Strong Women Lead in “I Am Their Silence”

Dark Horse Books

I Am Their Silence (Je suis leur silence), a beautifully drawn original comic by Spanish creator Jordi Lafebre, is a gripping murder mystery with a funny, offbeat protagonist that touches on themes of mental health, class structures, and patriarchal power. It was published in France in 2023, and the English-language edition translated by Montana Kane was just published by Dark Horse.

The mystery takes place in present-day Barcelona, and our lead character is Eva Rojas, a brilliant psychiatrist. One of her patients is a daughter in a wealthy family of winemakers; when one of the family members is found dead while Eva is visiting their luxurious estate, she is roped into the conflict as both a possible suspect and an amateur sleuth.

Eva Stands Out

Eva herself is a contemporary, sexually liberated woman with bipolar disorder that manifests in a curious way: The voices and characters of elder women in her family appear regularly to her. These voices and visions are not ghosts, but memories that guide and empower her on her journey through the patriarchal Monturós family, the aforementioned wealthy winemakers. Although she throws herself headfirst into danger, Eva is presented as smart and capable, with a great intellect and a neurodivergent mind.

Dark Horse Books

Her character design is relatively simple, with a round head, spiky hair, and stringy limbs. She’s a lively person in disposition and in the art. Lafebre’s expressive poses work especially well during scenes where Eva confronts the men of the Monturós family—her shorter figure at first appears physically dominated as the men invade her personal space, but her relaxed poses and defiant personality keep her demeanor unflinching. In the face of powerful men, Eva never backs down.

Lafebre’s energetic art gives life and humor to the extended cast of characters in this story as well, including the Monturós family members, detectives, and more. His lush colors complement the natural settings of the estate and the rest of Spain, while the interiors of buildings feel warm and inviting. Lafebre’s versatility is staggering as Eva’s pursuit of the mystery takes us through varied memories, distinct locales, and different times of day, all rendered flawlessly.

Wealth and Power

The mystery itself evokes the obsession with wealth-obsessed storytelling in the West; recent films like Knives Out and Triangle of Sadness come to mind, as well as the television phenomenon that is The White Lotus. The Monturós family are mainly a bunch of men, in contrast to the chorus of women in Eva’s mind. She compares them to the gods of Olympus, deriding their entitlement and arrogance by putting them up against Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

Although an educated professional, Eva is an outsider to the family’s grand wealth and patriarchal power. This comes together in one scene where the vision of Eva’s mother tells the story of an attempted assault on her from a younger age; facing a similar assault herself in the story, Eva knows how to fight back by following her mother’s wisdom.

Dark Horse Books

I Am Their Silence smartly resolves its central mystery and is a phenomenal read with meaningful ideas and an enveloping story. Lafebre clearly loves his heroine, too—a sequel following Eva’s next adventure, Je suis un ange perdu (I Am a Lost Angel), was published in France in October 2025, and hopefully an English translation will come sooner rather than later. I Am Their Silence is available now in hardcover.