392 - FCF: Daytripper

It took Brás de Oliva Domingos so long to find out, and he found out. What, if anything, he found out is the central question of Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá’s 2010 Vertigo series Daytripper, subject of our final Four-Color Flashback for 2019. You see, Brás writes obituaries for a São Paulo newspaper--and at the end of most chapters in this book, he dies. Twin writers/artists Moon and Bá pave the way for an existential journey along the many turning points of a life, from the imperceptible to the unmistakable. Paul and Arlo discuss Daytripper’s hint of magical realism; the coherent, airtight structure that grounds the book’s absurdity; how the series’ hopeful attitude brushes up against horrific tragedy; Moon and Bá’s distinctive (though not so distinctive we know who is penciling and/or inking what!) art style, accentuated by master colorist Dave Stewart; and more.   Next: on the Gobbledygeek season 10 finale, Christmas gets twisted with John McPhail’s 2018 horror-comedy-musical Anna and the Apocalypse. THE BREAKDOWN Total Run Time: 01:32:47 00:00:42  - Intro 00:06:30  - Main Topic 01:26:40  - Outro / Next THE MUSIC “Day Tripper” by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66, Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66 (1966) “Circle of Life” by Carmen Twillie & Lebo M, The Lion King (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1994) THE LINKS “'Daytripper' Explores The Quiet Moments That Shape A Man's Life. And His Death(s)” by Glen Weldon, NPR “Daytripper (Review)” by Chris Mautner, The Comics Journal “INTERVIEW: Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá Part 2: A Daytripper Retrospective” by Alexander Lu, Comics Bulletin