La Sombra de Don Quijote
La Sombra de Don Quijote (2014) is an extension of the classical Don Quijote narrative in the graphical novel form. Authors Patricio Clarey and Lara Fuentes create a surreal dreamscape quest as the shadow of the famous knight attempts to reunite his body and his soul that have been torn apart by an era in which literature is falling to the mounting influence of modern technology.
This panel, depicting the Shadow after he first dons armor taken from the knight’s soulless body, reflects many of the themes present in the original story. Like the original Quijote, his Shadow looks to narrative legend for guidance:
“Que la fuerza de la leyenda me otorgue la destreza para combatir toda corrupción y deshonra.”
May the force of the legend grant me the skill to combat all corruption and dishonor.
The Shadow knight’s goals are also modeled after those of the original; while the Shadow’s official task is to reunite the soul and body of Don Quijote, here he proclaims that he will do everything in his power to combat the corruption and dishonor that plagues his world. Don Quijote’s narrative is full of side adventures and “boons” that distract the knight from his major goals, reaching Zaragoza and disenchanting his princess, Dulcinea.
These three panels depict the Shadow and his Shadow-Squire as they traverse the shadow world. The relationship between Don Quijote and Sancho in the original narrative is a model of class difference and power structures in 17th-century Spain; the relationship here between their shadows suggests the presence of a similar dynamic in their own time and space.
Visually, these panels emphasize the loneliness of the shadow world. The contrast between the light background and the dark figures draws attention to their role as shadows of the original characters.
-- Willa Gutfreund
Works Cited:
Clarey, Patricio and Lara Fuentes. La sombra de Don Quijote. Torroella de Montgrí: Panini, 2014