Rui Tenreiro’s work was brought to my attention by uber-art blog It’s Nice That, who posted today about his upcoming graphic novel, The Celebration. The book looks to be exactly the kind of graphic novel I love: a placid, contemplative story where subtle, evocative images take the forefront over plot and dialogue. The sample pages remind me of some of my favorite illustrators: Sammy Harkham (Poor Sailor, Kramer’s Ergot), Anders Nilsen (Dogs and Water), and Carson Ellis for her super olde-thyme vibe– which, really, never wears thin.

The Celebration seems to be about a couple of wandering indentical twin travelers (distinguished from each other by being scarfed and scarfless, respectively), explorating a haunted forest in medieval Japan. Ghosts, demons, wise villagers, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry are all involved, somehow.

The story itself is a loop. The beginning and the end are the same, they are a continuous cycle that could be repeated eternally. To achieve that, it makes references to reincarnation and shinto beliefs, like Tengu and Reiku. Understanding what Tengu and Reiki are isn’t crucial to the story but, if necessary, the book could have some sort of visual glossary at the end with short descriptions.

Sounds rad. While you wait for The Celebration to hit shelves at your local graphic novel retailer, check out the rest of Tenreiro’s site, which contains a bunch more nifty illustrations.