it’s not I that said'eth

ominous lookin' photo

Está tudo ligado – ou, aquilo das coincidências em que tropeçamos tantas vezes nos P+: onde cada coisa para seu lado tem tendência a voltar em espadas.

Poucos dias depois de lá termos estado, voltamos ao Sequential State a devolver-nos Francisco Sousa Lobo e do seu "It’s No Longer I That Liveth", "an 88 pager co-published by Chili Com Carne and Mundo Fantasma."

Laureado no Amadora BD deste ano com o "Melhor Álbum de Autor Português em Língua Estrangeira", podem dele ler por certo crítico nacional razões várias à importância ^{31 out 2017} que lhe devemos ^(*), e inclusive pela mesma pena encontrar em inglês para inglês ler uma prosa específica do livro em questão ^{18 abr 2017}.

* E não se acuse dito crítico de condicionar a sua opinião pelo supramencionado troféu entretanto atribuído: FSL é declarado vencedor pelo seu júri a 4 de novembro, o estudioso de "comics, imagetexts and close cousins" publica a trova vários dias antes - alheio, portanto, aos temperamentos de juris e livre de quaisquer inferências que possam acusar no premiar de prémios. O próprio assegura desse autor que "I have written extensively about his work" no passado, certamente o necessário para o escusarmos de qualquer favoritismo à obra apenas porque alguém algures decide entre seus pares atribuir-lhe um galardão sobre os demais.
Do prémio em si, essa é outra questão.

Deee-ma-si-a-do extenso para vos resumir, fica a intenção:

I do believe that there are some instances of Portuguese comics that should warrant a wider, international attention. 

Transcrevemos a parte relevante para comparação posterior.

It’s no longer I that liveth seems to underscore Francisco’s sense of self-dissolution.

Francisco Sousa Lobo is a contemporary Portuguese author that has been producing intellectually and emotionally demanding books at a frantic pace since 2013.

[It’s no longer I that liveth] the latest title that adds to Lobo’s overall project [que] seem to respond to the same authorial issues and concerns. (...) Although most cannot be seen as autobiographic proper, the fact is they all present characters that, one way or the other, are either versions or avatars of Francisco Sousa Lobo himself.

Francisco appears as an inept teen when dealing with people of the opposite sex (to which he feels attraction, although at the same time questioning his own sexuality), bullies (he succumbs easily to whatever the stronger kids tell him to do), and his elders. No matter how understanding and accommodating his parents and grandparents are, Francisco is dealing with profound crisis of his own that cannot be solved easily.
in "Review: It's no longer I that liveth" ^{18 abr 2017}

Passe-palavra a Alex: o que nos diz este quando lhe empresta da sua atenção internacional?

Sousa Lobo frames the writing of It’s No Longer I That Liveth in the second person, creating an emotional distance between the character and his actions. But that voice is finicky to get right, and most of the text in It’s No Longer I That Liveth is overwrought and flowery without any meaningful purpose. That’s very clearly the point, but the effect is almost unbearable. It’s verbose and melodramatic, nihilistic but not that interesting.
in "Review: It's No Longer I That Liveth by Francisco Sousa Lobo" ^{1 dez 2017}

By tha way, como nós, também se demora pelo amarelo.

Sousa Lobo’s colors are quite striking, but the use of bright yellow on black has a kind of flattening effect on the work. Most of the comic is in black and white, using yellow for the spot color.  There are entire half pages rendered completely in yellow on white paper, and without black to accentuate the color, the entire image is washed out.

E como nós, a mesma conclusão:

And while that could be a compelling narrative, the way It’s No Longer I That Liveth actually plays out is more like reading the angry diary entries of an emo teen – too sure of itself, too absolute, too blinkered, and too full of bullshit.
in "Review: It's No Longer I That Liveth by Francisco Sousa Lobo" ^{1 dez 2017}

Ao contrário de nós, teve que o ler para o descobrir.

Locais? Temos aqui.

Oy! Bonus round for our international drop-ins:

I got an upset email from the creator last week as well. It could just be friends piling on. Hard to say. Lots of drama this last week.

— Alex Hoffman (@sequentialstate) December 5, 2017

Read all about tha (international) plot!

tha plot!