Comic Book Review: Daytripper

Daytripper

Written by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba

Art by Fabio Moon

Published by Vertigo

“THE YOUNG OPEN THE PAPER TO FORGET ABOUT LIFE BY READING THE FUNNY STRIPS. THE OLD DO IT FORGET ABOUT DEATH BY READING OTHER PEOPLE’S [OBITUARIES]. MY ADVICE: DON’T OPEN THE PAPER AND GO ON WITH YOUR LIFE.”

Written by Brazilian comic book artists Fabio Moon and Gerard Ba, Daytripper tells the story of newspaper obituarist Bras de Oliva Domingos in different and stages of his life - from his first kiss during his youth, to experiencing "love at first sight" and meeting his "first true love", up to the last moments of his existence. Every chapter is filled with poignant, yet very heart-warming moments that would make one think about his/her very own life story and ask: "Am I truly living my life?"

Moon and Ba puts forth a very interesting gimmick where Bras dies in every chapter that sets up the affectionate theme of their tales. Each story dissects the importance of Bras' decisions, his relationships, his loves and deaths, and the people around him that make him the person that he is. It is such an emotional and touchy-feely novel that is also beautifully drawn, with the gorgeous and intricate "wash-style" art of Moon equally radiating the feel of the whole book and its characters. 

Spanning across 10 issues, Daytripper never lets go of the reader with its undeniably beautiful story that could make you smile, fall in love, rejoice and even cry. I found myself just turning the pages after I read the chapter one and its first memorable line that talks about how people remember the most trivial things in their lives, but yet forget the most important ones. 

I knew right then and there that this was some sort of "Tuesdays With Morrie" or maybe even "The Alchemist" kind of thing and I was not mistaken. It literally punched through my emotions and made me stop for a little bit and think of what it is really that I am missing in my everyday life. 

And true, a lot of times, we do a lot of things and get busy everyday with time flying by so fast that we don't really pay attention to what matters most before its too late. And that's what this book is all about.

By the end of the very last issue, you'll find yourself knowing the protagonist more than your very best friend and learning a lot from his experiences.

Daytripper has definitely captured my heart with its simplicity and emotional realism. It is such a wonderfully written novel that everybody will enjoy.