Twists of Fate

Miguel Ruiz is a Spanish veteran exiled in France who was a member of “La Nueve” ("The Nine"), a company of men that went straight from fighting for their homeland in the Spanish Civil War to battles spanning the globe in WWII. Their years-long trek across Europe and Africa was spurred on by their love for their country and their hatred for brutal dictatorships. Roca uses the composite character Ruiz’s “memories” to tell a story that’s an ode to a generation that bravely stood up to, and beat back, violent fascism.

Paco Roca is an acclaimed Spanish comics artist whose translated works with Fantagraphics include The Treasure of the Black Swan (2022), Memoirs of a Man in Pajamas (2023), and Return to Eden (2024).