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The Spectators
What if we are merely shadows, our characters defined by a simple inflection of light? The realm of possibilities opens up, because in our world we are nothing but spectators.
The Spectators unfolds as a poetic and philosophical introspection on the nature of man. Victor Hussenot‘s palette is awash with subtle colour, gently carrying the narrative and allowing the reader to envelop themselves in the lyricism of the work. Reminiscent of French New Wave cinema with its clipped dialogue, gentle pacing and departure from a classic narrative structure, The Spectators is an exciting new graphic novel.
The Spectators unfolds as a poetic and philosophical introspection on the nature of man. Victor Hussenot‘s palette is awash with subtle colour, gently carrying the narrative and allowing the reader to envelop themselves in the lyricism of the work. Reminiscent of French New Wave cinema with its clipped dialogue, gentle pacing and departure from a classic narrative structure, The Spectators is an exciting new graphic novel.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2015
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 20, 2016
Hussenot's meditation on urban existence. Lovely watercolor artwork somewhat reminiscent of Belgian Brecht Evens's work. Eschewing narrative for a series of journalist questions and thoughts. I liked the look of it, and individual pages are great, but I thought the whole of it didn't add up to much. Not deeply philosophical. Maybe the point is we all see things differently. Or: change is constant; every time you get on a subway car there are different configurations of people. Gorgeous artifact, though more meditative than active. A series of scenes, tableaux. Didn't affect me much, but I can see why people would pick it up. It's aesthetically pleasing, sometimes gently provocative.
March 22, 2016
This was interesting, but a bit disappointing. Perhaps my expectations were too high. It's sort of a meditation on points of view and humanity and continuity. That makes it all sound a bit grand, but it's not a deep and rigorous journey arriving at startling insights so much as it is idly musing and drifting, the sort of thoughts one has while taking an evening walk and/or gazing up at a starry summer sky. The artwork is gorgeous, some lovely watercolor work. This is a beautiful looking book even if the actual content is a bit on the light side.
April 25, 2015
We live together in cities, pressed against strangers on subways and park benches and sidewalks, yet each person's experience is completely unique. What is the nature of reality if each spectator interprets it differently? Hussenot's latest book, a ethereal collection of philosophical musings, investigates this concept with sparse, poetic text and dreamy watercolor illustrations. Like the Belgian cartoonist Brecht Evens, Hussenot's use of color adds layers of meaning to the images. His vibrant characters change their selves like a wardrobe: a woman sheds her skin and becomes a man, a man sheds his and becomes a boy, and they wander the ever-changing Parisian streets at dawn or dusk—when the edges of the world are blurriest. “Each of us sees the city in our own way, from the rift between sleep and waking bursts of light,” Hussenot writes. “The mind's eye is set free... The invisible is revealed.”
VERDICT This graphic novel is a thinker—not for the casual reader browsing the shelf in search of a light diversion. However, Hussenot's artwork is so universally appealing and engaging that anyone can appreciate it, even if the philosophy of the text doesn't resonate. Recommended for adult collections.
VERDICT This graphic novel is a thinker—not for the casual reader browsing the shelf in search of a light diversion. However, Hussenot's artwork is so universally appealing and engaging that anyone can appreciate it, even if the philosophy of the text doesn't resonate. Recommended for adult collections.
July 14, 2017
This is a graphic novel that is more of an artbook with words narrating the art. This work doesn’t have a plot, it’s an unstructured illustration of how the world around us is just a projection of the light coming out of our eyes. From what I understood, it’s an illusion. There’s a black shadow, or what I would interpret as a soul, wearing different bodies and from each body seeing things are shown from its perspective. It’s a metaphysical view of how our world, or perspective of the world, is an illusion that we are transiently observing. I thought the author, Victor Hussenot, does a great job of illustrating the points he made in this work. I also thought the artwork was excellent. It’s done in a watercolour style and it’s in cohesion with the words used for narrating.
September 3, 2015
French existentialism in a watercolor dream.
August 1, 2015
Beautiful book.
May 10, 2018
I can't roll my eyes hard enough at this work. this is urban Parisian pretentiousness ground down to bare essence. the art is not enough to save this drivel.
September 25, 2017
A arte segura essa HQ quase sozinha. É uma história existencialista sobre pessoas e cidades, mas o que impressiona mesmo são os painéis em aquarela, diferentes de quase tudo que já vi em HQ. Uma edição lindíssima.
July 6, 2025
Une BD très poétique, avec des jeux d'aquarelles et de couleurs qui me font un peu penser au travail de Brecht Evens... L'audace et le scénario en moins. Des beaux visuels sans réelle histoire, lu en 15 minutes.
April 30, 2017
This is quite unique graphic novel/ comic. It is philosophical contemplation of human existence, or nature of man.
Author asks questions, and gives provoking thoughts. But every reader may take it in different way, since we all see things differently. Everything around us changes, and we as spectators may pay attention to one thing, while a person next to us to something different.
We can be in the same subway car every day and we may see the same people, or new faces. And as circle of life, even the thing that change, actually repeat. We are kids, than adults, than old people. When we vanish, the circle repeats, because our kids become adults, than old, than they vanish.
We only see the changes in friends and family, "while the strangers we encounter in our lives, seem timeless, forever fixed in their roles". The art in the novel is different from what I am used to. The illustrations are watercolor art. It is beautiful and lovely artwork.
I enjoyed this novel a lot, even though it reads like authors wild train of thoughts.
Author asks questions, and gives provoking thoughts. But every reader may take it in different way, since we all see things differently. Everything around us changes, and we as spectators may pay attention to one thing, while a person next to us to something different.
We can be in the same subway car every day and we may see the same people, or new faces. And as circle of life, even the thing that change, actually repeat. We are kids, than adults, than old people. When we vanish, the circle repeats, because our kids become adults, than old, than they vanish.
We only see the changes in friends and family, "while the strangers we encounter in our lives, seem timeless, forever fixed in their roles". The art in the novel is different from what I am used to. The illustrations are watercolor art. It is beautiful and lovely artwork.
I enjoyed this novel a lot, even though it reads like authors wild train of thoughts.
December 1, 2015
This is a funny yet introspective examination on the nature of humans. The book is filled with bright colors and scenes that require a second thought as readers ponder all the things they might mean. There are seemingly random encounters that turn out to be significant, and scenes showing the drama that goes on behind lighted windows, an ever-changing play that requires constant vigilance to catch it all. One of the especially appealing ideas that is explored through this book has to with how humans take on different identities for various reasons, almost like zipping into and out of a new suit of clothing for each occasion. It is fascinating to consider how buildings outlast us, and what that means. This is a lovely, accessible introduction to philosophy by a French author/illustrator.
October 19, 2015
A perfect blend of art and story.
This book is just one of the many reasons I love to read and discover new authors.
This is Victor's first translation from French to English. I find it unique with it's art, poetic narrative and use of colour.
The book is a graphic novel about living in a city and how we can be so similar and so different at the same time.
Must read!
This book is just one of the many reasons I love to read and discover new authors.
This is Victor's first translation from French to English. I find it unique with it's art, poetic narrative and use of colour.
The book is a graphic novel about living in a city and how we can be so similar and so different at the same time.
Must read!
December 29, 2015
Absolutely Beautiful. And I tried to take my time and really enjoy the artwork and the narrative. But honestly, I couldn't get into the text and ended up drinking in the images and ignoring the words.
January 11, 2016
Abstract and surreal and bizarre. I highly recommend it to any and everyone who reads. I found it sparked churning in my brain upon completion.
August 8, 2018
MATIÈRE URBAINE.
Ils sont quinze à dialoguer entre les pages, à proposer leur vision de la ville. Quinze visages qui ne se discernent pas. Juste une distinction entre masculin et féminin. Du reste, on apprend rien de ces faciès qui traversent une page, puis disparaissent. Ils sont des conteurs le temps de quelques minutes. La trame s’invente dans les rues, dans ces espaces où côtoyer l’autre se fait à chaque seconde. A-ton la même vision que son voisin ? Croise t-on toujours les mêmes personnes dans le métro ? C’est un rapport à autrui qui se créer. L’auteur plonge aux questionnements, à ces regards qu’on faufile vers quelques quidams. Apprendre à les connaitre ou disparaître.
DÉAMBULATIONS NOCTURNES.
La nuit devient terrain des voyages oniriques. Un homme observe un immeuble, y voit les différentes lumières de différents appartements. Ce sont des vies encore éveillées, les Autres pour qui il devine un passé et un présent. Il invente, construit des figures pour tous ceux qu’il ne peut pas voir. Juste la lumière émanant de leur appartement. Un autre personnage sillonne dans les rues, semble jouer de cache-cache avec les ruelles. La nuit, la ville change, se métamorphose, se déguise tout autant que ses passants.
SUBLIME ESTHÉTIQUE, MAIS RÉCIT FAMÉLIQUE.
Les âges passent et trépassent. Être l’enfant qui joue au parc, puis devenir le vieillard sur le banc. La bd pose de multiples questions, n'aiguillonne que de vagues réponses. Les visages et corps sont flous, comme estompés. Le dessin devient poreux avec l’aquarelle. Des esquisses de vies, des tranches. Le dessin est somptueux, offre la poésie nécessaire au récit peut-être trop maigre de mots. Une lecture fascinante mais dont il manque un élément, un je ne sais quoi qui m’aurait réellement fait rêver.
Ils sont quinze à dialoguer entre les pages, à proposer leur vision de la ville. Quinze visages qui ne se discernent pas. Juste une distinction entre masculin et féminin. Du reste, on apprend rien de ces faciès qui traversent une page, puis disparaissent. Ils sont des conteurs le temps de quelques minutes. La trame s’invente dans les rues, dans ces espaces où côtoyer l’autre se fait à chaque seconde. A-ton la même vision que son voisin ? Croise t-on toujours les mêmes personnes dans le métro ? C’est un rapport à autrui qui se créer. L’auteur plonge aux questionnements, à ces regards qu’on faufile vers quelques quidams. Apprendre à les connaitre ou disparaître.
DÉAMBULATIONS NOCTURNES.
La nuit devient terrain des voyages oniriques. Un homme observe un immeuble, y voit les différentes lumières de différents appartements. Ce sont des vies encore éveillées, les Autres pour qui il devine un passé et un présent. Il invente, construit des figures pour tous ceux qu’il ne peut pas voir. Juste la lumière émanant de leur appartement. Un autre personnage sillonne dans les rues, semble jouer de cache-cache avec les ruelles. La nuit, la ville change, se métamorphose, se déguise tout autant que ses passants.
SUBLIME ESTHÉTIQUE, MAIS RÉCIT FAMÉLIQUE.
Les âges passent et trépassent. Être l’enfant qui joue au parc, puis devenir le vieillard sur le banc. La bd pose de multiples questions, n'aiguillonne que de vagues réponses. Les visages et corps sont flous, comme estompés. Le dessin devient poreux avec l’aquarelle. Des esquisses de vies, des tranches. Le dessin est somptueux, offre la poésie nécessaire au récit peut-être trop maigre de mots. Une lecture fascinante mais dont il manque un élément, un je ne sais quoi qui m’aurait réellement fait rêver.
Read
October 23, 2022“The spectators” by Victor Hussenot is a superb meditation on human life within the urban space. The watercolors evoke and deepen each thought, each encounter, while the color palletes bring us from one personality to another, taking us on a journey from stranger to stranger. The Paris cityscape - but it could be any big city - unfolds as a place of wonder and wandering in a quiet, often lonely, exploration. And, while I am not completely on board with all of Hussenot's philosophical perspective, I am in awe at the execution. The visual vocabulary Hussenot builds within the book changes your way of perceiving the images - in the end, you might just learn to see differently.
August 22, 2020
This book has gorgeous watercolours and is somewhat poetic but I wasn't blown away by it. It is a bit light and I think it is kind of empty in a certain way. The author questions our lives as urban creatures but he does not quite go deeply enough to me. I wish it was longer and maybe more coherent. I still enjoyed it. The illustrations are really gorgeous and are aesthetically pleasing.
It is a good insight into the author's point of view on our existence.
It is a good insight into the author's point of view on our existence.
January 3, 2025
A metatextual story about a figure possessing characters, moving from one life to the other. It's an ode to living in a big city (in the author's case Paris), to the plurality of our lives, the ways they can cross. Strangers becoming friends becoming lovers becoming strangers. The message is quite interesting. Didn't find the execution to be that great though. Definitely not something I'll be coming back to
January 7, 2023
2,5/5
Dans Les Spectateurs, Victor Hussenot place au centre de son œuvre plusieurs principes anthropologiques et s'interroge sur le sens de la présence humaine sur Terre.
Il utilise notre rapport à autrui, nos connaissances et leurs limites, le tout dans un style graphique agréable.
Une thématique sympa mais un développement (trop) inachevé à mon goût
Dans Les Spectateurs, Victor Hussenot place au centre de son œuvre plusieurs principes anthropologiques et s'interroge sur le sens de la présence humaine sur Terre.
Il utilise notre rapport à autrui, nos connaissances et leurs limites, le tout dans un style graphique agréable.
Une thématique sympa mais un développement (trop) inachevé à mon goût
July 1, 2025
This was weird but I really vibed with it. I wouldn't say that I completely understood what these spectators are and why they are in and out of bodies but the idea that everything has a life and history really connected well with me. Seeing the lives of the coin and these people just get through their lives was just really interesting.
November 4, 2017
Goals. To combine stunning art and poetry in one book.
February 19, 2018
Ethereal and poetic, full of illustrated musings on human nature and city life.
June 30, 2018
A trippy but a really beautiful book.
August 26, 2018
beautiful watercolor and motivation to read les spectateurs... sadly, the translation was lacking
January 13, 2019
I loooooooove the art in this; coupled with the bleak words, it was perfect.
August 4, 2019
Wonderful art but the text, for me, doesn’t have enough to support the premise of the book.
March 27, 2020
Beautiful images and moving story. It read like a poem. Insightful and full of meaning. Quick read.
August 8, 2020
2015 = £14.99 = $22.95 = €18.00
Vague and boring metro-existentialism with great art despite the frequently awful colour choices.
Vague and boring metro-existentialism with great art despite the frequently awful colour choices.
April 3, 2021
Beau, comme toujours avec Hussenot.
May 5, 2021
It didn’t click with me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews