Welcome to a new feature we're trying out here at Panel Patter, "This Looks Cool!" It's a chance for us to highlight an upcoming series we think Panel Patter readers might be interested in checking out and putting on their advanced pull lists.
The Pass
By Espé, and translated by J.T. Mahany
Published by graphic mundi
Put a book in my hands that deals with topics such as grief or loss or inclusivity or mental disparity and you’ll make me a fan of its creator in an instant. That is what happened when I stumbled upon another graphic mundi book of the same author as The Pass. It was the latter part of last year and the book was called The Parakeet. I read it in one sitting and I wept. But that, folks, is a different story and this is a different review.
Lo and behold would you look at that. The fine people at graphic mundi found another Espé book to translate and I’m left here still picking myself up from the last one. There is something deep within the nature of Espé’s narrative and illustrative delivery that makes the reader more aware of the meaning of self than one thought possible. A very simplistic visual with soul-crushing relatability is the undeniable, albeit refreshing, reason that stories such as this are cherished and adored.
Pulled from the publisher’s website, here are some words of what to expect with the forthcoming:
The only way out is through.
Camille and Bastien are overjoyed at the birth of their second child. But their happiness is short-lived. Soon after Louis is born, he is diagnosed with severe heart defects. Because of his young age, he must wait for surgery—and the operation itself could prove fatal.
During the tense and bewildering months that follow Louis’s diagnosis, his parents find some comfort in Camille’s father, Pablo, who comes to help care for the children. The long wait turns into a joyful interlude of games, tenderness, and deepening love between Louis and Pablo, an experience that will remain forever engraved in their lives.
Inspired by real events, this emotionally engaging follow-up to Espé’s The Parakeet continues the story of Bastien, now a father, as he copes with every parent’s biggest fear: that they could lose their child.
Bookstores and bookshelves need to be filled with more graphic stories such as this one and I am thrilled to see that we are getting more from Espé. Because another book of his means that we will be getting another opportunity to discover ourselves as we feel feelings that most other books, frankly, exist to protect us from.
Hardcover Edition is coming soon and you can preorder now or request to be notified before it’s release in June of this year.
