"En Camino", an emotional comic about the Way of Saint James

The article presents “On the Way”, an emotional comic about the Camino de Santiago created by artists Paco Hernández and José Ángel Ares, which blends personal experience and fiction to narrate the pilgrimage along the French Way. The work follows two protagonists as they progress physically and spiritually towards Santiago, illustrating values such as friendship, companionship, and inner growth inspired by real experiences of pilgrims.

The Camino de Santiago leaves a profound mark on anyone who has walked it at least once, regardless of the route, as all offer a vital experience that, once completed, brings a "I don't know what," a feeling of satisfaction, happiness, joy, and fulfillment. We are not the only ones saying this; you can ask any pilgrim, such as the two creative minds from the comic world who present us with an emotional comic about the Camino de Santiago, "En Camino" where you can find all the information about the Camino de Santiago that its authors gathered from their experience, extrapolated into pure art.

Two creative pilgrims

Let us name the two creators of this story. The screenwriter and Tik-toker Paco Hernández (Lleida, 1977) and the illustrator José Ángel Ares (Bilbao, 1979), regular collaborators on other stories, invite us to undertake the Camino de Santiago with a very special comic. The first, Paco, is perhaps the one who planted the first seed in this project, published in 2020 by Ediciones La Cúpula. As he recounts, he completed the Camino in 2001 during a tough period in his life, and he confidently states that "I have no doubt in calling it one of the best experiences of my life".

Such was the positive impact of his pilgrimage that he decided to undertake it again, but in comic format. And this time he did not do it alone, but with the graphic contribution of José Ángel, who, unlike Paco, has not yet walked the Camino. However, José Ángel lives in Santiago de Compostela, and just by strolling through the Plaza del Obradoiro, he can already imagine all the goodness that the Camino can signify. Moreover, as he himself states, "Paco's script has only confirmed it for me".

The script: a blend of personal experience and fiction

Paco was captivated by his Jacobean experience and discovered that he had very good content for a new creation. As he himself recounts, "the characters embody people I met, experiences I witnessed, and moments I was a witness to: surprise, laughter, tears, calm, etc... All that and more".

With this prior premise, let us see what the story is about. The protagonists of this comic are Emma and Abby, two girls with their life vicissitudes who forge a strong friendship on their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Emma is a thirty-something comic artist going through a life change, a normal person who has just ended a romantic relationship and has her longings, dreams, and concerns. On the other hand, Abby is a girl with a lot of life experience but who carries some silent pain within her, and she will find in Emma the support and warmth she needs.

The chosen route is the French Way from Roncesvalles, as it is not only the most popular route and the same one that Paco himself walked, but with its month-long duration it provides "the sufficient time for the characters to evolve". Throughout all the stages, from the nerves of the first day to the exciting arrival in Santiago de Compostela, we will encounter an Emma who walks day by day, tiring herself kilometer after kilometer, sweating from the weight of her backpack and the scorching sun, and feeling her feet like she had never felt them before...

But this is not just a physical journey, but also a spiritual one

Everything she experiences reconnects Emma with herself, as well as with the world around her and the people she meets, as if it were a new reality and luminous, positive spirituality. This is a path of learning, making each pilgrim self-taught from their own experience, just as Paco felt at his moment and as he immortalizes in these two protagonists.

The secondary characters also hold great importance, the people of the way, even the towns, animals, and landscapes encountered along the journey. All of this is inspired by the pilgrim reality of Paco, who adds that the people he meets "are a reflection of all the good you will take with you while doing the Camino, and I say this clearly as a statement because it is… inevitable. Hundreds of thousands of people are an example that we can be better if we set our minds to it; sometimes it is just a matter of simple gestures."

All the good you can find on the Camino and in its people is friendship, love, empathy, camaraderie, and generosity, and regarding this last value, Paco himself went "in person to give the comic to one of those people, who has no idea that this comic exists and part of his story and that of his wife have been reflected in it."

"The way asks the questions and the way provides the answers."

A phrase that every pilgrim understands perfectly, just like Paco. It is not a self-help work, moralizing, or meant to touch the reader's sensitive side. It is a narrative based on a real experience, with a personal and spiritual background justified by the experiences of thousands and thousands of pilgrims who embark on the enriching Jacobean experience.

If you have not yet been a pilgrim, with this reading you will understand us, and you will realize what the Camino de Santiago means to the pilgrim community. "En Camino" is available and you can purchase it here, and if you decide to do so, we have all the real routes at your disposal, including those that allow you to admire the Landscapes of the Portuguese Way.

Happy reading, and let’s hit the road, pilgrim.