In the running in Angoulême: Bad things to say, dealing with mental illness

Anxiety, headaches, intense fatigue... Adela suffers, and nothing seems to be able to relieve her. So she prays. “Dad said she was nervous. But for her, it was a different kind of evil. She thought a demon had taken possession of her body,” explains her daughter Vera, the narrator. But the devil doesn't stop there: he watches the house (so shush!) and tries to corrupt the whole family. Father comes back late from work? He must have a mistress! Is the eldest son also slow to return? He's on drugs! Prey to paranoid delusions and suicidal impulses, Adela can nevertheless count on Vera's unfailing support. But is this really the role of a little girl?

Published at the end of August 2023 by Sarbacane, Des mals à dire illustrates the indisputable talent of a young Spanish artist who should be followed closely: Beatriz Lema Rivera (or simply Bea Lema). Unsurprisingly, she joins the official selection of the 2024 Angoulême International Comics Festival alongside her compatriots Aroha Travé (Cannon Fodder), Antonio Altarriba, Sergio García Sánchez and Lola Moral (Le Ciel dans la tête).

The theme of mental illness, this misunderstood “madness” which unravels family ties and socially isolates, is particularly well handled here. The author describes its ravages on daily life, its possible genesis in childhood traumas, the ballet of specialists and charlatans, the difficulty of following medical treatment when you believe more in Jesus than in medicine... (see the superb cover, on which the host is replaced by a two-tone pill). The story is all the more touching because it is told from the point of view of Vera, a little girl who will always love her mother, despite her weaknesses and her abandonments.

The comic book medium is unique in that it allows you to vary graphic and narrative techniques to offer new reading experiences. And Bea Lema doesn’t hold back! Thus, astonishing embroidered pages dot the book, in the style of “Chilean arpilleras, a textile technique that appeared during the military dictatorship,” explains the artist. It was not only a form of denunciation, but also an expression of their pain. In the same way, I used this technique to exorcise the past, creating something beautiful where there was pain. The result is striking for its originality and its false naivety; it blends perfectly with the rest of the comic, done with pen and felt-tip pen, sometimes reproducing the aesthetic of embroidery with dotted lines.

In terms of cutting, again, it’s great art. The traditional boxes explode in favor of a much more inventive layout: friezes with geometric patterns, close-up on an isolated bloodshot eye, 5x4 waffle iron populated by the same character in various postures, cutaway shot of a building in full view. page... Likewise, the comings and goings from color to black and white, passing through different shades of gray tints, provide a welcome dynamism and give rhythm to the story.

Few comics demonstrate such personality while remaining perfectly accessible. Fans of the ninth art will have to jump on it... and convince others! Pains to Say reminds us, in passing, of the importance of listening and empathy within each family. What if that was the best resolution for 2024?

Evils to say, by Bea Lema, translated from Spanish by Jean-Marc Frémont, Sarbacane, 176 pages, 25 euros.