A bloody journey. If there is something different about comic books, it is the possibility of telling stories through a different prism, using both pictures and words to convey a truth. The need for an original approach often marks the success of a project. In this case, The sky inside your head is a modern epic that echoes tragedy and magical realism, rooted in a harsh truth that many numbers and statistics hide: thousands of African migrants seeking a better life embark on a long voyage toward Europe. Pynchon & Co. in Alicante presents this graphic novel with its creators on January 18 at 19:00.
Lola Lorente’s “Maganta” was selected at the Angoulême Comics Festival
Antonio Altarriba, winner of the National Comic Book Award for The Art of Flying, agrees with cartoonist Sergio Garcia, recipient of the National Illustration Award, and colorist Lola Moral. The story follows Nivek, a child soldier who lives in hell near the coltan mines. Miraculously spared from a landslide, this young Congolese man begins a terrifying, one-way journey through Africa’s wondrous yet dangerous and magical landscapes. Along the way, distances are measured not in kilometers but in horror and human lives.
The work offers a new lens on immigration, bringing readers closer to people who experience it firsthand in their countries of origin. “It is an issue our society has grown accustomed to. There isn’t a day when there isn’t news about boats arriving. It has become a routine that often dulls our senses. The news highlights numbers—migrants arriving, or children and women on board—yet there is little knowledge about what happened after arrival, whether they were accepted or sent back, the trials endured to reach the shore, and why so many undertake such a dangerous journey,” Altarriba explains.
To accurately depict emerging issues, the creator conducted extensive documentation for The sky inside your head. “Not all events faced by Nivek are invented,” Altarriba notes, “they reflect real incidents in the Congo, including encounters with bandits who rob, mistreat, or commit rape. The trip to Europe required a thorough process of prior research: engaging with NGOs like Jambo Congo and studying biographical accounts of those who undertake such journeys. This research gave a face to these individuals and enabled a more honest, tragic storytelling,” he continues. “People don’t simply arrive; they escape from conditions in their home countries and endure constant pressure.”
This journey brings audiences closer to a familiar subject, including the exile endured by the author’s father after the Civil War in 1939. “My father left Spain without knowing where he would end up or what would happen to him. His stories shaped my own, so those experiences found their way into this work,” Altarriba says.
Alicante illustrator Ana Oncina was honored at the Manga Awards in Japan
Delving into the depths of the graphic narrative reveals a work that is intensely raw yet told through magical realism, creating continuous contradictions. The story unfolds like an African fairy tale, presented in a style close to popular literature with an animist touch where living beings, trees, and animals play central roles with their own essence. “I wanted to craft the tale as if it were a traditional folk story, where magic intersects with harsh reality. One key choice was pairing Sergio García’s artwork with Lola Moral’s colors to reinforce this message,” the author explains.
García’s stylized drawings and Moral’s colors shaped an extraordinary, beautiful environment. The African landscape, abundant with color and life, provides a luminous backdrop for a dark narrative. “At first glance, the images appear stunning, but the underlying content is bitter. The initial beauty hides pain, even when friendship, magic, and love surface,” Altarriba remarks. “From time to time, companionship, magic, and love emerge, yet they are wrapped in constant pain.”
Presentation in Alicante
The work The sky inside your head, a multi-award-winning piece, was showcased in Alicante by Pynchon & Co. The event took place on Thursday, January 18 at 19:00, guided by Paco Linares from Alicante, who called it a rare chance to analyze this remarkable work with its creators. Linares also considers the piece a standout, already recognized by several awards and likely to be a strong contender at the Angoulême festival soon after. He sees Altarriba’s evolution from his acclaimed psychoanalytic biographies, including The Art of Flying about his father, as a way to reveal the most dramatic and intimate aspects of life and to present truths that people often overlook.
Regarding the collaboration with Sergio García and Lola Moral, Linares notes the graphic mastery involved. “García is one of the country’s finest cartoonists and arguably better known abroad than at home. He also teaches drawing at the University of Granada. García, who has graced The New Yorker covers, dives into the comic by expanding the page layout: his approach moves beyond the classic short story—he creates a continuous narrative line, sometimes using double-page spreads, and even folding posters in parts,” the expert concludes.
The upcoming Alicante event will feature three writers who will explore the details alongside Paco Linares. The sky inside your head is a prize-winning work that was nominated for the Angoulême festival in France, and this gathering will bring together two national winners with Pynchon & Co. to discuss one of the year’s standout projects.