Mr. Spic Goes to Washington [Paperback]

Ilan Stavans (Author), Roberto Weil (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

In the face of social inequalities, sometimes strength for mobilization can be found through laughter. It is this ethos that Ilan Stavans employs in this politically minded graphic novel. Weaving humor with social commentary, Stavans tells a tale of a Latino man taking Los Angeles' mayoral office by storm — and refusing to stop there. Illustrated throughout by Roberto Weil, the story follows the life and political development of Mr. Spic — Samuel Patricio Inocencio Cárdenas — as he upends the political machine by owning up to and embracing his rough-and-tumble past, refusing to bend to corporate pressures, and using his influence to promote pacifism and tolerance. Progressive politics has always moved forward with the help of dedicated, singular individuals, and Mr. Spic — light-hearted as his story may be — hilariously exemplifies that model.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593761988
• ISBN-13: 978-1593761981
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,894,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A graphic and literary mess, October 9, 2011

By 

Michael Engel (Southampton, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mr. Spic Goes to Washington (Paperback)

Notwithstanding Prof. Stavans fine reputation as an academic, and my sympathy with his point of view, his creation is a disaster--preachy, contrived, poorly drawn, as boring as an academic lecture, and as subtle as a jalapeno pepper. Want a quality political/biographical graphic novel? Try Kyle Baker's "Nat Turner", Chester Brown's "Louis Riel", or Ho Che Anderson's "King", not to mention masterpieces like "Persepolis" or "Maus". More to the point, want a really cool fantasy about a minority politician seizing power? Try Aaron McGruder's superb "Birth of a Nation". It's too bad, but "Spic Goes to Washington" isn't nearly in the same league, and fails miserably as an effective expression of an important issue.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If El Cucuy put on a tinfoil hat . . ., May 6, 2010

By 

Jill Monterey (california) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mr. Spic Goes to Washington (Paperback)

. . . this is the story that would result.

In the not-too-distant future, the Mexican-American mayor of Los Angeles successfully runs for U.S. Senator. In Washington, he proposes laws to get more Latinos into government and to get more Latino-friendly legislation enacted nationwide. "Monolingualism" is a form of repression. California offers no future for anyone but the rich and powerful. Washington D.C. is a snobbish white man's world because it lacks a decent taqueria. White Senators denounce the French on the Senate floor for not speaking English. Blah blah, turning pages fast, he gets assassinated apparently by a Puerto Rican janitor at the behest of some white colleagues. "A visionary Latino is a dead Latino," sobs his family back in California. I don't really care enough to go back and find out what the plot was, but the point could be that white people work their evil by getting (paying) browns to turn on each other.

Ilan Stavans divides people into groups according to their race and figures that's the way to apportion wealth and political representation. People of color are all victims; guess who their predators are? He quotes Cesar Chavez: "We seek our basic, God-given rights as human beings because we have suffered, and aren't afraid to suffer in order to survive. We're ready to give up everything -- even our lives -- in our struggle for social justice." I'll bother to argue against this: if you're ready to suffer and lose your lives, why aren't you doing so in Mexico, the land of your citizenship and your birth? What's with going to a different country where you're not even a citizen and demanding that its inhabitants throw their money at you? And please, don't tell me it's your God-given rights you're seeking. You're seeking my human-earned money.

A few nuggets of Stavans's own wisdom:

"Why isn't there a site to commemorate the victims of Minutemen on the U.S.-Mexico border and the thousands of people who die every year dehydrated while walking the desert in search of the American dream?"

"Who else will harvest lettuce, oranges, and strawberries? Remember, the people who put food on your table also give you their heart."

It's useful as a look into a prejudiced, wrong-thinking, misanthropic mind.