Week 9: World of Comics

Daytripper is a fictional series by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, published in 2010, focusing on the life of Brazilian obituary writer Bras de Oliva Domigos. Daytripper is a limited series -- for this response I was able to access the first issue in the series.

I absolutely loved this comic; in fact, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how much I wanted to read more after the first issue. On a surface level, the style of the illustrations are extremely aesthetically pleasing -- the selective use of color and line help solidify the mood of this piece, and add intensity to the drama when need be. In terms of story, there is a perfect amount of backstory and character development that make us care of Bras and what happens to him. Though we may not know the full extent of his life or his relationship with his girlfriend or his father, the small details we are given make his untimely death all the more hitting. Cinematic works of fiction are generally most appealing to me, so the general cinematic nature of Daytripper is perhaps what drew me in most of all. It delivers on every level, visually, emotionally, and thematically.

What is maybe most enjoyable about this comic is that even though it is only the first of ten issues, it feels like a complete story on its own. Had I not known there were additional issues, I would be completely satisfied with the ironic twist ending we are left with. It does create intrigue and draw the reader in for more, but absolutely works as a standalone piece as well -- as any segment of a series should.

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