This ia a softcover 3-in-1 omnibus of the three hardback Aya graphic novels previously released by Drawn & Quarterly over the last five years or so: Aya, Aya of Yop City, and Aya, the Secrets Come Out. It also additionally contains a healthy portion (32 pages or so) of bonus support materials not found in the original volumes. Priced at barely more than one of the originals, this is a bargain! More than that, it is well over 300 pages of beautifully drawn and lushly colored comics depicting late 1970s life in the the west African republic, Côte d'Ivoire (the Ivory Coast to us Anglophones). These comics will immerse readers in this far off land, and we're confident that all readers will be looking forward to the return visit promised by the follow-up volume, Love in Yop City, an all-new (to North American readers) omnibus, due in 2013!
This 360 page, full color volume is the follow-up to last year's omnibus collection Aya: Life in Yop City, which collected the first three, previously published, volumes in the series, Aya, Aya of Yop CIty and Aya, the Secrets Come Out. This time around we get to go straight to the omnibus collection and the fantastic value if offers. The three volumes are contained in Aya: Love in Yop City are published here for the first time in English, and represent the conclusion to this exuberantly written and lushly illustrated series of life in the Côte d'Ivoire during the 1970s. Written by Ivoirian native, Abouet and illustrated by her French husband, Ouberie, the Aya books have met with great success in their homeland of France, including taking home an award from the Angoulême Festival, and there are plans for a film version. Anyone not yet familiar with this series would do well to take a taste via this PDF preview. This is a great series!
It was bound to happen, and now the day has arrived: a comics biography of Pablo Picasso. This is doubtless only the first, as a life and career as prodigious as that of Picasso can hardly be exhausted at one go. In fact, it appears that Birmant and Oubererie have limited the years covered in Pablo to Picasso's early years in Montmartre. Nonetheless, these few years managed to inspire one of the lengthiest comics bios yet, as Pablo runs a whopping 342 full color pages. Should there be a decision to continue, a comics bio of Picasso's full life could easily run in the thousands of pages! This is likely a job in need of a massive cohort of comickers... Oubererie, known to Copacetic regulars as the artist on the wonderful Aya series, has turned in another amazing work here. Clearly demonstrating his understanding of color once again, in contrast to the stunning, saturated tones he employed in Aya to convey the magic and mystery of life in Côte d'Ivoire, here in Pablo, he has stuck with muted tones suffused with greys and browns to capture the mood of Montemartre. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to leaf through and vicariously experience those days when art changed forever.
Surprise! It's a new Aya adventure, the first in over a decade. Readers once again will have the opportunity to enjoy Marguerite Abouet's fully realized characterizations and pitch-perfect dialogue (exhuberently translated from the French by Edwige Dro) bought to life by Clément Oubrerie's expressive lines and truly amazing color sense as together they bring to life the hustle and bustle of 1980s Abidjan, the mega-city at the heart of the Côte d'Ivoire.
Get more details on what's in store along with some preview pages at Claws Come Out's official D & Q page, HERE and/or head over to The Guardian to read Rachel Cooke's review, HERE.
Anyone yet to experience Aya is hereby directed to the two omnibus editions, Life in Yop City and Love in Yop City – each collecting a trio of amazing Aya tales.
