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La Grande Arnaque #1

by Carlos Trillo, Domingo Mandrafina (Illustrator)

Ο Ντόναλντ Ρεϊνόσο, ένας ξοφλημένος πρώην μπάτσος, διωγμένος από το σώμα επειδή τόλμησε να κάνει σωστά την δουλειά του στην διεφθαρμένη “Μπανανία” της Λα Κολόνια, συμφωνεί να βοηθήσει μια απελπισμένη γυναίκα-σύμβολο για τους απλοϊκούς κατοίκους της Λα Κολόνια σε μια υπόθεση που αρχικά μοιάζει να είναι ένας απλός εκβιασμός...

Τα πράγματα όμως αρχίζουν να περιπλέκονται άσχημα όταν στο κατόπι τους εμφανίζεται ο τρόμος της Λα Κολόνια, ο αποτρόπαιος ντετέκτιβ-τέρας Ιγκουάνα...
Ο Carlos Trillo καταπιάνεται με ένα θέμα που το γνωρίζει από πρώτο χέρι: το “παιχνίδι” εξαπάτησης του λαού από την εξουσία σε μια δικτατορία. Όντας Αργεντίνος, έζησε ένα μεγάλο μέρος της ζωής του κάτω από το δικτατορικό καθεστώς και βιώνοντας άμεσα την πίεση της εξουσίας (το περιοδικό Satyricon στο οποίο τελούσε χρέη art Director έκλεισε από την χούντα το 1976). Το πενάκι του Mandrafina “κεντάει” υπέροχα πάνω στα κείμενα του Trillo χαρίζοντας στον αναγνώστη ένα μοναδικό οπτικό ταξίδι.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels Comics, Crime, Noir

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Carlos Trillo was an Argentine comic book writer. Trillo began a prolific career as writer already at the age of 20, writing his first story for Patoruzú magazine. Trillo created, together with Horacio Altuna, the strip El Loco Chávez, which appeared every day at the back of the newspaper Clarín from July 26, 1975 to November 10, 1987. After that, the strip was replaced by El Negro Blanco, which he wrote for the artist Ernesto García Seijas until September 1993. He married writer Ema Wolf and had two children. He participated on the creation of several comics including Cybersix in 1992, with Carlos Meglia, and the Clara de noche and Cicca Dum Dum series with Jordi Bernet. He has also collaborated with Alberto Breccia and Alejandro Dolina. In 1999, his work La grande arnaque won the Prize for Scenario at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. He died in London on May 8, 2011, while on holiday with his wife.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sort of effed up retelling of Romeo and Juliet that liberally mixes in crime noir, magical realism, and metafiction until its just one giant mess.

A Robert Mitchum type is the alcoholic ex-cop turned private detective who intervenes in a blackmail scheme against a young woman put on a pedestal as the "Intact Virgin" by her dictator uncle in a vaguely 1950s vaguely Latin American country called, yes, La Colonia. Events unfold without much mystery or tension with regular insertions of sex (often of the rape and incest variety) and violence. Once an impossible number of events begin to pile up in the course of one night, the length of the night becomes a thing itself. The writer employs an "Our Town" device by having a couple secondary characters repeatedly break the fourth wall to address the reader about events in the book.

This 2020 Hard Case Crime release was originally published in Spanish in the 1990s.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

This thing is filled full of sex, mostly of the incest and rape variety. It's about a woman trying to escape a banana republic where her uncle is the dictator and has sex with her daily. It's royally effed up. It made me feel skeevy just reading the damm thing even as it moved into crime noir territory. The whole thing is pervaded with this sense of "this is how women should be treated".

Give this a hard pass. The art is poor as well. Everyone is drawn all jowl-ly as if they look like Robert Mitchum.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good artwork , story not that compelling. By Argentine writer and artist. Originally published in Spanish.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first work I've read that was drawn by Roberto Mandrafina. His characters are all drawn amazingly, with backgrounds rich in details. The story is pretty good too, though some aspects I found a little annoying. All in all a more than decent package that makes me want to look up more Mandrafina.

[João Teixeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comecei por gostar muito do início desta história e da forma como o autor decidiu contá-la (a determinada altura, por exemplo, há personagens que se tornam numa espécie de coro que intervém e nos interpela, leitores, directamente). O meu interesse na história acabou por esmorecer um pouco, talvez devido a certos traços de realismo mágico que surgem na trama (como um homem que é semelhante a uma iguana, ou uma noite que teima em não acabar)...
Para quem gosta de realismo mágico sul-americano e de histórias de estilo noir, esta é uma excelente novela gráfica! Para os restantes (onde eventualmente eu me incluo) é uma boa história, muito bem contada e com excelentes desenhos.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Σε γενικές γραμμές ένα πάρα πολύ καλό κόμικ με καθαρό σχέδιο παραπλήσιο στην τεχνοτροπία με το " Ή ζωή δεν είναι κόμικς μωρό μου" , ειδικά στο πως τα πρόσωπα των πρωταγωνιστών είναι ακόμα και στις δύσκολες συναισθηματικές καταστάσεις όμορφα ενώ αυτά των δευτερευόντων και περαστικών είναι καρικατούρες που αντικατοπτρίζουν την σαπίλα της Λα Κορούνια. Οι χαρακτήρες αρρωστημένα απολαυστικοί με χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα τον συγγραφέα του παραλόγου-βοηθό του Μαριονέτα και το σενάριο βρώμικο,σιχαμένο και πέρα για πέρα πιθανό.

Το μόνο φάουλ είναι, και δεν αποκαλύπτω τίποτα που δεν μαθαίνει ο αναγνώστης στις πρώτες 4-5 σελίδες, το ότι ο λαός χειραγωγείται από μια "Ανέγγιχτη παρθένο" έτσι ώστε να κάνει λιγότερο σεξ άρα λιγότερα παιδιά που ακολουθούν τους επαναστάτες γκουερίλας. Δηλαδή θέλει ο ποιητής να μας πει ότι σε μια σαθρή και εκτροχιασμένη πολιτεία όπου οι βιασμοί, η αιμομιξία, οι φόνοι, τα βασανιστήρια είναι καθημερινότητα φτάνει να πασάρεις μια γυναίκα ως Αγία για να πείσεις τους ανθρώπους να κόψουν ένα από τα ελάχιστα απολαυστικά πράγματα που τους έχουν μείνει. Τσαπατσουλιά, εκτός και αν χάνω κάποια κρυμμένη διακωμώδηση.

Σελίδα 20, κάτω δεξιό καρέ. Η σιωπηλή αποδοχή της αδυναμίας του είναι ισοπεδωτική. Το σκίτσο είναι τόσο φοβερό που βλέποντας τα μάτια καταλαβαίνεις ότι το παιχνίδι το έχει ήδη χάσει. Για αυτή την εικόνα αξίζει όλο το άλμπουμ. Προσκυνώ μεσιέ Μανδραφίνα. Πάμε για το Ιγκουάνα τώρα.

[Bob Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning artwork and colourful characters fail to disguise this old-fashioned, seedy tale with its misogyny and gender violence.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, kinky, wild ending!
Looking forward to more from both of these talents.

[Greg Trosclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good noir inspired graphic novel.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A loopy political satire done as a noir fantasy. It’s actually rather standard stuff for a page or two…then the story is interrupted by one Milton Bates, writer of soap operas. He’s not the last cast member to break the fourth wall, either. It’s odd, more than a bit skeevy at times, and living entirely in its own reality.

[Craig Childs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Big Hoax takes place in the banana republic of La Colonia a few years after World War II. A corrupt dictator snidely nicknamed Grand Puppet behind his back convinces his chief national playwright to turn his niece Melinda (whom he has forced into an incestuous relationship) into a star of stage, movies, and radio…

She will become known as the Intact Virgin, a woman of such pure and holy Catholic faith that she can perform miracles and heal the sick. She will inspire thousands of devout women to forego the pleasures of the flesh, which the dictator hopes will stem population growth among the poor…

However, Melinda Centurion is anything but chaste. She begins an ill-advised affair with a government official Pedro Reynoso-Artus, which then becomes known to the wicked Reiner von Fritz, a Nazi war criminal who escaped Germany with Hitler's secret hoard of gold…

The Great Puppet needs the gold to fight guerilla freedom fighters in the hills. Von Fritz wants Melinda for himself. A conspiracy is hatched…

Soon Melinda must turn to an unlikely source for help--the alcoholic disgraced cop Donald Reynoso, Pedro's half-brother… and they are both being tracked by a sadistic forked tongue killer known as The Iguana…

The plot gets rather complicated and violent, but the story remains tongue in cheek throughout. The playwright Milton Bates and an aging nightclub singer Tropico (who is still secretly in love with Donald) keep interrupting the flow of the story to provide flashbacks and comment on Melinda and Donald's predicaments.

There is a dollop of magical realism--a night of violence and despair that lasts 24 hours-- and a hopeful dream of political revolution.

I really enjoyed the flamboyant artwork from Roberto Mandrafina, which is presented in color for the first time; the original edition of this book was black and white.

I give the author Carlos Trillo props for the offbeat characters and imaginative nature of the story. However, the various elements of the plot never quite coalesced for me. It was noir; it was sex farce; it was political thriller; it was ode to the power of theater. It managed to be all these things and yet at the same time somehow less than the sum of these parts.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This unbelievable story is dripping with noir story telling. From the setting to the unscrupulous characters everything has a dark and dirty fell to it. None of the characters are likable and their actions makes them even less desirable. However, that works in this story. We are watching their miserable lives unfold as they try to find happiness in a meaningless and immoral existence.

There are several times when characters break the fourth wall to further the story or to tell a brief backstory. Oddly, this story telling method works in this story. It makes it feel like the reader is watching a play instead of reading a graphic novel.

The art is ugly. The people are ugly; even the nudity and sex scenes are ugly. But this works very well with the setting, plot, and characters. These people and their lives are not in paradise and the art reflects it.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Policial bien noir que marca todas las casillas posibles del género.
Chantaje, doble identidad, misoginia sumando incesto y menores. Un ex policia devenido en detective de bajos fondos.
Un político obeso inescrupuloso y corrupto.
Un villano despiadado con un ligero toque sobrenatural.
Hombres rudos y mansas mujeres sexys.
El relato va alternando oradores y hasta rompiendo la cuarta pared.
Guión clásico y cumplidor y la maestría de Mandrafina en un solemne blanco y negro, con un arte soberbio en la elección de cada cuadro, el ángulo y la narrativa secuencial.

[Grimread · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a big hoax. I've read other works by Trillo and Mandrafina but this one is a let down. Where Spaghetti Brothers is so absurd that it's hilarious. TBH is just annoying with its disassembled way of storytelling. Every time anybody breaks the scene with a flashback explanations the story flow just break down.

[Dan Seitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I didn't know better I'd say this was a parody of Euroshlock comics. Bigoted, sloppily structured and lazily written (complete with literal interruptions to the story by various characters to tell us vital backstory), and while the art's good, the occasional ugly racial stereotype popping up in the mix is gross. Why did Titan reprint this dreck?

[Danics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting book. A mix of adventure with detective story, containing a bit of romance. The narrative could be more fluid (if not for the "interruptions"). The characters are also good.
I think that with a different artwork, this could have been a great book, but it ended up being just OK.

[Onur Yağız · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Humble Bundle, I was able to read this well-written story about a man, who is an ex-cop, that tries to help the so-called "intact virgin" of La Colonia. I enjoyed it a lot as the story went on.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugly art with a plot driven by either sexual violence or the threat thereof and an unnamed South American dictatorship as the backdrop. Your milage for this story may vary but mine barely made it out of the garage and I struggled to finish.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the art on this. The story is solid, with some neat twists and stylistic choices. The poor main female character is so abused, emotionally and physically, that I feel like a trigger warning is appropriate: for rape, physical abuse, and rampant misogyny among thr male characters. She's a complex character despite the way the other characters treat her.

Overall, if you're a fan of either classic noir or "men's adventure" style fiction you'll enjoy this graphic novel.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would make a great noir film If we could go back in time. I loved the use of minor characters telling the overall main story. The art gets muddy but then, that's the story of fake virgins.

[Przemysław · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seemed like a crime noir, but it's just an excuse to draw sex scenes of incest, rape and violece. 'Old-fashioned' in the worst possible way.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

FormNorm ¦ A.I. 01/1998 ¦ D.L. 02/1998 ¦ 98,00 F = eo(fr)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Hoax

Great art and a good detective story. I recommend it if you like hard crime stories. It’s good enough for another read.

[Michael Müller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's as if Sam Peckinpah had written a neo-noir comic. Edgy yet beautiful art. A dark, brutal and nihilistic masterpiece.

[Víctor Segovia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debo agradecer a un buen amigo, lástima que vive lejos de Venezuela, por haberme recomendado esta obra del comic argentino; siendo una de esas contadas obras que he leído de esa escuela que mezcla el estilo de las aburridas novelas del criollismo con el noir más duro sin crear algo acartonado o que se ve como una mera copia barata.

Un detective caído en desgracia, una colonia manejada al gusto y capricho de un dictador de tercera y miles de personajes que padecen por la situación así como hay unos que salen beneficiados de la misma; así (considero yo) puede ser el mejor resumen de todo lo que engloba esta obra. Altamente recomendable

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This noir thriller features great black-and-white art by Domingo Mandrafina, and some very unusual writing flourishes which bring to mind both magical realism and the self-referential fiction of Italo Calvino; but the book's relentless misogyny and nihilistic storyline rate it no more than 3 stars in my book.

[Elidanora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una historia muy bien narrada por Trillo y dibujada con mano maestra por Mandrafina.
Muy recomendable.

[Fabulantes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reseña: https://www.fabulantes.com/2017/04/la...
"¿Queréis ver tetas, sangre, tiros y frases caducas con perfecta musicalidad? ¿Queréis ver lo que puede hacer un magnífico dibujante en la cima de sus habilidades? ¿Queréis ver uno de los mejores trabajos de coloreado que se han llevado a cabo recientemente? ¿Os da un poco igual o incluso os divierte ver mujeres violadas, asesinadas y golpeadas cada dos o tres páginas? ¿Os gusta que el pulp haga un par de cabriolas metaliterarias porque le da más empaque? ¿Os apetece meteros en la piel del nice guy definitivo? La gran patraña quizá sea para vosotros. Está escrita por un guionista famoso, ganó un premio importante y nueve de cada diez críticos de cómic la recomiendan."