Two Brothers
Published by: Dark Horse – 2015
Written and Illustrated by: Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
Two Brothers, a 2015 Dark Horse graphic novel written and drawn by twin brothers Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, is, aptly, a tale of two brothers—twins—but is not autobiography, owing its inspiration to the work of Brazilian author Milton Hatoum. It is an affecting naturalistic tale chronicling a family’s evolution through the decades—from the courtship of the matriarch to the adulthood of her twin sons and only daughter.
The story takes place in Manaus, Brazil, spanning half a century, narrated by the young son of the family’s housekeeper—whom may or may not be the progeny of one of the twins—recounting experiences told to him by his mother and members of the family as well as experiences he witnessed firsthand. Omar and Yaqub—the eponymous two brothers—around which all the other events orbit—have a violent falling-out early in both the story and in their lives, and mature along ever diverging paths thereafter—one towards success, the other towards profligacy—and their rivalry and conflict informs much of the subsequent plot. The two brothers function almost like forces of nature which appear briefly to throw the other characters into chaos. There is, however, arguably no single protagonist as each character has their own portion of the story devoted to their life.
The narrative’s non-linear structure makes sophisticated use of flashbacks and flash-forwards, foreshadowing and filling in gaps in the narrative to create and resolve suspense. It is at once complex and straightforward, complicated without being confusing.
Both Moon and Ba are illustrators, though it is unclear what role each played in illustrating Two Brothers since both are credited equally with its creation. Much like fellow brother comic artists Adam and Andy Kubert—sons of the legendary golden- and silver-age comic artist Joe Kubert—their styles are similar enough to be difficult to distinguish, though there are differences. The art in Two Brothers appears as if it was done by a single hand. Two Brothers is illustrated in black and white—without the use of hatching or halftone patterns to simulate gray-tones. The art most closely resembles the work of Mike Mignola—of Hellboy fame—combined with certain stylistic similarities to that of Michael Avon Oeming—best known for his work as penciller on the long-running series Powers written by Brian Michael Bendis. The characters are rendered in a highly stylized, simplistic, and cartoony fashion, whereas depictions of buildings, cities, interior rooms, and forests are more specific—less generic and simplistic—and show a greater design sense—specifically in the dramatic use of lighting—while remaining within a style consistent with that of the characters.
Two Brothers is mostly suitable for a general audience, but, due to its unabashed depiction of both nudity and sex—which, while not particularly graphic by today’s standards, are not entirely chaste—it is appropriate only for a “mature audience.” However, given the simplicity with which the characters are rendered, Two Brothers is far from pornographic. Additionally, what little violence there is is incidental and serves a meaningful purpose within the plot.
Recommendations:
Any fan of Two Brothers specifically, or Moon and Ba in general, would be advised to check out their ten-issue DC/Vertigo miniseries Daytripper which follows the many deaths of its protagonist. Each issue is a self-contained episode within his life, ending with his tragic demise, but no single issue is considered canon at the expense of others, creating a unique sensation where the possible is more important than the actual. It is poignant and melancholy and beautiful.
Another work with art contributed by Moon and Ba worth noting is Casanova written by Matt Fraction, originally published by Image and subsequently picked up by Marvel’s Icon imprint. The story is extremely complicated and difficult to summarize since there are many characters, plots, and subplots featuring parallel dimensions and time-travel. At its most basic, the story is that of the main character, Casanova Quinn, whom is a transplant from a parallel universe and becomes involved in a world of espionage, but describing it thus is extremely reductive and fails to suggest the story’s many twists and turns.
Ba also illustrated The Umbrella Academy, written by Gerard Way—lead singer of the contemporary rock band “My Chemical Romance.” Though it is written by a “rock star,” The Umbrella Academy is actually a well-executed and original narrative about a family of seven young super heroes adopted and trained to save the world, which spanned two miniseries published by Dark Horse.
Anyone whom appreciates similar naturalistic narratives would likely also enjoy Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. This 2009 graphic novel follows the mid-life crisis of a professor of architecture and recounts his abandonment of both job and home in a search for meaning. The art shares certain aspects with Two Brothers in that the characters are rendered in a simple style and greater realism is found in depictions of the inanimate. However, there are greater stylistic diversions where characters are occasionally drawn in a style idiosyncratic to that character—meant to convey the uniqueness of each personality.
Brian Bigelow
June 6, 2017
