The first half of Miguel de Cervantes's life, the writer of <i>Don Quixote</i>. GOL uses a 6 act plays as a framing structure. It was interesting to hear about Cervantes life and the many mishaps to him that occurred.

'Cervantes: The Genius' Fantasy Part One' with words and art by Miguel Gomez Andrea, (aka Gol) is a bio-comic about the famous author.

Told in a series of acts like a stage play, this volume presents the first 3. The first act shows Cervantes' home life, with his father, an ailing surgeon. The second act shows Cervantes in captivity by pirates after fighting for Turkey. Act 3 shows how he became a poet and how his illegitimate daughter was born.

I liked the approach this graphic novel took to the story. There is text to read, and the art style is really pretty good. I enjoyed reading this book and learning a bit about this author.

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.

Cervantes's life often gets overshadowed by the exploits of his most famous creation Don Quijote. This book, whose subtitle is The Genius's Fantasy, says it is part 1 and I cannot wait to read part 2.

Enjoyable graphic novel version of Cervantes biography. Well-drawn illustrations and interesting text. Easy way to learn history.

A great tale told well. The artwork was lacking a touch and quite naive but it would work for a younger audience. I did like the fast paced tale and I learnt something. Thank you.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

Do we really need a graphic novel biography of Cervantes?
Of course. Don’t be stupid.
This is volume one and presents various scenes form his life, ending in his marriage. The frame story occurs in a theatre in Spain. The illustrations are wonderful.
Each chapter is an act, and perhaps there could have been a more cohesive progression. But there each act does show an aspect of Cervantes’ character as well as the world he lived in. There are also romantic references to his most famous work.
It was a fun read.

A book about the creator of Don Quixote! Interesting time period, interesting guy, and very educational at the same time.

This graphic novel is packed with information, very well written and summarised in just few pages. Absolute loved the way is set and how we see the character becoming who he became.
You can really read the Spanish passion and sense of humor in the narrative.
I would recommend this one for everybody learning Spanish as a second language, (reading it in the original version of course) and to everybody who would like to start reading Spanish literature.

The story line in this graphic novel is pretty good, but the art and coloring leave a lot to be desired. Good for a junior audience.

I liked the approach of this book – just when you thought it was going to be overly worded, and just illustrated prose, it turned into a balanced graphic novel with instances of splash pages and more – but that was about all. This, the first half of the life of Cervantes, really didn't engage as much as the prologue promised. The author's existence, whether stuck with a milksop father and rightly haranguing sister, or arguing for his life on the cusp of a Muslim harem, just did not match as alleged with the shenanigans he was to write about. And the final third here is just boring conversation with no drama whatsoever, and despite the best efforts of the artists involved is a complete turn-off. For specialists only – I for one wouldn't wish to be back for the rest.

One and a half stars.

Three Things I Liked:

1. The book has a nice intertextuality. At times, there is full prose and at times the set-up is more like a traditional graphic novel. Nice direction.

2. The art, though somewhat cartoonish, works well and conveys meaning. The cover art is pretty representative of what you find inside.

3. The narrative is fun; a nice blend of history, literature, and adventure.