Through The Walls

by Jean-Luc Cornette, Stéphane Oiry

A series of droll vignettes of everyday French life... except for the fact that each short story features one or more characters that have the very special ability of walking through walls, and through any other objects for that matter, which tends to "enliven" things quite a bit. These touching and humorous chronicles by the talented team of Jean-Luc Cornette and Stephane Oiry are full of the European sensibility seen in titles such as the Monsieur Jean series. Published here in its entirety and in the English language for the first time.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Bande Dessinée, Humor, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2012

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short stories explore how various otherwise ordinary people make use of their secret ability to phase through things a la Kitty Pryde of the X-Men. Rather than examine how such super powers might effect the world, the creators focus in on small moments of day-to-day life, using the gimmick for gentle humor or drama for the most part. Sexual harassment is a recurring theme in several stories as one man uses the power to stalk a woman (very off-putting) while a couple women use it to thwart their harassers. One character appears in several stories, having a little bit of an arc, but otherwise the stories appear to me to be mostly unrelated. The book's not bad, but it is too mild to really make a lasting impression.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh god, this is so French. Through the Walls is a series of short stories about a world where some people can just... phase through things. Stories range from humourous to quite dark. In one, a man saves his wife's friend from choking, but in another, a little girl is showing off for a friend who copies her and dies. Some of the stories were... frustrating in their treatment of how to deal with women. In one, a man is absolutely infatuated with a woman he meets, so much so that he slips into her apartment to watch her sleep. She wakes up one night and sees someone in the dark. She calls her friend to come comfort her when it was really him that freaked her out :l

Despite some missteps, it's an intriguing little volume. It was neat to see the author explore the various ways that the world might change on a subtle, daily level. Just that one story... Uggg!

[Ed Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 short stories each involving someone who can walk through walls and other objects. 1. A guy uses the power to save someone from choking. 2. A woman uses the power to escape a harasser. 3. A guy uses the power to harass and ingratiate himself with a woman. 4. A woman uses the power to escape two harassers.

Almost certainly inspired by the story by Le passe-muraille by Marcel Aymé, though this is not mentioned in the book. (I read the French edition.)

[Christy Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful storytelling in short forms.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
Snake story (Monty) was my favorite.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently available on Kindle Unlimited, this is volume one of a two volume series of short stories riffing on the theme that there are everyday people who have the superpower of passing through matter, or having matter pass through them.

Other than this fantastical element, these shorts are all genteel, well observed slices of contemporary life contrasting sharply with the fantastical gift. A recurring theme is that such a gift has no good use other than for resolving medical emergencies or escaping predatory people, and it can only lead to embarrassment, heartache, or even tragedy. It’s a strange collection.

The writing is sharp, but I must say that contemporary kitchen sink narratives are of no interest to me, so I found it boring. The art is deliberately scruffy and sketchy, but actually very intricate. It captures life in a modern French city, presumably Paris, very well. But again, it’s deliberately mundane.

I had picked this up thinking it had something to do with the old children’s classic Le Passe Muraille by Marcel Aymé, but it isn’t.

Would I read it again? No. But it was a pleasant enough read. Hence three stars.

[Himi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories about how the ability to phase through matter, solid or otherwise, figures into the lives of everyday folk. I’ve always been fond of telling people to use their powers to good, but I’ve never given much thought to what comes in between good and the implied evil.This was an interesting read and it made me think a lot about how people are affected the possession of a special ability, how they choose to use it, and what that says about them.

As I mentioned in the sneak peek, the book was full of characters that I disliked without hesitation or guilt, yet I enjoyed reading about them. I picked this up because the art reminded me of cartoons I saw when I was younger. They were definitely French, but I don’t remember any of them having dialogue. But the art wasn’t just nostalgic, it was nice as well.

[Daken Howlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

simpatica serie di storie brevi ambientate nella francia contemporanea,tutte apparentemente semplici spaccati di vita quotidiana ma legati da un'unico elemento soprannaturale comune,in ogni storia è presente un singolo personaggio che ha l'abilità di attraversare gli oggetti solidi...il perché di questa abilità o il motivo per cui è possibile solo per un numero limitato di persone non è mai veramente spiegato,ma il modo in cui questo espediente narrativo è utilizzato nei vari racconti in modi sempre diversi è molto interessante.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Review is for volumes 1 & 2]
I loved the concept, but was unnerved by how creepy the men could be with their power. I would hope I wouldn't stoop to such things, but I guess you never know until you get there :P. I'm always fascinated by stories that explore having/using superpowers in everyday life.

[Omar Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art, story was ok.

[Brady Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

European comics are so so great.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories with the common element that one of the characters can go through solid objects with sometimes fun, sometimes creepy results.

[Hassanchop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book. Small tales about people that can go through walls.