A Scoundrel in the New World: A Conman, El Dorado, and an Unreliable Narrator

A Scoundrel in the New World is a graphic novel, not a video game or a game quest, which is the first thing to clear up for anyone searching the title. It comes from Oni Press and Magnetic Press and was announced through a Kickstarter campaign. The book is a historical adventure comic, told in full painted art, and it is aimed at readers who enjoy classic adventure stories with a cynical edge. If you arrived here looking for a game walkthrough, this is a different kind of story, but it is the title the search results actually point to.

The story follows Don Pablos of Segovia, a low-born but cunning rogue who leaves the streets of Spain behind and sails to the New World in search of fortune. His goal is the mythical treasure of El Dorado, and the journey takes him through the Andes and the Amazon. Along the way he shifts identities again and again, from beggar to nobleman, doing whatever it takes to survive. The whole tale is framed as Pablos recounting his life while being interrogated by colonial authorities, so the reader never quite knows which parts of his story to trust.

The book is written by Alain Ayroles and illustrated by Juanjo Guarnido, the artist best known for Blacksad. Ayroles brings the wit of classic Spanish picaresque literature, while Guarnido paints every panel with the cinematic detail he is known for. The story is inspired by Francisco de Quevedo's classic satirical novel The Swindler, known in Spanish as El Buscon, and it works as an unofficial sequel to that tale. That combination of a literary root and a master comic artist is a big part of why the book drew attention.

Readers are talking about the book for three reasons. First, the art: Guarnido's painted panels carry the historical detail of the Spanish Empire and the New World with unusual richness. Second, the narration: Pablos is an unreliable narrator, telling his story to interrogators, so the book plays with what is true and what is a lie. Third, the tone: it is witty and cynical rather than heroic, which makes it stand out from straightforward adventure comics. For readers who enjoy historical adventure with a rogue at its centre, it is a book worth watching. Gaming readers can also browse the store for their next title. If you enjoy story-driven explainers, our method guide for the Following Orders mission in MW4 (/en/seo/following-orders-mw4-mission-method) breaks down another campaign story the same way.