De: Tales

(Dark Horse, 2006)
™ and © Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, twin brothers from Brazil, are the latest in a promising crop of young creators using the comics form to tell straightforward literary stories without any apparent self-consciousness or pretension. De:Tales is a collection of mostly short (4-6 page) stories by one or both of the brothers, done in an uncluttered black and white style full of atmosphere and character.

The stories take place in the brothers’ home city, São Paulo, but they could just as well be set in any modern city. The real scene is “Guyville”—that transnational state of mind where 20-something lads wander, mingle, philosophize and engage in complicated mating rituals with women who seem to have it much more together than they do.

At their worst, the De:tales stories represent a credible, if predictable take on the current state of Guyville. At their best, as in the centerpiece story “Happy Birthday My Friend,” they reach a place of real imagination and emotional authenticity.

The back jacket of De:Tales compares Fábio and Bá, inevitably, to Los Bros Hernandez. Maybe so, but the evidence isn’t there to support the comparison yet. It’s hard to say exactly what De:Tales is up to beyond telling a few mildly-compelling stories in an appealing if undistinguished art style. These bros have talent for sure, but their debut lacks sense of urgency behind the early Love and Rockets or something more comparable—say Alex Robinson’s Box Office Poison.

— Rob Salkowitz

From the Publisher:

Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá are Brazilian twins who share an award-winning talent for comics and an abiding love of the medium. Following in the wake of brothers Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez and Tomer & Asaf Hanuka, Moon & Bá bring their considerable skills to Dark Horse in De: Tales, their first major American release.

This collection of short stories features the pair working together, in tandem, or separately—trading off on the roles of writing and illustrating, sharing those roles, or flying solo. Brimming with all the details of human life, their charming tales move from the urban reality of their home in São Paulo to the magical realism of their Latin American background, living up to the twins’ critical acclaim and proving that they are indeed a talented pair to watch out for.

Jump to issue:

Notes

Writer

Artist

#1

June, 2006
Cover Price: $14.95
1 copy available for $12.00

Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá