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Small Press Spotlight: Three Shadows

By | March 16th, 2010
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Article originally written by Steve Ponzo

Three shadows stand outside the house, watching and waiting. The once peaceful and joyous home of the hulking Louis, his wife Lise, and their son Joachim is now threatened by the spectral figures outside. The beings sit on the horizon, patient and unnerving. It soon becomes all too clear what it is they are after—— they have come for Joachim. Three Shadows tells the tale of a father’s love and his will to do whatever it takes to protect his son. Louis and Joachim embark on a desperate journey to the ends of the earth, hoping that somehow they can outrun fate.

Ultimately, this is a tale of letting go. This sobering sentiment that is echoed in the books rear flap, which reveals that Three Shadows “was born out of the agony of [Pedrosa] watching a close friends’ child die very young.” In a recent interview Pedrosa stated, “The little boy’s passing stirred in me feelings of terror that I had no idea I had, and it also made me aware of my absurd, hopeless and wholly unconscious desire to protect my own children at all costs from the “risks of life,” which, paradoxically, include dying.” From tragedy, Pedrosa has crafted a haunting tale of love and loss. It’s a poignant, revelatory fable in the vein of the Brothers Grimm. It is full of suspense, mysticism and most of all, heart. Louis and Joachim are portrayed with such refined skill that you can’t help but empathize with each turning page.

What really drives Three Shadows, however, is the beautiful art. With roots as a Disney animator, having worked on both Hunchback of Notre dame and Hercules, it is no wonder that Pedrosa’s first graphic novel is lush with cinematic scope. Pedrosa shows a vast range of styles throughout the book, often breaking away from his normal pen work in a way that creates a visual representation of the emotions being felt on the page. The characters flow in a gestural line work that allows for the subtle exaggeration of movement and facial expressions. This style is leaps and bounds above what most working artist are doing. Yet, Pedrosa is far from content to rest there.

During moments of sadness, details fade, and contours are stripped away. Left behind is nothing but soft pencil strokes and a somber environment. In this scene, much like Louis, we’re left with nothing but the bare minimum.


At times of tension and dread the art is transformed into a kinetic frenzy. Pedrosa turns to dry brush technique to create wildly expressive scenes reminiscent of Doré engraving. You can hear the wind howling as a sense of foreboding sits firmly in the atmosphere.


When that feeling of unease turns to outright fear Louis is over come with rage. Here the art morphs into a thick heavy-handed brush stroke. It’s as if those dark, loosely flowing lines of tension erupted in harsh broad marks. The results are striking and truly graphic in nature.


For Louis, there is still an emotion beyond rage. It is the total lack of control, both literally and metaphorically. As he learns that despite his best attempts there are some things that no one can hold sway over, we see him step outside his sanity. It’s an emotion so raw, so ripe with anger and crushing sadness that Louis snaps. As this happens, Pedrosa’s line work looses is grace. As if the artists hand was shaking from the same feelings that pushed Louis over the edge. Lines are unclean and rushed as panels overflow with chaos. At the apex of this build up the artwork looks as if it’s done in a scratchboard style. It’s a technique that doesn’t allow for fluidity and finesse, but gives the artist the tools necessary to carve and claw his emotions out.

Continued below


As the story progresses we are introduced to many elements of mysticism. To highlight the transition from the real world to the otherworldly a few more creative techniques are used. Our first encounter with the dark arts in the story is also the first time Pedrosa uses a flat and completely solid black. Throughout the book, up to this point, all the blacks have been loosely brush-in and filled with specks of white. Here we also see for the first time white lettering on a black background.


The last technique Pedrosa uses is a film negative affect, which we see during scenes of the afterlife. The inverted color is a subtle but entirely effect visual element in the story. Once again the art mirrors the story. As a new element is introduced into the lives of Louis and Joachim, a new visual element is implemented in the book.


Pedrosa was once quoted saying “Comics are a language, a language with rules that you can and should break… A language that can encompass everything, as long as you take the trouble to think things through until you find the form, new or old, that suits what it is you want to express – a language that doesn’t want to be confined to any mold.” With this mindset and all his artistic tools, the French born artist has proven himself a true master of the medium. Three Shadows may be a heartbreaking tale of letting go, but it is sure to stay with you forever.


//TAGS | Off the Cape

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