This illustration popped into my head the other day while I was walking through Montreal, listening to one of my favorite podcasts, La Contrahistoria by the amazing Fernando Díaz Villanueva. The episode was about the Cosa Nostra. Here’s the link to that episode—once you start, you’ll get hooked and can jump to any topic that grabs you. They’re seriously addictive.
Back in my 20s, I spent a year taking evening history classes at the University of Barcelona while studying illustration and design at Escola Joso in the mornings. Illustration was always my true path, so by the second year, I focused solely on drawing, creating, and diving deep into visual storytelling.
It’s been a long, rewarding journey full of effort to get where we are today—and where we hope to go next. But history has always been a passion of mine. Lately, I’ve picked it up again—reading essays, listening to podcasts, and watching historical documentaries.
This conceptual piece is a few years old now—it was # 8 in the series—and I love it because it’s probably the most comic-book-style one I’ve done. The Godfather is one of my top three movies of all time, and I’m a huge fan of illustrations where yellow dominates.
Montreal Walk + Cosa Nostra Podcast = #TBT: Mafioso’s Scythe Shadow
