Graphic novels and comics are an inherently metaphorical medium (Wolk, 2007). Although everything is filtered through the artist’s eyes, they constantly require the reader to actively interpret their content. It is an active exchange between the story and the reader who imagines, interprets and attributes meaning to the symbols he recognizes within the strips.
Visual narratives such as graphic novels, i.e. real illustrated novels that respect the structure of a real narrative text, are able to perfectly blend metaphors and explanations, without interrupting the flow of the narrative (Green and Brock, 2000) ; they are often used to deal with issues related to current events, both explicitly and through the construction of fantastic narratives but with elements that allow the reader to interact with the story on a more personal level.
Being Mountain is the title of a graphic novel published this year by Bao Publishing, which has been defined as an “ecological fantasy” and which reconstructs an imaginary reality in which elements typical of the reality of our time are presented: doubt and choice between trust in scientific knowledge or in divine providence, human weakness in the face of nature and constant generational confrontation.
The author is Jacopo Starace, Italian cartoonist and illustrator, creates a complex and layered story, set in a world where ant-men exist, humans just a few millimeters tall. Years after their population has been decimated by a mysterious disease, and the mountain men, gigantic, near-mythical creatures, have dropped a cure for the disease on the ant-men’s lands, the disease returns. Only that the population is now prey to a religious cult based on the help that falls from the sky, and the supplies of antidote have long since run out. For the release of this book we asked him a few questions, both about the illustrated story and about its relationship with ecology and the current environmental crisis.
Being Mountain has been defined as an “ecological fantasy”, as an author how close do you feel to issues concerning ecology?
«In recent years I have realized that I am much more sensitive to the shocking issue of plastics and the pollution associated with them. Every bad news I hear about it really makes me uncomfortable and for this I try to do as much as possible, in my small way, to help the cause.”
In the book there is a contrast between scientific knowledge and faith in divine providence, which comes to life with the characters of Amanita and the Prior, but while a destructive clash persists between them, in the end it is the strength of the young Myco that is the real point of turn of the situation. In these times of profound ecological and climate crisis, it is a common opinion especially among young people that it is precisely the actions of man in the interest of the whole community that are the key to the transition towards a sustainable and resilient system. Do you think that conveying this type of concept through graphic novels in a fantasy key could also have a popularizing and awareness-raising function?
“Surely. I believe that art in general manages to cast doubts and throw a spanner in the works of our beliefs, to try to reshuffle our thoughts and direct us towards different visions, infecting us in a positive way. I am of the opinion that a good idea is the result of multiple intuitions and the contamination of certainties is the great magic that books are able to achieve.”
The general setting of the story is the soil seen from the dimension of ant men, one of the ecosystems on which today we significantly detect exploitation by man, where does this choice come from?
«I too have often felt crushed by events much bigger than me and I found myself wondering what impact these same circumstances had on ecosystems even smaller and weaker than myself. With Being Mountain I wanted to investigate how the hand of man, in some ways, can be harmful to micro-worlds and how to fight and strive to be able to do better and to help what surrounds us and we love.»
Jacopo Starace, creates a story of our time but set at ground level, one of the elements most penalized and tortured by human action. With excellent drawing, he brings color and life to the pages. With extraordinary empathy, he transfers sensitivity to the characters who drag us into the story from the beginning to the touching ending. The message emerges clearly despite the fact that the author never explicitly expresses any personal opinion, but letting a fundamental concept of reflection shine through: questioning one’s point of view can question everything but also renew everything.
