Z - A WORDLESS GRAPHIC NOVEL

What’s the difference between a terrorist and a goldfish? A goldfish is a lot better at swimming. What? Did you think I was going to tell you a joke? No. Not me. Although I have a sneaking suspicion a few might be featured in the following interview I did with my friend from Spain. Valentin, it’s now over to you, pal.


Valentin Ramon on Amazon


1) What are your own origins, Valentin?   I was born in Switzerland and moved to Spain when I was 4 years old, and even as a child, I would either be drawing or daydreaming about anything else rather than doing my actual school work. By the age of 14 I wasn’t much better, because I was the archetypical nerd: A silent boy, sitting alone in the corner of a darkened room, perpetually reading “The Never Ending Story”. Fast forward 15 years and I still can’t help but wonder why I stopped drawing, why I grew up, and why I never created that comic book I always wanted. So here I am, now ready for some action.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Z: A Wordless Graphic Novel’?   For the last 20 years, I’ve had one thing on my mind: To create a graphic novel by both writing it and drawing it. I’ve attempted to do this several times already, but unfortunately, life and my natural ability to avoid being stuck in the same place for too long made it impossible for me to do. So, six months ago, I decided that it was now or never. I had to write it. I had to draw it. And I had to delve deep inside myself and create a book that would define me as a person. After all, that is what I do and “Z” is something I want to express.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   “Z” is a funny book about a serious subject matter, terrorism, which from my point of view has always been reinterpreted in a negative way, misleading even. So what I aim to do is to shed a little light on this subject and show people another way of looking at it.

4) What song would you say best represents this graphic novel and why?   Even though I can’t pick one particular song to compare to my book I can recommend an entire album. It’s called, ‘All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone’, and it was devised by Explosions in the Sky. I like it because it’s mainly sad music but with a feeling of colorful hope by the end.

For every problem we find here on Earth, there is a solution that will make us step back and take a hard, long, look at the whole picture instead of focusing only on the small strokes.

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Bill Hicks. He was a great stand-up comedian, and I really enjoyed the way he looked at the world around us. Bill was able to make people laugh at some of the crudest and most perplexing stuff, like war, for instance, and then afterward's make you question the world we live in.

6) What have you learned about yourself through this endeavor?   That it doesn’t matter how high the sacrifice is because sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

7) If ‘Z’ had a motto, what would it be?   Things aren’t always how they seem, so take a closer look.

And on that note, I would like to thank Valentin for telling us about his wordless graphic novel, ‘Z’, before directing you towards his official website, twitter, and facebook pages.