Category Archives: Comics

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
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Synopsis: David Smith is giving his life for his art—literally. Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding  what  to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the 11th hour isn’t making it any easier!

This is a story of desire taken to the edge of reason and beyond; of the frantic, clumsy dance steps of young love; and a gorgeous, street-level portrait of the world’s greatest city. It’s about the small, warm, human moments of everyday life…and the great surging forces that lie just under the surface. Scott McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now he vaults into great fiction with a breathtaking, funny, and unforgettable new work.

Review: I do not read a lot of comics, it is true, but that’s why it’s always interesting to get into a new story such as this one. Scott McCloud seems to have realized many novels but I confess that I did not know anything about his work. I was therefore curious to know more about it.

First of all, I was surprised enough when I got the book because it was really huge. I’m used to thin comics and I did not know that we could find such novels. It is not at all problematic and it is even more intriguing because it allows us to discover more about the life of our hero and to admire many more beautiful illustrations all along the story. But back a little more about the story.

David Smith is a failed artist. He has no family, he has no girlfriend, he is broke and unable to sell his structures. But well for that he first must produce a structure… But when one day, in the process of self-pity, his dead uncle comes to him, explaining him the possibilities of his future life: Finding a wife, starting a family but never making a breakthrough in art. Yet David does not care about all this, his sculptures are all his life and he wants to make a name with them. A covenant with death will be able to realize his dream. Yes, David will only have 200 days before dying but during that time he will have the ability to shape any material to create what he desires. An interesting gift is not it? But his works needs to be worth some money and marketable and it’s finally quite complicated. David will have to think about what he wants to do without externalize his past. But a surprise is waiting on this quest, the appearance of the love of his life, a girl who liked him without loving him and he is determined to make her succumb. But is it a good idea to create something with a fragile girl when he knows that his days are countered?

I admit that the plot was really interesting and I was curious to see where this would lead our hero. Some illustrations have no words but they allow us to learn more about this whole environment and about our out of the ordinary heroes. By cons I confess that I’m not sure I really understood the end of the story but I’m glad I discovered the whole story.

4

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Le Sculpteur de Scott McCloud
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Résumé (traduction personnelle) : David Smith donne sa vie à son art, littéralement. Grâce à un accord avec la mort, le jeune sculpteur obtient son souhait d’enfance : sculpter tout ce qu’il peut imaginer avec ses mains nues. Mais maintenant qu’il a seulement 200 jours à vivre, décider quoi créer est plus difficile qu’il ne le pensait, et la découverte de l’amour de sa vie à la 11ème heure n’est pas ce qui rend les choses plus faciles !

C’est une histoire de désir pris au bord de la raison et au-delà; des frénétiques, des pas de danse maladroits de jeunes amours; et un magnifique portrait de la plus grande ville du monde. C’est sur les petites choses, les moments de la vie quotidienne … et les grandes forces déferlantes qui se trouvent juste sous la surface. Scott McCloud a écrit le livre sur la façon dont fonctionne la bande dessinée; maintenant il se lance dans la grande fiction avec un nouveau travail à couper le souffle, drôle, et inoubliable.

Avis : Je ne lis pas énormément de comics il est vrai, mais c’est aussi pourquoi c’est toujours intéressant de me lancer dans une nouvelle histoire telle que celle-ci. Scott McCloud semble avoir réalisé de nombreux romans mais j’avoue que je ne connaissais pas du tout son travail. J’étais en tout cas très curieuse de découvrir le tout.

Tour d’abord, j’ai été assez surprise quand j’ai reçu le livre car il est vraiment énorme. J’ai l’habitude des comics assez fins et je ne savais pas qu’il existait des romans pareils. Ce n’est pas du tout problématique, c’est même plutôt intrigant car cela nous permet d’en découvrir plus sur la vie de notre héros et d’admirer de nombreux dessins tous plus magnifiques les uns que les autres. Mais revenons-en en peu plus sur l’histoire.

David Smith est un artiste raté. Il n’a plus de famille, il n’a pas de petite-amie, il est fauché et ne parvient pas à vendre une de ses structures. Encore faut-il qu’il arrive à réaliser une structure pour cela. Aussi voilà qu’un jour en train de s’apitoyer sur son sort, son oncle mort se présente à lui, lui expliquant les possibilités de la poursuite de sa vie : Trouver une femme, créer une famille mais ne jamais faire une percée dans l’art. Pourtant, David n’a que faire de tout cela, ses sculptures sont toute sa vie et il ne désire que se faire un nom avec cela. Un pacte avec la mort va pouvoir réaliser son rêve. Oui, David n’aura que 200 jours avant de mourir mais il pourra durant tout ce temps il aura la capacité de modeler toutes matières. Un don intéressant n’est-ce pas ? Encore faut-il que ses œuvres vaillent le coup et soient vendables. Mais David va devoir réfléchir à ce qu’il veut faire sans extérioriser son passé. Pourtant une surprise va l’attendre sur cette quête, est c’est l’apparition de l’amour de sa vie, une fille qui l’apprécie sans vraiment l’aimer et qu’il est décidé à faire succomber. Mais est-ce une bonne idée de créer quelque chose avec une fille si fragile quand il sait que ses jours sont comptés ?

J’avoue que la trame était vraiment intéressante et j’étais curieuse de voir où tout cela allait mener notre héros. Certaines planches n’ont pas de paroles mais elles nous permettent du coup d’en apprendre plus sur tout cet environnement de notre héros hors du commun. Par contre j’avoue que je ne suis pas sûre d’avoir vraiment bien compris la fin de l’histoire mais je suis contente d’avoir découvert le tout.

4

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Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke
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Review: Ah, what about those three books? Firstly as you can see, we have here a mixture between comics and mangas. They introduce us Zita, a young girl like others who is left with a fate that could overtake her.

I think the first thing that I can say is about the pictures as they are just really beautiful! All the characters, as well as the aliens presented are very well imagined and we encounter a lot of species. It is in this particular universe that we encounter Zita and Joseph, two friends who discover a switch at the center of a meteorite. Despite the insistence of Joseph, Zita presses the button and they both end up in a world different from the one they know about. But while the first one is kidnapped to be sacrificed, the second will have to quickly understand how to survive in this world and to find a way to save her friend. In this quest, she will make new atypical friends that we love before becaming a big star in this universe. However, people may well overreach her, especially as she only wants to return to Earth.

Zita never asked anyone anything and with an unfortunate accident, she finds herself in a story that is totally beyond her. We love discovering with her the world of the author and all its subtleties. The ideas are very good and even though the book seems to be for younger, we can all have a good time with it.

This is a beautiful story about friendship, loyalty and discoveries.

4

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Zita the Spacegirl de Ben Hatke (VO)
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Avis : Ah que dire de ces trois livres ? Tout d’abord comme on peut le voir, nous avons ici un mélange entre comics et manga et qui nous présente Zita une jeune fille comme les autres qui se retrouve avec un destin qui pourrait bien la dépasser.

Je pense que la première chose que je peux dire est au sujet des dessins qui sont vraiment magnifiques ! Tous les personnages, de même que les Aliens présentés sont très bien imaginés de par toutes les espèces que nous rencontrons. C’est dans cet univers particulier que l’on rencontre Zita et Joseph, deux amis qui découvrent un interrupteur au centre d’une météorite. Malgré l’insistance de Joseph, Zita appuie sur le bouton et ils se retrouvent tous deux dans un univers qui leur est totalement inconnu. Mais alors que le premier se fait enlever pour être sacrifié, la seconde va devoir très vite comprendre comment survivre dans ce monde et trouver un moyen de sauver son ami. Dans cette quête, elle se fera de nouveaux amis atypiques mais que l’on adore et deviendra par la suite une grande star dans tout l’univers. Pourtant, les gens pourraient bien présumer de ses forces, surtout qu’elle ne désire que rentrer sur Terre.

Zita n’a jamais rien demandé à personne et par un malencontreux hasard, elle se retrouve dans une histoire qui la dépasse totalement. On adore découvrir avec elle le monde de l’auteur et toutes ses subtilités. Les idées sont vraiment très bonnes et même si le livre semble être pour les plus jeunes, on peut tous passer un très bon moment.

C’est une jolie histoire d’amitié, de loyauté et de découverte.

4

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Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson by Mark Siegel
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Synopsis: One hundred years ago. On the foggy Hudson River, a riverboat captain rescues an injured mermaid from the waters of the busiest port in the United States. A wildly popular—and notoriously reclusive—author makes a public debut. A French nobleman seeks a remedy for a curse. As three lives twine together and race to an unexpected collision, the mystery of the Mermaid of the Hudson deepens.

A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in moody black-and-white charcoal, this new paperback edition of the New York Times Best-Selling graphic novel by author/illustrator Mark Siegel is a study in romance, atmosphere, and suspense. Don’t miss Sailor Twain.

Review: I must say that I did not know anything about the novel and I was surprised by the format in which the story is presented. All apparently we have a book like any other and what a surprise it was when I opened it. We therefore discover that it is a kind of a comic book. And I must say that the drawings are just gorgeous and I was really impressed by the mastery of the author, especially when you see the number of pages.

We thus find the story of a captain who rescues a mermaid and who finally finds himself in a story that transcends everything. Hiding her so that nobody finds her, he may well fall into his own trap. But this beautiful injured mermaid could hide much more than he thought. But it’s not just about him, and we also discover a French character, Laffayette , who seems stuck on this ship and who dreams to break the curse he thinks was put on him. I must say he is always really busy handling with all the women he meets, whether married or not. He also speaks French several times, which is pretty funny and unlike some novels, the sentences are really perfect. I admit that I was very intrigued by this character. We see immediately that he is hiding something and that he is playing a role, but I loved to learn more about him and to know who he really was. Moreover, he speaks with a famous author that nobody knows about and who will be revealed in the story later and it is true that I did not expect this revelation but it was well found.

It was a very interesting story and the drawings take us completely away. Everything is shared into small chapters that we follow with pleasure. We discover a lot of information about all the characters and even though I think there are some things I did not understand, I think the idea of ​​the siren was well found. This is a good novel that we discover here and I can assure you that we can read it very quickly.

3-5

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Sailor Twain: Or: The Mermaid in the Hudson de Mark Siegel (VO)
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Résumé (traduction personnelle) : Il y a cent ans. Sur la rivière brumeuse de Hudson, un capitaine de bateau de rivière sauve une sirène blessée dans les eaux du port le plus achalandé des États-Unis. Un auteur très populaire –  et notoirement reclus fait une première apparition publique. Un gentilhomme français cherche un remède pour une malédiction. Comme les trois vies se croisent et mène à une collision inattendue, le mystère de la sirène de l’Hudson s’approfondit.

Une histoire d’amour mystérieuse et séduisante avec des éléments de Poe, Twain, Hemingway et la mythologie grecque, établis avec du graphite noir et blanc, cette nouvelle édition de poche du graphiste/illustrateur New York Times best-seller Mark Siegel est une étude sur la romance, l’atmosphère, et le suspense. Ne manquez pas Sailor Twain.

Avis : Je dois dire que je ne connaissais pas du tout le roman et j’ai été surprise par le format dans lequel l’histoire se présentait. Tout en apparence on nous montre un livre comme les autres et quelle surprise on a quand on l’ouvre et qu’on découvre en fait qu’il s’agit d’une sorte de bande dessinée. Et je dois dire que les dessins sont justes sublimes et j’ai vraiment été impressionnée par la maîtrise de l’auteur, notamment quand on voit le nombre de pages.

On retrouve donc l’histoire d’un capitaine qui secoure une sirène et qui se retrouve dans une histoire qui le dépasse. La cachant pour que personne ne la trouve, il se pourrait bien qu’il tombe lui-même dans son propre piège mais cette belle sirène blessée pourrait bien cacher bien plus que ce qu’il ne croyait. Mais il n’y a pas que lui, et on découvre aussi un français, Laffayette, qui semble bloqué sur ce bateau et qui ne rêve que de briser la malédiction qu’il pense peser sur lui. Il faut dire qu’il s’occupe bien comme il le peut avec toutes les femmes qu’il rencontre, qu’elles soient mariées ou pas. Il parle aussi plusieurs fois Français, ce qui est assez drôle et à l’inverse de certains romans, les phrases sont vraiment parfaites. J’avoue que j’ai été très intriguée par ce personnage. On voit tout de suite qu’il cache quelque chose et qu’il joue un rôle mais j’ai beaucoup apprécié en apprendre plus sur lui et savoir qui il était réellement. Il correspond d’ailleurs de façon assez étrange avec un auteur renommé que personne ne connait et qui se dévoilera au cours de l’histoire et c’est vrai que je ne m’attendais pas à cette révélation mais c’était bien trouvé.

C’était une histoire très intéressante et les dessins nous emportent complètement. Le tout est départagé en petits chapitres que l’on suit avec plaisir. On découvre de nombreuses informations au sujet de tous les personnages et même si je pense qu’il y a certains points que je n’ai pas saisi je pense, l’idée de la sirène était bien trouvée. C’est donc un bon roman que l’on découvre et je peux vous assurer que le tout se lit très vite.

3-5

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House of Night by P.C. Cast
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House of Night: The Graphic Novel, Book 1

Synopsis: Until recently, Zoey Redbird was an average high-school student worrying about grades, boys, and breakouts. But priorities have a way of changing when you are Marked as a vampyre, enroll in the vampyre academy House of Night, and have to figure out a whole new social hierarchy, affinities for elemental magic, and physiological changes that make you crave blood.

Melliane’s review: I’ve heard a lot of great things about this series for a long time and as I haven’t try the novels yet, I was very curious to know how the comic would be. Well, I think you understand I can’t do any comparisons between the book and the comic, but I’ll give you my feelings about this volume.
I confess I didn’t even read the synopsis of the book at first, but with all the positive reviews, I was sure to enjoy it. I’m finally not disappointed, it was really interesting to follow Zoe all along the novel. However, it was a little difficult for me to get into the story and to understand what was going on at first. Indeed, we begin in the middle of our heroine’s day and we need to wait some events to learn how Zoe ended like that.
Well, I was surprised by all the little stories featuring the mythology. It’s was pleasant to discover all those original ideas. I didn’t expect to see so many famous stories with some vampyres in it. Each allows our heroine to progress and to realize what she can do.
Regarding the comic itself, I really liked the pictures; it was very different from the ones I read before. The faces were sometimes a little too strong for me but we got used to it.
There is also a little thing that bothers me, it was the lack of coordination between everything; I had the feelings we passed from an event to another without any transitions.
But I have to say, that, once finished, I’m quite curious to try the novel as well to learn more about this world. It was the first time I tried the comic before the book but it’s finally great to do it this way.
Inessa’s review: So, the comic’s story begins just after the events in Marked – the first volume of The House of Night series – that led Aphrodite to no longer direct the Dark Daughters, task that now falls to Zoey. Zoey has therefore to prepare her first ritual as new leader of the Dark Daughters. 
I have to say I was a little bit apprehensive about reading this comic of the House of Night. Having read some of the novels a while ago, I was afraid of falling here through the same problems that I had with these books and that led me to stop to read the saga but fortunately it wasn’t the case! Because yes, I admit, I read The House of Night series until Volume 5, Hunted and then I gave up, mainly because I found the series seriously began to falter and that I had more and more difficulties to endure the heroin. 
That said I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that unlike the books, the comic, this first volume at least, doesn’t really focus on Zoey, her love affairs and her problems in the House of Night School! Of course it’s mentioned but this is not what matters most. The comic focuses more on the mythology that had mold the House of Night, something I haven’t found in the books and that was quite interesting. Moreover, the album is mostly divided into five chapters, which are actually the five fundamental elements that we can find consistently in the series: earth, air, water, fire and spirit. And in each of these chapters, we leave the House of Night School for a while and we go to a sort of a little journey through time. I enjoyed this little trip through this whole mythology! Among that, we have a revisited version of the love story of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, the Amazon Hippolyte, her ‘famous waist belt’ and Heracles, Circe, Freya, Queen Boudicca and her two daughters, etc. It was really exciting! 
Concerning the pictures, I’ve found them very amazing. It’s always nice to put a face to all these main characters that we know so well: Zoey, Aphrodite, Damien, Shaunee, Erin, Stevie Rae. Even the animals are present! I loved seeing Nalla and Persephone! Of course some people are better represented than others – the goddess Nyx and Neferet are particularly wonderful! – but overall I enjoyed it. 
To conclude it was quite fun to dive back into the universe of the series through this comic. It made me want to rediscover the saga. I think I’ll read it again from the beginning, one of these days and I’ll read the sequel of this comic with pleasure!