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Nikopol #1
Η Γιορτη Των Αθανατων
Απ' τους πιο ,σημαντικούς σύγχρονους δημιουργούς κόμικς, ο Enki Bilal, δίνει με τη ΓΙΟΡΤΗ ΤΩΝ ΑΘΑΝΑΤΩΝ μια ιδιοφυή πολιτική «επιστημονική φαντασία» για τη ζοφερή προοπτική της μελλοντικής κοινωνίας: Το Παρίσι του 2023 είναι ο εφιάλτης του μελλοντικού φασισμού μιας αδιέξοδης εποχής. Το πολύ σημαντικό αυτό έργο γνώρισε εξαιρετική επιτυχία με παράλληλες δημοσιεύσεις γαλλικά, αγγλικά, ιταλικά. Ελληνικά δημοσιεύθηκε σε συνέχειες στη ΒΑΒΕΛ. Σ'αυτό τον τόμο, το έργο ολοκληρωμένο.
66 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1980
6 people are currently reading
477 people want to read
About the author
Enki Bilal
243 books315 followersEnki Bilal (born Enes Bilal) is a French comic book creator and film director.
Bilal was born in Belgrade, then the capital of Yugoslavia, to a Czech mother, Ana, who came to Belgrade as child from Karlovy Vary, and a Bosnian Muslim father, Muhamed Hamo Bilal who had been Josip Broz Tito's tailor. When he was five years old, his father managed to take a trip and stay in Paris as a political émigré. Enki and the rest of the family followed him, four years later.
Enki Bilal has no sense of belonging to any ethnic group and religion, nor is he obsessed with soil and roots. He said in one interview: "I also feel Bosnian by my father's origin, a Serb by my place of birth and a Croat by my relationship with a certain friends, not to mention my other Czech half, who I am inherited from mother".
At age 14, he met René Goscinny and with his encouragement applied his talent to comics. He produced work for Goscinny's Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote in the 1970s, publishing his first story, Le Bol Maudit, in 1972.
In 1975, Bilal began working with script writer Pierre Christin on a series of dark and surreal tales, resulting in the body of work titled Légendes d'Aujourd'hui.
He is best known for the Nikopol trilogy (La Foire aux immortels, La Femme piège and Froid Équateur), which took more than a decade to complete. Bilal wrote the script and did the artwork. The final chapter, Froid Équateur, was chosen book of the year by the magazine Lire and is acknowledged by the inventor of chess boxing as the inspiration for the sport.
Quatre? (2007), the last book in the Hatzfeld tetralogy, deals with the breakup of Yugoslavia from a future viewpoint. The first installment came in 1998 in the shape of Le Sommeil du Monstre opening with the main character, Nike, remembering the war in a series of traumatic flashbacks.
In 2012, Bilal was featured in a solo exhibition at The Louvre. The exhibition, titled "The Ghosts of the Louvre", ran from 20 December 2012 to 18 March 2013. The exhibition was organized by Fabrice Douar, and featured a series of paintings of "Ghosts", done atop photographs that Bilal took of the Louvre's collection.
Bilal was born in Belgrade, then the capital of Yugoslavia, to a Czech mother, Ana, who came to Belgrade as child from Karlovy Vary, and a Bosnian Muslim father, Muhamed Hamo Bilal who had been Josip Broz Tito's tailor. When he was five years old, his father managed to take a trip and stay in Paris as a political émigré. Enki and the rest of the family followed him, four years later.
Enki Bilal has no sense of belonging to any ethnic group and religion, nor is he obsessed with soil and roots. He said in one interview: "I also feel Bosnian by my father's origin, a Serb by my place of birth and a Croat by my relationship with a certain friends, not to mention my other Czech half, who I am inherited from mother".
At age 14, he met René Goscinny and with his encouragement applied his talent to comics. He produced work for Goscinny's Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote in the 1970s, publishing his first story, Le Bol Maudit, in 1972.
In 1975, Bilal began working with script writer Pierre Christin on a series of dark and surreal tales, resulting in the body of work titled Légendes d'Aujourd'hui.
He is best known for the Nikopol trilogy (La Foire aux immortels, La Femme piège and Froid Équateur), which took more than a decade to complete. Bilal wrote the script and did the artwork. The final chapter, Froid Équateur, was chosen book of the year by the magazine Lire and is acknowledged by the inventor of chess boxing as the inspiration for the sport.
Quatre? (2007), the last book in the Hatzfeld tetralogy, deals with the breakup of Yugoslavia from a future viewpoint. The first installment came in 1998 in the shape of Le Sommeil du Monstre opening with the main character, Nike, remembering the war in a series of traumatic flashbacks.
In 2012, Bilal was featured in a solo exhibition at The Louvre. The exhibition, titled "The Ghosts of the Louvre", ran from 20 December 2012 to 18 March 2013. The exhibition was organized by Fabrice Douar, and featured a series of paintings of "Ghosts", done atop photographs that Bilal took of the Louvre's collection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 3, 2021
This is the core of Bilal's mature work. A fascinating gripping drama with individual watercolors on each frame, Le foire aux immortels is one of the best francophone graphic novels of the 80s hands-down.
February 14, 2020
Two things are common of all Enki Bilal stories: gorgeous artwork, weird and at times incomprehensible stories. This was one of the more comprehensive ones, with a plotlike that I could actually follow to its end. Nice, nice.
I should check out the movie.
I should check out the movie.
May 6, 2020
Despite a veneer of true blue euro-weirdness with visuals to match Nikopol 1 only proves itself to be nothing more than an emperor with some clothes. Not truly naked because there is some good. There really is. But when the truth is uncovered, there’s ultimately not too much to be gleaned from the revelation of the not-so-occluded.
So, in the not too distant future of 2023 Paris is a strictly segregated dystopic city, fascistically governed, the spread between the haves and have nots couldn’t be greater. Entering this world of filth and grime is hovering an extraterrestrial spaceship of pyramidal construction housing bio-cybernetic emanations of Egypt’s most memorable deities, Anubis, Bastet, and most notably Horus to name a few. When a mere political deal to obtain much needed spaceship fuel is being brokered, a landed Frenchmen--astronaut-exile removed from his 30 years literally crashes unto the scene, the second spool of narrative unites to the first, combining less-than-ingenious intrigue and even-more-so lackluster cultural critique.
Needless to say, typical sci-fi tropes saturate the remainder of the narrative: body possession, laser-eyes, and psionic control drive the unlikely team up of Bio-automotive Horus and recently returned astro-exile Nikopol toward the former’s political ends. Societal overthrow is the name of the game and poor Niko finds himself a forceably unwitting pawn in the god’s murderous machinations. Pulling himself further toward this power grab, the gravity of narrative sucks the reader toward its inevitable telos of this first part of a 3 act series.
So, all in all when stripped of its overly gritty veneer and artistic ambitions there’s really nothing more than a flimsy tale of political usurpation. Unconvoluted sure, this intrigue is a far cry from far more blood thirsty and interesting affairs of antiquity such as Caesar's assassination to the far more pertinent French Revolution, either could have served as far more excellent artifacts for inspiration herein. All layered with an equally thin epidermis of laughably applied Leftist emanations, anti-fascism and anti-misogyny, the toppings above are just as underdeveloped as the main narrative below.
Stupid and dumb I would highly inveigh against reading this poor excuse for a comic.
So, in the not too distant future of 2023 Paris is a strictly segregated dystopic city, fascistically governed, the spread between the haves and have nots couldn’t be greater. Entering this world of filth and grime is hovering an extraterrestrial spaceship of pyramidal construction housing bio-cybernetic emanations of Egypt’s most memorable deities, Anubis, Bastet, and most notably Horus to name a few. When a mere political deal to obtain much needed spaceship fuel is being brokered, a landed Frenchmen--astronaut-exile removed from his 30 years literally crashes unto the scene, the second spool of narrative unites to the first, combining less-than-ingenious intrigue and even-more-so lackluster cultural critique.
Needless to say, typical sci-fi tropes saturate the remainder of the narrative: body possession, laser-eyes, and psionic control drive the unlikely team up of Bio-automotive Horus and recently returned astro-exile Nikopol toward the former’s political ends. Societal overthrow is the name of the game and poor Niko finds himself a forceably unwitting pawn in the god’s murderous machinations. Pulling himself further toward this power grab, the gravity of narrative sucks the reader toward its inevitable telos of this first part of a 3 act series.
So, all in all when stripped of its overly gritty veneer and artistic ambitions there’s really nothing more than a flimsy tale of political usurpation. Unconvoluted sure, this intrigue is a far cry from far more blood thirsty and interesting affairs of antiquity such as Caesar's assassination to the far more pertinent French Revolution, either could have served as far more excellent artifacts for inspiration herein. All layered with an equally thin epidermis of laughably applied Leftist emanations, anti-fascism and anti-misogyny, the toppings above are just as underdeveloped as the main narrative below.
Stupid and dumb I would highly inveigh against reading this poor excuse for a comic.
October 29, 2018
The very first Enki Bilal I read. And probably the book that showed me BD/Comics were so much more than I grew up believing they were.
February 28, 2011
There's something so indulgent about French stories, which is at the same time their strength and their downfall. They lilt along, laughing and provoking, never shying away, but there is also a lack of self-editing there that tends to leave them a bit silly and unfocused.
Sometimes, I think it's a problem of translation, and this translation is so unusually literal from the French, as if it were meant for primary English readers who understand the French language and culture, but who are unable to read in the language on their own. This is certainly one style of translation, but for a story like this, I tend to prefer a translation of idioms, emotions, and speech into the new language; but that requires a new writer just as creative and interesting as the original author.
But I also know it isn't entirely the problem of translation, as I've seen complex, intriguing stories that are delightful and deep even in translation, such as the works of Kurosawa or Charlier's 'Blueberry' comic. Then again, they are both familiar with the same Western traditions I am, so perhaps it's an easier shift.
Nikopol shows some of those indulgent tendencies, but also has an undercurrent of satire for overblown space operas like 'L'Incal'. Between engaging in indulgence and mocking indulgence, we get some fun, ironical, self-aware amusement, but there isn't a very strong plot to hang it all on. Perhaps it's my problem, but I tend to feel that nothing can really replace a good story.
The art was good, but the stylization was rather extreme. Everyone had the same cheekbones and the range of expression was disappointingly lacking. The world design was fun and detailed, though it all became similar rather quickly.
The colors were surprisingly straightforward, showing little dynamic exploration, especially when compared to the Moebius works that inspired it. The soft colors were pretty, but Bilal wasn't exactly pushing the boundaries. People were pinkish and the backgrounds were washed out browns and blues. When people were blue or green, it wasn't a mood choice, just some aliens.
It's always interesting to see the sci fi influence of Jodorowski's failed European Dune, from Blade Runner to most of Moebius' sci fi, but Nikopol is just another entry, not particularly revolutionary in its own right, though it was the inspiration for the sport of Chess Boxing, which is amusing enough, as legacies go.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
Sometimes, I think it's a problem of translation, and this translation is so unusually literal from the French, as if it were meant for primary English readers who understand the French language and culture, but who are unable to read in the language on their own. This is certainly one style of translation, but for a story like this, I tend to prefer a translation of idioms, emotions, and speech into the new language; but that requires a new writer just as creative and interesting as the original author.
But I also know it isn't entirely the problem of translation, as I've seen complex, intriguing stories that are delightful and deep even in translation, such as the works of Kurosawa or Charlier's 'Blueberry' comic. Then again, they are both familiar with the same Western traditions I am, so perhaps it's an easier shift.
Nikopol shows some of those indulgent tendencies, but also has an undercurrent of satire for overblown space operas like 'L'Incal'. Between engaging in indulgence and mocking indulgence, we get some fun, ironical, self-aware amusement, but there isn't a very strong plot to hang it all on. Perhaps it's my problem, but I tend to feel that nothing can really replace a good story.
The art was good, but the stylization was rather extreme. Everyone had the same cheekbones and the range of expression was disappointingly lacking. The world design was fun and detailed, though it all became similar rather quickly.
The colors were surprisingly straightforward, showing little dynamic exploration, especially when compared to the Moebius works that inspired it. The soft colors were pretty, but Bilal wasn't exactly pushing the boundaries. People were pinkish and the backgrounds were washed out browns and blues. When people were blue or green, it wasn't a mood choice, just some aliens.
It's always interesting to see the sci fi influence of Jodorowski's failed European Dune, from Blade Runner to most of Moebius' sci fi, but Nikopol is just another entry, not particularly revolutionary in its own right, though it was the inspiration for the sport of Chess Boxing, which is amusing enough, as legacies go.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
February 7, 2017
Com fotos em https://osrascunhos.com/2017/01/31/a-...
á muito me tinham falado de uma época anterior de Enki Bilal onde os desenhos eram mais definidos e fantásticos, onde as histórias eram mais imaginativas e a totalidade mais fascinante. Conhecendo apenas os albums mais recentes (e gostando do estilo inóspito, pós-apocalíptico, desesperado e nostálgico) o que encontrei nesta dupla de histórias foi um tom ainda mais estranho e alienígena, uma falta de esperança de ironia forte onde o deserto está dentro dos homens e não no espaço que ocupam.
Em A Feira dos Imortais os alienígenas são semelhantes a deuses egípcios, em naves que se locomovem a energia petrolífera, um método ultrapassado e que é desdenhado por alguns destes seres de cabeça animal. A postura destes deuses assemelha-se à dos deuses gregos, usando os seres humanos a seu belo prazer para os seus próprio fins.
Hórus insurge-se contra os restantes deuses e para levar a cabo um plano de troca de poder no governo humano, um caminho que poderá levar ao fim de uma ditadura, resolve devolver à terra um humano exilado numa cápsula com o seu robot, também condenado. Estando em baixas temperaturas o regresso à terra não decorre sem incidentes – ainda demasiado gelado para acordar, o embater de uma perna provoca a sua quebra como se de gelo se tratasse deixando o homem a esvair-se lentamente em sangue.
O trauma de acordar não se fica por aqui. Para além da presença estranha de um alienígena todo poderoso que resolve apropriar-se da sua mente, descobre que a amada morreu há muito a dar à luz o filho de ambos e que pouco reconhece do mundo que deixou. Possuído pela entidade semi-divina atinge o estatuto de herói concretizando parte do plano da entidade para se insurgir contra o líder humano actual.
Imaginativo, carregado de detalhes mirabolantes e alusões religiosas, contendo paralelismo com mitologias várias e retratando uma sociedade distópica onde a sociedade se divide entre os ricos e os outros e as mulheres são mantidas em locais fechados onde cumprem o seu papel reprodutor, A Feira dos Imortais apresenta um Bilal carregado de ideias e de detalhes onde não falha a ironia do destino.
á muito me tinham falado de uma época anterior de Enki Bilal onde os desenhos eram mais definidos e fantásticos, onde as histórias eram mais imaginativas e a totalidade mais fascinante. Conhecendo apenas os albums mais recentes (e gostando do estilo inóspito, pós-apocalíptico, desesperado e nostálgico) o que encontrei nesta dupla de histórias foi um tom ainda mais estranho e alienígena, uma falta de esperança de ironia forte onde o deserto está dentro dos homens e não no espaço que ocupam.
Em A Feira dos Imortais os alienígenas são semelhantes a deuses egípcios, em naves que se locomovem a energia petrolífera, um método ultrapassado e que é desdenhado por alguns destes seres de cabeça animal. A postura destes deuses assemelha-se à dos deuses gregos, usando os seres humanos a seu belo prazer para os seus próprio fins.
Hórus insurge-se contra os restantes deuses e para levar a cabo um plano de troca de poder no governo humano, um caminho que poderá levar ao fim de uma ditadura, resolve devolver à terra um humano exilado numa cápsula com o seu robot, também condenado. Estando em baixas temperaturas o regresso à terra não decorre sem incidentes – ainda demasiado gelado para acordar, o embater de uma perna provoca a sua quebra como se de gelo se tratasse deixando o homem a esvair-se lentamente em sangue.
O trauma de acordar não se fica por aqui. Para além da presença estranha de um alienígena todo poderoso que resolve apropriar-se da sua mente, descobre que a amada morreu há muito a dar à luz o filho de ambos e que pouco reconhece do mundo que deixou. Possuído pela entidade semi-divina atinge o estatuto de herói concretizando parte do plano da entidade para se insurgir contra o líder humano actual.
Imaginativo, carregado de detalhes mirabolantes e alusões religiosas, contendo paralelismo com mitologias várias e retratando uma sociedade distópica onde a sociedade se divide entre os ricos e os outros e as mulheres são mantidas em locais fechados onde cumprem o seu papel reprodutor, A Feira dos Imortais apresenta um Bilal carregado de ideias e de detalhes onde não falha a ironia do destino.
February 16, 2015
Umgekehrter Psychopompos
Neulich, im Spiegel, ein Hinweis darauf, wie sich die Welt bald schnell ändern wird. Solche Prophezeiungen gibt es immer wieder; selten genug bewahrheiten sie sich. Die wahren Propheten der SF sind seltener, als man denkt - das meiste überschätzt die Wandlungsfähigkeit unserer Gesellschaft, oder unterschätzt die Tendenz der immer stärker werdenden Wirtschaftswelt, den status quo der Konsumgesellschaft aufrechtzuerhalten. Man macht heutzutage einfach mehr Geld mit lebenden Menschen als mit toten.
Daher sind Endzeitszenarien, wie in diesem Buch, besonders, wenn sie 2023 verortet sind, und eine völlig veränderte Gesellschaft zeigen, von der Gegenwart überholt worden. Natürlich weiß man nicht, wie Frankreich nach zwei Atomkriegen aussähe. Dass der Faschismus beliebt werden würde, ist vorauszusehen - in Krisenzeiten suchen die Leute nach starken Führern. Und hier, im zerbombten, denaturalisierten Paris des Jahres 2023, ist entsprechend ein solcher gefunden worden, der mit schwarz-weiß-roten Gesichts-Makeup, Stahlhelmen mit abgewandeltem Eisernem Kreuz, schwarzen langen Ledermänteln und der dazugehörigen Hierarchiestruktur die Stadt mit harter Hand beherrscht.
Ohne große Erklärung findet sich aber auch ein seltsames, pyramidenförmiges Raumschiff in Paris, voll mit altägyptischen Göttern, die auf der Erde festsitzen. Und dann stürzt noch ein Satellit ab, der einen Passagier aus vergangenen Zeiten enthält...
Man sieht, die Story ist voll von unerwarteten Elementen, und sie schlägt sich gut - das ist eine gelungene Melange, bei der man schnell in den Sog dieser Welt gezogen wird, und alle Kröten schluckt, die Autor und Zeichner Bilal anzubieten hat. Trotz der Düsterkeit und allgegenwärtigem Elend schafft der Autor es, das Szenario mit viel Humor zu durchziehen. Mein Lieblingscharakter ist direkt die grün-weiß-gestreifte, telepathische Katze Gogol vom Algol geworden.
Den Hauptreiz machen aber die Zeichnungen aus. Bilal ist unverkennbar, seine Zeichnungen erwecken mit einer großartigen, schmierig-siffigen Kolorierung die Nachatomkriegswelt zum Leben. In sich geschlossen liefert dieser erste Band der Trilogie trotzdem genug offene Enden, um Band 2 und 3 zur Pflichtlektüre zu machen.
Neulich, im Spiegel, ein Hinweis darauf, wie sich die Welt bald schnell ändern wird. Solche Prophezeiungen gibt es immer wieder; selten genug bewahrheiten sie sich. Die wahren Propheten der SF sind seltener, als man denkt - das meiste überschätzt die Wandlungsfähigkeit unserer Gesellschaft, oder unterschätzt die Tendenz der immer stärker werdenden Wirtschaftswelt, den status quo der Konsumgesellschaft aufrechtzuerhalten. Man macht heutzutage einfach mehr Geld mit lebenden Menschen als mit toten.
Daher sind Endzeitszenarien, wie in diesem Buch, besonders, wenn sie 2023 verortet sind, und eine völlig veränderte Gesellschaft zeigen, von der Gegenwart überholt worden. Natürlich weiß man nicht, wie Frankreich nach zwei Atomkriegen aussähe. Dass der Faschismus beliebt werden würde, ist vorauszusehen - in Krisenzeiten suchen die Leute nach starken Führern. Und hier, im zerbombten, denaturalisierten Paris des Jahres 2023, ist entsprechend ein solcher gefunden worden, der mit schwarz-weiß-roten Gesichts-Makeup, Stahlhelmen mit abgewandeltem Eisernem Kreuz, schwarzen langen Ledermänteln und der dazugehörigen Hierarchiestruktur die Stadt mit harter Hand beherrscht.
Ohne große Erklärung findet sich aber auch ein seltsames, pyramidenförmiges Raumschiff in Paris, voll mit altägyptischen Göttern, die auf der Erde festsitzen. Und dann stürzt noch ein Satellit ab, der einen Passagier aus vergangenen Zeiten enthält...
Man sieht, die Story ist voll von unerwarteten Elementen, und sie schlägt sich gut - das ist eine gelungene Melange, bei der man schnell in den Sog dieser Welt gezogen wird, und alle Kröten schluckt, die Autor und Zeichner Bilal anzubieten hat. Trotz der Düsterkeit und allgegenwärtigem Elend schafft der Autor es, das Szenario mit viel Humor zu durchziehen. Mein Lieblingscharakter ist direkt die grün-weiß-gestreifte, telepathische Katze Gogol vom Algol geworden.
Den Hauptreiz machen aber die Zeichnungen aus. Bilal ist unverkennbar, seine Zeichnungen erwecken mit einer großartigen, schmierig-siffigen Kolorierung die Nachatomkriegswelt zum Leben. In sich geschlossen liefert dieser erste Band der Trilogie trotzdem genug offene Enden, um Band 2 und 3 zur Pflichtlektüre zu machen.
April 20, 2014
Otra re-lectura, rescatada de ese tesoro de BDs/Comic que es Issuee. Issuee es como el YouTube de los Comics. Con un buscador menos brillante, quizá, pero con un poco de paciencia puedes desenterrar perlas raras y maravillosas, como esta. Imposible, creo, encontrar nada de Enki Bilal en mi país. Son lejanos recuerdos de mi juventud universitaria que explotaron al encontrar y reconocer la tapa de esta BD. Me encantó re-leerla. Los ecos de la magia del dibujo exquisito y onírico de Bilal siguen intactos luego de la lectura. La historia me impresionó algo menos, pero igual me pareció genial. Une grandiose retrouvaille!
September 5, 2017
Bilal es un genio gráfico: su dominio del color, la composición compacta, las texturas y el trazo clásico hacen de esta novela gráfica un deleite. La narrativa, Jodorowskyana a más no poder, tiene sus momentos de originalidad que la desgajan de su fuente de inspiración.
Al igual que Estela, de Morvan y Buchet, esta es una de las obras más infravaloradas de nuestra era, envenenada con el cáncer de los superhéroes gringos.
Y dicho sea de paso, de aquí fue Vaughan sacó a Lying Cat, copiando a Gogol, el gato telépata de Aurelien Burnoldz-Mortier.
Al igual que Estela, de Morvan y Buchet, esta es una de las obras más infravaloradas de nuestra era, envenenada con el cáncer de los superhéroes gringos.
Y dicho sea de paso, de aquí fue Vaughan sacó a Lying Cat, copiando a Gogol, el gato telépata de Aurelien Burnoldz-Mortier.
May 3, 2016
Awhile ago I watched the film version of the comics, and had been meaning to read the originals. I will admit I found this VERY difficult! There was just so much sitting and talking, and politics. I found an English version, and read that afterwards and managed to catch all the things I missed. It was just a bit disappointing. The plot wasn't all that much, and the setting just kinda unpleasant. I wanted the gods to have done more. But I'm still glad I read it.
March 12, 2017
Ma première lecture de Bilal et... je reste un peu sur ma faim. C'est pas mal mais je déteste l'idée des dieux égyptiens. Graphiquement, c'est pas mal, je sais pas ce que ca valait a l'époque mais aujourd'hui c'est pas révolutionnaire....
November 23, 2023
--2.5 stars rounded up--
The watercolour artwork was really striking and the world-building was fantastic. I did end up feeling like I'd inhabited the world Bilal has conjured up for a little while and really enjoyed that aspect of it.
The story itself was okay and I did want to see how it turned out, but I don't know if it was really the best story that could've been told about this fascinating world. There were also moments when I found myself slightly lost but not for long enough that it really affected my enjoyment of the book. So yeah, not bad but a bit lacking here.
My biggest complaint would be that I found a lot of the text to be either a bit self-indulgent and in need of a decent editor, or quite flavourless, probably due to being too direct a translation from the French. There were a few moments in particular where I found my mind drifting and having to re-read parts for this reason.
On balance, this was definitely worth reading for something a bit different, if only for the worldbuilding and artwork, and I won't forget it in a hurry. However, I'm not sure if I'll continue with the trilogy.
The watercolour artwork was really striking and the world-building was fantastic. I did end up feeling like I'd inhabited the world Bilal has conjured up for a little while and really enjoyed that aspect of it.
The story itself was okay and I did want to see how it turned out, but I don't know if it was really the best story that could've been told about this fascinating world. There were also moments when I found myself slightly lost but not for long enough that it really affected my enjoyment of the book. So yeah, not bad but a bit lacking here.
My biggest complaint would be that I found a lot of the text to be either a bit self-indulgent and in need of a decent editor, or quite flavourless, probably due to being too direct a translation from the French. There were a few moments in particular where I found my mind drifting and having to re-read parts for this reason.
On balance, this was definitely worth reading for something a bit different, if only for the worldbuilding and artwork, and I won't forget it in a hurry. However, I'm not sure if I'll continue with the trilogy.
March 20, 2025
Originally published in the early 1980s and set forty or so years into the future, in a post nuclear war fascist dystopia peopled with mutants and stranded extraterrestrials, in a 2023 that never happened, this was a landmark bande dessinée that remains very different from everything else.
The art is powerful, beautifully put together with endless visual imagination, whilst the plotless story is a wild ride almost entirely improvised from page to page. But there’s depth in there: the two opposing factions, feuding ancient Egyptian gods in need of fuel to continue their journey on the one hand, corrupt and infighting politicians who can provide it on the other, find their plots scrambled by an Everyman who stumbles into their plots. This becomes a multilayered stream of consciousness rather than a complete mess. There’s something compelling in this cock and bull story.
I had read this some forty years ago and it’s a pleasure to find it again on Kindle Unlimited.
The art is powerful, beautifully put together with endless visual imagination, whilst the plotless story is a wild ride almost entirely improvised from page to page. But there’s depth in there: the two opposing factions, feuding ancient Egyptian gods in need of fuel to continue their journey on the one hand, corrupt and infighting politicians who can provide it on the other, find their plots scrambled by an Everyman who stumbles into their plots. This becomes a multilayered stream of consciousness rather than a complete mess. There’s something compelling in this cock and bull story.
I had read this some forty years ago and it’s a pleasure to find it again on Kindle Unlimited.
October 14, 2020
Eind jaren 70, begin jaren ‘80 verschenen nogal wat beeldromans voor volwassenen die een enorme indruk nalieten op een ganse generatie. Grote talenten als Tardi, Pratt, Manara, Jodorowsky, Schuiten, enz... hebben klassiekers gemaakt die elk op hun manier uiterst origineel waren, de grenzen van het genre verlegden. ‘Kermis der Onsterfelijken’, het eerste album van wat thans de Nikopol-trilogie wordt genoemd, is zeker ook zo’n hoogstandje. 40 jaar later valt het me op hoe relevant de inhoud ervan nog is, zelfs al zal Parijs in 2023 normaal gezien niet zo’n fascistische nachtmerrie worden als hier wordt afgebeeld.
September 18, 2021
Tämähän on juuri sitä, mitä spekulatiivisella fiktiolla haetaan: sopiva määrä scifiä ja toinen mokoma fantasiaa. Dystooppiseen yhteiskuntaan sijoittuva kertomus yhdistelee populaarikulttuuria, politiikkaa ja Egyptin mytologiaa. Ja kyllä, rakkauteni myytteihin on palautettu, jos se nyt minnekään edes vuosien aikana oli hävinnyt. Teos on ennen kaikkea monitasoinen ja hyvin hyvin intertekstuaalinen, kuten jo pelkkä nimikin osoittaa. Mieleni tekisi kyllä lukea seuraavatkin osat. Katsotaan, miten käy. Isot propsit annan siitä, että harvat naishahmot oli piirretty realistisesti, mikä ei suinkaan aina ole itsestäänselvyys. ✧
4 stars
4 stars
January 20, 2025
Hostia, qué gratísima sorpresa. No esperaba para nada que me gustase tanto. La imaginería tan oscura que logra es buenísima, con los símbolos del París fascista, los extraños dioses alienígenas, los distritos pobres y marginales llenos de pintadas y suciedad, los extravagantes maquillajes... Un contenido visual de mucha calidad para una historia rara y distópica, claramente crítica con las derivas y gobiernos ultraderechistas y conservadores, pero además llena de elementos insólitos y alienantes que te sacan de los lugares comunes de las distopías políticas y crean su propio intrauniverso. Un cómic muy atrevido, original, político y de estética potente.
March 16, 2021
Un premier tome qui me laisse septique. Malgré les personnages terriblement ennuyeux, l'intrigue et l'univers sont effectivement remarquables ! À cela s'ajoutent des dessins typiques de Bilal, qui toutefois ne me plaisent pas. Bref, un tome relativement décevant qui me laisse douter de la possibilité que je lise la suite...
April 3, 2021
Yksi parhaista sarjakuva-albumeista joita olen lukenut. Tämä on sarjakuva, joka mielestäni vie formaatin juuri oikeaan paikkaan estetiikassaan ja tarinankerronnassaan. Bilalin tyyli muistuttaa minua Aku Ankasta, jostain syystä. Kuitenkin, jumalaton näytelmä on mulle samoilla viivoilla legarage hermetiquen kanssa.
March 25, 2022
Set in a futuristic Paris under fascist dystopia where the Egyptian pantheon of gods come to meddle in social-political circles for want of fuel, this brings back memories of the Incal universe but with less satire and just as much social commentary. I absolutely loved the art and the bonkers story entertained me a great deal.
June 28, 2019
Je voulais savoir si le film se rapprochait de la BD...
August 6, 2021
Art - 5/5
World - 5/5
Characters - 3/5
Translation (Finnish) - 4/5
World - 5/5
Characters - 3/5
Translation (Finnish) - 4/5
November 13, 2022
An interesting concept and plot, but both the setting and the art style were pretty gross. 1,5 stars.
March 12, 2023
J'aime bien. Je veux bien échanger le 2023 du livre et le nôtre a certain détail près ! Et .... Trop de texte pour les bulles...
January 24, 2025
Un peu vieilli, pas toujours très clair (pas nécessairement négatif mais...) et ne parlons pas du test Bechdel
April 10, 2025
Fun graphic novel. Death hockey and egyptian gods being real are all very funny concepts.
August 11, 2013
Je viens de relire "La Foire aux immortels", ayant eu envie suite à l'exposition sur Bilal au musée des Arts et métiers, de me replonger dans son univers si particulier.
Même si de très nombreux éléments sont très bons, deux choses m'empêchent d'adhérer totalement à cette première grande trilogie de Bilal : 1) le dessin de ce premier tome est encore quelque peu engoncé et manque de fluidité et 2) le ton parfois trop désabusé des personnages produit une sorte de trivialisation des enjeux que Bilal met lui-même en images, comme s'il se protégeait de ce qu'il cherchait à dire.
Pour ces deux raisons, je préfère nettement la tétralogie du "Sommeil du monstre" qui a un dessin très fluide et avec une mise à nue bien plus sincère.
Même si de très nombreux éléments sont très bons, deux choses m'empêchent d'adhérer totalement à cette première grande trilogie de Bilal : 1) le dessin de ce premier tome est encore quelque peu engoncé et manque de fluidité et 2) le ton parfois trop désabusé des personnages produit une sorte de trivialisation des enjeux que Bilal met lui-même en images, comme s'il se protégeait de ce qu'il cherchait à dire.
Pour ces deux raisons, je préfère nettement la tétralogie du "Sommeil du monstre" qui a un dessin très fluide et avec une mise à nue bien plus sincère.
March 2, 2017
Três anos atrás, eu tinha lido “A Mulher Enigma” e não tinha entendido nada. Pode ter sido só por ter começado pelo meio, mas esse primeiro volume da trilogia Nikopol faz muito mais sentido. O futuro imaginado por Bilal é pessimista não apenas pelos motivos comuns na ficção científica distópica, mas principalmente pela forma como a aventura se desenrola: Nikopol é um herói impotente, que só consegue algum sucesso na sua luta quando se deixa levar por forças maiores que as suas.
September 27, 2022
Interesting in scope and pointed ideologically towards introspection but to open ended in presentation and reliant on the rest of the tomes.
Being fair to the complete story and well acquainted with Bilal's ways, I'll probably come back and give it **** after seeing what he's up to in the next two. But maybe not.
Being fair to the complete story and well acquainted with Bilal's ways, I'll probably come back and give it **** after seeing what he's up to in the next two. But maybe not.
June 26, 2012
I don't know what I was expecting but it felt like something was lacking. Maybe depth to the story or I'm missing something there. I did like the art, the gods, the way history repeats itself, but it could've gone further and deeper into some themes, I think.
May 28, 2019
Lo mejor de lo mejor. Difícil igualar esas atmósferas oscuras y surrealistas. A los que le gustan DC o Marvel deberían probar la excelencia de un artista verdadero.
¡No deje de disfrutarlo!
amazon.com/author/ggmelies
¡No deje de disfrutarlo!
amazon.com/author/ggmelies
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews