Ashes is a new graphic novel from Álvaro Ortiz that fits a genuinely unique and wonderful niche. It's a road trip story, but it's also a ghost story, and a true crime story, and a reflective meditation on death — all of which exists in delightful juxtaposition to Ortiz's simple but charming cartooning. Here's the official synopsis:
Three old friends reunite for the mother of all road trips! One of Spain's most brilliant graphic novelists finally makes his English-language debut in this elegantly unpredictable gem.
Three old friends reunite for the mother of all road trips! One of Spain's most brilliant graphic novelists finally makes his English-language debut in this elegantly unpredictable gem.
Polly, Moho, and Piter haven't seen each other in years. Now they've piled into a car for a loooong journey to a mysterious cross marked on a map. All their old personality quirks and conflicts are resurrected with new wrinkles as this surreal reunion gets underway. Up ahead are car chases, alcohol, roadside motels, banjo-playing thugs, a ship graveyard, violence, sensual tension, and, of course, a monkey!
The captivating first graphic novel from internationally renowned cartoonist Álvaro Ortiz is an explosive mix of emotional road movie and hooligan thriller in which nothing is what it seems.
I'll be honest, I didn't know what to expect when this book landed in my inbox. And even halfway through the book, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get, or where it was going. That ultimately turned out to be a large part of the story's charm. It's funny, and thoughtful, and edgy, and cute, and every time you think you've figured out the genre tropes, it swerves you somewhere new that somehow still makes sense.
But don't take my word for it. You can check out an exclusive preview below, courtesy of Top Shelf Productions:
Ashes is available now.
