"Wrinkles" Paco Roca
Emilio, a 72-year-old banker with Alzheimer's, is admitted to a nursing home where he meets Miguel, a friendly Argentine, and other members of the residence. Due to his illness, his friends will try to help him, so that he is not transferred to the upper floor where the elderly who cannot fend for themselves are cared for. During his stay, Emilio will share a room with Miguel, who gives him a tour of the residence and helps him integrate into his new routine.
There, she'll meet peculiar characters like Antonia, a grandmother who hoards all the butter and jams at breakfast to give to her grandson when he visits. She'll also meet Ramón, better known as "the announcer" because he tends to repeat every word he hears.
Also to Mrs. Rosario, who spends her days sitting by the window, immersed in the fantasy of being a passenger on the Orient Express , bound for Istanbul. And others like Mrs. Dolores, who constantly cares for her husband Modesto, who suffers from Alzheimer's.
Wrinkles by Paco Roca is a moving yet humorous story that portrays the lives of elderly people in an often melancholic and stagnant environment. In this graphic novel, this great author not only explores the themes of old age and illness, but also the value of friendship. If you're interested in learning more about Paco Roca's work, you can explore The Winter of the Cartoonist to delve deeper into his oeuvre.
Elaboration of the novel
The idea began with a story about a group of elderly people planning to rob a casino, but Paco Roca realized that 70-year-olds couldn't be imprisoned. So he discarded this idea, but there were other reasons that led to the creation of the comic strip "Wrinkles . "
Seeing his parents age so quickly, the Alzheimer's disease suffered by the father of one of his best friends and the resounding rejection of an advertising poster showing some elderly people, were the reasons to start working on the play.
For greater authenticity, Paco Roca conducted several studies on the pathologies of old age, visited several geriatric centers, collecting anecdotes from nurses, the elderly and their relatives.
When the project was presented to the Delcourt publishing house, the author had to make some changes, such as the New Year's Eve menu, the residence's opening hours, modifying a map, and removing a crucifix. The comic was published at the end of April 2007 under the title "Rides".
In November of that same year, "Wrinkles" made its debut with Astiberi Ediciones in Spain, where it sold around 17.000 copies. Italy, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, and Japan also published editions of the graphic novel.
Paco Roca presented a full exhibition detailing the creation of the artwork at five FNAC stores in Spain and even promoted it at art fairs and conferences. If you'd like to learn more about his work and other stories, you can find information about Crystal of Rock.
Awards
“Wrinkles” was released in France in 2007 and was already listed as one of the best titles of the year by the ACBD. Later, it received the award for best screenplay and best work by a Spanish author at the 26th Barcelona International Comics Fair.
In 2008, he received the XXXI Diario de Avisos Award for Best Realistic Comic Book Script. He also received the Dolmen de la Crítica Award for Best Script and Work, the Gran Guinigi Award for Best Long Story at the Lucca Comics Festival in Italy, and finally, an Expocómic Award for Best Spanish Work and the National Comic Book Award. If you enjoyed this post and would like to learn more, we invite you to read about * La playa de los ahogados* (The Beach of the Drowned ), a novel that also deals with profound and emotional themes.
