A few graphic novels in progress have crossed my e-mail recently because of their focus on Cuba. The first is called Happy at 90 Miles and is based on the real experiences of one Cuban citizen that attempted the raft-trip from Cuba to the United States, only to be caught and imprisoned. The story will be a terrible one—one that includes perilous journeys on the sea and the amputation of both the protagonist’s arms.
The second, Cuba: One Story, tells the tale of another Cuban exile. The writer will relate her experiences as a surgeon in Castro’s army.
Finally, Cuba is a personal story set in Miami and Havana that the author/artist says will highlight the connections between family and state, and ideals and reality in post-revolutionary Cuba.
All of these have the potential to relay a point of view that will reinforce those on the “right” (in a basic sense, the strongly anti-Castro and pro-embargo constituencies) and probably annoy those on the “left” (those that sympathize with the revolution’s goals and oppose the embargo). But note that this is not necessarily the intention of the authors or the artists: their stated objective is to shed light on individual experiences that are sometimes lost in the churning of historical and political drama.
The one other graphic novel centered upon Cuba that I’ve seen is Che: A graphic biography, which more likely lends itself to the leftist, pro-revolutionary side.
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Here’s one with a more sympathetic slant than most of the ones which you’ve selected, Micheal Fiffe’s graphic novel CUBA
http://act-i-vate.com/65.comic
First of all, thank you Melissa for the mention. I am the author of Happy at 90 Miles, and I appreciate you giving me the benefit of the doubt in terms of not labeling me with a specific agenda.
Jorge’s story is primarily a humanist tale, and in light of what he went through will not shed a sympathetic light on the Cuban authorities.
Whatever the statistical merits of the Cuban Revolution and the ill-fates meddling of the U.S in Cuban affairs, the fact remains for me that Cuba is a dictatorship without freedom of speech and routine abuse of human rights against its citizens.
Besides this, I have little in common with the right. While I am aware that many will dismiss the book as right-wing propaganda, I’m sure that those who’ll read it will see what lies beyond, namely what human beings are capable of in situations of duress and what they do to themselves and others.
Some of my friend on the left urge me to include “the other point of view” , a tactic I disagree with. I am here to tell Jorge’s story, and he has seen little of the “other side”.
Thanks, Walter. I hadn’t mentioned the authors’ names (perhaps I should have), but Fiffe’s novel, which looks great, is the third one I have on this post.
Hi, IPH:
I look forward to the finished product. My mention of a political agenda was to make sure readers would not view it through that lens, although some might want to. I looked over your site and saw that your goal is not a political slant but the retelling of a story. It just so happens that the story falls into a highly controversial realm—the Cuban exile experience in terms of the 90 mile journey to the United States, as well as the jailing of opposition and treatment of these individuals on the island.
Melissa,
Thanks for the encouraging nods. I am currently working on my “Cuba” graphic novel, which now has a script that has considerably grown in size, but it won’t be too long before it is released.
In regards to the political bent of my story… although I start off fairly distant, my leanings should prove to be clear once the story is well underway. After all, aren’t all works of art inherently political?
I’ll update notices regarding when and where “Cuba” can be followed, whether it be online or in print. I look forward to all feedback!
Again, thanks for your interest.
–Fiffe
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