Vincent, Book One: Guide to Love, Magic, and RPG
Vincent, Book One: Guide to Love, Magic, and RPG tells the semi-autobiographical story of a man looking for true love. Created by Vitor Cafaggi, Vincent started as a newspaper comic strip in Brazil. It has won one of the most prestigious comic book awards in Brazil, the HQ Mix Trophy, and even inspired its own hamburger (sans pickles).
Vincent, an adorably fluffy dog, has fallen in love at first sight with Lady, an equally adorable pooch, who he saw at the bus stop. Since his fateful encounter, Vincent has come up with a very elaborate plan to catch her attention. His plan will not only show off his kindness and talent, but when a “robber” shows up, the plan will also make Vincent look like a hero. It’s a flawed plan to say the least, and quickly goes out the window when he asks Lady for the time.
And so begins a series of wild schemes to win over Lady. With each encounter that Vincent has with Lady, he relays his story to a female friend. As you might be able to predict, love isn’t going to come easy for Vincent with Lady or his next love interest, Princess.
Flashbacks and daydreams are depicted with little bubbles in the frames. The narrator lets us know not only the date and time (down to the seconds), but also how the characters are feeling. While I loved this element of the storytelling, it should be an indicator to readers that Vincent is a wordy comic. The text bubbles often overtake their corresponding panels.
Vincent comprises two chapters, Chapter One: Love on a Bus and Chapter 2: Vincent for All, along with a shorter comic, The Amazing Adventures of Little Vincent.
The art is consistent throughout and does a good job of depicting the emotions of its all-animal cast of characters. All the characters are cute and cartoon-y, with some animal types being more identifiable than others. The animals are all highly anthropomorphized and often seen doing things that we readers will relate to like texting, riding public transit, and playing video games.
Vincent will fit nicely into large graphic novel collections and will most appeal to a teen audience looking for a light, slice-of-life read. Adult readers will also be able to enjoy and sympathize with Vincent and his quest for love.
Vincent Book One: Guide to Love, Magic, and RPG
By Vitor Cafaggi
ISBN: 9781545805343
Super Genius, 2019
Publisher Age Rating: Teen
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Creator Highlights: BIPOC Creator
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