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Friday, December 31, 2021

Non Album Collections 346

Degas and Cassatt - The Dance of Solitude (2021)

Founder of the Impressionist movement of which he was one of the most merciless critics, too bohemian for the bourgeois and too bourgeois for the artists, Edgar Degas was a man of many paradoxes. A loner, he loved only one woman without ever courting her. Looking into this unique relationship at the twilight of Degas’ life, Efa and Rubio open the pages of the artist’s notebooks hoping to unravel the mystery of this genius full of contradictions (Europe Comics: 95 pages).

Diosamante (2012)

Diosamante the queen falls passionately in love with a king. To prove themselves worthy, she began a long journey in search of perfection. The kingdom of Arhas is run by the iron fist of Queen Diosamante. This queen without pity is known as much for her cruelty as for her incredible beauty. This is why mighty warriors do not hesitate to take part in fatal combats whose only aim is to share one night of love with the legendary Diosamante…only to be killed by her very hands at the time of the winter solstice. The reputation of Urbal de Sarabba will one day challenge the pride of the young queen. This king is said to be wiser, more powerful, and loved by his people. Furious, the intrepid beauty will go in search of this man who dares cast a shadow over her. Having barely arrived at the palace of Urbal, their meeting will take an unexpected turn: the two sovereigns will fall madly in love with each other.
 

Master of the Ninth Art : Bandes Dessinées and Franco-Belgian Identity

Although virtually unknown in the US and the UK, the bande dessin e is a vitally important aspect of popular culture in France and Belgium, where it is known as 'the ninth art'. Masters of the Ninth Art offers an introduction to bandes dessin es for English readers, considering examples of the genre from Herg 's Adventures of Tintin (1929) up to the late twentieth century. The strips are considered in terms of plot, style, influences and the wider context of Franco-Belgian culture, and they range from literary parody, gag-humour, westerns and realism to science fiction and historical drama. Screech analyses the work of a variety of artists, some well known to English-speakers such as Goscinny, some less well known such as Jacques Tardi and Marcel Gotlib.
 

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The Snake and the Spear

While the Aztec Empire suffers under a terrible famine, pushing it to sacrifice more people than ever, three boys are born in Tenochtitlan. Despite the differences in their social standings, fate will bind them together. Many years later, a young girl disappears in a corn field, while elsewhere, children playing discover a strange mummy, hanging from a cactus, its face painted white and its eyes put out. These are not the first such events, and the governor fears that word will sow terror among the people. So, he gives his henchman, Snake, a mandate to end it by any means necessary. Struck by the similarities between the crimes and the practices of his priesthood, Cozatl, the high priest of Tlaloc fears the swift 'justice' that his former fellow pupil Snake might dole out. So he sends a message to his old friend, Spear-Eye, now a travelling merchant. But his friend wants nothing less than to get involved, and time is running out... by Hub.


Monday, December 27, 2021

Non Album Collections 345

Skraeling 01 - The Dogs of the Weltraum (2011)

The soldier Köstler is a dog of war devoted to the WELTRAUM, an immense fascist state which keeps a servile and fanatical population under their yoke. But in the course of a deadly battle, he feels fear in the face of death. That unprecedented feeling led him to little by little, question his devotion to the regime. So how will he survive his transfer into the most cynical, the most brutal, the most fanatical of all units: the SKRAELINGS?! Thierry Lamy,Venzi.

Gunning For Ramirez v01 (2020)

Falcon City, Arizona. Jacques Ramirez works at Robotop, the leading home appliance company in the Southwest United States. Jacques is efficient, thorough, and discreet. That last one is easy: he's also mute. But everything changes when two members of one of Paso del Rio's largest drug cartels stumble upon Jacques and believe him to be the deadly hitman who betrayed them in the past: the ruthless Ramirez. NICOLAS PETRIMAUX. 

The Swimming Pool Of Micheville

Published for the first time in 1985, this collection of short stories from Lorraine region in France (city of Villerupt) have not aged at all. Within a sad social context -- shutdown of factories, destruction of jobs – friendship, fights, the inescapable summer camp vacations, girls, and rock and roll, are some of the many topics of these human, funny and touching teenage stories. Baru.

 


Saturday, December 25, 2021

The Butcher

Looking to catch a break and make a buck, a man from a family of small-time traders takes a job on a cargo ship. But his hopes quickly fade when he discovers just what is in the ship's holds. And he's not the only one revolted by the ship's cargo. The Butcher disapproves too, and he's about to make his feelings known, the only way he knows how—with fatal force. Meting out justice to the ship's crew is a start, but he won't stop until he's tracked down the ringleaders behind the band of traffickers. The story of a man who has lost his faith in the world, and who will do everything in his power to restore it. Written and art by Ören Selçuk. 


Sunday, December 19, 2021

Akkad Book

To save humanity from a mortal threat, an unscrupulous scientist conducts a dangerous experiment on five teenagers, hoping to turn them into weapons. In the near future, Earth is falling to a catastrophic alien invasion: giant beetle-like creatures emerge without warning from spatio-temporal rifts, wipe out resistant in a certain zone, then seal it behind a completely impenetrable barrier. Entire sections of the planet have already been lost forever. With conventional weaponry powerless, the USA authorize a program that will turn five teenagers into pure geniuses. Will the test subjects find a defense, though... or will they become out of control themselves? Written & Art by: Clarke.

Friday, December 17, 2021

Carbon & Silicon

This is the latest book from Mathieu Bablet, who you may recognise as the guy behind Beautiful Death, Adrastea and Shangri-La. This one is about 2 AI androids and how they live their lives and travel through the world and all its changes for almost 300 years.
 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Non Album Collections 344

Smart Girl (2021)

In the near future, tech giant Gorgona holds a monopoly on computer-human interfaces known as Schemata. These androids have become ubiquitous with everyday life across the world. Yuki, un-affectionately called ‘scrappy’ by her owner, is a Smart Girl – an android servant used for everything from security and domestics to carnal pleasure. When she starts to malfunction, she is soon to be replaced and destroyed. But something in her changes, and Yuki doesn’t accept her end, instead, she becomes self-aware… Created by Fernando Dagnino. 

Animal Castle 001 (2021)

By Xavier Dorison (HSE, Aristophania, Sanctuaire) comes a tale that on the Farm all animals were equal. In the Castle some are more equal than others. Yes, it is an "Animal Farm" like the one by George Orwell.

Noir Burlesque (2021)

This is a freshly scanlated volume that came out last month, it's a hard-boiled type gangster comic which will be in 2 volumes by Enrico Marini. You might know him from The Scorpion and The Eagles of Rome (t6 when?), as well as that Batman: The Dark Prince Charming book a few years ago. This time around he's trying for a more rough, sketchy style rather than the more detailed stuff he usually does. And I have to say, I do like it. The story itself is... eh, fine I guess. It has pretty much every cliche you can think of for the time, gangster movies, etc. beyond some going 'nyah, see!'


Monday, December 13, 2021

The Wall

In a post-apocalyptic future, civilization is no more and humanity lives on looting and hacking, organizing itself into makeshift villages or caravans of roaring wrecks. In this brutal society, a young repairman named Solal does what he can to protect his sister Eva, who suffers from a respiratory illness. But when their medication runs out, they have only one hope: to go to the “Wall”, a gigantic impregnable enclosure guarded by monstrous robots. Inside that fabled shelter lives a community of powerful people with the resources to help them... but all is not as optimistic as it seems… by Antoine Charreyron (Author), Mario Alberti (Artist).



Saturday, December 11, 2021

Non Album Collections 343

Astro Mouse and Light Bulb Vol. 1 - Astro Mouse vs Astro Chicken (2021)

Join Astro Mouse, the insightful Light Bulb, and their… er… pet Caca, as they battle intergalactic potatoes, (delicious) astro chickens, and solve a civil war between mint and fruit flavored chewing gum. Getting lost in space has never been so ridiculous! Created by Fermin Solis.

Anne of Green Bagels (2016)

On her first day at her new school, Anne is saddled with the nickname Anne of Green Bagels, thanks to the health-food sandwich her grandmother has made her for lunch. Can things get any worse? Already her father has left home to try out his newest crackpot invention, the Pedestrian Mobile Home, and her mother has moved them from New Mexico to the cookie-cutter community of Megatown. Then she meets Otto, who shares her interest in music and in her favorite TV show, The Blimptons. Together they prepare to enter the school talent show with an original composition, "Wolfman Stomp." When Anne sees the drawings in a childhood notebook of her father's, she wonders, could it be that he was the real inventor of the Blimptons? And can she somehow get him to come home and claim the credit he deserves? by Jon Buller (Author, Artist), Susan Schade (Author, Artist).

The Red Shoes and Other Tales (2015)

There once was a young girl, who was pretty but poor, so poor she had to go barefoot. Her name was Karen. She loved to dance. When Karen becomes an orphan, her great aunt takes her in. One day on a shopping trip, she is bought a beautiful pair of red shoes. The shoes magically come to life and steer Karen down a path she would never have imagined in her wildest dreams, or nightmares. This fresh take on the Hans Christian Andersen classic "The Red Shoes" is a tale of hope, obsession and guilt, retold and lavishly illustrated by Eisner award nominated Metaphrog. This volume also includes Metaphrog's adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic, "The Little Match Girl" and an original story, "The Glass Case".


Thursday, December 9, 2021

Shangri-La

Several hundred years into the future, mankind lives on a space station ruled over by a multinational with a true cult following. At first glance, everyone seems satisfied with this "perfect society". In this setting, some men struggle to push past their limits and become gods. To do this, they put into place a program designed to create life from nothing in Shangri-La, one of the most hospitable regions of Titan, where they intend to enact their version of the book of Genesis. Created by Mathieu Bablet.



Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Non Album Collections 342

Night Cry (Europe Comics 2021)

Script by Borja Gonzalez - Art by Borja Gonzalez. When it comes to rituals, Teresa, who runs a bookstore specializing in magic and the occult, knows her fair share. But when she manages to summon Laura, an anime-loving demon, the ritual goes awry: Laura is there to grant her any wish, but Teresa doesn’t know what to ask for. And so the two are stuck with each other… Thus begins a strange cohabitation, while Laura decides to investigate a series of unexplained disappearances in town. Through the author’s captivating artwork and spirited dialogue, discover an offbeat and magical world close to our own, alternating between warmth and sweet melancholy.

School of Love 01 - Secrets of the Heart (Europe Comics 2021)

Linon and Garance are best friends with very different ideas about love. To get to the bottom of what all this romance stuff is really about, they decide to conduct an investigation into some of the older students at their middle school. Why are certain kids more popular than others? Why do some already have a "bad reputation" by the 8th grade? Written by: Béka. Art by: MAYA.

Urbex 01 - Villa Pandora (Europe Comics 2021)

School friends during the day, Alex and Julie meet in secret at night to enjoy a little urban exploration. Deserted villas, forgotten clinics, and derelict factories are their favorite playgrounds. But one night, their exploration becomes a nightmare when they come face to face with the ghosts of two young girls in an abandoned mansion. Alex and Julie are certain about one thing: they can see the dead. But what if they're also able to heal the wounds of the past...? Clarke : artist.  Dugomier : writer.


Sunday, December 5, 2021

Texas Jack

Texas Jack is a local celebrity with his show and his eminent shooter skills. But the reality goes beyond the show the day he has to restore justice to the terrible Gunsmoke? Scenario: Dubois, Pierre. Drawing: Armand, Dimitri. 



Friday, December 3, 2021

Non Album Collections 341

Desolation (Europe Comics 2021)

Script by Appollo - Art by Gaultier. Jean-Louis Payet is a man on the run. Reeling from a breakup, he changes his name and heads south from his home on Réunion Island. Way south: the remote Kerguelen Islands, an inhospitable archipelago whose scientific bases are civilization’s last bastion before the frozen Antarctic wastes. The mere journey, aboard a resupply vessel, will take a month. Payet spends the endless hours feeling diffident and superior, pining for his ex, hating his fellow passengers, and dreaming of a new life. But when he reaches the windswept wilderness of the former Desolation Islands, will he finally come face to face with something he can’t run away from?

The Wall 001 (2021)

In a post-apocalyptic future, civilization is no more and humanity lives on looting and hacking, organizing itself into makeshift villages or caravans of roaring wrecks. In this brutal society, a young repairman named Solal does what he can to protect his sister Eva, who suffers from a respiratory illness. But when their medication runs out, they have only one hope: to go to the “Wall”, a gigantic impregnable enclosure guarded by monstrous robots. Inside that fabled shelter lives a community of powerful people with the resources to help them... but all is not as optimistic as it seems… by Antoine Charreyron (Author), Mario Alberti (Artist).

Extinctions - Twilight of the Species (Europe Comics 2021)

Two journalists travel to an island in the Arctic Circle where scientists are searching for fossils of extinct animals. Like all journalists, they have a lot of questions: how is it possible for an entire species to completely disappear? Word has it that we’re in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, but what exactly does that mean? How did the first five happen? What is the scientific definition of an extinction? Alexandre Franc adeptly illustrates the narrative by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu, a specialist in natural sciences and doctor of biological oceanology. Panafieu, who has already authored a number of popular science books, gives a clear explanation of what mass extinctions are, cleverly comparing past extinctions with the one we are witnessing now. The two authors present us with a clear, intelligent, and lighthearted perspective on a fascinating phenomenon.


Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Regal Academy

Everyone knows the great fairy tale heroes, but you may not be familiar with their most life-changing adventures of all-they got old! To pass their stories onto future generations, they joined together and built a school—-Regal Academy! Will this latest generation of fairy tale heroes ride the coattails of their famous grandparents? Or do they have a whole new adventure in store? (Papercutz: 96 pages).


Monday, November 29, 2021

Non Album Collections 340

Grosz (2017) 

This is a series of short nearly wordless comics, arranged chronologically, that form a biography of the caricaturist best known for his visualization of the Weimar Republic. George Grosz (1893–1959) was a German fine artist, cartoonist, and teacher who drew from pop culture, was active in the Dada and New Objectivist movements, and was an influence for artists like Ben Shahn. (His antiwar painting, Eclipse from the Sun, would inspire Vietnam protesters.) In this graphic biography, written and drawn by Fiske, angular art lays Kandinsky-like lines over scenes set in anything-goes, post–World War I Berlin: connecting, emphasizing, tracing movement. Curves evoke the fleshy sex of Grosz’s work. (Fiske channels the exuberance and fascination with line that typified Grosz’s work, and more generally early to mid-century art movements.) Symbolically, Fiske uses two colors―red for Berlin, a slash of Grosz’s lipstick, a flash of tie―and green for the jazz and trains of New York, where Grosz would flee from Nazi Germany.

Shangri-La (F) (2016)

Several hundred years into the future, mankind lives on a space station ruled over by a multinational with a true cult following. At first glance, everyone seems satisfied with this "perfect society". In this setting, some men struggle to push past their limits and become gods. To do this, they put into place a program designed to create life from nothing in Shangri-La, one of the most hospitable regions of Titan, where they intend to enact their version of the book of Genesis.

The Hollow Grounds HC (2004)

The first chapter, CARAPACES features six short stories, each centered on the devastating effects of man's desire. ZARA tells the tale of a hollow planet inhabited only by women and the tumultuous appearance of the first men. NOGEGON follows the main characters of ZARA in a murder mystery on a world where gravity is weak, but love is strong.


Saturday, November 27, 2021

Non Album Collections 339

The History of Science Fiction - A Graphic Novel Adventure (2021)

Journey through time and space with this graphic novel history of the science fiction genre, from Jules Verne, Jonathan Swift, and Mary Shelley to William Gibson and Philip K. Dick to Ken Liu and Ted Chiang, and beyond. Trace the progress of SF through modern times and learn why key figures and inventors like Thomas Edison and Elon Musk have looked to science fiction to predict the future. by Xavier Dollo  (Author), Djibril Morissette-Phan (Illustrator)

The City of Belgium (2021)

As night falls in the City of Belgium, three strangers in their late twenties―a most dangerous age―arrive at a popular restaurant. Jona is about to move away; he calls his wife, who’s already settled in Berlin, before trying to make plans with friends for one last night on the town. No one bites―they’re all busy or maybe they just don’t want to party―but he’s determined to make this night something to remember. Victoria is lively and energetic, but surrounded by friends and family who are buzzkills, always worrying about what is best for her. Rodolphe glumly considers his own misery and then suddenly snaps out of it, becoming the life of the party. The three careen through the city’s nightlife spots and underbelly, getting ever deeper in the messiness of human existence as they chase pleasure―or at least a few distractions from their daily lives. Each has a series of misadventures that reveal them to be teetering on the edge of despair, of destruction, of becoming the people they’ll be for the rest of their lives. The City of Belgium occupies a place between lucid dream and tooth-grinding nightmare. by Brecht Evens  (Author)

Kosmos (2021)

July 20th 1969, the whole world is glued to their television screens, stunned by the momentous event: the Americans have landed on the moon! And before the Soviets! Despite a minor technical hitch, everything has gone well. However, just before leaving, Armstrong turns around for one last look at the lunar landscape, and is frozen in surprise. Reflected in the visor of his helmet... a Soviet flag and a Russian lunar lander... by Perna Bedouel.


Thursday, November 25, 2021

Non Album Collections 338

A Man's Skin (2021)

In Renaissance Italy, Bianca, a young lady from a good family, is of marriage age. Her parents find her a fiancé to their liking: Giovanni, a rich merchant, young and pleasant. The wedding looks set to go smoothly even though Bianca can't hide her disappointment at having to marry a man she knows nothing about. But before the marriage, she learns the secret held and bequeathed by the women of her family for generations: a "man's skin"! By donning it, Bianca becomes "Lorenzo" and enjoys all the attributes of a young man of stunning beauty. She can now visit the world of men incognito and get to know her fiancé in his natural environment. In her male skin, Bianca frees herself from the limits imposed on women and discovers love and sexuality. by Hubert (Author), Zanzim (Artist)

Tunnels (2021)

When a great antiquities collector is forced to donate his entire collection to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Nili Broshi sees her last chance to finish an archaeological expedition begun decades earlier―a dig that could possibly yield the most important religious artifact in the Middle East. Motivated by the desire to reinstate her father’s legacy as a great archaeologist after he was marginalized by his rival, Nili enlists a ragtag crew―a religious nationalist and his band of hilltop youths, her traitorous brother, and her childhood Palestinian friend, now an archaeological smuggler. As Nili’s father slips deeper into dementia, warring factions close in on and fight over the Ark of the Covenant! by Rutu Modan  (Author)

Ballad for Sophie (2021)

A young journalist prompts a reclusive piano superstar to open up, resulting in this stunning graphic sonata exploring a lifetime of rivalry, regret, and redemption. 1933. In the small French village of Cressy-la-Valoise, a local piano contest brings together two brilliant young players: Julien Dubois, the privileged heir of a wealthy family, and François Samson, the janitor's son. One wins, one loses, and both are changed forever. by Filipe Melo  (Author), Juan Cavia (Illustrator).


Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Non Album Collections 337

The Whale Library (Europe Comics 2021)

Script by Zidrou - Art by Judith Vanistendael. A poetic fable for grown-ups full of wisdom and beauty, by two Belgian masters of graphic storytelling. Out on the high seas lives a whale unlike any other, who spends her days reading stories to all who will listen, taken from the vast library hidden in her belly. When the whale bumps into a sea postman’s boat one fateful night, it’s the beginning of an extraordinary friendship. But not every story can have a happy ending…

Vesper 01 - The Amazon (Europe Comics 2021)

Vesper, the Amazon of the Knights of Nyx, is a formidable warrior versed in the practice of Etheric magic. She uses her talents in the service of Prince Crimson Nyx, with whom she shares the dream of a kingdom where people of all races can live together. But in the midst of celebrating an important victory for their kingdom, the two heroes are ambushed by the Ekklesia, a religious order that sees in them the manifestation of dark forces that must be stamped out... A fast-paced first entry of a thrilling fantasy series not to be missed. Written by Jérémy. Art by Jérémy.

Golgotha v01 - The Arena of the Damned (2021)

A fallen gladiator on a quest for vengeance... A mysterious prisoner, the keeper of an incredible secret... A child, innocent and mistreated... Three fates linked to a mythical fortress which will make Rome tremble.. Golgotha