Pedro and Me

Rating:
Summary: Portrait of a Life-Changing Friendship
Review: Anyone who watched MTV's Real World- San Francisco remembers Pedro Zamora, the young Cuban housemate who had AIDS. Over the course of the season we learned about the Disease from Pedro, and watched him form friendships with the others in the house. One of those new friends was Judd Winick, an aspiring Cartoonist. Since the show ended, Judd has realized his goal: He's become a successful Comic Writer/Artist, working on books like Barry Ween, Frumpy the Clown, Green Lantern, and Exiles. He has also become an AIDS educator, carrying on the work of his friend Pedro, who has since passed away.

Pedro and Me is the story of their extraordinary friendship, told in Comic-Book form. Winick starts by giving us a brief background on himself, and then we learn about the amazing childhood of Pedro....I won't spoil anything; I'll just say that some of the facts we learn are incredibly interesting. Winick covers the Real World pretty well, thankfully not giving the loathsome "Puck" any attention at all, and moves forward to Pedro's death and beyond, letting us see how this courageous young man changed so many lives.

This is truly an amazing book, and hopefully it will reach an audience that generally doesn't read comics. Pedro seemed like a truly good person, and the world is a poorer place for his passing.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply Moving and Entertaining
Review: Being a fan of both the Real World and the comics of Judd Winick, as well as a "bed-wetting liberal" gay man, this book has been on my want list ever since I heard rumors about it. I was not dissapointed. Judd has a charming style of storytelling that is right up there with the best in sequential art. He has great pace and dialogue. The story of Pedro's life is heartwarming and heroic. There are several parts where you will need to put the book aside to cry or just reflect on what you just read.

Pedro was a unique spirit and Judd spreads his tale like a true bard. Buy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully haunting..
Review: I have never seen 'The Real World', nor had I heard of Pedro. I merely picked this book up on a whim, and discovered an amazing tale of friendship, both beautifully drawn and exceptionally realised. Brief, but hard to forget.

Winick's life has obviously changed after meeting Pedro, and I am suprised so many reviewers feel that he is capitalising on Pedro's death. Rather, Winick strikes me as having a great amount of love and admiration for his former friend, all the while using the comic medium to become a voice for Pedro's cause. Essentially the work is looking to promote AIDS awareness and direct a future that is increasingly knowledgable and embracing of non-normative sexualities.

The art is quite lovely; somewhat like Craig Thompson's 'Blankets', although the comic couldn't be more different. I thought the layouts were quite innovative and the whole piece was quite an achievement and obviously completely heartfelt, which is so uncommon in the comic genre.

However, I did feel that the time in the house was skipped over quite briefly to focus on his death. While the exploration of his demise was important, I think it is also essential to portray more of his household interactions, considering they were the basis for the friendship.

Additionally, the comic's cover is a real led-down point for Winick. It is poorly designed, old-fashioned and quite unappealing. It does not really exhibit the true wonder of this comic, which is a shame, because it is quite masterful.

Irrespective of this, I could not recommend this work enough. It is beautiful and deep, aching and gentle. I really admired it.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and beautiful
Review: I was in my school's library, searching for a book to read and kill empty time with, when I laid eyes on a glossy copy of Pedro and Me. I was somewhat familiar of the story-I haven't watched The Real World religiously, but I know the casts, settings. And I remember a couple of years back, I read a story about Pedro Zamora, the young man on the San Francisco show who died of AIDS in 1994. I was picking it up, expecting a light, if sad read, and looking at its comic book form, my first thought was "a comic book?! This is not what I expected". But as I read each and every box, saw each and every detailed, elaborate picture, I became slowly engrossed in the book. Some pictures, without even reading the words to go with them, brought tears to my eyes. Judd Winick should be commended nonstop. I have never seen such a gorgeous tribute to anyone as this. Some parts of the book were extremely humorous, but I found myself crying towards the middle. I've known several people who've lost their battle with AIDS in the past few years, and it was often too painful to read at times. When Pedro wakes up with shingles, Winick's cartoons literally sent chills down my spine. Pedro is a hero, and will live on forever. I cannot fathom anyone making a nicer memorial to anyone, than this book. Don't let it's comic-book style fool you, it's simply mesmerizing. I applaud Winick, who stuck by Pedro through everything. Please don't miss this book.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!!!
Review: This book is the best book I've ever read. It's the only book that I can read over and over again. It changed me and how I look on life. I've lost a friend who I loved and still love dearly. I feel that this book should be read by everyone. Its AWESOME!!!

Rating:
Summary: opportunist writing
Review: This is a very compelling book. If you ever saw the Real World San Francisco, this give you more insight of what happen when the cameras were turned off. Judd Winnick was a friend to Pedro Zamora. Judd had to deal with losing a good friend to a deadly disease (AIDS) that at that time we knew nothing of. This a really good book. I read this book in two days and couldn't stop crying. I recommend this book to everyone. Judd Winnick, thank you for keeping Pedro Zamora's memory alive.

Rating:
Summary: Pedro and Me
Review: This is written by a former MTV Real World cast member who lived with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora during his time on the show. This fact can put people off as it seems like Judd Winick used both his fame and the death of his roommate to make money. After reading the book, it is obvious that this is not true. Written, or rather drawn, like a comic book, 'Pedro and Me' tells the story of AIDS educator Pedro Zamora from the beginning of his time on The Real World until his death at the end of 1994, and also includes a little bit about his background and childhood. It shows what a person living and coping with AIDS and life as an AIDS educator and also manages to explore the myths and misinformation surrounding the subject. It is easy to read because of the way it is written, which makes it more entertaining and funny, which it is in parts. You also get to see illustrations of the story, where as you wouldn't in a novel. It shows how much of a friend Pedro was to Judd Winick and how it affected him, as well as how he coped with Pedro's illness and death. He writes is honest and caring. This book may help anyone who is living with someone, or who has AIDs, and also may help anyone suffering the death of a loved one. It will also educate those who know little about AIDS. The story of Pedro Zamora's life is an inspirational one, and could probably not have been better told.

Rating:
Summary: A wondeful tribute.
Review: When I first heard about this book, I thought there was no way that Mr. Winick could capture his story in a comic book format. I was wrong. Not only is this book powerful, but the graphic art truly captures the human emotions that makes it an outstanding book for anyone with an open mind and heart. After reading Pedro and Me, I realized how much Pedro touched many lives all over the world, and his memory will continue to stay alive with this book honoring him.
A job well done Mr. Winick

Rating:
Summary: Simplistic beauty
Review: When I was nine, my fourth grade teacher instructed me to write a letter to President Bush, Sr. and, at random, I picked the topic of HIV/AIDS. For my letter to the president, I spent a good bit of time in the library trying to learn about this killer that, in 1991, few people knew--or cared to know--all that much about.

From there formed my life-long interest in AIDS education and awareness. Even though I was just a child and I didn't know anyone with the disease, something about it--and the people afflicted by it--just intrigued me. Like any other nine-year-old with with such interests, I hated MTV. However, at the age of 12, I made it a point to watch The Real World: San Francisco. I did not want to see Pedro Zemora's struggle, but rather his fight. A fight for acceptance and understanding--a fight for the love of our fellow man.

Judd Winick has used his talents as a cartoonist and his love for his friend in a beautiful and poignant way. In these pages, the reader is shown Pedro's bravery in addition to his fears. The reader is given insight into the heart, mind and soul of a man who had made some mistakes in life, but who spent his latter years making sure others travelled down a different path.

The drawings help to convey emotions that cannot be expressed through words on paper.

Rest in peace, Pedro. And thank you, Judd Winick.