Page 45 Review by Stephen
Page 45 Comicbook Of The Month July 2023.
Jaqueline just came clang-clang-clanging by the lounge in her platform shoes, handbag swinging.
“Hey, listen up, lemme just say a few things...
“If anyone asks, tell ‘em I’m not here, ok?”
“I’ve got a couple of things to take care of, yeah?”
She has one hell of a presence.
“Marcia, also: I can’t find my green top! You’re not sneaking around wearing it, are you? Huh?
“Gotta run. You snooze, you lose.
“I’m not here to hand to pretty things for free, understood, sweetheart?
“Put it back when you finish with it, washed and ironed, you hear?”
She’s talking to her Mum.
Drop-dead gorgeous in purples and peach, cripplingly funny in places and ever so slightly heart-rending throughout, this is the closest I’ve experienced in all my decades in comics to the sort of independent films which I adore.
The most obvious comparison point is ‘City Of God’ if only for its environment – a Brazilian working class favela bursting with street life – but when I tell you that it focuses on a single mother doing her optimistic best to carve out a little peace if not prosperity for herself in the war zone of her very home and hometown against all calculable odds and we’re clearly talking Ken Loach, Mike Leigh, Shane Meadows et al.
We’re basically talking about humanity.
And this favela’s full of it. Wait until you learn where the title comes from.
Marcia is magnificent. She works in a hospital, nurses a friend’s mother on the side, and is thoroughly capable of coping with criminals, including the phone company. But her daughter’s another prospect altogether.
Here’s Jaqueline again:
“Hey, you can fuck him up, but don’t break anything. He’s an acquaintance of mine. All right?”
She’s talking about her step-dad.
Marcello Quintanilha’s LISTEN, BEAUTIFUL MARCIA was the winner of the 2022 Prize for Best Album at the Angouleme International Comics Festival.
