NOW OUT: Pierre-Henry Gomont's Soviet Land
My translation of Pierre-Henry Gomont’s Slava is now out from Abrams. The first volume was previously released under its original title, Slava: After the Fall (the main character), by Europe Comics in 2023 as a digital-only comic, but all 3 volumes have now been collected in print. I’ve loved Gomont’s humor and art since working on Brain Drain, his take on the theft of Einstein’s brain.
Here’s my original write-up for this epic panorama of post-Soviet Russia, highly indebted to Svetlana Alexievich’s groundbreaking reportages:
It's the 1990s: the so-called "End of History." The Soviet Union is no more. Once a promising young painter, Slava has abandoned his career and ideals to go scrounging with a pal from his school days, the consummate wheeler-dealer Lavrin, through the detritus of empire for whatever they can resell on the black market. It's an anything goes, dog-eat-dog new world order, every comrade for himself. With his lively, springy art, witty dialogue, and sure grasp of character, Pierre-Henry Gomont delivers a penetrating and sympathetic study of the long-suffering Soviet people, and how yesterday's dreams landed us square in today's nightmares.
Here’s Abrams’ new blurb:
A must-read thriller at turns madcap and melancholy, about a down-on-their-luck duo of swindlers looting their way through the decaying remains of the USSR
1990s. Russia. The USSR has ceased to exist. Its dimly remembered promises of utopia have dried up, and amongst the rubble, scavengers and looters abound.
Amongst the vast Russian tundra and decaying Soviet buildings, two such scavengers engage in a rather dubious pastime―getting their hands on all sorts of trinkets that might interest wealthy investors.
Slava, once a promising young painter, has abandoned his career and ideals to scrounge around with a pal from his school days, the consummate conman Lavrin. The future is up for grabs, and in this anything-goes, dog-eat-dog new world order, Lavrin assures Slava anything and everything can be bought and sold.
In this tragicomic thriller, author Pierre-Henry Gomont tells a gripping tale of average people caught up in the turmoil of history in the making. His deeply human characters fumble through a disorienting world―one where the promise of tomorrow has evaporated. They aspire to nothing more than to continue: to continue living, loving, and maybe someday even painting again.
