(W/A) Cristina Portolano. Told for the first time in graphic novel form* the story of Francis Bacon's life is as complex* colorful* and highly charged as his paintings. Drawn in shades of mauve* red* yellow* and blue that distinguished his palette* these illustrations weave together a troubling but compassionate narrative* one that draws on the tragic events of Bacon's childhood and youth* as well as reflecting the profoundly passionate yearnings of the artist he became. Separated into thematic and chronological sections the novel highlights the prevailing influences of Bacon's life and times: his early autodidacticism and estrangement from his family; his struggles to make his way as a surrealist painter and his destruction of his early work. It traces his gradual success in postwar Europe* his powerful and often violent romantic relationships* his foray into portraiture* and his never-ending search for subject matter and meaning in his work.