TWO BROTHERS
Over the course of the last 15 years, Brazilian-born twin brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá have carved out a stunning career in comics, whether collaborating together or working with some of the most acclaimed writers in pop culture, including acclaimed screenwriter Joss Whedon (SUGARSHOCK!), rock star Gerard Way (THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY) and bestselling comic book writer Matt Fraction (CASANOVA). Their collaboration DAYTRIPPER was published in 2010 to major awards and widespread acclaim and this fall Dark Horse Comics will publish the twins’ highly anticipated follow up, the original graphic novel TWO BROTHERS, on sale in comic book stores on October 14 and in bookstores on October 27.
TWO BROTHERS is a stunning adaptation of the novel The Brothers by Milton Hatoum, one of Brazil’s most renowned contemporary writers. The books tell the tragic story of a fractured family divided by two identical brothers, Omar and Yaqub, who have nothing in common except for their bloodline and the fierce, possessive love of their mother. After a violent exchange between the young boys, Yaqub, “the good son,” is sent from his home in Brazil to live with relatives in Lebanon. When he returns to his hometown five years later, he’s a virtual stranger to his family. Despite their mother’s desperate pleas, a reconciliation between the brothers appears elusive.
In the tradition of David Mazzucchelli’s adaptation of Paul Auster’s novel CITY OF GLASS and Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of the PARKER novels, Bá and Moon honor their literary source material by creating a profound and moving graphic novel that soars with its bold cartooning and accomplished storytelling. Bá and Moon have reimagined the novel in stark black and white, which lends metaphorical weight to both the dissolution of the family and cultural transformation of the port city of Manaus. Together Bá and Moon decided what changes to make to the novel’s structure and pacing, then Gabriel Bá researched and illustrated the book. Their close collaboration has created a riveting graphic novel about identity, love, loss, deception, and the dissolution of blood ties.
Dark Horse Comic’s publication of the TWO BROTHERS promises to bring new attention for Milton Hatoum’s fiction in the States. Today over 200,000 copies of Hatoum’s novels have been sold in Brazil. The Brothers is taught in classrooms throughout the country and readers remain passionately divided by their different interpretations of the novel’s ambiguous ending. With the release of TWO BROTHERS this October, readers and critics alike have the opportunity to discover the world of the Brazilian Amazon, discover a profoundly resonant story, and celebrate the career of two phenomenal comic book creators and the literary reputation of an international literary star. For more information, go to darkhorse.com.