La ciudad de los puentes obsoletos

When people imagine the hoity-toity life of a young, single woman in Buenos Aires, they think of romance and excitement. I’ve been asked, excitedly, what exactly I do during the weekend. Well, this past Saturday, my night was completely devoted to a beautiful and engrossing….graphic novel.* I went to a book release for La ciudad de los puentes obsoletos by Federico Pazos and then spent the rest of my night reading the comic. The book release was an exhibition/book signing/concert/party. At first, I thought that it was only an exhibition, so I was a bit disappointed that I finished looking at the wall of art and then had nothing to do. But then a few awesome bands played and Pazos signed my book.

La ciudad de los puentes obsoletos is beautifully drawn. The characters’ appearances match their odd back-stories. Some of the characters are drawn in a very abstract way, while others are drawn more realistically. The variety in noses, in particular, drew my attention. Some of them look like tubular roots, others are shaped like right triangles or noodles. Pazos uses only one or two colors (brown, turquoise, crimson) and black and white per section of the book. The change in dominant colors shows a change in scene. When the main character Paco arrives in Astromburgo, the principal color is crimson, but he’s swept into a drain, swirling into a brown-tinted world.

While I was waiting in line for Pazos to sign my newly purchased comic, I admired the quality with such intensity that the person behind me asked me “You are really obsessed with that book, aren’t you?” La cuidad is published by Común, a publishing company owned by Liniers. I haven’t studied the editorials enough to recognize their various publishing styles, but I imagine Común’s claim to fame is its use of high-quality paper and ink. Instead of just signing the book, Pazos drew on the entire dedication page. My inscription reads “Pero cómo? Y el sindicato?” This is probably some sort of political reference, but I didn’t get it because I avoid politics like the plague.

I stayed a little while longer after I got my book signed, and then took the bus, reading the entire way home.

*(P.S. World: This is not because I do not have a social life, it is because I really like comic books. Thank you.)

The first image is from La Editorial Común. Photos are from my copy of La ciudad de los puentes obsoletos.