European SciFi Comics

"Intricate, kinetic, and thoroughly outrageous!" - Rolling StoneWinner of comics' prestigious Eisner Award! Carl Seltz is a suburban insurance investigator, a loving husband, and devoted father. Nixon is a berserk, homicidal tax collector racking up mind-boggling body counts in a diseased urban slaughterhouse. Unit Four is the ultimate robot killing machine - and the last hope of the future's enslaved mechanical servants. And - somehow - they're all the same psychotic entity. Frank Miller and Geof Darrow have created a visual masterpiece!

« Je mens... Je suis en feu, je suis gris, lourd, crasseux, mais je suis en feu. » Un homme seul dort dans les bois. Masse inouïe de plus de 150 kilos, il est parti un beau matin, laissant sa vie d'avant, à la recherche du blast, ce court instant de perfection, flash improbable, qui survient parfois, lorsque, oubliant sa graisse, il parvient à voler. Après un premier tome prix des libraires 2010, Manu Larcenet signe un immense roman graphique, noir et âpre, d'un humanisme bouleversant.

This had potential. It is not exactly terrible, but I get the feeling this could have been MUCH better.Taking place in 2016, the world is destroyed. The leaders who caused this mess decide to use a machine known as the Splitter. This creates an alternate universe where they can go back and manipulate history. The premise is good, the execution-not so much.The "heroes" go back in time to hunt down the leaders. Turns out they choose to go back to 1945, right before the US drops the bomb on Hiroshima. Hoping to change world events (by destroying the Soviets) they are stopped by an intrepid female Brit and an American. As far as why they would stop the nuking of the Soviet Union and Stalin? Beats the hell out of me- but then again liberals (the writers, not the intrepid Brit and the American) do love Communists and what a shame it would have been if the World had been deprived of Joe Stalin. *sigh*Anyways-great concept. Not so great execution. The artwork is decent throughout. This is one of those books, if asked my opinion, I would most like shrug and make a noise like "meh". You will too if you read it.

Three old geezers, activists, and lifelong friends reunite at the funeral of the wife of one of them, Antoine, who finds out about a long ago liaison between his dearly departed and the reviled billionaire who owns the factory they all worked in. Livid, Antoine jumps in his car and heads for Italy with revenge on his mind, his two buddies and his pregnant granddaughter following close behind. A chance to reminisce about the past, to fantasize about sticking it to the man, to discuss what’s wrong with the world, to bridge the generation gap, to forgive and forget and settle scores. A wickedly funny geriatric road trip!

I believe that for many people this would be ***** but I'm just not a guy likes "punch to the eye sci-fi". The characters were very well formed and the art top-notch.I thought we were the puritans- this BritEdition (all Cinebooks) states on the copyright page that "With the author's consent, and in order to not upset our more sensitive readers, certain illustrations of this edition of Aldebaran have been modified." The book has a "15+" rating and violence is a PG affair in the west these days (right?) and don't they have widely circulated papers containing nudity that are available to anyone? I'm not desperate- what made me mad was that I couldn't tell what was changed and that made my inner sleuth furious!

The Head Lopper, Norgal, and the nagging severed head of Agatha Blue Witch arrive on the Isle of Barra to find it overrun with beasts; minions of the Sorcerer of the Black Bog. When Queen Abigail hires Norgal and Agatha to slay the Sorcerer, our heroes trek across the island relieving the horrors of their heads - and playing right into the hands of a master manipulator.Collects issues 1 through 4.

Here is the chronology of thoughts as I read this. NOTE: this is FULL so SPOILERS. Also, I knew nothing about the original when I read this: Whoa, AMAZING gorgeous art!OMG, I love the worlds!The creatures, the creatures, the CREATURES!Oh wow, a city of jelly? Awesome! But...ew.Damn, where are the women? Even the creatures are male-ish.Who is this John Prophet dude?Why's he a cannibal?Ew.Stop eating, please. I hate looking at you do it.Ok, I want more narrative. What's...who...tell me, story. Tell me something I understand.Oh, look at that. The colors. Nice splash page! I'm loving the detail.Ok, this is a new story now. I don't like it. It's cold and in space.What the hell is going on? Ew.John?Is that a woman?Man, I can't tell and I don't care. She seems like a dude. Ok, she's dead now anyway. Ew.What the hell is going on??Ok, this is the last story...WTF just happened? I can't even FOLLOW that. *Nnedi closes book and stares off into space*

Avec Shangri-La, Mathieu Bablet signe le premier titre SF du Label 619 et vous emmène dans le monde « presque » parfait de Tianzhu Enterprises.Dans un futur lointain de quelques centaines d’années, les hommes vivent dans une station spatiale loin de la Terre et régie par une multinationale à qui est voué un véritable culte. En apparence, tout le monde semble se satisfaire de cette « société parfaite ». Dans ce contexte, les hommes veulent repousser leurs propres limites et devenir les égaux des dieux. C’est en mettant en place un programme visant à créer la vie à partir de rien sur Shangri-La, une des régions les plus hospitalières de Titan, qu’ils comptent bien réécrire la « Genèse » à leur façon.

Patience is a psychedelic science-fiction love story, veering with uncanny precision from violent destruction to deeply personal tenderness in a way that is both quintessentially "Clowesian"and utterly unique in the author's body of work. This 180-page, full-color original graphic novel affords Clowes the opportunity to draw some of the most exuberant and breathtaking pages of his life, and to tell his most suspenseful, surprising and affecting story yet.

Simon Stalenhag s Tales from the Loop is a wildly successful crowd-funded project that takes viewers on a surprising sci-fi journey through various country and city landscapes from small towns in Sweden and the deserts of Nevada to the bitter chill of Siberia where children explore and engage with abandoned robots, vehicles, and machinery large and small, while dinosaurs and other creatures wander our roads and fields. Stalenhag s paintings and stories take place in an alternate version of Sweden in the 80s and 90s, primarily in the countryside of Malaroarna, a string of islands just west of Stockholm, and how this reality came about: the development of the Loop, a large particle accelerator and the side effects of the massive project. These incredibly captivating works and accompanying text capture perhaps a not-too-distant reality that is both haunting and imminent: addressing the many ways developing technology and nature can create havoc and wonder in our world plus, its impact on the next generation. This is the English edition of the first book in Swedish that sold out in its initial printing."

Hard-boiled feline detective John Blacksad is back in the latest tour de force from the multiple-award-winning duo of writer Juan Díaz Canales and artist Juanjo Guarnido!Taking a much-needed break after the events of A Silent Hell, Blacksad lands a side job driving a rich Texan’s prized yellow Cadillac Eldorado across 1950s America, hitting the back roads from New Orleans to Tulsa. But before long, the car is stolen and Blacksad finds himself mixed up in another murder, with roughneck bikers, a shifty lawyer, one down-and-out Beat generation writer, and some sinister circus folk! When John Blacksad goes on the road, trouble is dead ahead!

There's something so indulgent about French stories, which is at the same time their strength and their downfall. They lilt along, laughing and provoking, never shying away, but there is also a lack of self-editing there that tends to leave them a bit silly and unfocused.Sometimes, I think it's a problem of translation, and this translation is so unusually literal from the French, as if it were meant for primary English readers who understand the French language and culture, but who are unable to read in the language on their own. This is certainly one style of translation, but for a story like this, I tend to prefer a translation of idioms, emotions, and speech into the new language; but that requires a new writer just as creative and interesting as the original author.But I also know it isn't entirely the problem of translation, as I've seen complex, intriguing stories that are delightful and deep even in translation, such as the works of Kurosawa or Charlier's 'Blueberry' comic. Then again, they are both familiar with the same Western traditions I am, so perhaps it's an easier shift.Nikopol shows some of those indulgent tendencies, but also has an undercurrent of satire for overblown space operas like 'L'Incal'. Between engaging in indulgence and mocking indulgence, we get some fun, ironical, self-aware amusement, but there isn't a very strong plot to hang it all on. Perhaps it's my problem, but I tend to feel that nothing can really replace a good story.The art was good, but the stylization was rather extreme. Everyone had the same cheekbones and the range of expression was disappointingly lacking. The world design was fun and detailed, though it all became similar rather quickly. The colors were surprisingly straightforward, showing little dynamic exploration, especially when compared to the Moebius works that inspired it. The soft colors were pretty, but Bilal wasn't exactly pushing the boundaries. People were pinkish and the backgrounds were washed out browns and blues. When people were blue or green, it wasn't a mood choice, just some aliens.It's always interesting to see the sci fi influence of Jodorowski's failed European Dune, from Blade Runner to most of Moebius' sci fi, but Nikopol is just another entry, not particularly revolutionary in its own right, though it was the inspiration for the sport of Chess Boxing, which is amusing enough, as legacies go.\ My Suggested Reading In Comics\

(4 of 5 for thrilling spaceship anxiety by Lemire)There is next TKO batch and it's even less enticing than the first one (where Sara is the cream of the crop). But there is one miniseries which got my attention. Sentient by Lemire (but not drawn by him). It's just a few rather popular space sci-fi survival tropes skilfully put together, so do not expect something new, shocking or original. But it's well written, Lemire knows his trade. And another thing which Lemire know is how to write interpersonal dramas, even in space. And with kids.I love the atmosphere. It's oppressive, claustrophobic - it got that Aliens thrill in almost 2/3 of the book. And a very fast pace.I liked the characters, even I was afraid when Lemire used my hated "stupid self-centred stubborn kid/teenager" plot catalysator. But he was very gentle with that and somehow managed to make it less annoying for me. And that's something.The art is alright, it fits the industrial space ship/station style, looks space cold and not welcoming, which supports the overall atmosphere. I can't complain here.

A new graphic novel by Don Hertzfeldt. From the artist at http://www.bitterfilms.com/forum.html"the end of the world" is being published in december, bringing to a close the strangest creative exercise i have been a part of and i'm a little surprised it's finally going to be released at all. the very first scraps of it showed up in 2003, and for maybe one week out of each of the following few years i'd remember it, stare at it from different angles, add a new thing or two, wonder what on earth i was doing, throw it back into the sea, and return to whatever film i was making. until this year, i think the longest time spent on it in one sitting was a couple of months in 2009 when i revised everything significantly and added several new sections... before abandoning it all again. it was growing into a place for all the spare parts that didn't work in any of the films to trickle down into... and in the other direction, often a place to steal things from. at one point someone says, "dad, no, wait, the bike's still chained to the truck," a line appearing in "wisdom teeth" in 2010, but actually written for "the end of the world" the year before. there are even moments written many years ago for the book that are finding their way into projects not even released yet. so while the book does not represent ten years of work by any stretch of the imaginaton, it does represent ten years of buried ideas: homeless scenes, dead ends, stories too strange to tell elsewhere, things drawn in the dark and soon forgotten. it was an enormous non-linear puzzle of stuff to finally try and shape into something legible, in the early years more mood piece than anything, then a sort-of narrative surfacing enough to chip away at, and in 2009, a main character. i threw out enough content from the now-216-page book to fill another book the same size, added significant sections to it only a few months ago, and was still rearranging the order of everything only a few weeks ago. if the films were albums, i guess these would be the b-sides. reading it all back now, i have as many memories of creating it over the years as i have memory gaps... so many lonely late night sparks in santa barbara when i needed a break to do anything but animate. it is sad and jazzy, occasionally much funnier than it maybe deserves to be, and reminds me of something sort of lost and ghostly that i can't quite put my finger on

This is the third in the Blacksad series I am reading, this one the second volume, though the order doesn't really seem to matter. Start anywhere. I liked the first one best, in part because the characters as animals approach was so well done, and it was so fresh for me; I liked the fourth volume less well. This one is sort of in between. It's a little too much story for 56 pages, I think, but as with all of these in this series, the storytelling and dialogue take second place anyway to the amazing Juan Guarnido artwork, which is all by itself worth picking it up. Guarnido brings characters, even animal characters, to life, and uses watercolors with a sense of flair and style. Gorgeous artwork.The story is a potentially rich one, focused as it is on southern racism of the 1950;s, involving a kind of KKK white supremacist organization, and Blacksad as (mostly) black works his way into the tale as not only investigator but object of derision. The tale involves a kidnapping, (maybe) pedophilia, a mixed marriage, and finally too much for this volume, in my opinion, but it's not boring. But even if you just look at the artwork, you will be amazed, so I will continue to find all the other volumes. It sort of is standard noir type telling, very much in the fifties noir style, which I like, generally, but it's done just okay as story.

From the New York Times best selling author of BONE comes a stark, gritty sci-fi series about a dimension-jumping art thief, a man who races through space and time searching for his next big score and trying to escape his past. Known only by the four letter word found spray-painted at the scene of a crime, RASL stumbles across a mystery that spans centuries, and not only threatens to expose his illicit activities, but could uncover one of the world's most dangerous secrets.Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Smith explores a world of violence and corruption, mixing murder, passion, and folklore, with cutting-edge physics.

Two eBooks in One! Red Mars: In his most ambitious project to date, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson utilizes years of research and cutting-edge science in the first of three novels that will chronicle the colonization of Mars. For eons, sandstorms have swept the barren, desolate landscape of the red planet. For centuries, Mars has beckoned to mankind to come and conquer its hostile climate. Now, in the year 2026, a group of one hundred colonists is about to fulfill that destiny. John Boone, Maya Toitovna, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanov lead a mission whose ultimate goal is the terraforming of Mars. For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage and madness; for others it offers an opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. And for the genetic "alchemists," Mars presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life ... and death. The colonists place giant satellite mirrors in Martian orbit to reflect light to the planet's surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth and melt the ice. And massive tunnels, kilometers in depth, will be drilled into the Martian mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves, and friendships will form and fall to pieces--for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed. Brilliantly imagined, breathtaking in scope and ingenuity, Red Mars is an epic scientific saga, chronicling the next step in human evolution and creating a world in its entirety. Red Mars shows us a future, with both glory and tarnish, that awes with complexity and inspires with vision. Green Mars: Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earth-like planet has just begun. In Green Mars the colonists will attempt to turn the red planet into a lush garden for humanity. They will bombard the atmosphere with ice meteorites to add moisture. They will seed the red deserts with genetically engineered plants. Then they will tap the boiling planetary core to warm the planet's frozen surface. But their heroic efforts don't go unchallenged. For their plan to transform Mars is opposed by those determined to preserve the hostile and barren beauty of Mars. Led by rebels like Peter Clayborne, these young people are the first generation of children born on Mars, and they will be joined in their violent struggle by original settlers Maya Toitovna, Simon Frasier, and Sax Russell. Against this cosmic backdrop, passions, rivalries, and friendships will explode in a story as big as the planet itself. A novel of breathtaking scope and imagination, of lyric intensity and social resonance, Kim Stanley Robinson employs years of research and state-of-the-art science to create a prophetic vision of where humanity is headed--and of what life will be like on another world. Nebula Award- Winner, Hugo Award Winner

  It’s a perfect beach day, or so thought the family, young couple, a few tourists, and a refugee who all end up in the same secluded, idyllic cove filled with rock pools and sandy shore, encircled by green, densely vegetated cliffs. But this utopia hides a dark secret. First there is the dead body of a woman found floating in the crystal-clear water. Then there is the odd fact that all the children are aging rapidly. Soon everybody is growing older—every half hour—and there doesn’t seem to be any way out of the cove. Levy’s dramatic storytelling works seamlessly with Peeters’s sinister art to create a profoundly disturbing and fantastical mystery. Praise for Sandcastle: “Begins like a murder mystery, continues like an episode of The Twilight Zone, and finishes with a kind of existentialism that wouldn’t be out of place in a Von Trier film.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review   “Sandcastle is a fast 112-page read you won't be able to put down.”  —Cleveland.com “Peeters and Lévy convey some profound, if profoundly unsubtle, truths about the human condition. Weighty stuff, expertly told.” —The Comics Bulletin