household paintbrushes
mr. mendozas paintbrush
mr. mendoza mexicos self described king of graffiti blesses the small town of rosario with his sardonic wit . deflate your pomp or float away he paints on the body of an unexpectedly exhumed monk . no intelligent life for 100 kilometers he proclaims on the sign that announces rosarios boundaries . br the residents of rosario tolerate or enjoy mr. mendozas commentary as best they can . but the town goes crazy when mendoza announces on the side of a pig mendoza goes to heaven on tuesday . each new declaration from mendoza drives speculation about his future . suicide cancer syphillis all the theories were in play until the tuesday when mendoza transformed his life with art . br mr. mendozas paintbrush was originally written as a short story by luis alberto urrea a pulitzer prize finalist for the devils highway and an edgar award winner for his short story amapola . it was published in 2002 as part of his collection six kinds of sky . artist christopher cardinale whose graphic essays have appeared in the seminal magazines world war iii and punk planet adapted the short story to the graphic novel form . br and critics are raving about the outcome . the bloomsbury review says mr. mendozas paintbrush is a rich gift an off center enigmatic tale with a well coupled balance of narration and art . urrea and cardinale are a match made in heaven . and publishers weekly adds that this lovely comics adaptation ... may have found the ideal way to present magical realism graphically . br