One Story - Gipi
One Story, by Gipi, follows two timelines set 100 years apart. In one, we have Silvano, an artist in the midst of a mental breakdown as he grapples with his past mistakes. In the other, we follow Silvano’s nameless great grandfather as he attempts to survive in the trenches during the First World War. The two stories bounce back-and-forth but they gradually weave together as we learn more about how the two protagonists, and their pain, are unified.
Ultimately, One Story is about family legacy and self-forgiveness. Plenty of stories have tackled these themes, but the artwork in One Story adds an unexpected punch. I’ve read a couple of graphic novels before but those ones were orderly. The artwork element followed a predictable cadence of sequential comic-like squares. The artwork in One Story is chaotic. One page is black and white while the next is bursting with color and emotion. It looks like what I’d imagine a full mental breakdown would feel like. You can finish One Story in one sitting and I recommend it doing so. The story has stuck with me since I read it and that’s about the best thing we can ask for from a piece of art, right?