Synopsis
Here at last, the long-awaited sequel to Palomar.
Now older but perhaps not so very much wiser, the hammer-wielding matriarch Luba has relocated to the United States of America, where she continues to contend not only, as an immigrant, with a brand new and not always welcoming culture but also her tempestuous extended family: her eccentric sisters Fritz and Petra, her nurturing but often disapproving cousin Ofelia, her many children ranging from the fully grown (Guadalupe and Doralis) to the latest brood sired by her husband Khamo (Casimira, Socorro, Joselito, and Conchita) many of them in turn each with her own network of family members, lovers, and friends (including a number of other escapees from Palomar).
From: Fantagraphics
Notes on This Title
This series focuses on Luba, a character introduced in Hernandez previous series, The Heartbreak Soup Stories, also known as the Palomar stories. Two of Luba’s daughters, Maricela and Doralis, identify as lesbians.
A sexual relationship develops between a female character called Pipo and Luba’s sister, Fritz, although both are primarily involved with men.
There is frequent depiction of nudity and sexual activities.
Awards
2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novel - Finalist
#7, Best Archival/Reprints of 2009, The Comics Reporter
Reviews
Starred Review: “In this expansive sequel to 2003’s Palomar , Hernandez gives readers a peek into the lives of the inimitable Luba and her extended family now living in modern-day Southern California. Often taking center stage is the snarky Venus, the young daughter of Petra, one of Luba’s recently discovered half-sisters. Obsessed with romance comics—and in love with the much-older owner of a comic and record store—Venus tries to make sense not only of her own life but her family’s complicated dynamics. Her aunt Fritzi, another half-sister of Luba and sister of Petra, is a lisping psychotherapist who goes through boyfriends like candy and embarrasses Venus by always speaking Spanish. Luba herself, working in a local immigration office, is still torn up over the disfigurement of her husband (who’s still back in Central America) when he tried to save a woman from self-immolation. The backbone of the family, and also its Achilles heel, Luba is a larger-than-life personality who jumps off every page, whether she’s the focus of the segment or just a background player. Hernandez collects over 100 stories here, ranging from graphic novellas to single-page episodes, with his usual dizzying cocktail of sexual intrigue, humor and soap opera–style angst.” (Source: Publishers Weekly)
Interviews
None.