We start this month of April with three comics that are instructive, pretty and original at the same time: “Get up America”, “Naduah” and “Tangier sous larain”.
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« Get up America »
Planned in two parts, “Get up America” is the sequel to the three-volume “Wake up America”, a graphic novel that traces the struggle for civil rights in the United States through the life of John Levis. The latter, an activist turned congressman, actively participated in the scriptwriting with his co-author Andrew Aydin, while working with cartoonists Nate Powell and L. Fury. Until his last breath in July 2020, John Lewis worked on “Get up America”. This first volume retraces the years 1965 and 1966 when the Vietnam War escalated and racism and violence against blacks were still pervasive in the United States. This graphic novel is ultra-documented. It has at the end about thirty pages with biographies, notes and sources. “Get up America” retraces the fight of a lifetime and plunges the reader into recent American history, the one that in our country has not been particularly deepened on school benches. A punchy work to discover.
“Get up America”, by Lewis, Aydin, Fury and Powell, Rue de Sèvres editions, 160 pages, €15
“Tangier in the rain”
“Tangier in the rain” recounts Matisse’s two trips to Morocco. In 1912, the painter and his wife took a boat to settle in a palace in Tangier. While he wanted to move forward, recover from the death of his father and be inspired by Moroccan nature, he discovered Tangier under a seemingly endless rain. While his wife decides to return to France, Matisse remains alone. But he will find company… Fabien Grolleau and Abdel de Bruxelles were inspired by an episode in the life of Matisse to deliver an original story. A mixture of art, love, melancholy and emotion, the result is fascinating. Special mention for the drawing of Abdel de Bruxelles who was born in Morocco, who grew up in France and who ended up settling in Belgium to study comics. His line is lively, sometimes minimalist, and the shimmering colors evolve over the situations and the weather. “Tangier under the rain” recounts a moment apart, timeless and bewitching.
“Tangier in the rain”, by Grolleau and Brussels, Dargaud editions, 120 pages, €21
« Naduah »
In 1836, in the United States, Cynthia Ann was kidnapped by native Comanches. His whole family was massacred during this attack. The girl is then renamed Naduah and a few years later, she must marry one of her captors with whom she will have three children. In 1860, a new bloody event will upset his life. During the attack of a troop of Texas Rangers, Naduah tries to flee on horseback with her baby but she is captured. A new life will then begin for her, again. First, silent, she will befriend a little girl to whom she will tell her story. This album is inspired by the true story of Cynthia Ann Parker, “Naduah”. Nearly 200 years ago, she was twice kidnapped and torn away from those she loves. The story is told through the eyes of Anabel, the daughter of a Texas Ranger. This offers an original approach and a touching double look. The magnificent line of Vincent Storel comes a little more to sublimate this “slow western”.
“Naduah”, by Vidal and Sorel, Glénat editions, 128 pages, €22
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