Miguel Angel Valdivia's graphic novel reimagines Saint Joseph of Copertino as a silent comic

Mexican artist Miguel Angel Valdivia has released his first graphic novel, "Il divino inciampare," published by Coconino Press in Rome in 2019. The book is a silent comic (wordless) that reinterprets the life of Saint Joseph of Copertino, known as the "santo asino" (holy donkey), who was capable of levitating. Valdivia first encountered the saint about fifteen years ago through Carmelo Bene's book "A boccaperta," a screenplay for an unmade film. However, Valdivia distanced himself from Bene's text to develop a more personal narrative. The comic is drawn with a woodcock feather, a tool Valdivia describes as fragile and capricious but with a line he fell in love with. The story deliberately anachronistically includes modern elements like cars, computers, and televisions in a 17th-century setting, as Valdivia explains that his imagination is not bound by historical accuracy. Each chapter opens with texts by cyop&kaf to provide context, but readers must imagine thoughts and dialogues. Valdivia, also co-founder of the drawing magazine Le Petit Néant, plans to continue exploring wordless narratives. The book is 208 pages, priced at €20, with ISBN 9788876184321.