Pedro and Me by Judd Winick

Winick, Judd.
Pedro & Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned.
New York:
Henry Holt and Company,
New York, 2000.

Moving from the melodrama of MTV’s heavily edited reality show The Real World to a nostalgic and moving graphic memoir is no easy transformation. While millions of television viewers saw Pedro Zamora’s activism about AIDS awareness and later saw him become a victim of the disease, there was an even more personal and real experience going on for Zamora and Winick behind the screen. Though he educated many Americans about the truths of HIV and AIDS, he perhaps taught no one more than Judd Winick. Winick’s memoir about Pedro and their relationship tells the reader what happened before, during, and after the show, going far beyond what most of us saw on screen.

Winick is an excellent storyteller and makes a lasting impression with this artistic graphic work. Not only is the story emotionally moving, but the art is created in such a way that it is a compelling read. Knowing the outcome of Pedro’s life doesn’t make the story any less engaging. Winick manages to draw the reader in with a unique use of panel movement, taking a detour from the standard boxes and creating a dynamic between the characters and their environment that pushes the story onward. Though Pedro’s life story is poignant on its own, Winick’s presentation gives more power and presence in its graphic form than could be achieved otherwise.