Spotlight Review: Blessed Cure
The webcomic currently crowdfunding
Currently funding on Crowdfundr, Blessed Cure is the story of Acácio do Nascimento, a man who was subjected to several treatments looking for a supposed cure for his homossexuality.
Ever since he was a boy growing up in Brazil, all Acacio wanted was to please his parents: get good grades in school, meet a nice girl, stop being so... gay.
In a clash between what he wants and who he is, Acacio turns to increasingly extreme remedies, treatments found all too easily in a Catholic nation that sees homosexuality as an aberration, a perversion, something to be cured, whatever the cost.
Acacio will live. He will survive. But what will be the nature of the life he leads? What price will be extracted in his search for a Blessed Cure?
Mário César1
This is a tough read, but I feel that not only is it one that should be read, but it should be promoted.
Telling the story of Acacio as he goes through his life, you can see where some aspects of the story are leading. This doesn’t make it any easier, yet it works well within the story, and the bookending of the story gives us some sense of closure.
There are some excellent character moments in this comic; some are good, some are not - this is life and the harsh realities of the life that is depicted in the story. There are some well-played-out scenes in the story, with the reactions of not only Acacio but of those around him - friends, family and more. There are some truly upsetting moments as well.
These scenes, though upsetting, need to be shown. This is what has happened and is still happening to people.
The art is excellent, with some clever plays with the colour schemes being used. The reactions and some of the mirror shots are well done. As are some of the framing techniques used.
This is a hard read but worthy of your time. Please check it out.
Read Blessed Cure on Tapas here, or check out the details of the crowdfunding below:
Mário César is an awarded LGBTQ+ Brazilian author. He has been publishing comic books since 2006 and has won 4 times the HQ MIX Trophy, Brazil’s most important comic’s awards, and also has been a two-times finalist of the Jabuti Awards, Brazil’s biggest book awards, in the category of Best Comic Book.
He was one the first openly LGBTQ+ Brazilian authors and also organizes, POC CON, a comic-con where all the exhibitors are LGBTQ+.