Love and Rockets, Vol. 8: Blood of Palomar

Love and Rockets #8

by Jaime Hernández

.html by Gilbert Hernandez
The most explosive Heartbreak Soup story ever, “Blood of Palomar” originally ran in Love & Rockets #21-26. In this saga, a serial killer stalks the streets of Palomar. Gruesome and senseless as his depredations are, they are dwarfed by the resulting social and psychological collapse suffered by the inhabitants of the tiny Central American village. Featuring all the Heartbreak Soup players - Heraclio, Luba, Tonantzin, Carmen, Pipo. “Blood of Palomar” is a true graphic novel - a masterpiece of comics that can hold its own next to any piece of literature.
MATURE READERS
SC, 8x11, 136pg, b&w

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comix, Romance, Sequential Art

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 1989

About the author

Jaime and his brother Gilbert Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.

Reviews

[Megan Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved. Might fuck around and have a Palomar summer.

[Osvaldo · Rating 5 out of 5]

These just keep getting better.

This volume is all Palomar in terms of the story and I couldn't put it down. I thought the title "Blood of Palomar" was going to refer to bloodlines, you know the people of Palomar, and to some degree it does - but it is also a bloody and violent book with an ending that hits you like a punch in the stomach (and I mean that in a good way). On the surface this story line deals with a serial murderer in town, but at a deeper level it is about making sense of the world in philosophical sense - how do we make sense of and engage with a world that seems bent on destroying itself? An infestation of monkeys (and a little girl who covers herself in dirt and poop to join them) parallels the story, introducing a chaotic element that echoes the lives of the people in the town.

Gilbert Hernandez's art is at its best here. The visual action is well-paced and in places the panels are interspersed with the drawings of one of the village kids who has been introduced to the "masters" of art by way of books.

I can't wait to read this one again.

[D.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following Jaime's The Death of Speedy comes this Gilbert solo book, focusing mainly on the long story 'Human Diastrophism' (meaning essentially the events that cause upheavals and change in human lives). If Jaime's story upped the ante for his future, then Beto seems to have taken that as a challenge for himself. This dark tale of a serial killer come to Palomar serves not just a chilling self-contained piece, but also advances the lives of the village's residents in great strides as well as exploring the intertwining ways in which people's lives entangle. A truly great, if surprisingly misanthropic, piece of work.
There are three more short stories in this volume (also by Gilbert), which serve chiefly to lighten the bleak tone of the main story, and are perfect for it. He also provides a concise one-page Cast of Characters for 'Diastrophism,' which confuses more than illuminates but does provide a quick-and-easy reference should the reader get befuddled by the crowd that populates his little town(which is easy at times).

[Colin Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning, devastating story. I haven’t read any other Love and Rockets, so I’m probably missing quite a bit of backstory for these characters, but even as a standalone narrative, this is just incredible. It’s a dense work with a ton going on - interpersonal drama, town politics, and a series of strange murders - and a huge cast of characters, but Hernandez’s cartooning compels you from page to page. He goes from incredible pathos to busting comedy from one panel to the next. The throughline is a small Central American town on the verge of modernity. I’ve never really read a comic that so expertly blends biting political commentary and complex character work so well.

[Sanna-Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melko kaoottinen tarina pienestä Palomarin kylästä, jota piinaa veitsellä riehuva sarjamurhaaja, lauma ryösteleviä apinoita ja joukon enemmän tai vähemmän ihmissuhteissaan kompastelevia asukkita.

Tiukkaa ja tiivistä mustavalkoista sarjakuvaa, jonka lukemiseen täytyy keskittyä. Putosin useaan kertaan kärryiltä sen suhteen kuka on kuka ja kenen kanssa.

[Bjlevek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike some of the Love and Rockets collection, Blood of Palomar is quite coherent -- and, as always, captivating.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡¡¡INCREDIBLE!!!

[Keith Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

this made me realise how clean jaime's artwork is compared to his brother, however I much prefer gilbert's writing

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We must try to maintain what's left of our dignity amidst the holocaust to come, Diana. Even if we wind up on our knees!"

[Alfie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and amazing. My first intro into the fascinating world of Palomar and Los Bros Hernandez. Always wanted to read Love and Rockets but never got the opportunity until I got this. Characters are beautifully written and alive. Gilbert Hernandez does the enviable job of balancing the subplots between a dozen (yes, a dozen) characters really, really well. Full of amazing character moments and scenes. And why is it that the great indie comic book creators (Terry Moore is another example that springs to mind) always write such realistic female characters? Can't stop gushing praise about this one. Instant fan. I have Volume 9, Flies on the wall, so am gonna do that next. But hope to come across more Love and Rockets soon.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. A long and ambitious story by Gilbert Hernandez. A serial killer is hunting people in Palomar. I love the characters that Gilbert has created. There are so many of them and their histories are rich. I love the fact that he keeps track of the characters and there are things here and there that relate to earlier stories he has written.

When I got this book from the library, I did not realize it was book #8 of the series. Since it's hard to find the books in order, I'm unfortunately jumping around.

As I've said before, I really love the work the Hernandez brothers are doing.

[Zach]

This standalone tale could be the apex of Gilbert Hernandez's Love And Rockets work. Palomar is beset by a crisis of modernity: an American photographer breezes into town with hopes of capturing the "noble savagery" of the place; Tonzantin, the babosa (boiled slug) seller, begins thinking about a world outside of Palomar - one of war and injustice and inevitable revolution; and as bodies start to pile up, it becomes clear that a serial killer is on the loose. A thriller, which is at its heart an angry call for human dignity.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got around to re-reading this after about 10 years, and it's even better than I remembered. The happy little stories of day to day life in Palomar would never be the same after the events of this story arc that irreversibly shattered the innocence of small-town life for many of the huge cast of characters. Gilbert Hernandez only had one chance to get it right since there would be no going back after telling this story, but he handled everything brilliantly.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beto's best work. Demoted 1 star because I felt the story worked better before he added pages to the graphic novel.

I'll have to stay on the lookout for 'Human Diastrophism', which contains the original title and the story as presented in the comics.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first dip into the world of Palomar! Very emotionally intense. As others have noted, very much works as a stand-alone work, despite it being Vol 8. Eager to start reading the rest of the series sequentially.

[Will Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex, magic, serial killers, family and a swarm of shadowy monkeys. The last great Gilbert story before he gave up being coherent for a decade.

[The Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, absolutely the best book in the greatest comics series I've ever read. Also, I have to go bawl into my pillow now.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, I prefer Locas stories over Palomar, but this may be my favorite story arc I've read thus far in the series.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, I prefer Locas stories over Palomar, but this may be my favorite story arc I've read thus far in the series.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilbert Hernandez's masterpiece, one long strange story set in the fictional central American town of Palomar.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy and brilliant depiction of a small town serial killer.

[Arf · Rating 5 out of 5]

this could be my gateway drug to magic realism..

[Kristianne]

I'm finally reading the Love and Rockets collections, thanks to my friend, Greg. Reading everything out of order still works, whether I'm piecing things together from the beginning, the end or someplace in the middle. What a great cast of characters in all the storylines, but these Palomar pieces are eerie and rich and make me think of Roberto Bolano.