I’ve got a few more of Tuttle’s recent graphic novels from the Filipino creators in my to-read pile, but next I’ll probably check out Alternative Alamat, an anthology full of myths and legends, to gain a bit of the background knowledge that I’m missing. Cover for After Lambana: A Graphic Novel: Myth and Magic in Manila. It left me wanting to know more about sirenas and white ghosts, lambana and diwata. Included in the Top 50 Best New Comics for Adults in 2022 by The New York Public. Malonzo’s art is not inked, and its bold colors work with the lack of dark black lines to make everything feel a bit blurry, like the line between fantasy and reality in the book. I really enjoyed this book, and in particular the way it doesn’t over-explain. The journey takes them into the Filipino version of faerie, into a magical place even more full of spirits where maybe Conrad can find the help he needs. (Ignacio is not quite human, maybe.) When they go past the last stop on the train, Conrad doesn’t notice that Igacio’s eyes glow. Conrad, a human, has a flower growing in his heart, and soon it’s going to burst forth and kill him. Deadly, spontaneous diseases plague the city. In Manila, magical, mythical beings live alongside humans, though magic is prohibited. After Lambana: Myth and Magic in Manila: A Graphic Novel by Eliza Victoria and Mervin Malonzo.
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