Can I just award best graphic of the year now to De: Tales?  Holy shit are the brother team of Fábio Moon and Gabirel Bá good (great actually).  The graphic novel is a collection of short stories from “Urban Brazil.”  These are more slice of life similar to their limited series Daytripper.  And like that series, these stories are emotional and some get to you.

Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá are Brazilian twins who share an award-winning talent for comics and an abiding love of the medium. Following in the wake of brothers Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez and Tomer & Asaf Hanuka, Moon & Bá bring their considerable skills to Dark Horse in De:Tales, their first major American release!

This collection of short stories features the pair working together, in tandem, or separately-trading off on the roles of writing and illustrating, sharing those roles, or flying solo. Brimming with all the details of human life, their charming tales move from the urban reality of their home in São Paulo to the magical realism of their Latin American background, living up to the twins’ critical acclaim and proving that they are a talented pair to watch out for.

These stories are magical, but true to life.  They’re poetic and at times gritty.  They’re honest and fantasy simultaneously.  I love the work these two produce.  It’s amazing to see what these twins do and they work it quite well here, in fact each write the same story in their own way.  Comparing the end results is amazing.

People have a misconception as to what comics can do.  Most see them as tales of spandex and big guns and big pecks.  When talking to someone who’s in that mindset, I tell them about these two and their beautiful stories.  They are an example of the power of the medium and what it can do.  Just amazing.

Plot: The two switch off writing details in these twelve short stories and only one of the stories left me shrugging my shoulders.  At the same time, the other eleven are so freaking good.  There’s just something magical about what they do and their stories can at the same time bring a tear and put a smile on your face.  Rating: 10

Art: I love the art style too.  It’s very unique and you can tell the two’s work when you see it.  It’s just great to look at and an interesting mix of west and east.  Fantastic.  Rating: 10

Overall: To sum up it all in one word, transcendent.  I can just spend all day reading what these two put out and would never get tired of it.  This graphic novel is amazing and shows the power of the comic medium.  An absolute must buy.  Overall rating: 10

Recommendation: Buy

Page count: 112 pages    Price: $19.99    Release Date: Out Now