Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Anaïs Flogny – Writer/ Artist
Madeline Morales – Designer
Dan Christensen – Translation
Abrams Comicarts
$25.99
“They asked me how I knew my true love was true
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, I, of course replied
“Something here inside cannot be denied”
Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Once upon a long time ago, 1933 to be exact, Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach collaborated to write the song titled Smoke Gets In Your Eyes of which the first verse appears above. In the nearly one hundred years since then the song has been recorded many times with perhaps the two most famous examples being the 1935 musical Roberta starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire and the Platters’ version released in 1959.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, perhaps coincidentally rather than as a tip of the figurative hat, is also the title to Anaïs Flogny’s debut graphic novel in the United States.
Such an incredible debut it is!
Flogny’s story charts the love affair between young Italian immigrant Jules Tivoli and the older Adam Czar spanning the years from 1938 to 1960 with locations moving from Chicago to New York to the Mediterranean port city of Marseille. It’s quite an intriguing meet cute that Flogny has created for Adam and the Jules that will change their lives forever. In the eight years since Tivoli arrived in the US he’s worked only at menial delivery jobs and barely held on to a tiny single room apartment all the while experiencing bigotry at a time when many Americans felt entitled to express disdain of Italians. In nearly every way Czar is Tivoli’s opposite: a stocky and muscular build, impeccably tailored suits, neatly cut hair, a car and a home all afforded to him by a mysterious job all of which combined demand respect from local store owners, his associates, and average passersby. Without exception Czar drops in weekly at Meek’s Liquors during Jules’ delivery and always gives parting backward glances at Jules. Tivoli notices Czar’s fleeting looks as well as the envelopes he always leaves with. He’s intrigued by Czar’s sophistication, respectability, and air of power. After years of being looked down upon Jules desperately wants a taste of the same for himself and so he “breaks the ice” by creating a commotion that ironically sends him running to his tiny apartment. A week later Czar knocks on the younger man’s door and Jules finds himself accepting a proposal leading to a completely new life filled with opportunity and danger and, yes, romance!
There is much to like about this story. Period settings in media be they graphic novels, movies, television, or novels will always capture my attention. This is especially so when queer characters are featured. For an elder gay like myself who came of age in the 1970s and felt lonely in a heteronormative wasteland such period pieces speak to the truth that we have always been here. A queer romance story between two opposite types will likewise pique my interest though whether it keeps it is another matter which fully depends on the ability of the creator to flesh out their characters and generate tension to move them forward in some fashion. While the plot and pacing advance — two years here, three there, and another few before making a dozen year leap — a delicate balance is achieved between important events in their criminal ventures and intimate moments between Adam the criminal kingpin and young protege Jules as they cautiously navigate their secret relationship to avoid fatal consequences. While Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is a romance it is also a character study of its main characters as their relationship and their personalities change over the years. Flogny takes readers along as she skillfully reveals the couple’s developments and shifts right to the very end.
Looking at Flogny’s art brings to mind several words – graceful, expressive, refined, sublime. A contour line describes her figures while establishing them into their surroundings. At times backgrounds are minimalist or even non existent, certainly not out of laziness. Rather, such choices are made to enhance an emotional character moment, a bit of dialog or simply to give the reader’s eyes a visual break to appreciate simplicity, even to coax the reader into the fictional settings. A keen sense of framing her subjects for emotional impact is evident throughout the book’s entirety. A variety of subdued color combinations is a perfect complement for Flogny’s line art and layouts. Lettering is often overlooked by reviewers, myself included. Rendering Jules’ inner monologue in script and dialog in rectangular boxes are smart choices. Altogether this is a perfect package.
Discovering an artist’s inspiration is always of interest to me and more so on those occasions when the artists in questions come from outside of American comics. René Gruau, Austin Briggs, Kamome Shirahama, and Cyril Pedrosa are artists that Flogny lists as inspiration. These are names I did not recognize and you may not either. If so I encourage you please do yourself a favor and search their names because you will discover beautiful art. Gruau came from the world of magazine and fashion illustration as did Briggs who at one point also drew Flash Gordon and the Spy Smasher feature in Fawcett’s Spy Smasher comic. Shirahama is best known for her Witch Hat Atelier manga while Pedrosa is a French comics artist whose graphic novels I just learned are available at my library. Forgive the digression but serendipitous discoveries like this are exciting to me.
It might seem I’ve discussed the art less than I might have. There is a simple reason for this. Every time I look through the book I find myself randomly stopping and becoming lost in the art. Let me sum up my thoughts. That Flogny is talented is without question. Underlying her talent is the curiosity, skill, and dedication she has invested in her art.
The design work by Madeline Morales contributes to the book’s overall beauty with her choices. First if you remove the dust jacket you’ll find another illustration wrapping around the front to the back cover. The same piece is used for the title page while contrasting images of Jules decorate the end papers and a sweetly romantic sketch of the pair appears at the end of the book. Page numbers may seem an insignificant detail but their usage is always welcomed. Another design decision typically overlooked is the binding method of books. This book was sewn bound and that means it will last for many years to come. It’s a small sign that the publisher was aware of how special this work is.
Many thanks to Dan Christensen for his translation work on this graphic novel which debuted under the title Rivages Lointains in January 2024 from French publisher Darguad. Because of translators like Christensen the collections and reading experiences of many a reader like myself have been enriched by a number of graphic novels originally published outside of the United States. Gengorah Tagame’s Our Colors and the two volume My Brother’s Husband, Alvaro Ortiz’s Ashes, and Matthias Lehmann’s Parallel are several which come to mind.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is an exceptional beginning to what I believe will be a remarkable portfolio from Anaïs Flogny. My sincere hope is for future work from the talented Flogny will also be translated into English. May I suggest sitting down with your favorite beverage and listening to some Bobby Darin or the gay stylings of Gene Howard’s Love Is A Drag while reading this book?
Follow Anaïs Flogny on Instagram, at Bluesky and Carrd and Tumblr.
Dan Christensen also draws comics. Follow him on Instagram.
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