How do you write a book about a historical figure who polarises opinion and disturbs even unconscious thought.
The author writes. “Our grandparents were forced to fight. Our parents were forced to forget. It is our duty to remember the past so we can look towards the future.”
This book is short on narrative and full of colour. No words wasted, powerful and with meaning. Illustrations telling a thousand words.
A Spanish book for its own, a people tainted by their shared heritage which does not come out in the wash.
I am so pleased the book has been translated into English. Some of the imagery in words and drawings last with you.
The shame is the free world who turned their backs or aided the regime. The world has not learned its lessons as seen with the fate of Syria.
The light illuminating a prison cell was a tremendous image, those who rule in an authoritarian way want to hid the truth and silence opposition voices.
Democracy is being fought for still around the world; it is happening in Hong Kong even now.
This is a book that cannot be ignored and I trust it helps salve the troubled psyche of Spanish people.

Ximo Abadía narrates through words and vibrant colours the dictatorship of Franco, insisting on the need to remember one of the hardest periods in history. Between the two reading prisms, the image and the text, both very concise and intense, it remains up to the reader to interpret the story, to delve deeper into the symbolisms.

The art style of Frank by Abadia Ximo kept me entertained for a good five minutes - that's how long it took for me to plow through this graphic novel. Frank just skims the surface of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's rise to power and rule with very little being fleshed out into storylines. This might be a great introductory read for younger readers (10+ years old), I would not recommend to older readers. There's just not enough there to make it a worthwhile read. Overall, great art style, but lacking the depth of story to keep me entertained.