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We’re not enemies

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Ademar Vieira is very self-aware about the tone of his comics. “I never think: ‘I’m going to make a comic to make everyone cry!’ But I think that because of the chosen theme, usually some subject that is bothering me. So, the story moves towards something tragic or sad. I noticed that my pen tends to go to that place often, but when I realize that I’m becoming too negative, I try to do something with a positive ending, so I don’t fill my feed with sadness.”

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

While global problems are important, Ademar is hurt most by what’s happening in Brazil. “I would really like to say that everything is going well, but I would be lying. Brazil has faced the worst years in almost every sector in decades. Amazon and Pantanal, our two richest and largest biomes, are being destroyed by fire and given away to pastures. Unemployment and inflation with the highest rates in many years and added to this the total lack of interest and even denial of the government in fighting the pandemic. I could talk for hours about everything that’s wrong, but it would only enrage the audience, so I’d rather just wish that better days would come soon.”

Image credits: ademar__vieira

How does Ademar do it; how is he capable of doing so much in so few words? Well, perhaps the fact that he works as a journalist, a screenwriter, alongside being a great illustrator, might give you a clue. When you come to think of it, this is probably the best combination to have for a task like telling a compelling story about life in images.

When worlds collide

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Some cynical critics might say that Vieira’s work exploits our empathy, but this remark is nothing more but cynical in the worst sense. I’d even say on the contrary, his works don’t dance around their subject and are sometimes even brutally honest, considering that most would prefer to soften the edges of the social issues they’re portraying. It’s just how life sometimes is. Isn’t life often tragic? Isn’t it sometimes poignantly painful? It’s important not to lose this understanding.

A Christmas story

“Once when I was working at a newspaper, I was asked by my editor to write a story about Santa Claus. At first I thought that the story would be silly, but then I realized that Santa might have good stories to tell. I interviewed some of them, and a Santa from a big shopping mall told me this story, which happened in my hometown, Manaus, a few years ago…”

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

The sensitive societal problems that are explored here sometimes might be unforgiving for a storyteller: there’s a risk that these stories might come out as being a little bit too gritty, hardcore, too dark and seemingly hopeless. But still, Vieira has his ways of approaching these topics with a sensitive perspective and a gentle touch. Perhaps it’s the watercolor that he uses, or the way he draws his characters and sets up the narrative, or the way in which he might find a silver lining of hope in the dark clouds of toil. Whatever it is, it works like magic. Let’s wish for him never to lose this spark of talent!

Keep moving

“Our lives are constantly changing. Nothing lasts forever. Things change and losses are inevitable. It’s painful, but there is no recipe for eternal happiness and we can only adapt to everything that comes ahead. This strip is called “Keep Moving” and I dedicate it to all the people who needed or are needing to reinvent themselves to move forward.”

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

But like most great things, Ademar’s passion for creating these stories started as a humble hobby, “just a way to exorcise my demons during a very difficult phase I was going through,” he said. But what he quickly noticed is that many people connect with his stories and identify themselves in them. The artist’s popularity skyrocketed overnight, at first in Brazil, then worldwide, as he received hundreds of thousands of likes and 20 thousand followers in just one week. Now the artist has over 60k followers on Instagram, which is a very solid amount by any artist’s standards.

It’s not over yet

“What’s happening in my hometown, Manaus, is mainly the result of the incompetence and lack of planning by government officials at all levels, but some other factors contributed to this tragedy. Ignorance, denying science, fake news and the unfounded notion that the worst is already gone is leading hundreds of thousands to death around the world. Let’s stay alert and careful and mind each other’s own well-being.”

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira

Image credits: ademar__vieira