{"id":9016,"date":"2025-04-11T01:43:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T04:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/?p=9016"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T00:52:52","slug":"the-birth-of-my-graphic-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/2025\/04\/11\/the-birth-of-my-graphic-novel\/","title":{"rendered":"The birth of my graphic novel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diego Agrimbau is an award-winning Argentine comic book writer.<\/a> In 2020, after a failed attempt due to limited slots, I finally enrolled in his comic scriptwriting workshop. The first year focused on foundational techniques, while the second delved into group critiques of each student\u2019s project. It was there that an idea took its final shape for a graphic novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A promotional art for Agrimbau’s workshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Seed of the Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the first exercises involved what Agrimbau calls “absolutes”\u2014concepts pushed to their extreme to spark ideas. Think “a world where no one can read”<\/em> or “everyone can fly except one person.”<\/em> From this exercise emerged the premise I became obsessed with: “Every time you fall in love, you cease to exist.” The first draft, tentatively titled LOVE<\/strong>, read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“In a society where falling in love literally means committing suicide, a group of young people will search for the one person who loved\u2026 and survived to tell the tale.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This idea captivated me so deeply that I chose to develop it into a graphic novel during the workshop\u2019s second year. And that\u2019s the story I want to share with you today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Kingdom of Oppression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the realm of Sinelumih, the King enforces one unbreakable law: the only permitted bonds are heterosexual marriages for reproduction. Sons are drafted into the Royal Army and groomed as potential heirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who defy these rules are branded on their hands and cast out as “The Marked.” Imprisoned or exiled, they\u2019re shunned by society. The people accept this order\u2014because it\u2019s all they\u2019ve ever known. But what happens when certain souls dare to challenge it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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KLARA: The Girl Who Questions Everything<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Originally named Clara\u2014a Philosophy and Literature student in a fictionalized Buenos Aires\u2014she evolved into Klara, a tavern girl in Sinelumih. Yet her core remained unchanged: compassionate, curious, and driven by a need to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klara is the story\u2019s anchor. Through her eyes, we see the kingdom\u2019s injustices and the lines waiting to be crossed. Drawing her was a challenge. I sketched her a thousand times in different styles, chasing the perfect balance of warmth and innocence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The many faces I’ve tried while searching for her.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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VERA: The Cynical Merchant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Klara doesn\u2019t walk alone. Enter Vera, a nomadic trader. From the start, I pictured her with a massive cart, peddling wares from town to town. Her knowledge of the world beyond makes her sharper and less naive than Klara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their bond is unshakable\u2014they\u2019re each other\u2019s safety net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First time I drew them both, in 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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When I drew them, I gave Vera faintly magical hands to hint at her supernatural ties, though her real power lies in her street smarts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She sells potions (some to numb the pain of arranged marriages), a trade that forges her alliance with Klara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FERING: The Reluctant Heir<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At first, Fering was just a love interest for Klara\u2014a flat, forgettable side character. I even considered cutting him entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, while watching Sex Education, Adam\u2019s character inspired a reinvention. What if Fering defied his fate? What if he rebelled against the Crown? Suddenly, he had depth. His conflict\u2014duty versus desire\u2014turned him into a catalyst for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fering with the lyrics of “Un Segundo Plan” by argentinian band “El Mat\u00f3 Un Policia Motorizado”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Fering is the King\u2019s favorite knight, the chosen heir. But he rejects it all. He flees, desperate to find his true self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Fering drawing I finished up this week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Once I understood him, the story began writing itself. These three characters would carve their own path, a quest for identity that might just reshape Sinelumih\u2019s destiny<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Art Style Dilemma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the characters defined, I faced another hurdle: the visual style. Agrimbau suggested styles akin to Estampita<\/a>  (a friend and artistic reference) or Gast\u00f3n Pacheco<\/a>\u2014playful, medieval-inspired parody without losing adventure\u2019s thrill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Estampita’s art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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But my natural inclination leans toward realism. It\u2019s not that I dislike Estampita\u2019s style; it just doesn\u2019t flow organically for me. This week, I experimented to find a middle ground\u2014a visual voice true to my story, not forced into someone else\u2019s mold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Universe Unfolding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s still so much to explore: characters yet to be introduced, finer details to polish, pivotal choices (like adding a fourth protagonist). The symbolism behind their names, the lore of Sinelumih\u2014it\u2019s all a work in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll share this journey piece by piece, but I\u2019d love to hear from you. What do you think of these characters? Where do you see their story heading? What questions do you have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join me in this slow but passionate creative process. Together, we\u2019ll discover where Klara, Vera, and Fering\u2019s rebellion leads.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diego Agrimbau is an award-winning Argentine comic book writer. In 2020, after a failed attempt due to limited slots, I finally enrolled in his comic scriptwriting workshop. The first year focused on foundational techniques, while the second delved into group critiques of each student\u2019s project. It was there that an idea took its final shape for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9016"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9042,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9016\/revisions\/9042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms.pablovester.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}