Milky Way

By Miguel Vila. Published by Fantagraphics.

Hardcover, 176 pages, Colour, 2023. 

An aspiring yuppie romance is tested when a young couple cross paths with a very unlikely femme fatale in the form of an older single mother and ice cream server.

Marco and Stella's lukewarm, aspiring yuppie romance was already on the ropes when they meet Lulu, an older, working-class ice cream server with a kid and a shady past. But when Marco develops an interest in her that soon veers into obsession, it awakens in him a problematic and dormant sexuality. With a voyeuristic gaze, Miguel Vila lays his characters bare, observing them in their hypocrisies, insecurities, and unmentionable desires. Milky Way is a grotesque comedy, psychological character drama, and erotic thriller about erotic compulsion, inadequacy, and affection.

"Vila's English-language debut swirls the erotic and the grotesque into a tart tale about the perils of sexual obsession. ... A daring debut from an artist with an impressive command of his craft. " — Publishers Weekly

"A truly exceptional graphic novel ... about trying to find love in unconventional ways and unconventional places. It is about trying to connect the present with the past without understanding that people will get hurt in the process." — Cinema Sentries

"A psychological and grotesque soft thriller on erotic obsession and emotional dependence. Very sharp writing and very classy drawing. Miguel Vila has talent to spare." — Manuele Fior (Celestia)

"Vila is a mature author, who has something to tell and does it in a sophisticated, original way, following paths that are very seldom traveled." — Paolo Bacilieri (Fun)