Review – The Silent Flight of a Seagull
The Silent Flight of a Seagull
Kostja Ribnik (author/artist), Release date(s): March 11th 2017 by Modesty Comics (reviewed) – available @ http://www.modestycomics.com/
format( 80, ebook , bw, English), 3.5 GBP (approx. 4 EUR)
Synopsis (taken from the foreword by Ilija Bakić, writer and comics critic)
This graphic novel by Kostja Ribnik, made in the style and tradition of “personal comics”, is intriguing, sweet and sour, oppressive and gentle. It is a narrative about a young, extremely sensitive individual. This person is searching for knowledge of one’s own personality and key to a reconciliation between the need for belonging to a group, instinct for emotional connection, and a desire to understand outer realms and horizons and his own inner universe. The final response solution for all these relationships, of course, doesn’t exist, but that does not mean that they do not need to be repeatedly sought after. David seeks by drawing and watching…
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Kostja Ribnik prior to the release of this graphic novel, we sat down for a few drinks and he gave me the pre-release edition of his new graphic novel. I was a little reluctant, getting to know someone and doing a review seemed tough, especially if I did not like the novel. The novel turned out to be really, really good, exceeding my expectations to be honest.
The biggest man’s fear is loneliness, and most of the life we are trying to find the perfect partner and friends in our life. If we manage to master that fear, we are struggling trying to adapt to be normal within societies standards. In this graphic novel, we follow David. David is a young individual trying to blend in into the society, have human connections and lead a ”normal” life. But he is unable to fit in, due to his shyness and inability to blend in. He spends his life drawing and watching. Drawing others and wanting to be them, wanting their life to be his, leading David into a loop.
Story-wise, Kostja Ribnik delivers a beautiful and intimate story. The story develops and delivers to the very end. Art-wise, pure poetry. The drawing delivers the life and the atmosphere of the Croatian island life, the small details, windows, stores, restaurants giving you the right setup. The story and the art complement each other through the whole graphic novel, providing a great reading experience. I might be biased, getting to know the author, and since this is graphic novel from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but do check out the free preview here (first 19 pages).
Pros: Kostja Ribnik’s storytelling and art
Cons: nothing (again, I might be biased)
Conclusion: delivers an intimate story providing a different graphic novel experience . A pure 10/10.