A big Blacksad
The wait will have been worth it: So everything fallsthe second part of which has just been published, proves to be the best Blacksad since Red Soul. The scenario, this time, is well put together: the evil feline investigates murders which, he gradually discovers, are linked to a sprawling corruption affair involving an ambitious builder and not very scrupulous union leaders. The whole thing is enveloped in almost Shakespearean intrigues and betrayals – the references to the works of the venerable English playwright are numerous – which give spring to this adventure set in the New York of the 1950s. Juan Díaz Canales offers a social painting with meticulous suspense tied up that Juanjo Guarnido once again illustrates with mastery… and nods to van Gogh.
Blacksad – So it all falls 2e part
Dargaud
55 pages
True art
Drawing the material for his books from reality is the rule rather than the exception for Fabien Toulmé. In Unforgettable, he tells six stories from as many testimonies. One speaks of her family’s recruitment into the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the consequences on her life, others of a long-awaited love. Then, it’s about rape, fleeing a country at war, delinquency and rehabilitation. Stories told with great humanity by Toulmé, who we know is sensitive to details and who excels at conveying the moods of his characters. Its clear line and soft colors contribute to the intimate character of this beautiful book published last fall, but which we would be remiss to ignore.
Unforgettable
Dupuis
126 pages
Dreaming of yourself before
Before opening Me, Edin Björnsson, Swedish fisherman in the 18th centurye century, womanizer and murdered by a jealous husband, we believe that the long title of this comic says everything there is to know about the story it tells. We are wrong, of course. And it is one of the qualities of the author, Edith, who leads us along throughout this story where it is a question of fishing and reincarnation. The Edin of the title was a womanizer, it’s true, but above all he is a fatherless child raised by his mother, his aunt and also a man welcomed into the household to help out. Above all, Edin would be one of the past lives lived by the author… if the “magnetizer” she consulted is telling the truth. The anecdote here gives rise to a good story which, ultimately, proves to be an ode to the imagination.
Me, Edin Björnsson
Night owl
96 pages
Rewriting the history of dinosaurs
A specialist in popularizing science, Marion Montaigne draws an intriguing thread here: how did paleontologists reconstruct dinosaurs from pieces of bone? The author obsessed with Jurassic Park (a film that she would have seen more than 400 times if we are to believe this comic strip with autobiographical outlines) made it her subject of investigation. His pencil strokes are lively and his humor is frankly delightful. We happily follow her as she dusts off the story with her mischievous curiosity as a guide. Our lost worlds is not yet another illustrated book about the giants who populated the Earth several tens of millions of years ago, it is an entertaining dive into history to put in the hands of young, discerning teenagers.
Our lost worlds
Dargaud
205 pages
Treasure hunt well done
Corto Maltese, legendary hero of the no less legendary Hugo Pratt, is once again taken up by Martin Quenehen and Bastien Vivès. We know the graphic style of the designer, his sinuous and eloquent line, here bathed in boxes limited to black, gray and white of varied intensity. The audacity attempted with Black Ocean in 2021 is republished: the story takes place in the early 2000s. Here, Corto Maltese pirates a cargo ship full of weapons. The operation is a success, but of course puts him in serious trouble. Starting from the remains of the civil war of former Yugoslavia, the skillfully shot story leads him to hunt for the treasure of Alexander the Great. This tandem has a lucky hand.
The Queen of Babylon
Casterman
180 pages
The unknown knight
A specialist in medieval stories, Emanuele Arioli has reconstructed a good part of a lost story associated with the Grail cycle and resurrected a forgotten hero: Ségurant (or Sigurant) the “knight with the dragon”. The comic book co-signed by the medievalist (script) and Emiliano Tanzillo (drawing) is inspired by the rediscovered story, but mixes it, he explains in the introduction, with ancient Nordic legends. His hero here is called Sivar and despite himself finds himself forced to fight the evil fairy Morgana to find the Grail and save the court of King Arthur. Convoluted and full of twists and turns (which is the norm in stories of chivalry), the story nevertheless turns out to be far too stitched together to claim a certain depth. The visual staging is sometimes impressive, but does not hesitate to be showy and there is little life in these characters with limited expressiveness.
The Knight of the Dragon
Dargaud
104 pages