The cartoonist’s sensory immersion in the landscapes of Joyce’s life lends this Portrait of a Dubliner its visual authority: the sordid charm of turn-of-the-century Dublin, the civilized cosmopolitanism of Trieste at the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the modernist ebullience of interwar Paris are all portrayed vividly in Zapico’s lively gestural style of freehand drawing and ink-wash shading. The biography’s overall visual mode is on the cartoonish side of realism, with enough verisimilitude to be historically convincing and enough exaggeration to lend speed and comedy to his narrative. Joyce’s life … is well-served by Zapico’s almost caricatural art, since Joyce’s own outsize personality had something of the cartoonish about it … the best moments in James Joyce come when Zapico stops narrating and lets dialogue and pictures tell the story: in one brief scene, Joyce, toward the end of his life and the start of World War II, joins a group of French soldiers in singing La Marseillaise. This simple page should save us reams of analysis of Joyce’s complicated politics, as in one gesture it shows the apparently aloof and apolitical modernist for the disappointed Romantic liberal he was at heart … a vibrant introduction to Joyce and his times … Joyce might well have admired this particular comic book
Rain Taxi
a visual treat, filled with offhanded, irreverent humor that Joyce himself might have enjoyed
bookpage.com
charming … Zapico treats Joyce with both humor and respect, but does not sugarcoat the writer's drunkenness, infidelities, financial irresponsibility and cheerful willingness to bite any helping hand that came his way … the visual language of the work is sophisticated. The grey-wash backgrounds are drawn with meticulously realized historical detail while Joyce and his contemporaries are rendered with a jaunty, comic book-style line … a beautifully drawn and playful portrait of the artist as a difficult man
shelf-awareness.com
this biography is an enjoyable, valuable introduction to Joyce for students and literary-minded readers, high school and up
Library Journal
this visually delightful graphic novel does not shy away from James Joyce’s negative qualities, but those are just one thread among many of the tapestry of his story … Zapico’s scribbly, active art with the pen strokes and washes of ink dashing across the page, alternately portrays the beauty and elegance of the European cities that Joyce visits, as well as the shock and violence of the Irish uprising and the two world wars … although Joyce may frustrate us at times, he has moments of likability that increase in number as the story progresses. Zapico has created a well-rounded and honest portrait of a controversial yet brilliant writer, and the genius as well as the artistic temperament shines through on every page
portlandbookreview.com
James Joyce's life, like much of his work, can be something of a mystery, a puzzle to untangle. Alfonso Zapico gives a thorough and masterful pictorial retelling of Joyce's life in … a graphic novel that goes far toward illuminating the enigmatic author
Foreword Reviews
though “breezy” isn’t a term generally associated with the author of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, artist Zapico (Café Budapest, 2008, etc.) remains true to the life and spirit of the Irish master while appealing to readers who might not have the patience for either Joyce’s novels or a standard, more exhaustive biography … A solid account of the development of a writer not easy to encapsulate
kirkusreviews.com
Readers familiar with James Joyce only through his dour dust-jacket photos are in for a big surprise in this warts-and-all graphic biography of Ireland’s best-known and most divisive writer … the black-and-white, ink-wash illustrations are surprisingly expressive, capturing Joyce’s jocular manner and rabble-rousing with an indulgent yet objective hand. Because it reveals its subject without sensationalizing or glamorizing him, readers will close the book with a better understanding of a complex man and his influential work
Booklist
the most humorous and heartfelt of the recent Joyce-inspired graphic novels … Zapico draws gorgeous close-ups with his thick, rough outlines and minimalist details in a cartoon format. He reinterprets famous scenes many Joyceans know by heart and presents them in a fresh way … Zapico’s work has a cinematic quality, and, in many ways, reading his book is like viewing a pleasurable documentary … charming and thoroughly worthwhile
James Joyce Quarterly
this lively, beautifully drawn portrait of the writer is among the best recent graphic novel biographies … The strong cartooning is what makes this work. Zapico’s art teems with details of architecture, and the characters are looser but bursting with emotion—both elements are indispensable to understanding Joyce’s peripatetic life. The art not only establishes a sense of place, but shows how these places were unable to contain an indomitable spirit like Joyce: save for Dublin, which, of course, contains his soul. An early candidate for the “Best Of” lists for 2016
publishersweekly.com
a playful book, and a colourful break from the business of Joyce … the hero of the comic though is Zapico’s drawing. His jaunty line captures the arrogance and frenzy, the drunkenness and the frustration but most of all the comedy of Joyce, his light touches drawing out his own humour and that of Joyce the trickster as he traces the recognisable odyssey of Dublin, Trieste, Zurich and Paris, with welcome stops in Cork, Pola, Rome and London – for Jim and Nora’s wedding. His streets are as noisily melodic as Joyce sang them into being, with a grey-wash backdrop that wouldn’t be out of place for a walk-on part for a pair of gallants, say. Zapico’s pen and ink follow Joyce through his life with obvious affection for his creation … Zapico, and his translator’s contribution … opens the way … to returning Joyce and his work to the city and citizenry that begot him, or at least those with a sense of humour
Dublin Review of Books
his portrayal of the writer’s ancestors, relations, friends, teachers, benefactors, and so on are witty and recognisable as are his interpretations of the politically famous such as Gladstone and Parnell
Books Ireland
lively and credible … will be welcomed by those who see the graphic medium as a serious and valid one
Books Ireland
sophisticated, amusing, stylish and very readable
Books Ireland
a consistently humorous and unpretentious touch
Books Ireland
well researched
Books Ireland
in future we’ll look at graphic books with greater interest, but also … much more critically now we’ve seen what is possible
Books Ireland
it is possible for a literate adult to read this biography with pleasure and interest
Books Ireland
it doesn’t skimp on ANYTHING
girlslikecomics.com
Alfonso Zapico tossed out the panels in moments of fluid genius
girlslikecomics.com
this is a work that was perfected and honed and smoothed for years
girlslikecomics.com
as charming visually as it is narratively, it really does bring the general debauchery of Joyce’s life to the fore
girlslikecomics.com
charming ... very accessible
Sunday Business Post
a visually compelling and utterly charming biography of one of Ireland’s most iconic literary sons
forbiddenplanet.co.uk
Zapico breathes life into the author [Joyce]
forbiddenplanet.co.uk
the historical detail captured within the art is a joy
forbiddenplanet.co.uk
‘[Zapico] has created a wonderful piece of work in a subtle black, white and grey scale wash
forbiddenplanet.co.uk
a comic book artist at the top of his game
forbiddenplanet.co.uk
graphic biography brings our greatest novelist to life
Irish Independent
the life of James Joyce – and his all-consuming love for Nora – are brought spectacularly alive
Irish Independent
a remarkable depiction of the Dublin of Joyce’s time, his family, his friends, his travels in Europe and how he overcame poverty, rejection and ill-health to create some of the greatest work in the English language
Irish Independent
uniquely accessible and depicts the tumultuous life of Joyce as never before
Irish Independent
charming ... very accessible
Sunday Business Post
uniquely accessible and depicts the tumultuous life of Joyce as never before
Irish Independent online
this is an astonishing work of art
Mark O’Halloran
it’s absolutely extraordinary
Mark O’Halloran
I loved every single moment of it
Mark O’Halloran
felt like I really knew him from this
Mark O’Halloran
brilliant portrait of Dublin at the time
Mark O’Halloran
just brilliant … I could not recommend this highly enough
Mark O’Halloran
so fresh ... brilliantly written … it just zings
Mark O’Halloran
the drawings are just divine
Mark O’Halloran
I highly highly recommend everyone to buy it
Mark O’Halloran
blown away
thecomiccast.com
this is a James Joyce I can get on board with
thecomiccast.com
wonderful cast of characters
thecomiccast.com
go out and buy this
thecomiccast.com
hands down the best comic book that O’Brien have put out
thecomiccast.com
a kind of Where’s Wally for Joyce scholars
North West Telegraph
a tad Beanoesque, but Joyce, with his visual and cinematic instinct, would I’m sure, have approved
North West Telegraph
sings out at you from a grey-scale wash
girlslikecomics.com
