Overview
In 1950s Brazil, somewhere by the beach, not far from Rio, Helcio, a young and promising soccer player, and his friend Noel, spot someone fishing with dynamite. They decide to take a boat and steal some of the dead fish to make some money. The boat trip turns into a perilous journey as the two thieves embark on an adventure that will challenge their friendship. Inspired by the life of Marcello Quintanilha's father, Helcio Quintanilha, this graphic novel is both a suspenseful thriller and a breathtaking story about friendship. In The Lights of Niteroi, internationally acclaimed graphic novelist Marcello Quintanilha returns to the city where he was born and raised. He dives into the waters of Guanabara Bay and crafts a plot based on real events that took place in the 1950s. It's an adventure full of suspense, involving fishermen, soccer, the Brazilian feminist and striptease artist Luz del Fuego, and the first naturist camp in Brazil.
Reviews
A thrilling and poignant story waiting to be discovered.-- ""Broken Frontier"" Every aspect of Marcello Quintanilha's storytelling, from his naturalistic writing to his incredible visual work, is a masterclass in telling such character-driven stories in the comics medium.-- ""Monkeys Fighting Robots"" This is adventure storytelling with disarming emotional heft--a taut study of wounded pride, precarious camaraderie, and words that can't be taken back.-- ""Publishers Weekly"" The art of Marcello Quintanilha lies in this combination of the exciting story and the fast-paced narrative, the thriller and the picaresque.-- ""Le Monde"" The son of a former professional soccer player, the author knows this universe intimately and creates an impressive social fresco... especially worth it for the human and maritime adventure experienced by its protagonists, Hélcio and Noel, in a tragicomic style that reveals an enormous and poignant friendship. With Quintanilha, Brazilian comics have their Homer!-- ""Telerama""
The art of Marcello Quintanilha lies in this combination of the exciting story and the fast-paced narrative, the thriller and the picaresque.-- ""Le Monde"" The son of a former professional soccer player, the author knows this universe intimately and creates an impressive social fresco... especially worth it for the human and maritime adventure experienced by its protagonists, Hélcio and Noel, in a tragicomic style that reveals an enormous and poignant friendship. With Quintanilha, Brazilian comics have their Homer!-- ""Telerama""
Author Information
Marcello Quintanilha was born in 1971 outside Rio de Janeiro. His first graphic novel, Tungsteno, published in 2015, was adapted for film by director Heitor Dhalia. He has lived in Barcelona since 2002.
