On sale date: June 18, 2024
In this nonlinear graphic memoir, Powerpaola uses bicycles she's owned as a vehicle to explore the world, her relationships, her memories — and herself.
"A bicycle is a machine that you power yourself. You decide where you want to go," writes cartoonist Powerpaola, as the guiding principle of this graphic memoir. All My Bicycles is a story that never really begins, existing all at once in Paola's memory. The book illustrates Powerpaola's relationships through her many bicycles: in fragments, it takes her back to her great loves and losses, friendships, and disappointments. Powerpaola's memories arrive abruptly and leave just as fast, creating a pathway through herself she can only find in moving forward.
The art style encompasses Paola's melancholy: the dark and beautiful canvas (spotted with bright yellow) needed to hold Paola's powerful reflections. Whether through the bicycle, the manhole, the alligator, or the necklace, Powerpaola reflects on her consciousness without finding a concrete solution. All My Bicycles is a glimpse into how exploring a new city or the end of a relationship is an exploration of self.
Praise
"An elliptical and funny memoir that at first seems to be about the Colombian-Ecuadorean artist's romantic relationships and then finds its way to a more focused self-examination." — The New York Times
"Colombian cartoonist Powerpaola delivers an evocative coming-of-age memoir in which various bicycles from her past represent touchpoints in her maturation from tweenhood to adulthood. ... The charmingly naive drawings perfectly match her alter ego's adventurous spirit. It's a lovely ride." — Publishers Weekly
"A melancholic, and touching portrait of Powerpaola as she moves to new cities in Colombia, each with a new bicycle." — The Comics Journal
"One of the great works of Colombian literature (and not just comics)." — El Tiempo
Specs
- Pages
- 108
- Format
- Paperback / Softback
- Color
- Full-color.
- Dimensions
- 6.8" × 9.1"
- ISBN-13
- 9781683969501
