[SPLASHES OF DARKNESS] WRINKLES (WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY PACO ROCA)

12/10/2021

There is a real love and generosity of spirit worked incrementally into the pages, like dust. It may be hard to see at times but your fingers pick it up with each turn of the page and, as you wipe your tears, it changes you. By the end you will see the world with new eyes. It is old, it is beautiful, and it matters a great deal.

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SPLASHES OF DARKNESS: Wrinkles
(COMIC REVIEW BY DION WINTON-POLAK)

Here’s something a little different for you; I know you like to try different flavours. This is bittersweet, one of those concoctions that seems to change as you sip it, hitting the palate in odd ways and taking you by surprise. You don’t want to knock it back in one go. Give it time to play on your tongue. There’s liberation to be found at the bottom of this glass, and a lot to mull over on the way. I think you’ll like it but I’ve seen a lot of folk sobbing into their glasses too.

I have, over time, become increasingly interested in European comics. This has been largely through my discovery of the Cinebook translations, though other suppliers have broadened my horizons. The most admirable and intoxicating books I have come across so far have been Peter Pan and The Hartlepool Monkey (follow those links if you missed my reviews). I’ll add Wrinkles to this list of what-are-you-waiting-fors with a hearty kick up your booty.

This slice-of-life story has not only deepened my appreciation of the European sequential art scene, but of the comics medium as a whole.

Wrinkles takes us into the lives of Ernest, a retired bank manager – who finds himself placed in a home for the elderly – and Émile, a roguish resident who takes Ernest under his wing. The book is essentially a collection of personal stories and anecdotes from both residents and staff at care homes, woven into a tragi-comic tapestry by the talented Spanish artist, Paco Roca.

His visual style is clean and appealing to the eye, blending simple line-work and blocks of warm colour with subtle shadows and a keen eye for characterful detail. Émile’s story reminds us that every OAP was a young person once, full of love and life, yet tricked by time. Ernest’s journey is somewhat different, but it breeds compassion and consideration in the hardest of hearts.

You might think that life in a care home would offer little in the way of interest to either residents or reader; we imagine endless monotony, but Roca never lets our attention wander. He engages our sympathies and understanding of each person through natural dialogue (rather than exposition) and the marvellous trick of depicting the residents’ inner worlds when we see events from thier perspectives. It should be confusing to the senses but Roca’s narrative carries it through as though it were the most natural form of storytelling in the world.

For some readers, the trials and tribulations of the characters will be all too familiar. Alzheimer’s is a brutal disease, affecting more and more people both directly and indirectly. I would suggest that their burdens could be lightened by sharing Wrinkles with others, using it as a jumping-off point to start talking about their own experiences. For others, the truths inside these covers will be hard to handle. People don’t like talking about old age because it is scary, humiliating and inevitable. I found the book profoundly disquieting, as must surely be the intention, yet the rays of humour and hope which light up the book shine all the brighter by contrast.

Wrinkles is not meant to be a lecture or lesson and, thankfully, it never feels so heavy-handed; it is merely a window into a world we prefer not to see. It will make you laugh, it will make you angry and if you’re anything like me, you will probably shed a tear or two. There is a real love and generosity of spirit worked incrementally into the pages, like dust. It may be hard to see at times but your fingers pick it up with each turn of the page and, as you wipe your tears, it changes you. By the end you will see the world with new eyes. It is old, it is beautiful, and it matters a great deal.

Do yourself a favour and seek it out. (10 copies on eBay currently.)

* Oh, and by the way, there was a Spanish-made animation of Wrinkles made back in 2011 by the way. The US dub stars Martin Sheen and Matthew Modine. It’s available at Amazon, but I stuck two fingers up at them and snagged the blu-ray from CEX. Half as much, baby!

Written and illustrated by Paco Roca
Translated into English by Nora Goldberg
Published by Knockabout Comics
Available now!
Reading experience: 5/5

This review was originally posted on Geek Syndicate, along with one or two other Splashes. (Life is pretty busy right now.) Many thanks to the boys for letting me spruce it up and republish here.