Working in the distinguished lineage that goes something like this --  Jeff Jones, Baron Storey, Bill Seinkeiwicz, Kent Williams, Ho Che Anderson, David Mack, David Cho, et al -- Wilfred Santiago brings his own computer savvy sensibility along with a studied casualness towards integrating photographs into his highly stylized artwork, and so, seemingly off-handedly, brings in issues of representation into play, thereby adding another layer to this already richly textured tale of life here in these United States, as experienced by young lovers grappling with our tumultuous times.  Yes, it's multi-culti, but it's anything but politically correct.  Most of all, it strives to be real, and true to it's characters' lives. Fantagraphics Books • 192 pages • two-color with full gray-scale

The legendary Pittsburgh Pirate herein receives a respectful, full-length comics biography from the pen of fellow Puerto Rican, Wilfred Santiago.  Clemente was one of the all time baseball greats – perhaps the greatest Pirate after Honus Wagner – and was the first Latino to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but, as this work amply demonstrates, Clemente was more than just a baseball player.  He was a man with a big heart, who understood well Spider-Man's dictum that responsibility is a necessary accompaniment to power, fame and wealth, and thus his life story is an instructive tonic for our times, so pervaded as they are by selfishness and greed.  Santiago's work here rises to the occasion and, perhaps motivated by Clemente's example, reaches a clear career high.  Get an idea of what we're talking about with this PDF preview.