Delirius

by Philippe Druillet, Jacques Lob

The deserted world of Delirius was nothing but a stain on the universe, until it was converted into the debauched Planet of a Hundred Thousand Pleasures by the evil Supreme Overlord, Imperator of all Galaxies. With the populace placated, he can tax them to the hilt and fund his campaign of terror. His opposition comes in the form of the Red Clergy, who attempt to coerce Sloane, the master-less intergalactic vagabond, into doing their bidding. Yet things are not always as they seem, and the piety of the clergy means nothing in a world of licentious chaos. Besides, Sloane always has his own agenda…Written by giant of the comics world, Jacques Lob, with illustrations by Philippe Druillet at his most fantastical, Delirius is a science fiction epic that leaves readers utterly in awe of the sheer vibrancy of the creator’s imaginations.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Comic Book

72 pages, Hardcover

Published November 25, 2015

About the author

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

Reviews

[Kamakana · Rating 4 out of 5]

181019: whoa. very good but not for me as great as six voyages. art is again fantastic, trippy, cosmic etc but there is also an attempt at longer story. which does not work for me. some art history reference, abstract, escher, psychedelic... if you want clear, sequential panels, no luck. if you like overlap, twisted orientation, radical scale, foreshortened images, lots of colors etc this is for you...

[Luke Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Delirius 2...kinda not great....but I get that it's far removed from most of Druillet's work so I'll give a 2.5 starz to be fair with my man PD

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

When first released in both French and American editions The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane was a game changer, the sheer conceptual brilliance and fantastic wild art influencing a generation of creators. However, the missing piece of the creative jigsaw was the writing. Philippe Druillet was only rarely effective at explaining his ideas in anything other than abstract ways. For Delirius, though, Druillet teamed with Jacques Lob, even in 1971 an experienced writer.

Lob takes Druillet’s ideas and gives them greater form, but beyond that changes very little for what’s an immense improvement. It’s still mind-bogglingly stunning illustration and great accompanying concepts, the large pictures accompanied by blocks of text, but Lob wrestles the ideas into coherence.

A jaw-droppingly detailed introductory spread that you can study for hours to pick up all the detail welcomes readers to Delirius, a planet dedicated to pleasure, yet also home to men Lone Sloane has learned are tracking him. The planet is controlled by the Imperator Shaan, whom Sloane defied in the previous book, and the hook on which the astonishing art is hung is a heist plot. Can Sloane and his allies steal from the impenetrable bank? As with any such plot, it’s not a simple matter, and the complications are cleverly dropped, yet the entire story is constructed to allow Druillet to draw page after page of his signature vistas and incredible craft as Sloane explores the entertainments Delirius offers. There are times when he’s reined in by pages necessary to further the plot, but unlike The 6 Voyages, these make sense, and the detail Druillet fits into such small panels is beyond belief.

It’s the large illustrations that resonate, though, still wonderful after all these years and unconstrained by any idea of consistency. See how the spacecraft morph from panel to panel, and if Druillet feels like drawing a page extrapolating the visual impossibilities of M.C. Escher it can be accommodated. Doing so means there’s never any grave sense of personal danger for Sloane as he’s the straw that stirs the drink, but the spectacle astonishes from start to finish.

Given the look of their early 2000AD work, both Mike McMahon and Kevin O’Neill were greatly influenced by Druillet’s innovative art as serialised in Heavy Metal, and the connection points can be seen in Delirius. The first English edition was issued by Dragon’s Dream and used copies are still available, but even in 1979 the binding was suspect and pages came loose, so infinitely more desirable is Titan’s 2016 reissue. Titan also publish Delirius 2, a follow-up begun in 1987 but only completed in 2011. Druillet’s next Lone Sloane work is Gail, with which this is available as the Lone Sloane Boxed Set.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lone Sloane, a wanted man, is tracked down by a religious cult known as the Red Redemption to infiltrate an impenetrable bank located on the pleasure planet known as Delirius. Unlike the previous entry in the series, "The 6 Voyages of Lone Sloane", "Delirius" boasts a much more focused narrative that simply hinges on a heist plot. But Druillet isn't one for simplicity and indeed the plot of "Delirius" takes several winding turns along the way. The real treat to reading this entry is the vibrant descriptions of the planet, delivered in a fair bit more succinct exposition this time around. Delirius is a planet dedicated to pleasure, and also ruled by the Imperator Shaan who rules the land with an iron fist. Sloane found himself in Shaan's crosshairs in the previous entry, thus adding significant stakes to the story here.

Of course in the end the real reason to pick this up is Druillet's vibrantly psychedelic artwork that screams with kinetic fury with each page turn. The sci-fi stuff isn't wholly original, but in Druillet's capable hands, he crafts some truly ambitious scales and set pieces that are unlikely to ever be properly replicated in any medium. The construction of the world of Delirius is truly unfathomable until one actually takes the time to drink in the sights. Though a rather brief comic, you'll want to take your time just soaking in Druillet's larger than life compositions.

[Roman Stadtler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vol. 2 is a little more coherent than vol. 1, but not as much fun. It still has the same problems of weak writing, but since it's almost all set on one planet, it's a little less interesting, without the cosmic wilderness of the first one to play in. It's also too much of the same ol', same ol' '70's Heavy Metal SF story, with ugly, gross aliens, except the bare-breasted alien women who are always beautiful. I know, I'm writing from a 2016 perspective, having read decades worth of these type of stories, and maybe this genre of European SF comics was actually fresh then, but I couldn't help but note the alien males were all so gross and hideous, while all the alien women were beautiful, human-looking, half nude (plus a few fully nudes ones), yet not one bare swinging dong on the whole pleasure planet. I guess infamous pleasure planets only cater to males. So much for Roddenberry's vision of an egalitarian future!

I did get my biggest laugh out of a Lone Sloane story yet: there's a scene when Sloane and his second in command are talking about how nigh impossible it will be to get their ship launched, how it probably won't succeed, what should they do? Next panel, the ship's successfully breaking atmosphere, to space and freedom! Not even an attempt to come up with an explanation. Silly Druillet.

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

The maximalist, mad musings of Metal Hurlant maestro Philippe Druillet continue, this time, in the form of a heist bathed in revolution on the decadent planet, "the Planet of a Hundred Thousand Pleasures..." DELIRIUS! Simultaneously an intergalactic Rome and Las Vegas, Delirius is a Meca of hedonism in which Sloane leaves behind Lovecraftian voyages for an adventure that will further fund his future exploits across the stars. Insane imagery that feels forbidden.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This stuff is far out. You read Druillet for the experience, not the characters and only a little for the plot. The artwork is so big, detailed, and chaotically vast. Whatever kind of seedy adventure Lone Sloane gets caught up, the reader can't look away. Violent, sex, money, greed, all a veneer and distraction for lowlifes. Will Sloane overcome and outsmart and outheist?

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The villain makes Jabba the Hutt look handsome.

[Vi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn it, French comics. My brain is too small for this stuff.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much longer and more cohesive than the previous volume. Still not a great story though. Once again, the art's the real reason to read these.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weakest of the Lone Sloane volumes in story and art but there's still a lot of great designs and interesting ideas to recommend this over most sci-fi comics.