Writer: Francesco Barilli
Artist & Colorist: Sakka
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Price: $19.99
Release Date: February 24, 2026
His parents named him after his stillborn older brother. They made other plans for him. Even his brother Theo, his most avid supporter, forced Vincent to compromise his ideals. Still, Vincent knew what he wanted and tread his own path through life. What challenges did he face? And what prompted Vincent Van Gogh to create his immortal art? Let’s grab our paints and brushes, leap into Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever TP, and see!
Story
Vincent’s father pastored a church in a small town in the Netherlands. Bearing the name of his stillborn older brother made Vincent feel like a replacement. And his parents regularly took him to the grave to honor his brother’s memory.
In Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever TP, the artist-to-be grows up torn between two worlds. Pastors and art dealers number among his family. His father wants him to shepherd souls. Yet the working class suffers from poverty and illness. Vincent cannot preach from the pulpit to the well-heeled members of society without immersing himself in the plight of the less fortunate. His father’s insistence upon retaining the family’s respectability restrains Vincent and dooms his ministry.
Equating the world of manners and etiquette with spiritual death, Vincent throws his passion into his art. He craves neither financial rewards nor public acclaim. His parents, and later his brother Theo, support him. Still, Vincent's family wishes that pursuing art could make him happy.
As Vincent Van Gogh travels, always searching for someplace new to live and paint, Francesco Barilli walks readers through the artist's life. We see the people who inspired him, his brother's steadfast support, and Vincent's attempts to uplift others. Like many artists, Vincent seeks to transform his mind through alcohol. Yet whether living on his own or with others, in a house or a hospital, Vincent strives to capture the life, energy, and mystery of the world around him and the sky above.
Art
Sakka begins Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever TP with darkness. Dressed in a suit, young Vincent holds a red rose. The moonlight casts an eerie glow over the cemetery and a decaying church. His parents seem more like specters than people. The darkness follows Vincent as he journeys through his life. Yet pink adorns the borders of pages filled with panels showcasing Vincent, the people in his life, and the symbols that held meaning for him.
These symbols open each chapter. They define periods of Vincent's life and the struggles he dealt with. Hyperreal colors suggest the stimuli flooding Vincent's brain, and the reasons why he always felt unworthy of wielding a brush. Yet Sakka's art attempts not just to tell Vincent's life but inhabit it through his paintings. From "Sorrow" to Vincent's Room," An Empty Chair" and beyond, these interpretations of Vincent’s classic paintings suggest X-ray images revealing the painter's otherworldly vision.
Handwriting fills white balloons and panel backgrounds. As the cursive lettering varies from tiny to generous, the writing style emulates the epistles Vincent and his family left behind. The lettering size and style may slow the pace. Yet they lend an immediacy and authenticity to Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever TP.
In a final section of notes, the author cites the sources that helped him craft this interpretation of Vincent Van Gogh's life. He also explains why he embraced some historical accounts and contemporary views more than others. Thanks to Mad Cave Studios, Comixology, and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Vincent Van Gogh lived among us for thirty-seven years. He only sold one painting during that time. Yet he is one of the most celebrated artists in history. Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever TP illuminates the artist's struggles with family, society, and his limitations. The graphic novel also pays homage to the people who challenged and supported him, and ensured that Vincent Van Gogh's unique vision of the world still inspires us today.
Rating 9/10
To look inside see my preview of Vincent Van Gogh: Sadness Will Last Forever TP.
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