Thorgal, Vol. 2: The Three Elders of Aran

Thorgal (Cinebooks) #2

by Grzegorz Rosiński, Jean Van Hamme

In these new adventures, Aaricia is crowned Queen, and Thorgal will have to face many difficult tests to track down his beauty. Then they spend some happy days together in the countryside... Their first child is announced. But, alas, everything is turned upside down into horror by the jealousy of Shaniah, a teenager turned away by Thorgal. Prisoner on board the Black Galley, Thorgal becomes a plaything in the hands of Veronar, a degenerate tyrant...

This two-volume book includes "Three Elders of Aran" & “The Black Galley”

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Comic Book, Adventure

96 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I feel like a brother to all the escapees in the world, but I don't know the one you're talking about..."



The second installment of Grzegorz Rosiński's Thorgal, Vol. 2: The Three Elders of Aran is an engaging and enjoyable read. While it does not have as many of the charming surprises as the first installment, it still works due to very solid storytelling. Despite staring this installment married to his childhood love, Aarica, from there on out, everything seems to conspire to keep Thorgal and Aarica apart. Does Thorgal ever catch a break? After reading this graphic novel to the cliffhanger at the end, you might feel he has been cursed by the gods. However, you'll keep turning the pages to find out what he'll do next.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorgal's wife, Aaricia, is captured when she inadvertently fulfills a prophecy in a small town. In order to release her from the grasp of the elders of the town, Thorgal must complete a trial that takes him to a trippy and weird dimension. Overall, the story is a lot of fun to read.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

EN In this double album, we follow Thorgal and Aaricia through two captivating adventures.

In the first story, now living as adults outside Viking society, Thorgal and Aaricia stumble upon a mysterious village hidden in the wilderness. They soon find themselves ensnared by the dark secrets and treacherous schemes unfolding there, forcing Thorgal to fight for their freedom.

In the second story, the couple settles in a new village, but Thorgal falls victim to a cruel lie that leads to his imprisonment by outsiders. Desperate to prove his innocence, he must find a way to return to Aaricia, who is expecting their child.

Both tales are richly woven with compelling plots, sharp dialogues, thrilling adventures, and a touch of fantasy.

--

PT Neste álbum duplo, seguimos Thorgal e Aaricia em duas aventuras cativantes.

Na primeira história, vivendo agora como adultos fora da sociedade viking, Thorgal e Aaricia deparam-se com uma aldeia misteriosa escondida na natureza selvagem. Rapidamente, são apanhados nos segredos sombrios e esquemas traiçoeiros que lá ocorrem, obrigando Thorgal a lutar pela sua liberdade.

Na segunda história, o casal instala-se numa nova aldeia, mas Thorgal torna-se vítima de uma mentira cruel que o leva a ser preso por forasteiros. Desesperado por provar a sua inocência, ele precisa encontrar uma forma de regressar a Aaricia, que está à espera do seu filho.

Ambas as histórias são ricas em enredos envolventes, diálogos intensos, aventuras emocionantes e um toque de fantasia.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 3 out of 5]

English (UK) Cinebook "2" from the French 3->4
3. Les trois vieillards du pays d'Aran (1981)
4. La galère noire (1982)

Second Printing = March 2018
->2nd printings lack wrap-around gold art on spine

The way he handled the passage of time in the fourth tome was bizarre and ruined the end for me- I guess that I felt intellectually insulted within my confusion. How could that guy pull all of that off in the time it took Thorgal to...? While the very pretty and sorely hated girl somehow...?

[penta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chociaż Aaricia w tych pierwszych tomach jest pisana tragicznie, wreszcie się zaczyna jakaś konsekwentna fabuła.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of Thorgal Aegirsson brings continues to bring me joy. Thorgal, child of the stars (which maybe symbolises how many "lucky stars" he has) travels with his wife, seeking peace and serenity. But it won't be an adventure if the journey was safe and calm. So in the first story, he stumbles upon the ancient kingdom, undergoing some tricky challenges to get his wife back and in the second story, when life looks calm and quiet, the stupid jealous teenage girl (yes, stupid teenagers as an element of accelerating the events are even in comics decades-old...) starts events which eventually brings Thorgal as slave on Black ship. And yes, he desperately wants to get back to his pregnant love Aaricia.
The stories are quite simple, but very cleverly build and all the luck and "deus ex machinas" is very well-timed. So the adventure is thrilling and satisfying but always with dark notes and sometimes not so happy endings. If you love adventures, magic, mystery and "sword & sandals", stories like Conan's adventures, this should bring your attention.

[Ben]

I may be being slightly generous giving this four stars, but it was a quick and enjoyable read with two separate stories, both of which managed to surprise me. For that reason alone it warrants a bit of a boost.

These books are very much of their time - perhaps even more so, as the art style reminds me a lot of such things as Masters of Thunder, written the decade before in the Netherlands, and of course such things as The City of Shifting Waters, going back another decade into the 60's. There is quite a lot of nostalgia in the artwork, and the story and dynamics obviously bear some similarities to such things as Conan, so in some ways it felt older than it really is. On the other hand, coming out of continental Europe, there is a different vibe to the stories, morality, and mores to my experience with American graphic novels of the same era.

The first story had a lot more of fantastic setting to it, while the second was a very different pace and the endings could not have been any more different. One following the other was very well placed and kept the pace quick and engaging. There are some issues with the convenience of certain things in the plot, but they did not get in the way of my enjoyment - perhaps in part because I am aware of the dated nature of these stories. They have aged pretty well, but the cracks are beginning to show. However, it is very easy to enjoy to enjoy them for what they are, and as a look back at what graphic novels from 40 years ago were like.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Three Elders of Aran" wasn't the strongest Thorgal entry, with a story that felt more nonsensical than previous ones. Thorgal and Aaricia have fled their homeland to search for a place to start a new life together in peace, but stumble upon a rulerless land known as Aran. Aaricia inadvertently becomes hailed as the new Queen of Aran, and the Elders seek a lordly husband to take her side. Thorgal is deemed as an unworthy consort for the new queen, leaving him trying to find a way to extract Aaricia from the awkward situation. The Elders give the aspiring consorts a series of Herculean challenges to complete, and Thorgal manages to sneak himself into the competition. The tale is rather goofy and predictable, but Grzegorz Rosiński does some fancy stuff with layouts to make it more enjoyable of a time.

The second story in this collection is substantially better though. In "The Black Galley", Thorgal finds himself wrongfully convicted of the crime of aiding a fugitive's escape and is forced into slavery aboard Prince Veronar's ship. The story is a pretty conventional take on slave revolts and doesn't do anything too exciting on that front, but there are some pretty interesting twists that also lead to a shake up of the series as a whole. I liked that this was a much more ambitious story compared to "The Three Elders of Aran", and that the implications of this story will be felt in subsequent Thorgal entries.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel adventure is filled with classic storytelling, classic conventions, a hero who looks like Conan but is far more naive and innocent to the ways of the world around him, and much kinder-hearted. This kind heart and lack of worldly wisdom gets him into tricky situations where others take advantage of him and his new girlfriend, Aaricia. It's got a great plot, great characters, interesting situations and challenges, and the art is well-done. It has deep Nordic roots in its mythology and isn't shy to alter all of reality at any moment when sorcerous tricks are in play. Thorgal's mysterious origins make one wonder if his starborn nature has attracted the attention of the gods, or of devils, or if he's just unlucky.

All in all, I am compelled to continue on. It's a solid 8/10 but the five star rating makes me feel like 4 out of 5 is too harsh for such an enjoyable and well-told story.

[Kasey Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are great, classic sword and sorcery comics. Thorgal always reminds me of an 80s Fantasy movie and he is probably an inspiration for them (the comics were first published in the 70s). There's the strong, smart barbarian (he's a bit of a Conan type) who is forever having to save his lady, Aaricia (who happens to be pregnant in this volume). There's a shifty goblin-like character, enscorcelled towns-people, a mysterious castle, and a series of puzzles that Thorgal must battle his way through. The villians are clearly evil and a bit mustache-twisting. The hero is strong and polite and clever and bows to no one. Of course, Thorgal isn't out seeking fame and fortune. He was just hoping to settle down with his wife and raise a family, but that's not going to happen.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story continues with Thorgal becoming captive on a galley. His is a sword and sorcery theme very reminiscent of Conan the barbarian. That is if Conan was married and his wife was expecting... Thorgal’s marriage s the theme of this volume.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two albums in one. Wish I'd bought the French versions (the English ones are censored and in a different order), but these stories were still enjoyable. Quite old-fashioned, beautifully drawn, in a pick'n'mix world where anything goes, from goblins to UFOs.

[Rahuls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like the fantasy element in this story, also the artwork of this series is like mixture of möbius and frank frazetta. Which i love a lot.looking forward to next issue.

[Kaleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaniah you stupid b****.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second volume in Cinebook's English publishing of Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and Polish artist Grzegorz Rosinski's Thorgal series presents us with albums number 3 (The Three Elders of Aran; original title Les 3 vieillards du pays d'Aran) and 4 (The Black Galley; original title La galère noire) in translation by Luke Spear. While the first volume, The Child of the Stars , collected albums 7 and 14, with this second one Cinebook returns the series to a chronological publishing (leaving the first two albums which exist in an earlier English edition, albeit now out-of-print).

In the first story, Thorgal and Aaricia are lured by the gnomish Jadawin to a feast in the land of Aran, where Aaricia becomes ensnared and separated from Thorgal, who must deal with the three elders of Aran and otherworldly challenges.

The second story follows the first one. Here Thorgal and Aaricia have found a place of peace, but because of ill luck and betrayal, they are once again separated, a condition made all the more horrible as Aaricia now bears Thorgal's unborn child. Thorgal is captured and made a galley slave on the black galley, where he encounters cruel men.

All in all, another fine piece of storytelling, and one that certainly leaves me with no regret at having picked up the series in the first place.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorgal is an interesting character and the artwork reminds of the earlier Fables style but it's most likely the other way around considering Thorgals print age. This combines 2 collections and they are very different and unique in their own way. The ending sets up an interesting storyline for the next book but I've noticed the collections are not the same as the first prints, they are out of sync which is super annoying. I have most of these collections but the translation to English has robbed the ability to read these as the creative team intended. I like the short storylines and they offer a quick distraction from books with a very long arc.

[Ricardo Loureiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although more than 30 years have passed since the publication of these Throgal's adventures they still retain a freshness and a curious charm all their own. This edition also comes with "The Black Galley" a good move on the part of Cinebook publishers since there are so many volumes of this saga that it would take years for all of them to be published in English at the rate that they're coming out.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite up to par with the first, but still excellent. The art is good, but doesnt have as much of the lush verdant imagery, fantastical imagery, or scifi elements. However the supernatural elements in the first story were great.

[JOAN BASSETS · Rating 4 out of 5]

llegit en castellà