – loosens up and begins to share Telmo’s self-appointed tasks and dreams, but that all ends when the boy finds a letter and accidentally uncovers a web of lies\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

However, just when the idyllic relationship seems destined to founder on the rocks of tawdry truth, the tirelessly-searching soldiers arrive and a tragic sacrifice in service of those endangered once-shared dreams is required\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

A potently powerful tale delivered with deceptive gentleness and beguiling grace, The Lighthouse<\/strong> is both poignantly moving and rapturously uplifting: supplemented here by a lengthy prose postscript.<\/p>\n

Roca’s ‘The Eternal Rewrite’<\/em> – packed with illustrations, model sheets, sketches and production art – reveals how the author is afflicted with Post-Release Meddling Syndrome, constantly editing, amending and reworking bits of his many publications, each time a new or fresh foreign edition is announced.<\/p>\n

This short, sweet story about stories and imagination is a true delight and would be the perfect introduction for anyone still resistant to the idea of comics narrative as meaningful art form\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or just read it yourself for the sheer wonder of it.
\n\u00c2\u00a9 2004, 2009 Paco Roca. \u00c2\u00a9 2014 Astiberri for the present edition. \u00c2\u00a9 2017 NBM for the English translation.<\/p>\n

The Lighthouse<\/strong> will be published on February 17th<\/sup> 2017 and is available for pre-order now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Paco Roca, translated by Jeff Whitman (NBM Graphic Novels) ISBN: 978-1-68112-056-0 Francisco Mart\u00c3\u00adnez Roca was born in Valencia in 1969: a time when Franco’s fascist government still controlled every aspect of Spanish life. Roca was part of an artistic explosion that benefited from the dictator’s death and a return to liberalising democracy, with his … <\/p>\n

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