Sunrise week
on the verge of our Canadian trip
I spent last week away, in a newly discovered corner of my World. Almost every day started like the picture above, really early, before dawn, and included a peaceful walk on the shore to catch the sunrise. It was magical, and every day the sky was different, and the moon and the clouds and the sun put together a unique performance, not to mention that watching the waves was an incredible show on itself.
My World.
I’m not using this term in a possessive way. I don’t own the places I’ve visited, or the beaches I’ve walked in, or the sand that stuck in my body while I lay down in the sun after going for a swim. I’m just making a point that these places didn’t come out of nowhere in the last couple of days. They were there all along, for years, and if I opened my eyes and paid attention I would see them. And that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do more often these days: open my eyes and pay attention.
I put a lot of energy into exploring the inner World. I study emotions, behavior patterns, I try to create pathways for my thoughts to connect and expand a certain narrative. I can spend days (or weeks or months) focusing on this emotional World, but lately I’m finding myself looking outside of myself, outside of my comfort zone, looking for these extraordinary corners of our ordinary lives that passes us by every day at any moment. The stories I want to tell need me to pay attention, they have big epic ambitions but really focus on the small details that make you want to get closer.
I mentioned in an earlier letter that my mother broke her ankle. I’m grateful for everybody who showed support, interest and kindness. She’s doing much better, every day a little more like herself than the last. I haven’t spent much time at my own house for the last month, helping her out when I can, and in turn haven’t found my footing in the workload of my weeks, and I’m realizing how much we need a base of operations where we recharge in order to accomplish all we set out to do. In theory, I can work anywhere, but it’s hard to work when it feels like I’m nowhere for too long. On top of that, Bá and I are leaving on another trip.
CANADA
We’re going to Montreal for MCAF (Montréal Comic Arts Festival). We’ve only gone to this city once as kids some 30 years ago. It should be fun.
Besides these panels, we have a full day of activities on Thursday before the official start of the festival on Friday, which include lunches with the consul, an international rendez-vous between Brazilian and Chilean artists, and an awards ceremony at the end of the day.
We’ll sign at the Crossover comics bookstore booth (C16) at the festival on Friday at 5;30PM, and on Saturday at 10AM.
My participation at the 2023 MCAF was made possible thanks to the support of Ministério de Relações Exteriores, the Brazilian Consulate in Montreal and the organizers of the Bienal de Quadrinhos in Curitiba who have been helping promote Brazilian comics’ culture abroad.
what else is in Canada?
Since we’re going to Montreal, we’re also extending our trip a little bit to stop by in Toronto to check out the shooting of the last season of the Umbrella Academy show. Bá and I still have to stop and look back at these past years and how our experience watching this amazing show get made impacted us and how we’re telling our next stories. Being involved in the making of a show is a very different experience than making comics, and we learned a lot.
EXPLODING LINK
I have been following Brian K Vaughan and Niko Henrichon’s SPECTATORS online on their Exploding Giraffe’s newsletter. Now, they have made available a very practical PDF with the first 150 pages of their story. You should check it out.
Be safe. Be kind. Be curious.
Pa-ZOW!
Fábio Moon
Moon Base, São Paulo
May 16th, 2023