Adrastée Tome 1

Adrastée #1

by Mathieu Bablet

Une fable mythologique à couper le souffle !

Après avoir passé 1000 ans sur son trône de pierre à méditer sur sa condition d’immortel, un homme, ancien roi d’hyperborée, part vers le Mont Olympe. Ayant vu disparaître les siens et son peuple au fil d’une vie qui n’a que trop duré, il s’est enfin décidé à trouver les Dieux pour les questionner quant à son étrange nature. Pourquoi lui ? Comment mourir ? Peut-il encore retrouver celle qu’il a aimée ?
Sur sa route, il croisera hommes, femmes, dieux, déesses, qui, selon leurs humeurs, leurs envies, leurs natures, leurs intérêts, influeront chacun à leur manière dans la destinée du voyageur, de cet homme qui n’est plus que l’ombre de lui-même, de sa légende.

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, France, Mythology, Sequential Art

79 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2013

About the author

see https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathieu...

Reviews

[Marco Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised by the graphic and narrative qualities of this comics. The colors and the backgrounds are very good, the architecture is detailed and the everyday life scenes give us a substantial part of the worldbuilding that went into the story. Sometimes I don't like the faces of the characters (the design)... a detail in a magnificent work of art. The balance between exposition through dialogue and the silent voyage of the main character is exquisite. I love the silent moments, I think the long profound dialogues get the importance they deserve because of this balance. Amazing work. I recommend it!!

[Stephane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An immortal king, sitting on the ruins of his kingdom for eons, finally shakes out of his torpor and goes on a pilgrimage to find the source of his mysterious condition. Lot's left unsaid for this first volume, which seems like a pretext for exploring (and drawing) ancient Greek myths. The art is detailed and gorgeous, and there is something universal in the king's quest, as much as seeking knowledge about ourselves, about one's origin, might be considered universal.

[reallee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le style est vraiment chouette. Au niveau de l'histoire je suis plus mitigée.

On suit ici l'ancien roi immortel d'Hyperborée qui, au bout de 1000 ans de solitude, se décide à partir en quête du Mont Olympe pour y trouver les réponses à propos de son immortalité. Sur sa route il fera la rencontre d'une multitude de personnages mythiques.

Sur le principe j'adore, je suis fan. Dans les faits, j'ai vraiment eu l'impression que l'auteur voulait inclure toute la kpop de la mythologie grecque dans son récit sans jamais pour autant développer ce récit au maximum. Je reste assez confuse et pleine de questions à la fin de ce premier tome. À voir comment se déroule et conclue l'histoire dans le second !

[Louise Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated novella. A story better illustrated with colour and composition than words.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um rei amaldiçoado pela imortalidade parte em busca do porquê da sua incapacidade de morrer. Quando jovem sempre que comia vomitava uma pedra. Deixou de comer, e parou de envelhecer, acompanhando viçoso o declínio e extinção da sua Hiperbórea. Mil anos depois, atravessa os portões do seu reino esquecido para atravessar a Grécia antiga, cruzando-se com reinos desavindos, rainhas amaldiçoadas, deuses impotentes, sátiros narradores com propensão para lhe dificultarem a vida com retoques narrativos, descendo aos infernos para questionar as três parcas do porquê da sua imortalidade. Pelo caminho sofrerá atribulações, desesperos, e lutará constantemente pela sua memória que também se desvanece.

Fábula em dois volumes que homenageia a mitologia grega, Adrastée vive do esplendoroso traço do seu criador. Bablet deixa em cada vinheta cenas arrebatadoras. O tratamento que dá à arquitectura é espantoso, com arquitecturas de fantasia a deixar sonhar a imaginação. O lado mais humano da história também não lhe fica atrás. Por mim, estou indeciso entre a espectacularidade das arquitecturas fantásticas deste autor ou a visão que deixou nas pranchas de Talos, o mítico homem mecânico da Grécia antiga. Aliás, não estou. Estes dois álbuns são uma profunda vénia à magia mítica de narrativas que o tempo e a memória humana não só não esqueceram como continuam a apaixonar e influenciar a ficção contemporânea. Há arquétipos poderosos nas velhas histórias vindas das noites profundas da ática e do peloponeso.

[Nicolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très très très chouette balade dans l'antiquité, avec un mystérieux personnage qui semble à moitié perdu dans ces paysages absolument somptueux. Et par absolument, je veux dire ... ouais, absolument, mais plus encore. Chacune des cases nous montrant les paysages somptueux que traverse notre roi déchu de sa mortalité est ainsi une invitation à la contemplation, bien plus que dans La belle mort qui était pourtant déjà très chouette.
Le scénario est peut-être un peu faible, mais franchement c'est sans intérêt : le plaisir de cette oeuvre est un plaisir purement contemplatif qu'il ne faut pas renier.

[Nuno R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bablet has such an original style that sometimes his characthers look ugly and distorted, so distant they are from other representations of us humans. Yet everything is so coherent and the grandeur of landscapes and world creation is so overwhelming that we can even wonder if we, the ones who are not distorted, aren't the ugly ones. This is probably not even close to a theme in his work, but I do have his human portraits printed on my brain, and cannot forget them. What we consider human and referencial to human has had so many iterations. It's like Mathieu Bablet wanted to inscribe himself in the human artistic timeline along sumerians, egiptians, greek. There is a very identifiable, persistent babletian look.

[Mélissandre L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le trait et la palette de couleurs de Mathieu Bablet est un enchantement. L'histoire est assez poétique pour entrainer le lecteur mais suffisamment tangible ne pas tomber dans une créativité trop nébuleuse.

[Melania 🍒 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3|5

• Book Riot’s 2019 Read Harder Challenge - 9. A book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads •

An interesting take on mythology. The art isn’t bad, not my favorite but it goes with the story

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une oeuvre poétique avec comme décor générale l'univers de la mythologie, des explications chouettes à la fin pour ne pas perdre le lecteur, des dessins enivrants, une atmosphère particulière...voilà ce que j'ai ressenti en lisant ce premier tome bien que l'avancée peut sembler parfois un peu trop...évasive ?

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent drawings grace this complicated tale of an immortal and his voyage through Greek lands. Almost a book of philosophy on the aim, scope and destiny of man. “Immortality is achieved through others”… through their remembrance of us and of our actions, that is. To be read. Very useful, for anyone not versed in Greek mythology, the notes at the end of the book.

[Birdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très beau, mais je reste un peu sur ma faim pour ce qui est de l'histoire pour le moment.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting re-imagining of Greek Mythology featuring an immortal king of Hyperborea. He goes on this quest to Mount Olympus to talk to the gods and find out why he is immortal, and along the way he encounters or walks by a grab-bag of Greek heroes, monsters and other mythological figures. The art is at times epic, beautiful and mysterious, full of impossible ruins, secret locales, large cities and sexy, bloody rituals. The story itself is sad, dramatic and philosophical, as the king loses all he loves and sits lost throughout time, or as he encounters things which cause him to recall his past or discuss immortality vs mortality, but it is also kind of rambling. In tandem with the mythological grab-bag aspect, you get the impression the author just wanted to stuff the story with as much Greek mythological coolness as possible, no matter how far out of context or feasibility it is taken (eg the king fights Polyphemus and presumably kills him, and he has a similar encounter with 'The' Sphinx). It works better if you look at it like a dream (which much of it sort of is, as it is or is not actually a prediction of the future told by a satyr -- not clear yet). Adrastée also suffers from some severe plot holes, such as the fact that there is no explanation for the king's relationship with his son and why he throws a rock at him in an antagonistic way. So, a bit random, leaky plot, trying a bit too hard, and very loose with the mythology, but I'll pick up the next volume if I find it.

*Sidenote: my edition is listed as 'TOME 1/2,' not 'TOME 1'

True Rating: 3.4 Stars

[Karolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the artwork & sense of atmosphere. I like the sadness & conversations about life, & hopefully I can read the next one. Because I'm not fluent in french, I am not sure why the main character becomes such a target near the end of the book. It may be me, or it is kind of too vague. I kind of wish the character had a greater variety to his actions, because it is like he just is walking forever.

Because this is just the beginning to a much greater story, it is very hard to critique plot-wise. If you're not interested in Greek mythology, philosophy, or don't like books with a sad air, this is not a good book for you. I'm not educated in Greek mythology, so I can't speak on the accuracy, but it did encourage me to look up some new myths I've never heard of.

[zoagli · Rating 1 out of 5]

It looks inventive at first, it's quite well drawn, but the story makes no sense whatsoever. A pity, for this two-part book came highly recommended.

[Shrivrae · Rating 4 out of 5]

★7.5/10