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Love and Rockets #27
Julio's Day
It begins in the year 1900, with the scream of a newborn. It ends, 100 pages later, in the year 2000, with the death rattle of a 100-year-old man. The infant and the old man are both Julio, and Gilbert Hernandez's Julio's Day (originally serialized in Love and Rockets Vol. II but never completed until now) is his latest graphic novel, a masterpiece of elliptical, emotional storytelling that traces one life -- indeed, one century in a human life -- through a series of carefully crafted, consistently surprising and enthralling vignettes.
There is hope and joy, there is bullying and grief, there is war (so much war -- this is after all the 20th century), there is love, there is heartbreak. While Julio's Day has some settings and elements in common with Hernandez's Palomar cycle (the Central American protagonists and milieu, the vivid characters, the strong familial and social ties), this is a very much a singular, standalone story that will help cement his position as one of the strongest and most original cartoonists of this, or any other, century.
There is hope and joy, there is bullying and grief, there is war (so much war -- this is after all the 20th century), there is love, there is heartbreak. While Julio's Day has some settings and elements in common with Hernandez's Palomar cycle (the Central American protagonists and milieu, the vivid characters, the strong familial and social ties), this is a very much a singular, standalone story that will help cement his position as one of the strongest and most original cartoonists of this, or any other, century.
100 pages, Hardcover
First published January 9, 2013
4 people are currently reading
739 people want to read
About the author
Gilbert Hernández
437 books423 followersGilbert and his brother Jaime Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.
Gilbert Hernandez is an American cartoonist best known for the Palomar and Heartbreak Soup stories in Love and Rockets, the groundbreaking alternative comic series he created with his brothers Jaime and Mario. Raised in Oxnard, California in a lively household shaped by comics, rock music and a strong creative streak, he developed an early fascination with graphic storytelling. His influences ranged from Marvel legends Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to the humor and clarity of Hank Ketcham and the Archie line, as well as the raw energy of the underground comix that entered his life through his brother Mario.
In 1981 the brothers self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets, which quickly drew the attention of Fantagraphics Books. The series became a defining work of the independent comics movement, notable for its punk spirit, emotional depth and multiracial cast. Gilbert's Palomar stories, centered on the residents of a fictional Latin American village, combined magic realism with soap-opera intimacy and grew into an ambitious narrative cycle admired for its complex characters and bold storytelling. Works like Human Diastrophism helped solidify his reputation as one of the medium's most inventive voices.
Across periods when Love and Rockets was on hiatus, Hernandez built out a parallel body of work, creating titles such as New Love, Luba, and Luba's Comics and Stories, as well as later graphic novels including Sloth and The Troublemakers. He also collaborated with Peter Bagge on the short-lived series Yeah! and continued to explore new directions in Love and Rockets: New Stories.
Celebrated for his portrayal of independent women and for his distinctive blend of realism and myth, Hernandez remains a major figure in contemporary comics and a lasting influence on generations of artists.
Gilbert Hernandez is an American cartoonist best known for the Palomar and Heartbreak Soup stories in Love and Rockets, the groundbreaking alternative comic series he created with his brothers Jaime and Mario. Raised in Oxnard, California in a lively household shaped by comics, rock music and a strong creative streak, he developed an early fascination with graphic storytelling. His influences ranged from Marvel legends Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to the humor and clarity of Hank Ketcham and the Archie line, as well as the raw energy of the underground comix that entered his life through his brother Mario.
In 1981 the brothers self-published the first issue of Love and Rockets, which quickly drew the attention of Fantagraphics Books. The series became a defining work of the independent comics movement, notable for its punk spirit, emotional depth and multiracial cast. Gilbert's Palomar stories, centered on the residents of a fictional Latin American village, combined magic realism with soap-opera intimacy and grew into an ambitious narrative cycle admired for its complex characters and bold storytelling. Works like Human Diastrophism helped solidify his reputation as one of the medium's most inventive voices.
Across periods when Love and Rockets was on hiatus, Hernandez built out a parallel body of work, creating titles such as New Love, Luba, and Luba's Comics and Stories, as well as later graphic novels including Sloth and The Troublemakers. He also collaborated with Peter Bagge on the short-lived series Yeah! and continued to explore new directions in Love and Rockets: New Stories.
Celebrated for his portrayal of independent women and for his distinctive blend of realism and myth, Hernandez remains a major figure in contemporary comics and a lasting influence on generations of artists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
May 6, 2023
Junot Diaz says this is a masterpiece, and I figure he, the writer of masterpieces, would know, so I picked it up just as it came brand new into our library and read it yesterday. The concept is a kind of challenge Beto would seem to have made to himself: in exactly 100 pages, tell the life of one ordinary man, born in 1900 and died in 2000, and in the process humanize him, make him come alive, make readers care about him, and to boot: in true novel fashion, make us care about the people and circumstances he faces, and give a sense of the world, of history. So I think this basically happens! Not a parlor trick, but a novel, and some of the best stuff I have read from Beto since the Palomar stories, and like those stories, he shows how a portrait of one person is really a portrait of a community. I am not sure if it is a "masterpiece," Junot, but it is great stuff, no doubt.
December 4, 2013
Gilbert Hernandez’s latest comic, Julio’s Day, tells the story of Julio, a Mexican gay man born in 1900 and who dies in 2000, and takes the format of telling the 100 year life of Julio in 100 pages. The book follows the lives of Julio and his family, and his friends and acquaintances that make up the small town they live in and how their lives change over the course of growing up alongside the major events of the 20th century. It’s a deep, complex, and absolutely captivating story filled with the horrors of life amidst its many joys, and deals with things like war, disability, sexual attitudes, child abuse, love, innocence lost, family, ambition unrealised, dreams and nightmares, life and death.
Hernandez has been creating comics for decades now with the end result being that he is an incredibly accomplished comics storyteller. Eschewing narrative boxes, Hernandez tells his 100 year story without once naming any of its locations or times. Occasionally a character will mention an event that will place the scene in historical context like World War 1, or the Wall Street Crash, or Vietnam, but it’s up to the reader to judge for themselves the times certain scenes take place by looking at the characters’ appearances as they age.
Hernandez doesn’t use exposition and never uses excess speech – it’s a lean script with perfectly placed dialogue. He knows when to let the art speak for the scene and when to accentuate it with conversation. Reading this book is like watching a master-class in how to tell a comics story. Bear in mind he’s not doing anything innovative, he’s using black and white panels in a grid layout to tell his tale like so many comics before, he just happens to do it so well that it feels fresh, vivid and new.
He also incorporates dream sequences and hallucinations into the real story with no warning or signposting. All at once we go from a childhood scene to a nightmarish sequence that may or may not be real to another scene which is definitely dream-like to a hallucination from the perspective of a character who’s losing their mind. It sounds difficult to follow, but it honestly isn’t, and Hernandez’s totally unobtrusive narrative approach leaves all kinds of interpretations open to the reader over what’s symbolic, what’s real, and what it all means.
If this surreal style and hands-off approach, coupled with the 100 years/100 pages format, make it seem like this book is going to be arty and pretentious, I assure you it isn’t. It’s simply the best way to tell this kind of story that’s subtle, clever and enthralling to read. It’ll be confusing but you can absolutely read this book for the story and still enjoy it immensely, but Hernandez is doing more here than spin a good yarn and readers who look for more substantial reads will find Julio’s Day very rewarding.
Julio’s Day is a rich, character-driven, family saga full of memorable characters and scenes that’ll haunt your memory long after you put the book down. In some ways it’s a discussion of the changing, and unchanging, sexual mores of the 20th century; in some ways it’s a deeply intimate portrait of a lonely man always surrounded by people; and in other ways it’s an exploration of the most relevant and poignant themes of literature. If John Steinbeck were creating comics, he would write something like Julio’s Day, the book feels so much like his novels Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men. I could talk about my favourite scenes and characters but I feel like discovering them yourselves, in this instance especially, really adds to the impact of the story – it’s so unpredictable and surprising in the best possible ways that you’ll never guess where it’s headed and never put the book down for an instant as you find out what happens next.
I’ve enjoyed many of Hernandez’s comics over the years from his work with his brother Jaime on their ground-breaking Love and Rockets series to his own projects like the surreal and entertaining stories of Sloth and Speak of the Devil - Julio’s Day is my favourite thing he’s done. Brutal, beautiful, subtle, stark, compulsively readable, and put together like a true work of art by an artist at the height of his powers, Julio’s Day is one of the best comics of the year and a masterpiece of sequential art.
Hernandez has been creating comics for decades now with the end result being that he is an incredibly accomplished comics storyteller. Eschewing narrative boxes, Hernandez tells his 100 year story without once naming any of its locations or times. Occasionally a character will mention an event that will place the scene in historical context like World War 1, or the Wall Street Crash, or Vietnam, but it’s up to the reader to judge for themselves the times certain scenes take place by looking at the characters’ appearances as they age.
Hernandez doesn’t use exposition and never uses excess speech – it’s a lean script with perfectly placed dialogue. He knows when to let the art speak for the scene and when to accentuate it with conversation. Reading this book is like watching a master-class in how to tell a comics story. Bear in mind he’s not doing anything innovative, he’s using black and white panels in a grid layout to tell his tale like so many comics before, he just happens to do it so well that it feels fresh, vivid and new.
He also incorporates dream sequences and hallucinations into the real story with no warning or signposting. All at once we go from a childhood scene to a nightmarish sequence that may or may not be real to another scene which is definitely dream-like to a hallucination from the perspective of a character who’s losing their mind. It sounds difficult to follow, but it honestly isn’t, and Hernandez’s totally unobtrusive narrative approach leaves all kinds of interpretations open to the reader over what’s symbolic, what’s real, and what it all means.
If this surreal style and hands-off approach, coupled with the 100 years/100 pages format, make it seem like this book is going to be arty and pretentious, I assure you it isn’t. It’s simply the best way to tell this kind of story that’s subtle, clever and enthralling to read. It’ll be confusing but you can absolutely read this book for the story and still enjoy it immensely, but Hernandez is doing more here than spin a good yarn and readers who look for more substantial reads will find Julio’s Day very rewarding.
Julio’s Day is a rich, character-driven, family saga full of memorable characters and scenes that’ll haunt your memory long after you put the book down. In some ways it’s a discussion of the changing, and unchanging, sexual mores of the 20th century; in some ways it’s a deeply intimate portrait of a lonely man always surrounded by people; and in other ways it’s an exploration of the most relevant and poignant themes of literature. If John Steinbeck were creating comics, he would write something like Julio’s Day, the book feels so much like his novels Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men. I could talk about my favourite scenes and characters but I feel like discovering them yourselves, in this instance especially, really adds to the impact of the story – it’s so unpredictable and surprising in the best possible ways that you’ll never guess where it’s headed and never put the book down for an instant as you find out what happens next.
I’ve enjoyed many of Hernandez’s comics over the years from his work with his brother Jaime on their ground-breaking Love and Rockets series to his own projects like the surreal and entertaining stories of Sloth and Speak of the Devil - Julio’s Day is my favourite thing he’s done. Brutal, beautiful, subtle, stark, compulsively readable, and put together like a true work of art by an artist at the height of his powers, Julio’s Day is one of the best comics of the year and a masterpiece of sequential art.
April 28, 2013
The blue worms parts really freaked me out. If you want to save yourself time-and personal embarrassment-don't bother googling blue worms. It's not a real thing-according to my extensive internet research (google.)
December 5, 2023
I'm not quite sure the relationship this has with Gilbert's main Love and Rockets storyline besides sharing some same settings and elements with Palomar.
In 100 pages we progress through 100 years of Julio's life. It's not 1 to 1, and we don't just follow Julio. It's a sketch of that whole era. WW1, Wall Street Crash, WW2, etc all get mentioned and effect the characters. There's a lot of really interesting events that happen.
The Uncle who may or may not be a child abductor. The boy who has mental breakdowns, goes off to war, and comes back as a mute torso having lots his limbs in combat... but one of the characters is convinced its not the same boy.
I love the pages just showing the sky and settings. It's a very subtle book at times.
In 100 pages we progress through 100 years of Julio's life. It's not 1 to 1, and we don't just follow Julio. It's a sketch of that whole era. WW1, Wall Street Crash, WW2, etc all get mentioned and effect the characters. There's a lot of really interesting events that happen.
The Uncle who may or may not be a child abductor. The boy who has mental breakdowns, goes off to war, and comes back as a mute torso having lots his limbs in combat... but one of the characters is convinced its not the same boy.
I love the pages just showing the sky and settings. It's a very subtle book at times.
December 21, 2013
Nice reminder that I never would have lasted a week in Art School. Not that I can't appreciate Julio's design merit, but I have no idea why critics call the artistic storytelling perfection.
If a family tree at the beginning of a book typically indicates that you might have a hard time keeping tracking of the characters, I guess a family tree with five drawn depictions (at different ages) of the each characters is a sign you might as well not even try.
If a family tree at the beginning of a book typically indicates that you might have a hard time keeping tracking of the characters, I guess a family tree with five drawn depictions (at different ages) of the each characters is a sign you might as well not even try.
March 30, 2014
Book blurb: It begins in the year 1900, with the scream of a newborn. It ends, 100 pages later, in the year 2000, with the death rattle of a 100-year-old man. The infant and the old man are both Julio.
This graphic novel covers 100 years of history in 100 pages, and is done in an interesting manner: the juxtaposition of personal lives against historical/global events. All things do not make sense in the end, but that is kinda like life no? Why did Julio's father go walkabout? Threads merge and diverge, and we might never know how things turned out. If you decide to read this one, do not miss the introduction, as it sets up the story.
This graphic novel covers 100 years of history in 100 pages, and is done in an interesting manner: the juxtaposition of personal lives against historical/global events. All things do not make sense in the end, but that is kinda like life no? Why did Julio's father go walkabout? Threads merge and diverge, and we might never know how things turned out. If you decide to read this one, do not miss the introduction, as it sets up the story.
February 14, 2016
Got much much better as the story unfolded. Predicted I was going to hate it the first twentyish pages. Turned around completely once Sofia has her Julio child.
So many intricate details weaving in and out I thought I would lose track, but surprisingly everything made sense. The concept of time and death wanders around much like that kid who left his family, and thus Julio's 100 years seems more of a singular story rather than an entire life, which is brilliant storytelling. The blue worms stuff was a bit too graphic for me, as was the holes in the head business (trypophobia???), and some of the characters were hard to read (Benjamin amongst other men). Overall though the story swept me away. Couldn't stop reading!
So many intricate details weaving in and out I thought I would lose track, but surprisingly everything made sense. The concept of time and death wanders around much like that kid who left his family, and thus Julio's 100 years seems more of a singular story rather than an entire life, which is brilliant storytelling. The blue worms stuff was a bit too graphic for me, as was the holes in the head business (trypophobia???), and some of the characters were hard to read (Benjamin amongst other men). Overall though the story swept me away. Couldn't stop reading!
May 31, 2020
I read this after Frogcatchers by Jeff Lemire. It was not planned this way but both books are kind of about looking back on the whole of somebody's life. Lemire's was cliche ands light, this was just incredible. A fairly quick read and yet very dense. Julio's Day is formatted in such a style that it feels like the quick passing of one day: no chapter breaks, no narration telling you what year or decade it is, only the aging of the characters and the conversations they are having. I see other reviewers here criticizing this as if it's a mistake. The book is called Julio's Day because the intention is it feels like a day, capturing how a lifetime passes by in an instant when you look back on it.
But there's so much more going on in this book. There's surrealism, completely bizarre moments, subtle character threads going throughout that are easily missed on first read (immediately after finishing the book I re-read the first several pages to orient myself again.) There's a lot of tragedy and ambiguity in this book that left me haunted and...confused. But I loved it. One of the best books I've read this year.
But there's so much more going on in this book. There's surrealism, completely bizarre moments, subtle character threads going throughout that are easily missed on first read (immediately after finishing the book I re-read the first several pages to orient myself again.) There's a lot of tragedy and ambiguity in this book that left me haunted and...confused. But I loved it. One of the best books I've read this year.
May 14, 2014
Really disappointed in this. I was hoping for a book about what it is like for Mexican immigrant in the USA. This book was fast paced and minimal dialogue, which ruined this book. All of the characters looked similar,and I can't figure why it is called Julio's Day when it seemed to focus on random people at different times,and not on the main. character. Also there was no separate spots between times,as it just ran on. No chapters or any thing to suggest that so many years had passed.
August 3, 2019
This one was just too much work for me. I looked over the family tree in the beginning of the book, but unless I flipped back to study it every few pages as time moved along, I was going to have zero idea of who was who. I got about 30 pages in, could only recognize two or three characters, and only had a fuzzy idea of where we were in time and what the heck was going on. Graphic novels are already a medium I struggle with, so the ambiguity in this one completely did not work for me.
January 7, 2020
Usually a big fan of anything by the brothers Henandez, this one didn't quite hit with me. Usually I like the extensive time we get to spend with the characters, stewing in the mundane day-to-day lives of the various friends and family. This one just seemed to be trying to throw too much, too quickly. There wasn't much rhyme or reason to why some points of Julio's life got so much attention while others were zipped by without much of a mention.
February 3, 2020
Eu sou o início, o fim e o meio.
Melhor definição para essa HQ primorosa de Hernández que tem ares de fantástico e toques de Cem Anos de Solidão. Singela, pura, doce e contundente às vezes, delicada feito a vida que se esvai a cada minuto de nós, um doce que dissolve na boca deixando a lembrança de um gosto já perdido há tempos.
Para ler e refletir.
E viver.
E chorar.
E morrer.
E reviver.
E saber.
E entender que a vida cabe nos anos mas o anos não cabem na vida.
Melhor definição para essa HQ primorosa de Hernández que tem ares de fantástico e toques de Cem Anos de Solidão. Singela, pura, doce e contundente às vezes, delicada feito a vida que se esvai a cada minuto de nós, um doce que dissolve na boca deixando a lembrança de um gosto já perdido há tempos.
Para ler e refletir.
E viver.
E chorar.
E morrer.
E reviver.
E saber.
E entender que a vida cabe nos anos mas o anos não cabem na vida.
August 5, 2013
A century in a day , a life in a comic book . This art style feels so familiar , but the plot kept me interested from the first to the last page . It has some surreal scenes at times , I think that the main theme of the book is death , and how we all end up back in the soil as different as lives are death is all the same to everyone . Brilliant storytelling . 5/5
August 25, 2016
Looking back over your life what will stand out? Touching story of a man who finally becomes content with who he is after many years of denial.
October 23, 2017
This is one very special but very sad read. You follow a nuanced family and complicated characters that are ambiguous but hopeful to some extent. This text examines sexuality, mobility, and family complexes. This graphic novel has no captions or commentary on what is happening in the scenes which leaves a lot to the reader to piece together. You follow one man over the course of 100 years, and you witness history and shifts in the times. Beautifully done.
August 16, 2013
A beautiful and perfect masterpiece. I've always admired and respected Gilbert Hernandez, but this is the first work of his that engaged me on a deep emotional level. Sparse and vast, wise and humble, this may be my favorite book of the year.
July 9, 2020
But…It’s God’s will.🇺🇸
Here’s a coming-of-age story about a Mexican family that lives in Texas. Julio, the protagonist, is the baby of the family....This should be required reading in elementary school!
Now the question is: Who should I pass it on to?
August 21, 2015
Did not care for this one as much as most of this genius's other works.
The super-choppy editing style made the story-line seem fragmented and almost incoherent.
The super-choppy editing style made the story-line seem fragmented and almost incoherent.
April 16, 2021
O quadrinho começa bem morno, apesar da proposta interessante de acompanhar os 100 anos da vida de Julio por 100 páginas. É quando nos acostumamos o bastante com os personagens para nos importarmos com eles que a história passa a conquistar, porque essa não se trata apenas da história de Julio, mas de toda a sua família durante o século XX. Sagas familiares sempre me interessaram muito e admirei a capacidade do autor de condensar tantos personagens e acontecimentos em um limite tão curto e rígido. Para isso, ele reduziu o nosso contato com os eventos dessa família aos essenciais, que são resumidamente os mais tristes. O que não falta aqui é tristeza, uma sucede a outra de maneira a nunca deixar o leitor aliviado, em uma angústia sem fim. Alguns acontecimentos chegam a ser tragicômicos de tão exagerado o contexto ou a reação dos personagens, mas a maior parte deles é dolorosa e impactante. Os gatilhos são muitos: racismo, xenofobia, pedofilia, homofobia, gore e em vários momentos durante a leitura cheguei a parar porque o nível de violência, em todos os níveis, era tão alto que, mesmo não sendo representado de maneira gratuita, era desagradável de certa forma. De maneira mais ou menos sutil, alguns dos acontecimentos mais importantes do século XX (do ponto de vista dos estadunidenses) também influenciam a vida desses familiares, quase sempre negativamente. É um bom quadrinho e o final dói, dói demais.
July 20, 2021
" - A chuva está começando a parar mama. - Eu pensei que fosse continuar por meses como aconteceu 63 anos atrás."
Parece que acabei de ler uma fanfic de 100 anos de solidão do Gabriel Garcia Márquez. Um monte de personagens quase todos com nome de Julio. Conta 100 anos da vida de um desses Julios em 100 páginas. Um monte de tristeza, mortes e espera. Que acaba igualzinho à cem anos de solidão. Não achei nada que falasse que o autor se inspirou na obra do Gabo, mas eu não vejo como não, até a chuva, 😏 apenas com alguns temas atuais afinal os 100 anos de o dia de Julio acaba nos anos 2000.
Não sei bem como avaliar, porque se falamos de uma inspiração do original Cem anos de solidão está maravilhoso, mas se for plágio aí não dou nota nenhuma, e agora? 😑
No começo tem até todos os personagens listados, igualzinho em cem anos de solidão.
Avalio como isso?
Parece que acabei de ler uma fanfic de 100 anos de solidão do Gabriel Garcia Márquez. Um monte de personagens quase todos com nome de Julio. Conta 100 anos da vida de um desses Julios em 100 páginas. Um monte de tristeza, mortes e espera. Que acaba igualzinho à cem anos de solidão. Não achei nada que falasse que o autor se inspirou na obra do Gabo, mas eu não vejo como não, até a chuva, 😏 apenas com alguns temas atuais afinal os 100 anos de o dia de Julio acaba nos anos 2000.
Não sei bem como avaliar, porque se falamos de uma inspiração do original Cem anos de solidão está maravilhoso, mas se for plágio aí não dou nota nenhuma, e agora? 😑
No começo tem até todos os personagens listados, igualzinho em cem anos de solidão.
Avalio como isso?
October 30, 2017
What else did I expect with an intro from Brian Evenson? This is a gorgeous and condensed story of a life with all of the strangeness I've come to expect from the Hernandez Brothers. Easily the best thing I've read from Gilbert (I'm more of a Jaime guy), and among the better comics I've read in recent memory.
August 25, 2019
Beautifully realized.
June 7, 2020
A beautiful, elegiac graphic novel that will now be at the top of my recommendations list. This captures little and big moments in the long life of a man, placed together like a long montage, full of sadness, happiness, mundanity, otherworldliness.
September 10, 2016
Gilbert Hernandez is back! Julio's Day is written in Palomar mode: multi-generational southwestern family epics, characters with variations of the same name (i.e. Julio, Juan, Julio Juan, etc), brutal twists of fate, hidden love, dark secrets, violence, sex, international politics affecting small town life. This isn't Palomar, but it shares a similar One Hundred Years of Solitude feel, except where Gabby Marquez is precious and depressive, Hernandez is more violent, twisted and existential.
Here is where Gilbert shines, in complicated stories that trace the history of a family or town, in this case a man and his family. I realize Hernandez is a fan of monsters and horror. He's detoured for a few years making monster comics that try extra hard for David Lynchian weirdness. But horrible monsters are jarringly in plain sight in Julio's Day. Ironically, when Hernandez returns to his roots, that's when his stories are the most weird and horrible. Lynchian weirdness like Gilbert Hernandez weirdness works best when it is couched in a prosaic small town and when readers have characters to identify with and care about. When a few fantastically weird elements upend the characters' world and threaten them-- that's when these works excel. If, like Hernandez's horror books, there are studiously strange characters roaming the dark in vampire suits or eating human hearts or gibbering to themselves in filth on every odd page, this doesn't seem to work quite as well.
Julio's Day is a return to form, and a great book about a quiet man and his family and all the weirdness, everyday weirdness and historical weirdness, that changes them in bitter-sweet and brutal ways.
Here is where Gilbert shines, in complicated stories that trace the history of a family or town, in this case a man and his family. I realize Hernandez is a fan of monsters and horror. He's detoured for a few years making monster comics that try extra hard for David Lynchian weirdness. But horrible monsters are jarringly in plain sight in Julio's Day. Ironically, when Hernandez returns to his roots, that's when his stories are the most weird and horrible. Lynchian weirdness like Gilbert Hernandez weirdness works best when it is couched in a prosaic small town and when readers have characters to identify with and care about. When a few fantastically weird elements upend the characters' world and threaten them-- that's when these works excel. If, like Hernandez's horror books, there are studiously strange characters roaming the dark in vampire suits or eating human hearts or gibbering to themselves in filth on every odd page, this doesn't seem to work quite as well.
Julio's Day is a return to form, and a great book about a quiet man and his family and all the weirdness, everyday weirdness and historical weirdness, that changes them in bitter-sweet and brutal ways.
October 1, 2016
Julio’s Day by Gilbert Hernandez is a fascinating look at one man’s life and the life of a century in a graphic novel that is exactly 100 pages long. Julio himself lives to be 100, born in 1900 and dying in 2000. The story of the century is also there, but the focus is on Julio and his family and friends. It begins in blackness, and then we see Julio’s open crying mouth; it ends in the same open mouth and blackness when he dies. The artwork, done in black and white, is somewhat cartoony, but it’s never simplistic. The approach is spare and clean. Julio grows up in a poor rural area of the country that is never specified (my guess is California). He is closeted and complex, not really acknowledging the love of his life, his childhood friend Tommy. He never marries and lives with his mother. But the story continues along various paths, tracing the history of his family and community: his evil uncle, his friend Araceli who goes off to nurse soldiers in multiple wars, his sister’s family, including her grandson Julio Juan. Julio Juan is an interesting contrast to Julio, as he is also gay, but since he came of age in a different era, he can live freely. There are multiple stories and characters, so sometimes Julio drifts to the background of his own story, but he and his life ground it all. It’s a rewarding read that I would definitely recommend.
August 17, 2017
This book was all kinds of wild. I found myself cringing, smiling, and close to tears despite me finishing this in a span of about 45 mins. There was a whirlwind of emotions packed into this family saga. I think it was really great, just sometimes hard to stomach with the death scenes and vile secrets come to light. I am a huge sucker for stories that come full circle, so I loved the way it began and ended in similar ways.
I am not giving it a full on five stars, because I had wanted to give it three at first. I think mainly because of the way it left my heart feeling punched. But, that seemed too unfair so that's why it turned into a four stars. I think this was a great story. There is so much that can be discussed, by focusing on different family members, the link between Julio and his namesake, and of course sexuality. Definitely a book I would recommend for those with an interest in the subject.
I am not giving it a full on five stars, because I had wanted to give it three at first. I think mainly because of the way it left my heart feeling punched. But, that seemed too unfair so that's why it turned into a four stars. I think this was a great story. There is so much that can be discussed, by focusing on different family members, the link between Julio and his namesake, and of course sexuality. Definitely a book I would recommend for those with an interest in the subject.
September 16, 2013
I was very confused -- because I went straight into the novel without reading the introduction -- but as I read on I picked up the movement quickly and I completely indulged the story and the progress of Julio's life. I was very eager to know what would happen and where everyone would end up. It's absolutely compelling and warm from page to page. I really love it; I read it in 2 hours. I was left thinking about it and exploring its contents afterwards, even now. It struck a definite interest with me on the issues that it entails. It's powerfully written and done economically well in the dialogue. Kudos Hernandez!
April 2, 2015
So quiet and so subtle but very captivating. The premise of presenting a Saga - a story spanning a hundred years - is so amusing especially if it is only via 100 pages.
The culture and the history is presented with few speech bubbles, and some of the scenes does not make any sense, but that is also true with culture and history and life in general. You do not need speech bubbles to tell everything. You see the plot and its development amd conclusion in these black and white sketches.
On a personal note, as a Filipino with more than a century of Hispanic influence, finds entertainment in mala-Marimar-na-paghihiganti.
The culture and the history is presented with few speech bubbles, and some of the scenes does not make any sense, but that is also true with culture and history and life in general. You do not need speech bubbles to tell everything. You see the plot and its development amd conclusion in these black and white sketches.
On a personal note, as a Filipino with more than a century of Hispanic influence, finds entertainment in mala-Marimar-na-paghihiganti.
June 27, 2024
This was so good!
It’s about 100 years of Julio’s life in. 100 pages . There were so many jaw dropping moments for how short this was. The worms, soldier, why holes??, different lives of two gay men and how vastly unique they can be, family issues etc.
I read a few other reviews and people seem to have had a hard time with the family/friend tree. Personally I picked up on who’s who very easily and didn’t need to go back a single time.
I’ve never read love and rockets, but after this book now I want to if it’s similar.
Highly recommend to anyone reading this! Super fast read too finished it in about an hour
It’s about 100 years of Julio’s life in. 100 pages . There were so many jaw dropping moments for how short this was. The worms, soldier, why holes??, different lives of two gay men and how vastly unique they can be, family issues etc.
I read a few other reviews and people seem to have had a hard time with the family/friend tree. Personally I picked up on who’s who very easily and didn’t need to go back a single time.
I’ve never read love and rockets, but after this book now I want to if it’s similar.
Highly recommend to anyone reading this! Super fast read too finished it in about an hour
June 13, 2013
Another stunning piece of work from Beto. In 100 pages he illuminates the life of Julio from birth (1900) to death (2000). There's a wonderful simplicity here (the panels, the language) that hits just the right pacing - just enough information and time spent to allow the reader to develop a true sense of care and concern for Julio and all the characters in this community. It's such a blessing that the Bros Hernandez still put out such quality work.
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