Perramus: The City of Oblivion

Alberto Breccia, Juan Sasturain, Erica Mena, Ezequiel García

Fantagraphics

4.5 pounds, Hardcover, 508 pages, 8.7 x 1.6 x 11.2 inches

Winner of an Amnesty International prize — in English for the first time.

This graphic novel follows the existential odyssey of a political dissident. When he voluntarily loses his memory, he's dubbed "Perramus" from the brand of his raincoat. During his absurdist travels, he teams up with the gruff Cannelloni; a foreign aviator dubbed "The Enemy" by despot Mr. Whitesnow; and the blind author "Borges" (based on the real-life literary figure), who comes to be a guide. This motley crew journeys to outlandish locales where they encounter a variety of eccentric characters — including a director of trailers for films that will never exist; a guerilla fbeforce of circus folk, clowns, and puppeteers; a tin-pot dictator with a vast fortune built on an empire of excrement; and Ronald Reagan. This highly anticipated collection is an act of resistance in and of itself — it was created while Argentina's military dictatorship was still in power. Perramus is a cartooning tour de force, with a revolutionary message that remains vital to this day.