Tom King and Elsa Charretier are responsible for Amor Eterno, an extraordinary work published by ECC Ediciones that challenges the reader with its unique narrative and original ideas.

Tom King is one of the most respected comic book authors today, which is combined with a sales reliability that is not uncommon in his case. The first issue of his comic in our country sold out quickly, almost always appearing at the top of the bestseller lists. But the first edition, now published by ECC Ediciones, together with Amor Eterno, dares to leave the world of heroes and more conventional indie comics to join Elsa Chartier in a bolder and grander story that challenges the reader.

In the familiar romantic comic pinch

By paying attention only to the design of the covers and the narrative style of the story, it may seem that we do not pay much attention to the more humiliating elements that the authors introduce into the work. We see in this volume that we are experiencing one of those romantic comics for young people from the 1950s, just as Jack Kirby did before he adapted superhero comics with Stan Lee.

Young Love, that Golden Age title that starts in 1947 and where we see authors like Kirby himself, Joe Simon, Marie Severin or Alex Toth, is a good example of what King and Chartier wanted. Based here. The end of World War II brought an end to the irony gold mine of war, new markets had to be sought, and teenage dating was the answer for a time.

It preceded the sexual revolution in which the idealization of love, the subjugation of women, and the innocence of youth reigned in American society. Acclaimed cultural archaeologist King assembles this entire two-dimensional ecosystem to construct a complex story that works precisely because of the stark contrast between the environment in which we move and our current history. He wanted to tell the authors.

And to achieve all this, Elsa Chartier’s art is fundamental. The aesthetic can be described as mirroring what we find in the comics of the time, maintaining a certain degree of page layout and use of figures, which work wonderfully to establish and define the world of our protagonist, Joan Peterson. It’s about to move…

until death do them part

Within the first pages we find what no one can avoid describing as a classic love story. In just a few pages, we see how Joan, a village girl who comes to town, struggles with her love for her best friend and roommate.

And soon we move to another story where Joan herself is a wealthy heiress who, although in a different time and context, cannot help but love a hippie singer her father doesn’t like. But before you finish, we jump to see Joan again in the Far West, suffering again as she finds herself between two men who want to find her.

You don’t have to go very far to begin to see the spoilers that King is slowly introducing us to, although the slow and spacey way he does so can seriously undermine the reader’s commitment to his work. As Joan’s love stories continue, we see more onion skins than this comedy, and when we get to the climax we’re sadly inches from our noses. We must remember that we are still in the first volume, and the final cliffhanger is huge.

Brave, challenging and ambitious

In conclusion, Amor Eterno is an authoritative and challenging comic that stands out for its originality and ability to challenge the reader’s expectations. Tom King and Elsa Charretier have created a work that, at first glance, may seem like an homage to the romantic comedies of the fifties, but it quickly reveals itself to be more complex and rebellious. The disjointed narrative and constant revision of circumstances in which our protagonist finds herself is not only surprising, but demands the reader’s continuous and active attention.

What’s most notable about Amor Eterno is that it combines a nostalgic aesthetic with a modern and evocative narrative. The way King gradually introduces disturbing elements along with Charretier’s evocative art creates a visually stunning and intellectually stimulating reading experience. This first volume is not only the beginning of what promises to be an intriguing and surprising story, but also invites readers to question and explore the romantic genre and its narrative construction process.

This volume is presented in hardcover, contains 144 color pages and includes the first five issues of the American translation of Love Forever, as well as the workflow and some sketches by Charretier and the gallery with an alternate cover. Series. It has a recommended retail price of €25 and goes on sale in July 2024.