HOME VOL. 1
Home Vol. 1, the noteworthy and deeply moving debut story from Julio Anta and Anna Wieszczyk, became available for sale in Trade Paperbook (TP) format this Wednesday, November 17th. Even if you have been following this story from issue to issue, don’t miss this book; get yourself Home.
Image Comics
Written by Julio Anta
Art by: Anna Wieszczyk
Color by: Bryan Valenza
Lettered by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
GETTING HOME
This journey has some of almost everything, in a remarkably true-to-life story that could have come from case files of recent stories of families seeking asylum in the United States. Yet, Home is so much more than a story of immigration to the United States and its recent snares and risks. This tale has heroes, subtle anti-heroes rendered at times with simple changes to facial expressions, not-so-subtle villains, and more than a small dose of superpowers, which I cannot say more about without spoiling the plot for you.
Your emotions will be caught up while you read this book. There are moments to move your heart, appeal to your sense of adventure, or to your deepest fears. Ultimately, there are moments that take you to some realities you may or may not be aware even exist in your own world— even in the United States, a country where we all have some form of migration story in our families, be it current or in the past.
TRADE PAPERBACK FORMAT BENEFITS
Julio Antos’ long form story, Home Vol. 1 reads amazingly well as a collection. How can I say this with such conviction? Here is my true confession; I have been aware enough of this story to pull it from issue one, and to see every interview with the author I was privileged to see so far. Between a busy life and the fact that I enjoy a good binge reading session, I have saved most of them up. So I have been able to enjoy them both as stand-alone parts of this story, and in trade paperback form, with extra perks. This TP comes with an incredibly thought provoking Introduction by Eisner Award winning creator Frederick Luis Aldama, and features an extensive and fascinating research-based, educator guide. It was created by a team from Re-Imagining Migration, in conjunction with Anta. It deserves 10 chef’s kisses of its own. But more on that later.
COMPELLING STORYTELLING
At its core, this is a compelling story of a Guatemalan family attempting to immigrate, and seeking asylum to rejoin close family in the US, told primarily through the mother and son making the journey and the people who love them on both sides of the border. But do not be fooled; it is also much, much more than that. There is a good reason this is a serious page-turner, and I will not spoil this wonderful tale for any of you who have not yet read it. Please read this story. If you have it already, consider yourself lucky and read it again. Come revisit your own thoughts about it; relocate your heart there on a day when you are so tired you have almost forgotten you can feel anything but ready to rest.
THE DEEP DIVE
Not sold yet? Help yourself to bonus information for those of us who like a deep dive. Yes — nerds like me? Walk this way…. It is worth mentioning that Home Vol. 1 has beautiful attention to detail, from its use of lettering to convey when characters are speaking Spanish and English in a clear way for the reader. It contains art that includes panel work variations used sparingly to convey realism and disorientation with changes to format to help you know “where you are” in terms of different places and times.
Throughout the book, the skillful use of coloring and panel edging is a beautiful conduit of movement between past and present. The art style changes in intriguing ways across physical contexts. And above all, this story that could easily have become a sermon, is instead delivered with compassion that makes it a seriously compelling, hard-to-put-down reading experience. Home is emotionally engaging, while also giving great examples of the political weaponizing of language used to discuss migration in recent years.
EDUCATOR GUIDE INCLUDED
It is also important to know that there are insights in the guide for educators that are helpful far beyond a classroom setting. I feel comfortable asserting this, because, coincidentally, this topic area is in my wheelhouse as a Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) credentialed social scientist in my other life, and I have taught for more than 20 years. This deeply thoughtful guide takes you from preparation to explanation, while making room for students’ self-searching for their own understanding. It presents an array of personally specific and over-arching concepts that arise from the story. Finally, it even talks about how these thoughts can become actions in one’s personal life. This guide is what we all hope exists in the world and it seldom does. Take that, all academics who do not understand that comics are a medium that can do everything that prose stories do. No, seriously — take it and USE IT!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOME VOL. 1
If only we all had Anta’s access to the ability to create such otherworldly-powerful opportunities for redemption in the face of misunderstanding and oppression in real life! This story will live rent-free in my head from here on. Best of all, another arc of this story is clearly in the works, as you can see by the Home Vol. 1 label on this TP. I am definitely left wanting more of this family’s story and looking forward to the next chapters of Home. Don’t you want to come along?
SUMMARY:
Julio Anta delivers a compelling, debut story of a Guatemalan family seeking asylum to join close family in the US, this time in Trade Paperback format. This compelling story is told primarily through the mother and son making the journey and the people who love them on both sides of the border. But do not be fooled; it is also much, much more than that. There is a good reason this is a serious page-turner. Give this book the attention it richly deserves.