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A.L.I.E.E.E.N.: Archives of Lost Issues and Earthly Editions of Extraterrestrial Novelties by Lewis Trondheim
At last we have an answer to the What do alien kids read?Who knows how many light-years this beaten-up,weatherworn volume has traveled to land up in the hands of an earthling like you? This rare artifact from another planet is written in an entirely alien language and alphabet, which you may be the first human to decipher.Whichever galaxy theyre from, these interwoven tales prove that some stories are indeed universaland that others are, well .... weird, bizarre, and clearly not of this world. But no matter how many eyes, legs, or tentacles they have, its nice to know that aliens too can smile, cry, poop, make friends, be kind or be cruel, fall prey to peer pressure, and sometimes make a total mess of things while trying to do good.Thanks to this extraordinary discovery from a world far, far away, serious ufologists everywhere are now rethinking their profession, while asking Do aliens really let their kids read this stuff?
Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
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418 people want to read
About the author
Lewis Trondheim
523 books240 followersThe phenomenal Lewis Trondheim is never where you next expect him. As an artist and writer, Trondheim has earned an international following as one of the most inventive, versatile, and prolific graphic authors. From autobiography to adventure, from bestselling fantasy and children's books to visual essays, Trondheim's unique, seminal imagination consistently dazzles. His work has won numerous awards, including the Angoulême prize for best series with McConey and he also co-created the titanic fantasy epic Dungeon with Joann Sfar.
He is one of the founding members of the alternative publishing house L'Association, a proving ground for many of the greatest talents in European comics working today. He is also the editorial director of a new imprint called Shampooing, dedicated to comics for all ages.
Lewis lives in the South of France with his wife, Brigitte Findakly, and two children.
He is one of the founding members of the alternative publishing house L'Association, a proving ground for many of the greatest talents in European comics working today. He is also the editorial director of a new imprint called Shampooing, dedicated to comics for all ages.
Lewis lives in the South of France with his wife, Brigitte Findakly, and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
May 15, 2017
Lewis Trondheim makes me feel like the laziest person on the planet, or on any planet: he's been working for 16 or 17 years and made about a billion jillion comics, and they're all good, and he keeps working with more people and trying new things. A.L.I.E.E.E.N. (original title A.L.I.E.E.N.; in French, two E's are as funny as three) is like the result of some unwise bet by the devil: "Sure you're versatile, you can do minimalist wordless slapstick strips, and you can do funny animals for grownups, and you can do fantasy parody comics full of sick humor for kids, but I bet you can't do all three at once!" So this is a minimalist wordless slapstick funny animal fantasy grownup comic for kids, and it's like almost nothing else, and it is hilarious and sick, sick, sick, sick.
Allegedly it's a kids' comic from another planet, found discarded on Earth (so some of the pages look artfully weather-beaten), written in an unknown language, about a few dozen different kinds of brightly colored critters having a variety of serious problems. Some of the problems are pretty basic: one character accidentally pokes his eyes out on page two (Wertham was right!); another wants to give people presents, but they're not appreciated; another has to figure out what to do with a pet/friend/colleague who literally can't stop crapping, ever. Others are more complicated: why do cheerful Pokemon-looking people like to club little blue shrimpy people on the head?; why does the mad scientist(?) want to dissect a floating weeping ghost(?) that looks like the creature he just smooshed and fed to his plants(?)?; did the little birdie guy just die, or was that his clone that grew out of a clonifying eel type thing? Since you can't read the words, part of the fun is trying to figure out what the rules are, and in some cases you realize that you really just can't. It doesn't really matter, because the characters are so expressive - it's like Trondheim is playing an instrument whose notes are Happy, Hopeful, Hungry, Perplexed, Greedy, Bored, Scared, etc.
The one thing it kind of resembles is Jim Woodring's great Frank, which has a similar setting (mostly pastoral), things that turn into other things without warning, and no words. But where Frank is more haunting and esoteric - a chronicle of currents inside Woodring's head - A.L.I.E.E.E.N. reads like a plain fun narrative that just happens to include some incomprehensible and/or highly disturbing events. The overall message seems to be: the laws of nature are harsh, and all physical beings commit outrages or endure grossness, and these things are funny.
Allegedly it's a kids' comic from another planet, found discarded on Earth (so some of the pages look artfully weather-beaten), written in an unknown language, about a few dozen different kinds of brightly colored critters having a variety of serious problems. Some of the problems are pretty basic: one character accidentally pokes his eyes out on page two (Wertham was right!); another wants to give people presents, but they're not appreciated; another has to figure out what to do with a pet/friend/colleague who literally can't stop crapping, ever. Others are more complicated: why do cheerful Pokemon-looking people like to club little blue shrimpy people on the head?; why does the mad scientist(?) want to dissect a floating weeping ghost(?) that looks like the creature he just smooshed and fed to his plants(?)?; did the little birdie guy just die, or was that his clone that grew out of a clonifying eel type thing? Since you can't read the words, part of the fun is trying to figure out what the rules are, and in some cases you realize that you really just can't. It doesn't really matter, because the characters are so expressive - it's like Trondheim is playing an instrument whose notes are Happy, Hopeful, Hungry, Perplexed, Greedy, Bored, Scared, etc.
The one thing it kind of resembles is Jim Woodring's great Frank, which has a similar setting (mostly pastoral), things that turn into other things without warning, and no words. But where Frank is more haunting and esoteric - a chronicle of currents inside Woodring's head - A.L.I.E.E.E.N. reads like a plain fun narrative that just happens to include some incomprehensible and/or highly disturbing events. The overall message seems to be: the laws of nature are harsh, and all physical beings commit outrages or endure grossness, and these things are funny.
July 2, 2009
A sad weird collection of tiny wordless stories about aliens involved in mass eye-gouging and uncontrollable pooping.
February 10, 2009
Lewis Trondheim manages to mix whimsy and horror in a beautiful way. These wordless (well, the stories do have an alien language, but not one that anyone on Earth can read) stories follow lovable and cute Pokemon-style characters who wander through a brutal world of death and disfigurement. The stories are uniformly bleak, but their cute and cuddly protagonists makes the whole thing funny. The interconnected stories end in a torrent of violence and goo, finishing with the perfectly cute symbol of loneliness, surrounded by a sea of shit. Really wonderful stuff. Trondheim can do practically anything. He's extremely experimental and a damn fine storyteller. These stories are straight storytelling and are damn fine.
May 15, 2008
cute character designs, pretty gruesome in an unsettlingly cutesy way. some interesting ideas in terms of predation, racial oppression, etc. is this for kids???
May 24, 2019
Giving this one a 3.5 stars. I read this after reading The Portable Frank to compare since both are wordless and surreal graphic novels. I also saw a review on here that mentioned them collectively, and I wanted to try them out together.
I have to admit that I did not enjoy this as much as Frank. Although very cute character design and clever premise (an alien comic book found by a human), I was let down by the lack of overall narrative. The stories filled me with ongoing feelings of terror and despair, which would have been fine had there been meaning for them. It seemed the entirety of the book would go from disturbing terror to shock value bodily horror and back and forth, trying to justify itself with only those concepts. It made me wonder if there was a reason to this book at all, other than the cute art. It seemed like it was trying to open a discussion for bigger, important ideas - but ended them flatly with meaningless gross outs. I've seen gross out horror done well before like the work of Junji Ito - but this just doesn't work for me. I agree with another reviewer that it seemed too disturbing for children, but not enough content to be enjoyed by older readers. Just an overall unfortunately, disjointed book.
I have to admit that I did not enjoy this as much as Frank. Although very cute character design and clever premise (an alien comic book found by a human), I was let down by the lack of overall narrative. The stories filled me with ongoing feelings of terror and despair, which would have been fine had there been meaning for them. It seemed the entirety of the book would go from disturbing terror to shock value bodily horror and back and forth, trying to justify itself with only those concepts. It made me wonder if there was a reason to this book at all, other than the cute art. It seemed like it was trying to open a discussion for bigger, important ideas - but ended them flatly with meaningless gross outs. I've seen gross out horror done well before like the work of Junji Ito - but this just doesn't work for me. I agree with another reviewer that it seemed too disturbing for children, but not enough content to be enjoyed by older readers. Just an overall unfortunately, disjointed book.
December 2, 2007
I do *not* know what to make of this little volume. The art is simple but really appealing, and the wordless brutal unintended hurts suffered by its many characters oddly endearing, if gross and often inexplicable. My favourite character was the creature who could do no right, and remains all alone.
September 7, 2010
-Ahhh.
-This is nice.
-What a lovely day.
-How charming!
-Adorable.
-AHHH!
-Oh no!
-How did this happen?
-How awful.
-Horrible really.
-But now what's going on?
-Oh god! Why are you doing that?
-Nooooo, stop!
-What are you thinking?!
-I don't understand, but ACK
-Why did this have to happen?
-WHY DO THEY KEEP DOING THAT?!
-whew
-okay
-but wait
-Augh!
And so on. Basically, adorable creatures set out across their alien world on a perfect day only to do awful things to eachother and to have awful things done to them. It draws a sort of inscrutable horror from the fact that it's written entirely in alien glyphs (which I love), so reasons for what transpires are very unclear. But then, so are the reasons for many real-world atrocities. Because this does seem to be reaching for a sort of universality. Ultimately the book manages an impressive sense of pathos, isolation from other people (or creatures), and the pervasive incomprehensibility of cruelty. In this way, it is actually vastly more humane and worthwhile than various superficially similar work that exists only to subject cute drawings to awful fates.
-This is nice.
-What a lovely day.
-How charming!
-Adorable.
-AHHH!
-Oh no!
-How did this happen?
-How awful.
-Horrible really.
-But now what's going on?
-Oh god! Why are you doing that?
-Nooooo, stop!
-What are you thinking?!
-I don't understand, but ACK
-Why did this have to happen?
-WHY DO THEY KEEP DOING THAT?!
-whew
-okay
-but wait
-Augh!
And so on. Basically, adorable creatures set out across their alien world on a perfect day only to do awful things to eachother and to have awful things done to them. It draws a sort of inscrutable horror from the fact that it's written entirely in alien glyphs (which I love), so reasons for what transpires are very unclear. But then, so are the reasons for many real-world atrocities. Because this does seem to be reaching for a sort of universality. Ultimately the book manages an impressive sense of pathos, isolation from other people (or creatures), and the pervasive incomprehensibility of cruelty. In this way, it is actually vastly more humane and worthwhile than various superficially similar work that exists only to subject cute drawings to awful fates.
November 8, 2015
Smart, funny and terrific, but pretty bleak and the gross-out factor was high.
September 14, 2019
5/5 estrellas.
Me dejó tan confundida y perturbada que se merece todas las estrellas.
Me dejó tan confundida y perturbada que se merece todas las estrellas.
January 18, 2025
4.5// Jeden z moich ulub komiksów!! Czyta się szybko, myśli się o nim długo....Czytałam nie jeden raz i nie jeden raz jeszcze przeczytam!!
April 10, 2025
Naaaaaaa. Está excelentísimo. Me ***** de la risa.
September 8, 2016
If you find the above oddly funny, as I did, then this is the book for you.
A.L.I.E.E.E.N. is an interesting experiment. It has an untraditional story structure, a bizarre sense of humor, and an unusual art style, so everything feels... alien. However, the individual elements of the story are pulled from traditional styles, so everything also feels oddly familiar. This allows us see our own humanity reflected in the story. Even though the book is wordless, and the protagonists are round, many-eyed, tentacled, fuzzy-eared cartoon aliens, some parts, such as the effects of peer pressure and guilt, ring very true.
I'm conflicted about the rating, but I do appreciate funny, experimental fiction; let's say, 3 stars ("very good") for the book, plus an extra one for being so surprising in its strangeness and originality.
March 27, 2018
In the book's introduction, Trondheim claims to have found this book while hiking, amid several pieces that suggested a campsite populated by alien visitors. Thus, he explains, he offered it to his publisher as the first alien graphic novel for children.
For a kids' book, A.L.I.E.E.E.N. is pretty dark. He follows a half dozen main characters in separate short stories, all of which intersect at various points, callously murders a few characters (including a terribly cute yellow bird creature, and another main character pretends to be part of another species clubs one of his own people to death to protect his secret!), and has the most ridiculously scatalogical sequence ever. Don't get me wrong, it's blackly funny, but it's dark. Trondheim by way of Garth Ennis. Still, great art, and some really good slapstick. Oh, and keeping with the "found alien comic" theme, the word balloons are all in an unreadable alien text, but the books works terrifically as a silent piece.
For a kids' book, A.L.I.E.E.E.N. is pretty dark. He follows a half dozen main characters in separate short stories, all of which intersect at various points, callously murders a few characters (including a terribly cute yellow bird creature, and another main character pretends to be part of another species clubs one of his own people to death to protect his secret!), and has the most ridiculously scatalogical sequence ever. Don't get me wrong, it's blackly funny, but it's dark. Trondheim by way of Garth Ennis. Still, great art, and some really good slapstick. Oh, and keeping with the "found alien comic" theme, the word balloons are all in an unreadable alien text, but the books works terrifically as a silent piece.
February 19, 2019
What a nice little slice of creepy cute. I was expecting something a little more wholesome but as I started reading it started feeling more like a mix of happy tree friends and Joan Cornellá. Lots of blood y'all! It's been a while since I read something without a written narrative in it -- I was delighted to leaf through alien language gibberish and facial expressions of these strange little creatures to guide me. (My fave character is the lil yellow chick) I kept wondering if each little chapter was a story to illustrate some sort of lesson for lil alien children but feel logic really isn't needed here. Just enjoy the ride and follow the trails of tree branches and poop lines. Ew. Loved this. Will definitely make you smile.
September 11, 2019
Fanciful illustrations and tremendous creativity make this pretty interesting for adults or teens. But be warned: the stories here, all without dialogue, are extremely dark. Characters feel pressured to beat innocent beings to death, and cry while doing so. Cities are swallowed in feces. The overall tone is one of fear and horror. I wouldn't recommend this for children, or for anyone who is already feeling blue.
November 10, 2014
sempre eccellente Trondheim
November 10, 2018
Disturbing. Caused me to have an existential crisis, but also oddly good. ?? Worth it somehow. No words, at least none in a human language.. Interesting.
September 29, 2017
L'introduzione parla di primo fumetto alieno ritrovato sul pianeta terra. E' una serie di storielle "mute" (in realtà con parlato in "alienese") che vedono un gruppo di alieni dall'aspetto generalmente buffo che si ammazzano o mutilano a vicenda, in un mondo per nulla ospitale dove c'è pochissimo spazio per empatia o mutua assistenza (sentimenti di cui si fa carico un solo personaggio, destinato a vagare sconsolato per questa coloratissima landa degli orrori, così fuori contesto rispetto al resto da farci percepire la sua figura con un certo fastidio, come se gli criticassimo il suo mancato adeguarsi alla crudeltà che lo circonda). AILEEN è un prodotto molto particolare, che, se vogliamo un riferimento "basso", riecheggia gli sketch degli "Happy Tree Friends", ma riesce a imbastire e cementare una, per quanto bizzarra, trama. Il fatto che ci sia una continuity, che i personaggi ritornino, menomati, dalle esperienze precedenti, o che muoiano, toglie presto ogni spensieratezza cartoonesca e precipita il lettore in stati d'animo diversi, dallo stupore a un certo sottile malessere che cresce fino alla conclusione catartica. I disegni hanno un'impostazione "tutta retini", con un tripudio di colori e forme assurde, sanno trasmettere la fascinazione per il mondo alieno e riescono a trascinare il lettore dal sorriso iniziale alla sottile forma di ripugnanza sotto traccia che conclude la lettura. Insomma: fumetto alieno.
March 2, 2025
3.5 estrellas.
Serie de historias interrelacionadas, sombrías pero no carentes de su humor negro, cada una expuesta desde el punto de vista de uno de los "lindos" personajes alienígenas; y digo "expuesta" y no "narrada" porque el lenguaje que aparece en los bocadillos es alienígena (aunque algunos conceptos no es difícil entreverlos, como las peticiones de socorro). El lector tiene por tanto la tarea de tratar de descifrar los sucesos y comportamientos que se plasman en el cómic, algunos muy alienígenas, otros probablemente muy humanos.
La narración desde distintos puntos de vista y las conexiones entre las historias me han parecido bastante inteligentes, como también lo son los gestos de los alienígenas, que con tres trazos en una cara transmiten perfectamente las emociones (si es que la proyección antropomórfica es adecuada para estos seres). Hacia el final las historias se vuelven más largas y por ello algo menos interesantes.
El dibujo, simple chachiguay con toda la intención, ayuda a que el shock de tan morbosas historias se vuelva más chistoso.
En conclusión, una obra corta y original con ciertas dosis de shock y de humor negro, que requiere algo de implicación neuronal del lector, y que merece su lectura.
Serie de historias interrelacionadas, sombrías pero no carentes de su humor negro, cada una expuesta desde el punto de vista de uno de los "lindos" personajes alienígenas; y digo "expuesta" y no "narrada" porque el lenguaje que aparece en los bocadillos es alienígena (aunque algunos conceptos no es difícil entreverlos, como las peticiones de socorro). El lector tiene por tanto la tarea de tratar de descifrar los sucesos y comportamientos que se plasman en el cómic, algunos muy alienígenas, otros probablemente muy humanos.
La narración desde distintos puntos de vista y las conexiones entre las historias me han parecido bastante inteligentes, como también lo son los gestos de los alienígenas, que con tres trazos en una cara transmiten perfectamente las emociones (si es que la proyección antropomórfica es adecuada para estos seres). Hacia el final las historias se vuelven más largas y por ello algo menos interesantes.
El dibujo, simple chachiguay con toda la intención, ayuda a que el shock de tan morbosas historias se vuelva más chistoso.
En conclusión, una obra corta y original con ciertas dosis de shock y de humor negro, que requiere algo de implicación neuronal del lector, y que merece su lectura.
February 3, 2023
I actually really enjoyed this book.
How do I describe this book, I have no clue and I love that.
If your looking for a book to confuse you and a book that is strange, I recommend reading this book.
I love how before the book is started that you have a note from the author telling you they went for a picnic and found this book in the woods.
And I know its strange to say, I believe it. For someone who likes fantasy and strange things, I want to believe it.
There is no words in this book, which humans understand. So through the book you have this language or symbols which the creatures in this book use.
Sometimes I even read the book again and see if I can understand the symbols used. And I did see some continuous symbols used when there is panic that is experienced in the book.
I admit its the strangest book that I own and I am happy with that.
How do I describe this book, I have no clue and I love that.
If your looking for a book to confuse you and a book that is strange, I recommend reading this book.
I love how before the book is started that you have a note from the author telling you they went for a picnic and found this book in the woods.
And I know its strange to say, I believe it. For someone who likes fantasy and strange things, I want to believe it.
There is no words in this book, which humans understand. So through the book you have this language or symbols which the creatures in this book use.
Sometimes I even read the book again and see if I can understand the symbols used. And I did see some continuous symbols used when there is panic that is experienced in the book.
I admit its the strangest book that I own and I am happy with that.
January 20, 2023
Like a mix between Frank by Jim Woodring and Filler Bunny, but unfortunately it leans more towards being like Filler Bunny. It's central concept is interesting, and it's extremely short length makes sure it doesn't overstay it's welcome. But it's unsettling moments don't go far enough, and it's toilet humor goes way too far. I hate poop jokes so 25% of this book just fails to work for me, and the other 75% just doesn't move me much.
September 4, 2019
What an odd and disturbing little book of horrible things happening to cute little aliens. There are no words (at least not in any human language) but it's not too hard to tell what's happening. I like the way the different vignettes connect to each other, and the somewhat sick humor, but this graphic novel is not for everyone.
June 16, 2023
This is a really good example of how to use the comics medium to tell a story without words. I like how the different characters and storylines overlaps. But the content is just beyond strange. It’s not something I would give to a kid and it’s not really that interesting for an adult so I’m not really sure the purpose beyond a quick exercise in comics storytelling.
February 16, 2022
A "comic book for children" from an alien culture. These cute little critters live in a world of cruelty, prejudice, torture, ritualised violence, and fear. It's bleak but it's also adorable and darkly funny.
May 8, 2022
Very weird. At first the sections didn't seem connected. When I looked more closely, I could see more background elements and figures that tie the sections together. Lots of trauma. Not sure if this was intended for young adults or younger -- know your child: could cause nightmares.
June 17, 2023
Collection "Bayou" = 175 x 245 = D.L. January 2007 = eo
I shelved "purely-or-almost-wordless" even though there are plenty of phylactere- but all in alien unsentanced symbols that offer zero interpretation clues.
I shelved "purely-or-almost-wordless" even though there are plenty of phylactere- but all in alien unsentanced symbols that offer zero interpretation clues.
October 20, 2025
What the heck did I just read? As others have noted, this is a super strange juxtaposition of cute and pastel creatures in violent and horrific stories. Lots of eye gauging. And wearing dead creatures' skins.
December 12, 2017
A funny, sad little book. It feels very similar to some Frank comics, but I'm not positive that it's influenced by them. The aliens here are cute, but they live in a cruel world.
July 13, 2018
Quite the bizarre experience!
March 25, 2019
Комикс на выдуманном языке. Главные герои - представители инопланетной расы. А вот сюжет в стиле мультфильма "happy tree friends". И так же с социальным посылом. Неплохо
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews