A comiXologist recommends:
The Curse of the Wendigo #1
International comics readers are all too familiar with the gritty realism associated with Charlie Adlard and his long time run on the instantly popular Walking Dead series. “The Curse of the Wendigo” marks the first time I’ve encountered Adlard on anything outside of his work with Robert Kirkman in a long while – what a piece to step out with!
At this particular moment, Mathieu Missoffe is, from this critic’s perspective, relatively unknown in the comic scene. That is, of course, only on this side of the Atlantic, as Missoffe has been writing some of the most exciting horror and action stories on the European market. A French writer better known for his series “Corpus Hermeticum,” Missoffe has been producing some of the most interesting twists on old world legends since early 2007.
“The Curse of the Wendigo” is the fifth story in the series, and it starts excellently. In issue one we are introduced to the trenches of World War I on the German and Allied frontlines. Sentry sharpshooters are vanishing from both sides in the dead of night. The losses have led a desperate and confused German officer to seek out leadership from the Allied side of the trenches, in an attempt to solve the mysterious murders. Irony never tasted sweeter than in the scene where the officers discuss stopping the murderer in order to continue “killing each other proper.”
Only a few pages after the meeting are we introduced to the “crack team” assembled from both sides and tasked with ending these disappearances. Amongst them are three German soldiers (of varying skillsets), two Frenchmen (also of varying abilities), and a Native American tracker. The tensions between the European natives is felt almost immediately over a shared campfire when one of the Germans accidentally confesses his hand in killing one of the Frenchmen’s friends, erupting into an explosive brawl. Tensions only grow higher between them until the “Injun” tells the tale of his people and his personal destiny. His name is Wohati, and he is a warrior of the Cree Nation. Wohati is the only one aware of what is lurking in the fogs and mustard gas, and he has made his way across the world and a war in order to kill it.
This is a title worth some love. As far as supernatural books go, this one is sure to please even the most hardened of fans. Missoffe’s story sets us up right for the road ahead, and paired with Adlard’s harsh realism we are sure to feel the weight and the bloodshed. This one looks like it is sure to excite.
A comiXologist recommends:
Come Prima
by: Karrie Larsson
As it is summer and perhaps the ideal time to take a road trip, I recommend doing so with the beautiful graphic novel Come Prima, written and illustrated by French creator Alfred. Set in the 60s, Come Prima tells the story of two brothers, Fabio and Giovanni, driving from France to their native Italy in a tiny Fiat 500 to transport the ashes of their father. The brothers have been separated for 10 years and their relationship has been a tumultuous one. On the road, amidst a slew of chance encounters, they fight often and sometimes do not speak to each other at all. At the same time, however, the trip proves to be a bonding one, digging up memories, both happy and painful, from their childhood.
Alfred’s storytelling is sensitive but accessible. The number of wordless panels sets a pleasant, meditative pacing to the book while also communicating the silence and distance between the brothers. There are wonderful landscapes of the French and Italian countryside, as well as many dream-like flashbacks. Inspired by Italian cinema of the 60s, Alfred’s illustrations succeed in a creating a powerfully nostalgic atmosphere.
Come Prima is an extremely engaging and visually stunning tale centered on family, roots, and a journey through Europe. It is easy to see why it won the top prize at last year’s Angouleme festival and I am so happy that it is available in English for the first time!
[Read Come Prima on comiXology]
Karrie Larsson is a Senior International Production Coordinator at comiXology currently living in Brooklyn. .
A comiXologist recommends:
Iron Squad #1: Red Commando ½
by: Dane Cypel
When I was in school for my Masters, we would often speak about French comics –about how beautiful they were even though we could not read them. Myself, and my fellow candidates did not speak French, so in many instances the books were purchased simply for the pictures. It was the art that kept us interested and we did our best to discern a storyline and flesh out characters with what we could understand.
Delcourt’s English-translated releases have, thankfully, fixed this type of fill-in-the-blank storytelling that I have had to experience with French books. With this release, there is one particular book - Iron Squad #1, that has caught my eye.
I was not familiar, at all, with Iron Squad before reading it for this review. It was between this and Curse of the Wendigo, both having to do with a World War and some type of fantastical element. As much as I love tales of the Great War, the allure of Nazi super-weapons, Soviet armored infantry and 1st Lieutenant Tania Yakvolev, comrade pilot of the First Female Fighter Wing, had my attention.
Iron Squad #1 is an alternate history story, where Nazi scientists have cracked the secret to making large walking mechanized vehicles. There was one particular scene where a Nazi general meets with his Imperial Japanese counterpart to present the Empire with their own “Iron Squad,” or in the vernacular - “mekapanzers”. While this is in no way historical, there is a wonderful blend of Gundam-meets-Wolfenstein.
What is perhaps the most interesting point of this story is that there is no American protagonist, at all. It is a commonplace for World War stories to contain that obligatory American character, but this shift allows for a completely different perspective. Instead, the focus is on the Soviet side of this war. There is, of course, a French instructor who happens to have a mechanical arm, but he is only in a few panels. I was still able to relate to the characters and find interest in what they were doing – something which most French produced comics are able to achieve with solid storytelling and well-made art.
In the past, there was this inherent barrier that kept readers like me away from French books. I wanted to read them, to put words to the pictures, and now that wish has been answered. These books are beautiful, they are compelling, and they offer a unique approach often overlooked by us English-speakers to the comic medium.
[Read Iron Squad #1: Red Commando 1/2 on comiXology]
Dane Cypel is a digital editor at comiXology and freelance illustrator based in Manhattan.
Say Bonjour to the French Comics Taking Over Comixology →
Check out an exlusive preview of Prometheé #1 over at iO9 and see the first slate of newly translated BD coming to comiXology.
ComiXology Expands Digital Library With French Titles →
It’s so so so so so so so awesome to start getting Delcourt BD translated into English on comiXology.
Le Monde Des Bulles - Hall 1
After an almost heartbreakingly scenic drive back to the festival from the “chateau” we are staying at (more on that later), my first stop was Hall 1 in Le Monde Des Bulles. This hall has the most similar feel to American conventions than anything else at Angoulême.
The hall is made up of a large tent lined with publishers selling both original Franco-Belgian BDs as well as licensed and translated American comics. One thing I thought was best was the amazing quality of the printing of the American stuff. Not a trade paperback to be seen, everything is hardcover and beautifully bound.
Another stark difference between this festival and those in the states is the complete lack of anything movie or videogame related, aside from that set of Avengers statues in the Panini booth that went mainly overlooked by the passers-by. Everything here is entirely dedicated to comics and BD.
There really is an incredible wealth of French comics completely unfamiliar to me, and they all look so cool it makes me wish I could read more than the paltry amount of French that I know. Hopefully in time more and more of this content will get translated into English and made available on comiXology.com (a lot of it is already available there in French if you speak the language).