In the shadow of alchemy: an analysis of the character Raimundo Flamel in the comic book adaptation of Lima Barreto's “A Nova Califórnia” (The New California)

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the construction of the character Raimundo Flamel in the comic book adaptation of the iconic short story “A Nova Califórnia” (The New California) by Brazilian author Lima Barreto. Our methodology consists of qualitative and descriptive research with an analytical focus, grounded in intermedia studies and the analysis of multisemiotic resources. The objective focused on mapping and interpreting verbal-visual elements, such as framing, facial expressions (expressive anatomy), use of colors (color palette), and narrative captions that structure the characterization of the protagonist in the process of transposing the literary text into a graphic narrative. The comic book, solely authored by Ricardo S. Vilachã, who is responsible for both the script and the illustrations, presents itself as an adaptation and expands the traditional literary text through the presence of verbal-visual language, corroborating a range of meanings beyond the verbal text. We observe, thus, that the comic deepens the complexity of the protagonist and, through the multisemiotic resources inherent to the language of comics, approaches many young readers in a more accessible way. The insights of scholars such as Ramos (2009), Pessoa (2016), Hutcheon (2013), and others provide theoretical support and grounding for our discussions.