When I first picked up the reader copy of Frontera, even having seen it advertised in multiple newsletters and as an online reader copy, I only noticed the kid on the front cover. I missed the ghost figure in the back. The colors of this cover I am assuming are meant to represent the desert our narrator is traveling through, but it washes out the man in the background. However, this is an interesting design choice as this character is an interesting piece of the story arc.
We follow Matteo (through flashbacks and current events) as he tries to go back to Arizona so he can finish his high school career. He had lived in the US for 12 years (since he was three), but of course, their illegal status means they are deported. Like many before him, Matteo tries to take the journey back to the states via bus and a coyote. But the young man his parents hired, Matteo thinks knows nothing, after all he’s Matteo’s age so what does he know? (Um, irony much Matteo?) And others are crossing the border during the time he told to wait; making Matteo leave on his own. Only to be confronted with border patrol, vigilantes, dehydration, a jaguar, and more. While traveling, he meets the ghost of a young man who tried to cross back himself over 50 years ago, and who is now left to haunt the desert and help travelers where he can.
Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo have a magical telling of one person’s journey trying to find the American dream, while learning about his history and the dangers his people face. The ghost
element of the story sometimes takes us out of the main story, but it is the story as well. This graphic novel is a collection of the stories both author and illustrators’ families dealt with during their own immigrations to America. After all, it is a lot to happen to one person, but realistic deals with the issues a person could face (of course, SPOILER I don’t think they’d be able to make friends with El Jefe, the jaguar).
