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Cutting Edge #1

Cutting edge, Vol. 1

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CUTTING EDGE
Locuzione inglese
• (di lama) tagliente;
fig. avanguardia f;
to be at the ~: essere all'avanguardia.
Sono ciò che di meglio l'umanità ha da offrire. Un colosso della finanza propone loro una sfida incredibile che metterà le loro vite in gioco e li spingerà oltre i limiti.

La ricompensa sarà, letteralmente, inconcepibile. É qui che cambia la storia. Sul Cutting Edge...

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2013

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49 people want to read

About the author

Francesco Dimitri

35 books264 followers
Francesco Dimitri is an Italian author living in London.

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Mangrii.
1,142 reviews486 followers
August 4, 2016
Una misteriosa corporación financiera llamada Leviathan Financing & Co trata de reunir a una serie de personas de alto nivel en sus respectivos campos, pero sin aparente conexión personal entre sí, para hacerles una oferta irrechazable: tendrán la oportunidad de ponerse a prueba superando y resolviendo doce pruebas en grupo, al más puro estilo del mitológico Hércules, el llamado Dodecatlón del siglo XXI. La obra guionizada por Franceso Dimitri y dibujada por el veterano Mario Alberti, nos lleva por una historia de entretenimiento que mezcla las conspiraciones del thriller con algunos elementos mitológicos y sobrenaturales, lo cual la hacen una obra muy atractiva llena de personajes que dan la vuelta a sus arquetipos.

El guionista nos lleva directo al grano, con breves presentaciones del grupo protagonista que se va desarrollando a la par que la historia, metiéndonos de lleno en el misterio y atrapándonos rápidamente. Eso sí, aunque el comienzo es potente, creo que a medida que avanza la trama se diluye un poco.Por el apartado gráfico la obra es magistral; con un dibujo detallado y elegante con composiciones de páginas variadas que hacen entretenida la lectura. Una historia de intriga, acción, misterios, violencia, mitología y fantasía.
Profile Image for Tanabrus.
1,981 reviews202 followers
November 15, 2014
E' un fumetto… complicato. Complicato e strano, imprevedibile, misterioso, intrigante.

Abbiamo la Leviathan Corporation, un colosso della finanza, che raduna misteriosamente a una serata esclusiva nel suo palazzo un gruppo di persone dai diversi angoli della Terra.
Noi seguiamo fin da subito un numero ristretto di queste persone.
Abbiamo Hiroshi, uno scienziato giapponese studioso di teorie dell’informazione che ha rifiutato due volte il Nobel; abbiamo il misterioso Delroy, che intuiamo cosa sia da come si muove a suo agio in determinate situazioni; abbiamo Stella, una ricca ereditiera italiana che dietro al bel faccino nasconde una mente da paura; abbiamo Jirakee, giovane fotografa di fama internazionale; abbiamo lo psicologo sociale Mark Underwood.

Tutti loro, più un numero imprecisato di altre personalità, sono state radunate in un unico luogo… ma perché?
Il padrone di casa lo rivela solo in parte quando gli annuncia di stare iniziando un gioco, modellato sulla falsa riga delle fatiche di Ercole.

Tutti loro dovranno portare a termine dodici fatiche, chi vi riuscirà sarà il più edger di tutti loro edger, il migliore di questa selezione dei migliori esemplari umani a disposizione. E scoprirà il motivo di tutto questo.
Che ovviamente è iper segreto, con clausole di riservatezza a non finire e la promessa che il colosso finanziario distruggerà letteralmente chiunque contravvenga alla segretezza.

Per la prima fatica vengono creati diversi gruppi, ognuno con un obbiettivo diverso, e ovviamente i personaggi conosciuti brevemente all’inizio si ritrovano tutti insieme.
Non proprio una coincidenza, né per noi che ce lo aspettavamo né per Mark, che si trova a riflettere che non solo quattro di loro, a coppie, avevano già cominciato a conoscersi durante il ricevimento ma anche che la Corporation avendo i loro dossier li avrà amalgamati in modo ideale.

La loro fatica è apparentemente assurda: aiutare il famoso musicista jazz Carlos Hernandez, sparito da tempo dalla circolazione.

E non fai in tempo a chiederti dove si voglia andare a parare, che rintracciamo Carlos e lo spettacolo vira verso le sorprese.
Perché l’obbiettivo di Carlos è richiamare con la sua musica la sirena vista anni prima al largo di Sorrento, mentre era in barca a cercare ispirazione.
Perché un membro del gruppo morirà subito, e un altro si rivelerà un traditore della Leviathan Corporation.
Perché qualcuno gioca con le menti di questi formidabili edgers e ci chiediamo se ci siano poteri mentali all’opera.
Perché non sappiamo, alla fine, se le sirene esistono. O se a esistere sono avanzati esperimenti segreti sui suoni.
Perché Stella usa tecniche mentali per la memoria che sono le stesse utilizzate da Sherlock Holmes e dal suo ultimo rivale Magnussen nella serie Sherlock.

Il difetto maggiore di quest’opera è che in Francia ne sono usciti solo tre numeri, quindi ci sarà da aspettare un bel po’ per leggere il nostro secondo volume e capire qualcosa di più sugli obbiettivi della Leviathan e su come si comporteranno i superstiti del gruppo originale, affamati di vendetta.
Profile Image for Justin Labelle.
549 reviews23 followers
October 23, 2023
Generally meh.
The art is inconsistent and the panels somewhat illogical in flow.
The concept is great, the execution less so.
The comparison to gaiman is pushing it a bit…
Profile Image for Eamonn Murphy.
Author 33 books10 followers
November 11, 2021
‘Cutting Edge’ is a graphic novel available in both hardback and eBook formats.

What happens when a ruthless rich corporation sets teams of super-smart people in competition against each other to obtain certain items of value? That’s the question posed by ‘Cutting Edge’, a graphic novel written by Francesco Dimitri, translated into English by Marc Bourbon-Crook and beautifully illustrated by Mario Alberti.
There’s a handy introductory page to introduce the reader to the cast of characters. Mark Underwood is an expert in social psychology and a born sceptic, later described as perhaps the smartest man on the planet. Stella Orsini Del Giglio is a beautiful blonde heiress, very rich ‘star’ of a scandalous viral video seen by nearly every man on the planet but she’s intelligent, too. Hiroshi Itou is a scientist who specialises in information and likes to uncover the truth behind supernatural mysteries.

Delroy is a mystery man who can take care of himself and usually does. The youngest member of the team is Jirakee Walker, just twenty-four years old but she’s already won three Pulitzer prizes for photography.

Each of these individuals receives an invitation to Leviathan Palace, Canary Wharf, London for the 21st March 2012 at 9 o’clock. They all go. It looks like a big party for the world’s elite but then Zlatan Macziewski announces the reason for it all. They are the best of humanity, he assures them, the cutting edge of the species. The Leviathan Corporation will give them twelve challenges in a secret and dangerous game that will test them to their limits. They are split into groups and each has a different challenge. Our lot must find an old jazz singer named Carlos Hernandez who vanished several years ago.

Things get complicated and fantastic when it turns out that Carlos is trying to summon a siren from the sea by finding the perfect tune. On a more earthly level, he’s in debt to a very nasty gang boss. The plot thickens nicely and I won’t give it away. As incidents unfold, the team learn more about each other and about Leviathan. There’s a Science Fiction theme at the core and it leads to a dramatic conclusion.

The art is beautiful. Mario Alberti has a very clean, linear style and puts a lot of work into his backgrounds. He seems to like architecture. The night scenes look a bit murky in places but that’s because it’s dark or because I didn’t have my tablet set right. The colouring is subtle and doesn’t overwhelm the drawing. Visually, it’s a treat, with occasional naked ladies because it’s French. They must have them. I don’t mind.

The story made sense and the characters were interesting, if not always loveable. It’s all a bit hi-tech thriller and James Bond, which is fun but not to be taken seriously. The evil corporation is a cliche now and the band of experts on a secret mission is as old as Doc Savage. So ‘Cutting Edge’ is modern pulp: well-written, beautifully drawn and entertaining.

It contains a couple of interesting ideas and will pass several pleasant hours. It could form the basis for a pretty good film or even a television series and one day it probably will. It won’t tear at your emotions or rip your heart asunder with grief but never mind. The real world will do that.
Profile Image for Rachel.
1,180 reviews28 followers
January 31, 2022
The mysterious Leviathan organization has issued a challenge to the world's brightest. Complete a series of tasks to find out the competition's purpose. Mark, Stella, Jirakee, Hiroshi, and Delroy are teamed together based on their talents, but betrayal lurks beneath the surface, even as the supernatural hides just beyond view, and a plot of world-changing proportions unfolds.
Cutting Edge has an ambitious plot, which it for the most part succeeds to conveying. Even when it mentions in passing parts that it skips over, it gives a sense of a larger world in motion. Unfortunately these tidbits are also intriguing enough that leave you with unanswered questions. The characters too each have almost superhuman abilities, and their thought processes and tactics are the most interesting moments, but this is not tapped into enough, and their backstories are hardly ever explained.
The dialogue and plot though are sharp and tightly written. The art also has an edge to it with all it's inked details and muted palette. The slower pace, and more thoughtful tone give readers plenty of time to enjoy this.
With it's high stakes challenge, intriguing cast, and outstanding art this graphic novel is worth a look, however, it is not cutting edge.
Profile Image for Tobin Elliott.
Author 22 books178 followers
March 5, 2023
First off, I gotta highlight artist Mario Alberti's absolutely gorgeous artwork throughout this volume. Because, first of all, it's stunning. Second, it's what kept me going.

Here's the weird thing. The first half of the story, involving the jazz guitarist, while complex and convoluted, was exceptionally well-written and thought-provoking.

Okay, well, let me put one disclaimer on that. The initial set-up? Leviathan pulling all these people together and giving them the mission? You're asking a lot of a reader's suspension of disbelief. That's all I'll say about that.

But the second half? Involving the devil's mirror? The convolutions began to resemble the minotaur's maze mentioned in the story, and, while thought-provoking, it literally felt like either the odd informational panel, or perhaps entire pages, were missing. The story was choppy and, due to the complexity of all the moving parts, it really needed to be smooth.

I simply could not follow the through-line of the second story at all. I didn't get it. And I hate to admit that, but it's true. So, yes, it was Alberti's art that saw me through it.

For all that Dimitri is incredible at pulling together myriad disparate strings to weave a story, and I'd absolutely read more of his work.
Profile Image for Soobie has fog in her brain.
7,200 reviews134 followers
January 14, 2018
J'ai trouvé cette bande dessinée dans un archive de les bandes dessinées. Malheureusement on a seulement les première trois tomes.... J'ai du acheter l'édition italienne - qui coute moins, soyons honnêtes - mais elle est plus petite et le police de caractères est minuscule.

C'est le premier tome d'une série de quatre bandes. Des personnes qui sont brillants à leur manière sont invités à une soirée où une entreprise leur demande s'ils veulent participer à un défi mystérieux, fait de 12 tâches. Ceux qui acceptent forment partie d'un group et partent pour leur mission.

Ils sont tous un peu bizarre parce qu'une persone normale jamais aurait accepté un tel défi. Mais tous les personnages sont facile à reconnaître et ils ont des personnalités différentes.

Et il y a aussi une à la fin de ce tome...

Je vous continuer avec cette serie parce que je suis très curiouse a propos de ce que se va passer dans le prochaines bandes.
Profile Image for Bandit.
4,956 reviews579 followers
September 10, 2024
Categorically not Italian Neil Gaiman as the cover claims, but entertaining in his own right, the author here tells the tale of a few elite individuals, distinguished by their skills, intelligence, money or a combination thereof, who enter a global game. at first, it is seemingly for funsies and something to do, but soon they get really immersed, and the more they learn the higher they realize the stakes are.
A European-flavored. decently written, stunningly drawn graphic novel for fans of supernatural-tinged, dangerous, international adventures.
Yes, it's heavy with stereotypes, but entertaining enough. Read slightly long. Aestetically pleasing. That's about it, really.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
Profile Image for Rosa Gevaux .
Author 2 books8 followers
January 25, 2022
I was very disappointed in this one. The story made no sense, and simultaneously felt entirely too smug with itself. Sadly another comic where women aren’t powerful unless they’re“hot” and are almost always drawn in skimpy clothes. I really wanted to like this, and the concept was interesting but executed very poorly. Fail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Sara Habein.
Author 1 book71 followers
May 24, 2022
I enjoyed some of the art — though I have no idea why some of the women required corsets and thigh-highs at one point, sigh — and some of the page layouts did a great job at conveying a lot of story information at once. The story itself was an interesting premise, but overall, this was just an ok read.
Profile Image for Nich.
83 reviews
July 29, 2023
I really enjoyed this story wish it was longer though. It jumps ahead a I would have loved to see the adventures that were undergone off page.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Soobie has fog in her brain.
7,200 reviews134 followers
January 20, 2018
Mi ero detta che non avrei mai letto nulla di Francesco Dimitri. Avevo letto alcune recensioni delle sue opere ed ero sicura che i suoi libri non mi sarebbero mai piaciuti. Poi però, all'Archivio del Fumetto di Andreis ho trovato i primi tre tomi in francese di questa sua serie e ho cominciato a leggerli, senza badare più di tanto agli autori.

Devo anche ammettere che, letto in francese, aveva tutta un'altra aura di mistero. Anche se sono più che si sicura che ciò dipenda dalla mia non perfetta conoscenza della lingua.

La storia mi ha incuriosito parecchio. Tutta l'idea delle dodici fatiche organizzate da un grande gruppo finanziario per il meglio del meglio dell'umanità è un'idea francamente stuzzicante. Ma ci son solo quattro volumi... E nei primi due, quelli raccolti in questo volume, si parla solo ed esclusivamente della prima fatica. E tutte le altre undici?! Dando per scontato che negli altri due capitoli si parli dell'ultima, ovviamente.

I personaggi mi piacciono. Ci sono molti indizi che, rileggendo adesso in italiano, erano stati seminati nelle tavole e che riesco a cogliere ad una seconda lettura. Son tutti dei geni in qualche campo, anche se non ho ben capito quale sia il ruolo di Stella nella faccenda. Anche se le tavole dedicate alla sua tecnica di memoria sono affascinanti. Non si può avere un personaggio preferito, secondo me, perché tutti loro sono personaggi negativi. Ecco, non saprei spiegare perché ma non sono i tipici protagonisti in cui ci si può immedesimare.

La storia della ... Non ho ancora capito cosa c'entri con il resto della storia e nell'economia dell'intera serie. Per carità, particolare come idea, ma la vedo molto fine a se stessa.

Una nota all'edizioni Panini: è piccola rispetto all'edizione francese che ho letto all'Archivio. Si parla di quasi quattro cm di differenza tra i due volumi. Che poi, mio papà si lamenta che non riesce a leggere alla luce del comodino.

Adesso vediamo come va a finire. Il terzo volume l'ho già letto in francese, ma il quarto e ultimo sarà una sorpresa.
369 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2022
Cutting Edge has a great premise. The best people in their field gather for a mysterious competition. It is one part League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, one part Squid Game with the feel of Ellis and Cassaday's "Planetary" series. It felt well written and well thought out, it just was a little too complex for me at times. Towards the end of the novel I was mostly lost though I was still enjoying the ride. One small issue was that with the dialogue it wasn't always clear who was speaking. Additionally, the panel configurations weren't consistent and so it wasn't clear how to read each page. Lastly, although I loved the art about halfway through there is an artist change I am guessing and I liked it a lot less. Overall, happy I picked this up and would recommend it to people looking for a fun mystery / action.
Profile Image for Nicole Shelby.
412 reviews47 followers
Read
May 29, 2022
I really wanted to like "Cutting Edge" by Francesco Dimitri.
I should have really liked it.
I cannot even discern why I didn't.
Profile Image for Bel.
897 reviews58 followers
August 27, 2022
A surprisingly dense single volume graphic novel. A group of super talented people go on missions, and things get weird.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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