the essentials Meet early in the morning in the looping news factories, or push the curtain behind the scenes of Franco-Syrian relations, of the assassination of Trotsky… Comics are also a matter of information !
The news factory. A reporter on the channel
The Steinkis news factory
Barely out of the Lille journalism school, Guillaume joined the editorial staff of a 24-hour news channel. Awesome ? Not quite. Here he is stuck behind a keyboard and a screen, with the task of filling the airwaves with “commentary on image” type topics. A little disillusioned by night shifts, and work disconnected from the field, Guillaume dreams of reporting, of major outdoor shoots.
Which ends up happening. Our Guillaume meets at the National Assembly to collect declarations. His cameraman, white under the harness, then explains to him that his task is simply to do like everyone else. A little taken aback, Guillaume realizes that all the information is in fact standardized, pre-prepared before he even leaves to report. His job consists of nothing more and nothing less than filling out a shopping list: such a reaction, such an image, such a personality…
Faced with this tragic loss of meaning, Guillaume loses his illusions. Until the explosion of the Yellow Vests showed him the importance of the press in the democratic debate.
A healthy comic strip, in which any journalist, young or old, will easily recognize themselves… and which should be given to them when they start school! For those who are not journalists, a dive into the manufacturing secrets – and the limits – of low-cost information.
€20 in Steinkis
Paris – Damascus: deadly connections
Paris-Damascus: deadly connections Delcourt
Subtitled “50 years of dirty tricks between France and the Assad clan”, this thick volume looks at the entire history that links France and Syria.
From the protectorate to the inferno of the last wars, the authors, Jean-Claude Bartoll et Nicolas Oterooffer a detailed portrait of these deadly relations, punctuated by attacks, reversals, and unnatural alliances between the two nations. We follow the rise of the Assad clan as much as the lying poker game led by French diplomacy in a context where Syria has often played the role of referee in a complicated Middle East.
A very didactic and detailed comic strip, with sober and concise drawing, largely based on rich iconographic documentation, which will delight fans of contemporary political news.
Delcourt 18,95 €
The French woman must vote!
The French woman must vote! Marabulles
Louise Weiss fought all her life to give women the same place in society as men. Born in Arras in 1893, she fought during the interwar period to advance the cause of women’s electoral emancipation.
And for this, she did not hesitate to carry out spectacular actions such as the invasion of the Longchamp racecourse, petitions, candidacies for municipal elections as in 1935, or legislative ones in 1936, using hat boxes instead of ballot boxes. She even went so far as to offer provocative socks to senators… A pacifist, humanist woman – in 1933 she signed an editorial “We do not make a pact with Hitler” – Louise Weiss was at the forefront of European construction after the Second World War.
A no-nonsense story with elegant and sober design which pays tribute to a pioneer, in turn journalist, feminist, leading politician, and who never betrayed her convictions.
Marabulles 23,95 €
Mercader Trotsky’s assassin
Mercader the assassin of Trotsky Glénat
When a man fell from the 5th floor of his building in 1978, on a Prague boulevard, the police immediately investigated. Because the man is Russian, and at the time of the Warsaw Pact, the death of a Russian was never treated lightly by the satellite countries. The dead man’s name is Ramon Ivanovich.
A funny name for a funny parishioner. Because the two investigators who went to his home quickly realized that the man did not fall alone from the 5th floor. They discover a safe in a wall filled with a passport and a strange manuscript. Could the dead man be the assassin of Leon Trotsky?
The manuscript is a real time bomb that one of the investigators decides to keep for himself. Behind the rather well-conducted police investigation, and a well-timed realistic drawing, which allows Mercader’s story to be plotted, the two authors Bernard and Bervas trace the infiltration of the Soviet agent responsible for eliminating the opponent Trotsky .
A diptych where suspense, fiction and historical facts respond and intersect to better explain why Trotsky constituted a real threat to the Soviet regime.
Glénat €14.95
Fannie the Knotmaker. A retelling of the Tales of the Octopus
Fannie the knotter Delcourt
This is the 4th album in the universe of Contes de la Octopus, a unique series that mixes the Paris of the Apaches of the 1920s with fantasy. The Octopus is a criminal organization that controls the city’s underbelly, using henchmen with unique and strange powers.
Fannie the Knotmaker never imagined one day serving the Octopus. Her power, which allows her to enter into contact with the minds of people, and make them regain a taste for life, led her to work at the Hôtel-Dieu where she excels with depressives. But one of the leaders of the Octopus needs help to get his mentally blocked daughter to act in order to conclude a lucrative contract.
A puppeteer’s game where Fannie will have to take all the risks or risk being executed.
We find with great pleasure the unique atmosphere of Gess’ stories, whose detailed and abundant drawing gives a very particular quality to his stories with the taste of a soap opera from the last century.
Delcourt 27,95 €
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Saturn, guardian of the rings
The epic tale of interplanetary travelers, embarked in an alien ship for a cruise in the solar system, continues. This time, it is Saturn, the giant with its enigmatic rings and 146 satellites, which is the destination of the 6 astronauts.
If they all hope to extract a little of the mystery from this astonishing planet in many ways, everything goes to waste when one of the scientists tries to hack extraterrestrial technologies.
The alien, however, finds himself forced to compose. He needs humans to find a ship stranded around Saturn… The plot is pleasant to follow, and the authors distill the scientific content, very specific, without ever overwhelming the reader. An excellent series.
Glénat. 15.50€
Saturn, the guardian of the rings Glénat
Addictions
It’s impossible not to think of Sempé when you leaf through this large collection by Ravard… Same sober and tender drawings, same watercolor colors. And the same presentation: in one image, in the blink of an eye, everything is laid out, everything is said. Where the comparison stops is when we recognize the slightly cynical and sarcastic laughter that grips the reader when he discovers this painting of our current failings. Inflated egos of followers, fans of mindless selfies, etc. Ravard spares nothing and no one. He limits himself to exposing our ridicule. And to step aside to leave room for our reflection… And that’s very good!
Freezing Fluid. €22.90
Addictions Icy Fluid
Chronicles of the Worlds of Aria
Based on a role-playing game of the same name, this album features a thief, Jotun, confronted with his destiny without him accepting it: to save the world. While he has been entrusted with artifacts to fulfill his mission, he hastens to sell everything to the highest bidder… Helped by two warriors more clever than him, Jotun will go through the ordeals and lose a little of his splendor as events progress. …
Heroic fanfasy that combines action and offbeat humor, well in keeping with the tone of Aria’s games.
Glénat. 14.50€
Chronicles of the Worlds of Aria Glénat
Children of the Empire
In a Korea under Japanese domination, Arisa is the daughter of a wealthy family. Seomoon, on the other hand, had a difficult childhood and is saved from poverty by Arisa’s father. Together, they form a contrasting duo, like fire and ice, where their differences bring them together.
The story, anchored in a historical era rarely highlighted, reveals a changing Korea. The author, thanks to in-depth research, immerses the reader in this pivotal period with particular attention to detail, particularly in the costumes. The sober and detailed graphics, as well as the softness of the colors, further enrich the immersion. A touching work that combines history, emotion and aesthetics.
Delcourt. 19,99€
The children of the Delcourt empire
The invaders
A band of aliens have landed on Earth, after causing the destruction of their home planet due to ecological unconsciousness. They firmly believe in their mission: to enlighten the souls of humans to prevent the same thing from happening to them!
But there you go, for humans, it’s just migrants of another kind who come to annoy them with their punitive ecology… A fairly fierce satire, but very well felt, served by a minimalist design which proves very effective.
Delcourt. 13,50€
The Delcourt invaders
