It’s offically spooky season but the webcomics wranglers aren’t going to the darkness just yet. First we have a lush josei-esque webcomic called “Cafe Amargo” to recommend.
Cafe Amargo
Episodes 1-11
Completed
Created by Piapb (Pía Prado Bley)
Reviewed by Mel Lake
Note: There is a comic on Webtoon with this same title in the BL genre. As of the time I’m writing, this “Café Amargo” is only available via the artist’s website and Tapas.
This week, I did not expect to be writing about a manga by an artist from Chile, but here we are! “Café Amargo” looks and reads just like a josei manga, albeit with the sound effects written in Spanish. The beautiful, stylized faces of the characters, excellent shading, and professional-looking layout make it an easy and compelling read. As I went through the first few arcs today on Tapas, I found myself amazed that this story is available for free online, since it’s just as good as any manga I would’ve stealth-read at Waldenbooks back before that store was swallowed up by Amazon. (Ask an older millennial if you don’t know what that means. Or don’t, I’m not your mom. The point is, this strip is up for free on Tapas and it’s manga quality!)
In an unnamed city in South America, Domingo Ramirez waits in an unemployment line. He was a hat maker but lost everything he had and fell into gambling debt, losing his family in the process. While seeking a job, a chance encounter with a strange man named Auguste Chevalier will change his life. For the better? I still don’t know. But the tangled web of Chevalier and the mysterious and powerful Jordana family slowly reveals itself as we meet more and more characters who are connected to Chevalier and Domingo in some way.
Like many josei manga stories, simply stating the premise doesn’t do justice to the characters and worlds of the stories themselves. While the characters of “Café Amargo” are archetypes (Domingo is a sad sack family man, Auguste is a mysterious bad boy, Domingo’s ex-wife Graciela is a talented and empathetic artist, etc.), they are given life by Prado Bley’s lovely and expressive artwork. Humor is woven through the story as well. The characters never quite break the fourth wall or descend into ridiculous territory but sweat drops and shoujo sparkles abound, giving readers a much-needed break from somewhat serious subjects. This is a drama about economic desperation and the power of the wealthy, but it’s also a story about friendship, sibling rivalry, reinventing yourself, and how far people will go to protect their families.
I’m not sure if “Café Amargo” was written in Spanish and translated or if the original language was English. But either way, it’s completely understandable, with only a few minor typos here and there. My knowledge of Spanish is very basic but I enjoyed seeing it sprinkled in through sound effects and names. Reading it really did remind me of the experience of reading manga, or the classic “Corto Maltese,” which was written by the legendary Italian comic artist and writer Hugo Pratt. While reading it, you know you’re not reading a typical American comic. But I was completely drawn in by the messy relationships and freewheeling antics of the characters.
The interior art of “Café Amargo” is in black and white, and the structure of the panels is very similar to a manga’s. If you’re familiar with those conventions, you’ll have no trouble reading this. (Prado Bley uses a black background instead of a white one to signify flashbacks, etc.) Despite the high number of characters (many of which are members of the same family), they all have designs that are unique enough to differentiate, even in black and white. (The surly detective Alonso might be my favorite since he looks exactly like a surly private detective should look, and acts like one, too.) The men are generally handsome and the women are beautiful. But they’re uniquely beautiful, too, not just cookie-cutter cute girl cutouts. There is a trio of female bodyguards that could’ve been turned into generically gorgeous bombshells, but instead, they’re unique individuals who have their own sense of fashion and flair. (I loved them!)
In addition to great designs, the halftones and shading in the pages of “Café Amargo” are genuinely impressive, making this project look like a professional product. I was always able to follow the layout of the panels and never found them too crowded or over-reliant on spreads. I’m reaching to find something to criticize here, but if I had to, I might say that the backgrounds are overly simple. But honestly, it works. The story and characters are the focus, not the setting. The background art never distracts from the story and always lets you know generally where you are. The artist even includes little extra pages at the end of some chapters with chibis, and if you love those like I do, they’re a delight.
Might “Café Amargo” become a melodrama? Maybe? I mean, sure. But it’s gorgeously drawn and the relationships between the characters never felt off to me, so I’m along for the ride. It might be too silly for some or too serious for others, but I liked the balance of drama and comedy. The comic is 75 episodes long and up on Tapas for free. The artist also has a Spanish-language series on Webtoon.
