Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush [Paperback]

Luis Alberto Urrea (Author), Christopher Cardinale (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This lovely comics adaptation of a short story by major Latino writer Urrea may have found the ideal way to present magical realism graphically. As a boy growing up in the little town of Rosario, the narrator observes things in the natural world around him wonderfully ripening, but he also catches glimpses of marvelous forces that intrude into mundane life. Mr. Mendoza, meanwhile, is offended by the small-minded pomp and hypocrisy of the townspeople and posts his observations in sometimes scathing, sometimes enigmatic graffiti written on objects, animals, and people. Cardinale presents this in a mixture of crosshatching and scratchboard style that makes each panel resemble a static woodcut—but one that interacts dynamically with surrounding action. The scenes look only temporarily solid, an especially appropriate condition for the story's conclusion, when Mendoza abandons the town by climbing steps he draws in the air. A different level of realism in the art wouldn't have maintained the ambiguity that makes the tale's magic so hauntingly effective. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up In the small town of Rosario, alongside the crumbling cathedral and the dusty walls, are cryptic messages painted by Mr. Mendoza, self-proclaimed graffiti king of all Mexico. A teen tells fantastic legends of the town, connecting them with the man's words. Mendoza himself is a legend is he real or imagined? Immortal or human? There's nothing his paintbrush hasn't touched, from a dead monk to a peeping Tom. He paints the town's ugly truths, angering and intriguing residents. The richly colored artwork captures the town and its citizens in bold black lines filled with the heat and magic of Mexico. The quiet, lyrical text tells of urban legends and teenage lust tempered by guilt, and it's beautifully woven into the graphics. This slim book can fit into any collection serving older teens. Sadie Mattox, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press; 1 edition (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933693231
• ISBN-13: 978-1933693231
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Luis Alberto Urrea, 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph.
Born in Tijuana, Mexico to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea has published extensively in all the major genres. The critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 13 books, Urrea has won numerous awards for his poetry, fiction and essays. The Devil's Highway, his 2004 non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, won the Lannan Literary Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize. An historical novel, The Hummingbird's Daughter tells the story of Teresa Urrea, sometimes known as the Saint of Cabora and the Mexican Joan of Arc. The book, which involved 20 years of research and writing, won the Kiriyama Prize in fiction and, along with The Devil's Highway, was named a best book of the year by many publications. It has been optioned by acclaimed Mexican director Luis Mandoki for a film to star Antonio Banderas.
Urrea's most recent novel, Into the Beautiful North, imagines a small town in Mexico where all the men have immigrated to the U.S. A group of young women, after seeing the film The Magnificent Seven, decide to follow the men North and persuade them to return to their beloved village. A national best-seller, Into the Beautiful North, earned a citation of excellence from the American Library Association Rainbow's Project. A short story from Urrea's collection, Six Kinds of Sky, was recently released as a stunning graphic novel by Cinco Puntos Press. Mr.Mendoza's Paintbrush, illustrated by artist Christopher Cardinale, has already garnered rave reviews and serves as a perfect companion to Into the Beautiful North as it depicts the same village in the novel.
Into the Beautiful North, The Devil's Highway and The Hummingbird's Daughter have been chosen by more than 30 different cities and colleges for One Book community read programs.
Urrea has also won an Edgar award from the Mystery Writers of America for best short story (2009, "Amapola" in Phoenix Noir). His first book, Across the Wire, was named a New York Times Notable Book and won the Christopher Award. Urrea also won a 1999 American Book Award for his memoir, Nobody's Son: Notes from an American Life and in 2000, he was voted into the Latino Literature Hall of Fame following the publication of Vatos. His book of short stories, Six Kinds of Sky, was named the 2002 small-press Book of the Year in fiction by the editors of ForeWord magazine. He has also won a Western States Book Award in poetry for The Fever of Being and was in The 1996 Best American Poetry collection. Urrea's other titles include By the Lake of Sleeping Children, In Search of Snow, Ghost Sickness and Wandering Time.
Urrea attended the University of California at San Diego, earning an undergraduate degree in writing, and did his graduate studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
After serving as a relief worker in Tijuana and a film extra and columnist-editor-cartoonist for several publications, Urrea moved to Boston where he taught expository writing and fiction workshops at Harvard. He has also taught at Massachusetts Bay Community College and the University of Colorado and he was the writer in residence at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Urrea lives with his family in Naperville, IL, where he is a professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adult themes and jokes make this a choice more suitable for mature young adults and of course fun-loving mature adults as well, August 7, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush (Paperback)

"Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush" is an illustrated adult comic book version of the life of Rosario, Mexico's "king of graffiti," who wrote "Deflate your pomp or float away!" in paints on the body of an unexpectedly exhumed monk. "Mr Mendoza's Paintbrush" is a stunningly illustrated life story that absolutely transcends into great art myth at the end. The humor and originality of the artist are showcased in this amazing graphic biography. Collectors of woodblock style art such as that done by Christopher Cardinale will want to add this latest work to their treasures. It is an evolving experience of the macabre and the sacred intertwined, evocative and haunting in its tone. Adult themes and jokes make this a choice more suitable for mature young adults and of course fun-loving mature adults as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky Humor, Interesting Art, December 19, 2010

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush (Paperback)

Until just recently, I hadn't read any graphic stories since the heyday of the great Robert Crumb. But I decided to buy and read Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush when at a talk given by author Luis Alberto Urrea in Albuquerque earlier this year.
It won't take more than 20 minutes to read, but it is chock full of Urrea's quirky humor with the added treat of the fine woodblock style art of Christopher Cardinale. The story takes place in a small Mexican town and is told in the voice of an old man remembering the magical days of his childhood and events surrounding the doings of the town's Kilroy-like graffiti artist who it seemed slipped in and left his mark everywhere without notice. It's a fun story that pokes gentle fun at Mexican village life and customs as well as the sometimes fine line between folk tales and reality.
I can't bring myself to give the book five stars as it's no masterpiece, but I certainly enjoyed reading it. This is one of those books which like the work of the aforementioned Robert Crumb is just cool to have lying about. The price via an amazon partner is certainly right, so if you enjoy Urrea's work, don't fail to add this to your stack!

4.0 out of 5 stars Playful, beautiful comic from Luis Alberto Urrea and Christopher Cardinale, February 15, 2011

By 

L. Fannon "Lu @ Regular Rumination" (VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush (Paperback)

Urrea and Cardinale are pulling on a lot of traditions here, but they manage to create a story that is not only charming, but original. Like any myth, Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush takes a physical object and a real person, plus the fantastic elements, to represent something bigger, though I don't want to give away what that is. The magical realism in Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush is playful and, well, magical.

The art is absolutely gorgeous. Christopher Cardinale also paints murals, so it's difficult not to think immediately of Diego Rivera, husband of Frida Kahlo. Even though his art clearly evoked elements of Rivera's style, Cardinale is very much his own artist. I loved his use of expressive, large faces and the color work is gorgeous. I often prefer black and white comics, but I probably wouldn't if every comic were as beautifully colored as Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush.

I've almost been avoiding Urrea's work because I have never been sure how I would like it. Now that I have read Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush, I fully expect to pick the rest of his work in the future.