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Mr. Spic Goes to
Washington by Ilan
Stavans (Author) and
Roberto Weil
(Illustrator)
Soft
Skull Press, 2008.
have to admit that I
am not a big fan of
cartoons or comic
strips, and I am
indeed one of those
readers who prefers
to let words speak
for themselves.
Having said that, I
have been intrigued
by the work of many
talented Latino
artists who have
made tremendous
strides in the
visual arts in the
last couple of
decades.
Carlos Castellanos.
Mario Robles,
Lalo Alcaraz and the
Martinez brothers,
Jaime and Gilbert,
are but a few the
ever-growing list of
Latinos whose names
have become as close
to household in the
world of
illustration. And in
the case of this
graphic novel, the
partnering of the
Venezuelan artist,
Roberto Weil, with
the intellectually
ubiquitous Ilan
Stavans seemed
sufficiently
enticing.
When reading Mr.
Spic Goes to
Washington, one
must balance its
serious social
criticism with its
humor. In
other words, one
must take its satire
into perspective.
The title of the
work, in part bold
with its use of a
racist epithet and
in part an allusion
to the 1939 classic,
Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington, is
meant to provoke as
well as evoke.
The idea of someone
named Mr. Spic in a
high political
office is meant to
sound unsettling,
for it implies to
the world that the
ideal of a Mr. Spic
in Washington is
less probable (and
more laughable) than
the rise of the
inspirational Jimmy
Stewart character.
This story replaces
the American
Smith hero with a
Latino former gang
leader from the
streets, and in so
doing, it raises a
long list of
of "what if"
questions. For
instance, it asks in
part what an
individual with such
an ethnic, colorful
background might do
if in the Senate,
but it also asks the
question, how would
the U.S. react?
The U.S. loves
underdogs and
individuals who come
back from the
ashes--as long as
those ashes are not
the ghettos or the
barrios of the sort
from which Mr. Spic
comes. The qualities
that make him
attractive as a
Senate nominee are
also the same
qualities that make
him a huge target of
criticism from
Latinos and
non-Latinos alike.
As his nemesis,
Astrid Allwyn, the
Democratic Senator
of California,
declares, "Colored
politics are
fractured by nature.
The Cuban American
lobby will detest
Spic. He's
hyper-liberal! So
will Puerto Ricans,
but for other
reasons" (30). As
the novel follows
his rise and fall
(and rise again), it
brings up the
special political
rules that apply to
a Mr. Spic--i.e.
Latinos.
One of the strengths
in this work is
related to a
weakness; the
material is
though-provoking,
balancing creativity
with editorial
commentary.
Who can deny that
the illustrations
capture the
multilayered purpose
of the book?
On the one hand, the
images are
entertaining, and on
the other, they do
more than that,
pulling you into a
story that gets more
hysterical yet
poignantly critical
at the turn of every
page. Yet, it is
slightly too brief
for what it tries to
accomplish. As
I read it, I could
not help but sense
that this book was
cut in length by the
publisher. A few
more pages would
have made the novel
flow better at
times, and in turn
the storyline would
have been smoother.
Still, Mr. Spic
Goes to Washington
works very well, and
I have to say that
faculty in political
policy classes
should especially
consider adopting
this book, for it
raises important and
relevant questions
about our democracy.
After all, Latino
identity is not
monolithic, and the
election of Latino
officials brings
with it a special
type of scrutiny as
well as a unique set
of expectations.
The many figures
cited in this book,
from Jose Serrano to
Rodolfo "Corky"
Gonzales and yes,
Ilan Stavans, know
this all too well.
This graphic novel
is innovative in
ways that a
traditional novel
cannot be. In
2000, Stavans
partnered with Lalo
Alcaraz to provide
us with the
successful,
Latino USA: A
Cartoon History,
and it is safe to
say that as he
continues to combine
his eye for social
critique with the
hands of gifted
artists, we will be
reading innovative
works worth
exploring.
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