Het gesticht

Carlos Giménez’s Het gesticht, published by Espee since 1981, is a single-issue, harrowing graphic novel that distills his searing memories of life under Franco’s regime in a Spanish orphanage. Through stark, expressive black-and-white art, Giménez chronicles the institutional cruelty, survival, and fragile bonds among the boys, offering a deeply personal and unflinching look at a dark chapter in Spanish history. It remains a landmark of European autobiographical comics, prized for its raw honesty and humanistic power.