Customer Reviews

Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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"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.

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!

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.