The story of a young priest in 1976 Nicaragua who is sent to a small village to paint a mural on the church's wall. He comes from a family connected to the government so no one trusts him. A mentor helps him see the artistry in everyday life. At the same time, the locals are tired of the constant oppression by the military until it all eventually comes to a head.

This is set in Nicaragua, in a small village torn apart by civil war. A young priest arrives to paint a new frescoe on the church walls, but the villagers don't trust him because his father is from a rich family with ties to the government.
As he sits in a high window, gazing into the night sky, he begins to observe all of the dramas that play out behind the scenes in this tiny town, and through his art talent he begins to win over most of the townspeople, but in a place like Nicaragua there is no escaping the violence of war.

Great artwork in this graphic novel. A very compelling story too.

A religiously-minded history lesson into Nicaragua's past problems, as a randy young priest turns up to decorate the church. The artwork decorating this makes it very hard to follow who's who, and the subject just wasn't my bag.

'Muchacho #1' by Emmanuel Lepage is a pretty interesting comic that takes place in a dark place in history.

It's 1976 and the place is Nicaragua. Somoza rules and oppresses the people with his cruel Guardia. Gabriel is a young priest with a famous last name has an aptitude for art, so he is sent to a small town to paint a mural under the guidance of a priest named Ruben. Ruben deconstructs what Gabriel thinks he knows about art and challenges Gabriel to sketch what is around him. This makes him more alert and caring to those he sees. Of course, in this time and place, cruelty is never far away.

This was not a pleasant read, but it was a good one. I also really enjoyed the art, which seemed a bit more lush than other works. Some time and detail was spent on this work.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Muchacho vol 1

Well this was brilliant!

This is of course a deeply dramatic and political story. The artwork is subtle with gentle colours and soft lines that contrast beautifully with a story of civil unrest and political turbulence.

It is a compelling and powerful story.

It is 1976 in Nicaragua. President Somoza rules Nicaragua and he is determined to stamp out rebellion using the military. Gabriel is a young priest from a wealthy family who has a talent for sacred art. He is sent to a small village to paint a mural in the local church but he finds that his sophisticated art is not what they need. The impoverished and oppressed villagers need something that will give them life, real life and so Gabriel finds that he needs to re-learn how to paint and to paint truth.

As he focuses on painting the villagers and re-learning his art, he begins to develop relationships with the villagers and starts to understand their struggles against the oppressive Somoza regime. Gabriel gradually witnesses acts of oppression which create the momentum for his own 'conversion' experience and he is drawn into to the world of the poor and their struggle for justice and freedom. He depicts this in the mural he paints although we do not get to see the mural in this volume.

I was so drawn into the story but I need to read the rest. As a reviewer it is hard to give my full thoughts having just read part one of the story but I will say it is just so gripping. Of course I knew the basic storyline before I started reading, but this did not prevent me from being pulled into the story, witnessing Gabriel change from a young idealistic priest to.....? Volume two completes the story and so I can only guess.

For me the story also touches on the question of religious faith and whether 'faith' is used to maintain the status quo in society, or bring needed social change to society. The story raises questions about religion and power. Gabriel's sacred art was accepted and praised in the seminary but it would have meant little to the oppressed and impoverished villagers. When he interpreted their life and painted from their perspective the results turned life in the village upside down, or perhaps the right side up. However in doing so there was a huge cost to pay.

There are also hidden aspects of Gabriel that we get to see. Parts of the story for which there is no prose, but only pictures which then show the reader what is happening.

I thought this was a fascinating graphic novel in so many different ways. There is the unspoken commentary about US imperialism, the oppression of Somoza and Nicaraguan politics, the real or perceived threat of communism, the war against the poor, and the place and power of religion in all of this. Of course I see all of this in volume 1 because I am fascinated by Latin American politics and the place of religion within this.

Gabriel doesn't wait to reflect on questions of theology but he is driven to change as a person by what he witnesses and this 'conversion' changes his art, his politics and ultimately his life.

It is an excellent story managing to convey suspense and tension, and grip the reader and all this is achieved through a perfect weaving together of art and prose.

I want a paperback copy of the full story for my personal library but for now I have to content myself with the electronic version.

Definitely an excellent read. Definitely worth reading for anyone who enjoys graphic novels.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Muchacho is set in Nicaragua and in the 1970s, which is awesome, since I hardly know anything about the country. Gabriel is a young priest with a wealthy background and he's to learn more of the sacred art by working with a priest named Ruben. Ruben wants the boy to paint the villagers of the tiny village and paint it to the church wall. But Nicaragua is ruled by Somoza and the army and even the village will learn the power of rebellion and revolution that is to shatter the core of a rotten society. The beginning of the comic is sporadic and it takes time for Lepage to find a rhythm so that the story moves well. The beginning is too fast and full, which makes the reading slightly exhausting. Thus the structure is the weakest part of the otherwise interesting story.

The art is beautiful with deep and rich colors. The play of the light and shadows is wonderful and all the hues that fill the in-between. All of the panels could be paintings and it fits very well with the theme and Gabriel painting. Some of the story is moved without words and those parts work well and are easy to understand aka there's a coherent movement. Sadly so the same doesn't happen with the rest of the story. The comic consists of two parts of which this is the first one. Somehow I don't see how this could continue and it makes me think that perhaps one full comic would've been better.