BD - Wanya Stops Over in Orongo - 1st Edition, 1973

Description

Description Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo Artwork: Nelson Dias Text: Augusto Mota At the time of its release, critics in the field regarded it as a landmark work; in the words of Vasco Granja, "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo" constitutes "clear evidence that high-quality Portuguese comics can exist." When published in the 1970s, the book "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo" featured an unusual format for a comic album: nearly square-shaped, with a striking black-and-white illustration on its cover—blending science fiction and eroticism—while its figurative narrative was grounded in social critique. "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo" also conveys a universal pacifist message, proposing that the story’s heroine eliminate the last vestiges of a civilization whose very raison d’être is war. The album "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo" was even published in Germany. Publisher: Assírio & Alvim 1st Edition, 1973 Softcover Extremely rare In very good condition Shipped via registered mail, properly packaged. "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo", an experimental and avant-garde comic by Nelson Dias and Augusto Mota, released shortly before the April Revolution; reissued in 2008; The work features art by Nelson Dias and text by Augusto Mota—two teachers who met at a school in Leiria and created one of the most modern Portuguese comics, whose main character—Vânia—is a heroine on the planet Orongo. "It is an avant-garde work from both a technical and graphic standpoint, possessing a modernity and an ethically-fantastical boldness that surprised me," said José de Matos-Cruz, comics critic, to Lusa News Agency; in 1972 he had published several original "Wanya" pages in a fanzine in Coimbra. "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo", now republished this month by Gradiva, first appeared in December 1973 by Assírio & Alvim, with an initial print run of five thousand copies, presenting a figurative narrative uncommon in comics of that era. "It broke with the prevailing comics standard of the time—which targeted primarily children and adolescents—and emerged instead as a work for adults, featuring a heroine who is virtually a symbol of female liberation," explained José de Matos-Cruz, who contributed one of the three prefaces to the new edition. Nelson Dias, who was 33 years old in 1973, studied painting at the Porto School of Fine Arts and has works included in several collections. Augusto Mota, aged 37 when "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo" was released, holds a degree in Germanic Philology and has contributed both text and illustrations to numerous publications. "Wanya – Stops Over in Orongo" remains the sole work jointly published by the two authors.