As you may know, the latest graphic novel from Señor Wooly is titled “Me llamo Víctor Parte 1” and is almost available. Hopefully you have pre-ordered it, as it is expected to ship in the coming weeks.

When I found out that Wooly had an advanced copy of this book, I took a page out of Federico’s playbook and decided to do something drastic…. Robé la oficina de Señor Wooly.

Robé la oficina porque TENÍA que leer esta historia.  I have been patiently waiting for this book since I appeared in the final installment of the Victor trilogy, FEO. Pero nunca me rindí.

Let me tell you, the wait was worth it! Here’s what I thought of the book: First of all, a huge shout out to Juan Carlos Pinilla, the artist of the book. Jim’s wonderful story goes nowhere without a talented artist who brings the story to life and let me tell you, the artwork in this book is stunning. The professional quality of the physical book is top notch.

Ok, let’s get to the story. Basically, this book is an origin story of Victor. After seeing how this character goes from his shallow, egotisical-self in the video “Guapo” to his embarrassment in “La Confesión de Víctor” to his lonely state at the beginning of “Feo” before finding true love and happiness by the end, this book takes a look at the defining moments of Victor’s obsession with his looks.

The story takes place when Víctor is 15 years old, as a somewhat “nerdy” student who enjoys reading (And yet in “Guapo” he sings “Yo no necesito leer….”) and seems to be one of the only students who is not interested in the school’s special visitor who is welcomed in an all-school assembly.

What I love is the references throughout the book. Students who are familiar with Senor Wooly’s songs will pick up on several references from the Woolyverse. Although to be honest, that’s the real secret of Wooly’s songs and stories…. he uses high frequency vocabulary and terms that occurs naturally in language. There are certainly many phrases and words that are used from the Víctor Trilogy, plus you might catch some other familiar phrases and other Easter eggs. For example, this character seems to be wearing two very familiar colors. And is that a corázon…. en su mochila?

Like Víctor, you’ll want to read this book at least 3 times.

To top it off, there is even an Oprah reference that many students will understand as it is a popular meme.

While there is a second part to this book, the first part can stand on its own and does answer several things about why Víctor is the way he is in the video “Guapo”. After seeing Víctor in “FEO” I felt some sympathy for the guy, but after reading this book, I’m not sure I can fault him for his behavior and ego in “Guapo”. In fact, I feel sorry for him.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that the last two Graphic Novels from Wooly have been the best (La Casa de la Dentista and Me Llamo Víctor). I am not kidding when I say that either could be sold in Spanish speaking countries as actual books as children would be entertained by the story and mesmerized by the artwork (which is credit to not only Juan Carlos Pinilla, but to the coloring work of Davi Comodo and lettering by Lucas Gattoni). We are lucky as Spanish teachers to have the stories written with a text that is high frequency and comprehensible (with a full glossary included). Without the glossary, you would not know that this is a book for language students, that’s how good it is.

I can’t wait for the rest of you to read it and to hear what your thoughts are. I am excited to get my own official copies and add them to my FVR classroom library. For more information about FVR, check out my FVR page with free resources as well as my posts on FVR. You can also read my posts about how I’ve incorporated other Wooly stories into my classroom.

If you have any questions, (without asking for spoilers), let me know in the comments below.