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Où le regard ne porte pas... #1
Où le regard ne porte pas...
1906, Barellito. Une famille venue de Londres emménage au bord de la mer, dans un petit village d’Italie. Le père veut se consacrer à la pêche. Le fils, William, se réjouit déjà à l’idée de courir en pleine nature, loin de la grisaille londonienne. Et puis, il y a Lisa, la petite voisine aux cheveux noirs qui l’a si gentiment accueilli… Mais les habitants de Barellito ne cachent pas leur hostilité aux nouveaux arrivants. Ils n’apprécient pas que des " étrangers " s’installent chez eux. Quant à Lisa, elle semble douée d’étranges pouvoirs…
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2004
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82 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 7, 2019
☆ / 5 STARS
The cover of this GN looks so cute. I was imagining that it would be an exciting adventure of childhood experiences and whimsy set apart by deeper themes of technology’s impact on the fishing trade and cultural assimilation. What I got wasn’t nearly as good as that sounds.
The story itself was pieced together in an almost incoherent manner that left the main character arc quite confusing to follow. The setting and culture were described quite well and were easy to imagine however, throughout the story there were so many elements that left me completely clueless that it took away my ability to understand the deeper messages in the text. Worlds Unseen spoke of technology’s impact on fishing as well as a small town that refused to accept outsiders however, I couldn’t tell which way the story lent in terms of approval for these factors.
There were instances in which absolutely random events happened in the midst of the story, as if to create a side-story of which we were not told the characters, events or time period. There was absolutely no connection or relevance to the main story line, that I could gather, and so this completely confused me.
The artistic aspect was the best part of my reading experience. The colours were vivid, the lines strong and the speech was well balanced on the page as a ratio to graphics. The panels were well placed and easy to follow.
ARC provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The cover of this GN looks so cute. I was imagining that it would be an exciting adventure of childhood experiences and whimsy set apart by deeper themes of technology’s impact on the fishing trade and cultural assimilation. What I got wasn’t nearly as good as that sounds.
The story itself was pieced together in an almost incoherent manner that left the main character arc quite confusing to follow. The setting and culture were described quite well and were easy to imagine however, throughout the story there were so many elements that left me completely clueless that it took away my ability to understand the deeper messages in the text. Worlds Unseen spoke of technology’s impact on fishing as well as a small town that refused to accept outsiders however, I couldn’t tell which way the story lent in terms of approval for these factors.
There were instances in which absolutely random events happened in the midst of the story, as if to create a side-story of which we were not told the characters, events or time period. There was absolutely no connection or relevance to the main story line, that I could gather, and so this completely confused me.
The artistic aspect was the best part of my reading experience. The colours were vivid, the lines strong and the speech was well balanced on the page as a ratio to graphics. The panels were well placed and easy to follow.
ARC provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2019
I received this comic from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Since, I have no clue what this was about, I will just write a tiny review.. This is about a family who moves to Italy and the idyllic life they hope to lead and how the village people aren't too kind at times (and later on things escalate, holy crap people what the hell is wrong with you?), and it is also about their son who makes friends with 3 from the village. They are all born on the same day (yes, awesome right?) and we see them try to be friends (and using drugs), but two of the boys are getting influenced by their dads from the village (who aren't keen on new people).
In between the story there are some kind of other story?? It just came out of nowhere and I didn't know what they meant or why they were added. People die? Um?
And the ending? Whut? Well, this wasn't for me. Not at all. So no, I am not going to be reading this one further.
Since, I have no clue what this was about, I will just write a tiny review.. This is about a family who moves to Italy and the idyllic life they hope to lead and how the village people aren't too kind at times (and later on things escalate, holy crap people what the hell is wrong with you?), and it is also about their son who makes friends with 3 from the village. They are all born on the same day (yes, awesome right?) and we see them try to be friends (and using drugs), but two of the boys are getting influenced by their dads from the village (who aren't keen on new people).
In between the story there are some kind of other story?? It just came out of nowhere and I didn't know what they meant or why they were added. People die? Um?
And the ending? Whut? Well, this wasn't for me. Not at all. So no, I am not going to be reading this one further.
December 18, 2019
Narration-wise it could be better, surely. But, it had stuff to say and it told them, clearly or not. The criticism on localism is clear, the threat of the “new-age” is the main axis for the story. The vignettes were forced and out of context, plus the POVs that changed every fifth page were a bit tricky to follow. But, it was a decent effort and I’d be interested to read sequel, I’d hope for a cosmic justice, such a fool I am.
Art is beautiful. Clear lines, nice flow between panels, small texts that helped the pace of the story stay high. Coloring was warm and a bit cartoonish in a good way.
Art is beautiful. Clear lines, nice flow between panels, small texts that helped the pace of the story stay high. Coloring was warm and a bit cartoonish in a good way.
October 3, 2019
Unfortunately this was not a book for me. I thought I would be able to connect to it and liking it since the description sounded very intriguing.
The art was alright I did appreciate it but did not love it. The sex scenes I did not enjoy and found them no child friendly. The whole story was confusing and I missed what the author is trying to get across. I did have an issue with sexualizing children as well in some scenes. Hence my 1 star rating..
The art was alright I did appreciate it but did not love it. The sex scenes I did not enjoy and found them no child friendly. The whole story was confusing and I missed what the author is trying to get across. I did have an issue with sexualizing children as well in some scenes. Hence my 1 star rating..
July 15, 2021
:'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''D
October 6, 2019
Worlds Unseen surely has some bad vibe going on and it's perfect! It's 1906 and William moves from London to Italy with his family to their inherited house. He meets a girl named Lisa and their family has to overcome the hate of the villagers. Fishing is a tough business and lives and property are lost before nothing is even settled. Lisa and some other boys invite William to smoke weird herbs so that they feel like they are some other people in some other time. This mystery is somehow linked to the fact that all the kids were born on the same day. Such a mystery! I really enjoyed the plot and how hazy and hard to understand it is. The looming darkness is surely something else and you feel sick when reading this (but in a good way).
The characters are so different to one another and the art looks beautiful and round even, which makes this an odd one surely. The colors fit so perfectly with the Italian countryside feeling and the dream-like happenings are rich in red and orange. I'm quite interested in knowing what happens next and somehow this comic proves once again how people are wolves to each other. The comic reminded me of Daytripper a lot. This is awesome!
The characters are so different to one another and the art looks beautiful and round even, which makes this an odd one surely. The colors fit so perfectly with the Italian countryside feeling and the dream-like happenings are rich in red and orange. I'm quite interested in knowing what happens next and somehow this comic proves once again how people are wolves to each other. The comic reminded me of Daytripper a lot. This is awesome!
August 4, 2022
👎🏻 DISAPPOINTING
The drawings are very likable, but the plot is so confuse and cerebral that you keep losing the point, and it gets worse in the second volume. Too bad, it looked promising.
WARNINGS: nudity (adults and children), prophanities, sex scenes, violence
STYLING: ⭐⭐⭐
ORIGINALITY: ⭐⭐
CHARACTER DEV.: ⭐⭐
PLOT DEV.: ⭐
IMPORTANCE: ⭐
The drawings are very likable, but the plot is so confuse and cerebral that you keep losing the point, and it gets worse in the second volume. Too bad, it looked promising.
WARNINGS: nudity (adults and children), prophanities, sex scenes, violence
STYLING: ⭐⭐⭐
ORIGINALITY: ⭐⭐
CHARACTER DEV.: ⭐⭐
PLOT DEV.: ⭐
IMPORTANCE: ⭐
September 12, 2022
D.L. = October 2004 = not noted "premier edition"
It's a great read and the goofy art works well- I want to continue to the next to see how it all shapes up! The characters and the setting are orchestrated wonderfully and the action flows well.
The only problem is that the out->of->body->flashbacks are too vague and no explanation is given about why they happen to the kids.
It's a great read and the goofy art works well- I want to continue to the next to see how it all shapes up! The characters and the setting are orchestrated wonderfully and the action flows well.
The only problem is that the out->of->body->flashbacks are too vague and no explanation is given about why they happen to the kids.
April 10, 2020
I honestly haven't read something like this before. This book is just the first volume amongst many and here the plot line have barely started. We can say that it was mostly an introduction type. We got to know the characters well, there is a hidden mystery to the book and a parallel world kind of a realm that has certain scenes in between. I still have to figure out what exactly those were about. And I think only the next parts of the book will give the answer to that. A boy woh have come to live in a village with his family goes through a series of weird and life changing experiences in a short while. But this might be not just a sheer coincidence of falling of events. There is something fishy going on and you can only read ahead to find out more on it.
Not recommended to children since it has graphic images of sex and murder
Not recommended to children since it has graphic images of sex and murder
August 22, 2020
L'histoire est très mystérieuse. On y voit une petite communauté en Espagne où les locaux n'aiment pas trop les nouveaux arrivés de la Grand Bretagne. Ces nouveaux arrivés sont une famille qui vient faire sa vie dans ce nouveau pays. Au même temps, on retrouve 4 enfants qu'on on une sorte de liaison spirituelle. Ces enfants sont connectés par leurs vies passées.
November 2, 2019
Europe Comics can be hit or miss, so it surprised me that this was a hit. Supernatural and stories within stories and a coming of age tale on the Italian coast in the early 1900s.
Reviewed for NetGalley.
Reviewed for NetGalley.
August 9, 2011
De quoi convaincre même ceux qui ne sont pas amateurs de bd. On retrouve dans les dessins toute la lumière de la Méditerranée. Prenant.
November 28, 2016
Nudity and adventure in The Blue Lagoon (the movie). The savage dark skinned girl who falls for the weird white boy. Racism, colonialism and ugly drawings about a world the authors have never known.
July 12, 2023
Cette histoire pleine d'originalité se divise en deux parties correspondant chacune à un tome.
Dans la première partie, on suit William et sa famille qui débarque dans le sud de l'Italie. Leur arrivée n'est pas bien vue par les habitants. William réussit néanmoins à se faire trois amis, tous nés le même jour que lui.
Cette première moitié nous offre une critique sociale où l'innocence de l'enfance se heurte à la peur et la haine des adultes.
Une touche de fantastique apparaît mais celle-ci n'est développée que dans le second tome.
L'ellipse qui sépare les deux volumes m'a un peu perturbée car peu d'éléments nous sont confiés sur ce qui est arrivé aux quatre amis pendants ces vingt années.
Même si la notion d'amitié revient en force dans cette partie du récit, c'est le fantastique qui a surtout la part belle. Je ne vais pas développer cet élément pour garder la surprise aux nouveaux lecteurs.
Bien que je reconnaisse toute la poésie et l'émotion qui sont magnifiquement retranscrites par les dessins de cette histoire, j'avoue ne pas y adhérer totalement. La fin ne m'a pas satisfaite.
Cette lecture reste tout de même une expérience intéressante que je vous conseille de faire. Peut-être y serez-vous plus sensible que moi.
Ma chronique : https://psycheedelik-unehistoiredemot...
Dans la première partie, on suit William et sa famille qui débarque dans le sud de l'Italie. Leur arrivée n'est pas bien vue par les habitants. William réussit néanmoins à se faire trois amis, tous nés le même jour que lui.
Cette première moitié nous offre une critique sociale où l'innocence de l'enfance se heurte à la peur et la haine des adultes.
Une touche de fantastique apparaît mais celle-ci n'est développée que dans le second tome.
L'ellipse qui sépare les deux volumes m'a un peu perturbée car peu d'éléments nous sont confiés sur ce qui est arrivé aux quatre amis pendants ces vingt années.
Même si la notion d'amitié revient en force dans cette partie du récit, c'est le fantastique qui a surtout la part belle. Je ne vais pas développer cet élément pour garder la surprise aux nouveaux lecteurs.
Bien que je reconnaisse toute la poésie et l'émotion qui sont magnifiquement retranscrites par les dessins de cette histoire, j'avoue ne pas y adhérer totalement. La fin ne m'a pas satisfaite.
Cette lecture reste tout de même une expérience intéressante que je vous conseille de faire. Peut-être y serez-vous plus sensible que moi.
Ma chronique : https://psycheedelik-unehistoiredemot...
April 14, 2021
'Worlds Unseen Vol. 1' by Georges Abolin with art by Olivier Pont is a graphic novel about a family that moves to a small Italian fishing village and what happens to them there.
This story takes place at the turn of the 20th century. Young William and his family move to a fishing village. His father has a dream of buying a fishing boat, but the locals are distrustful of strangers and don't want their livelihoods threatened. Meanwhile, William makes friends with the local kids, especially a girl named Lisa who has caught his eye.
This book has some odd content like a strange interwoven story that is pretty dark. It also looks like it could be for children, but the content is probably not appropriate for that audience. The art is good, but it's hard to recommend this one.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
This story takes place at the turn of the 20th century. Young William and his family move to a fishing village. His father has a dream of buying a fishing boat, but the locals are distrustful of strangers and don't want their livelihoods threatened. Meanwhile, William makes friends with the local kids, especially a girl named Lisa who has caught his eye.
This book has some odd content like a strange interwoven story that is pretty dark. It also looks like it could be for children, but the content is probably not appropriate for that audience. The art is good, but it's hard to recommend this one.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
November 18, 2021
Hmmm I wonder if something got lost in translation. The artwork was lovely and kept me captivated, but the story was piecemeal and confusing and hard to follow. Frequently (I think?) the narrator would change without any notation which made it hard to understand, then there are cut-scenes intermixed that were never explained (although I think maybe it had to do with Lisa's ability? was she having these as visions?), and lastly there was just a lot going on and some side plots got thrown in at the end to add to the confusion. And then it just...ended? Like right at the climax? I know there's another volume at least to carry on the story but I still felt like it should have wrapped up a bit more since it indicates that 20 years will go by before that second volume takes place? Plus, judging by the cover and description, I had assumed it was a children's/middle grade graphic novel but boy oh boy there's a lot of nudity and sex for something with a ten-year-old protagonist!
March 5, 2020
3 STARS
As far as art is concerned, Worlds Unseen is a good book. I liked the drawings and the strong colors that reminded me of the South of Italy.
Unfortunately, the story is very confusing. I know that there will be another part and maybe everything will be explained, but in this book the reader doesn't really understand what are those worlds unseen, who sees them and what's their precise link with the protagonists. The story seems to go in a completely different direction from the flashes of the "other worlds" we see. But, as I said, this is just the first part.
Moreover, I think that the story maybe wanted to also be a narrative of fear and hatred of anything foreign (people, progress, etc...), but the authors have built it in a way that felt a little bit stereotyped.
All in all, this book is not what I was expecting.
As far as art is concerned, Worlds Unseen is a good book. I liked the drawings and the strong colors that reminded me of the South of Italy.
Unfortunately, the story is very confusing. I know that there will be another part and maybe everything will be explained, but in this book the reader doesn't really understand what are those worlds unseen, who sees them and what's their precise link with the protagonists. The story seems to go in a completely different direction from the flashes of the "other worlds" we see. But, as I said, this is just the first part.
Moreover, I think that the story maybe wanted to also be a narrative of fear and hatred of anything foreign (people, progress, etc...), but the authors have built it in a way that felt a little bit stereotyped.
All in all, this book is not what I was expecting.
March 21, 2024
Decent cute illustrations with a disjointed unimpressive storyline of early 19th century Italy, followed by Istanbul.
I was expecting some Tuscan magic, which unfortunately didn't exist in this one.
Loved the friendship and bonding between William, Paolo, Nino and Lisa, all of them born on the same day. This part was interesting over the years as they grew.
"How by the time you've told a story, blown a kiss, you're already at the end of the road, worn out and wrinkled."
Overall:
A passable affair.
I was expecting some Tuscan magic, which unfortunately didn't exist in this one.
Loved the friendship and bonding between William, Paolo, Nino and Lisa, all of them born on the same day. This part was interesting over the years as they grew.
"How by the time you've told a story, blown a kiss, you're already at the end of the road, worn out and wrinkled."
Overall:
A passable affair.
June 22, 2020
I'm rather surprised at the many negative reviews for this one - it's clearly only part one of a series and yes, there are things that are not completely explained but that is because I feel like those things will be revealed as the story progresses. I think I figured out why the story has weird time-jumps but I of course can't confirm it until the next volume, which I definitely want to read.
January 1, 2019
J'ai beaucoup aimé les dessins et l'histoire est mélancolique. Y'a une part d'imaginaire et de mystique et une autre part très ancrée dans la réalité. C'est une bd sur la fin de l'enfance.
July 29, 2020
Sublime histoire de destins croisés
May 1, 2021
I'm sorry for having nothing good to say about it other than the illustrations are good.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for a review.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for a review.
March 1, 2023
An intriguing comic, can't wait to read more
December 29, 2024
L’histoire est cryptique, les illustrations sont belles mais souvent imprécises et ne permettent pas d’identifier certains détails. J’attends la suite et les explications
January 20, 2025
Luscious artwork, youthful friendships, cranky old Luddites and beautiful landscapes all wrapped up with a bit of a cliffhanger. What's not to like?
October 11, 2019
A Dark Tale Told Under A Bright Sky
Talk about your "loss of innocence". Just a few pages into this volume you will start to become unnerved by a sense that dreadful things are going to happen to pretty much every appealing character in the book. The open, and suspenseful, question mostly turns on exactly how dreadful that will turn out to be.
On its face this starts as a tale of a young boy's friendship with three other kids as he settles into his new life in a tiny Italian coast village. Will this be fun and games in the sun, or "Lord of the Flies"? What will happen to Dad's new fishing enterprise? How about the jovial outsider who befriends the family? Is that prepubescent girl an angel or a devil? And what's up with that possibly supernatural gimcrack she found on the sea floor?
The book will keep you off balance right up to the final cliffhanger page of this Part 1. By then everything will have changed, but who knows where the characters will end up? All I know is that I'm eager to find out.
In a way it's the art here that makes the magic work. The dialogue and narrative certainly tell the story well enough. The art is all golden, white, and blue, and seems to promise sun, fun and puppy love. But there's a queasy undercurrent and a sense of menace that flows off the characters. Sometimes it's explicit and sometimes it just lurks in the shadows, but when every time a kid gets in the water you expect a drowning, well, you know you've been hooked.
So, I had no idea what to expect when I opened this up. I certainly didn't expect a sun drenched slightly supernatural bildungsroman. This was a stunner.
(Please note that I had a chance to read a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Talk about your "loss of innocence". Just a few pages into this volume you will start to become unnerved by a sense that dreadful things are going to happen to pretty much every appealing character in the book. The open, and suspenseful, question mostly turns on exactly how dreadful that will turn out to be.
On its face this starts as a tale of a young boy's friendship with three other kids as he settles into his new life in a tiny Italian coast village. Will this be fun and games in the sun, or "Lord of the Flies"? What will happen to Dad's new fishing enterprise? How about the jovial outsider who befriends the family? Is that prepubescent girl an angel or a devil? And what's up with that possibly supernatural gimcrack she found on the sea floor?
The book will keep you off balance right up to the final cliffhanger page of this Part 1. By then everything will have changed, but who knows where the characters will end up? All I know is that I'm eager to find out.
In a way it's the art here that makes the magic work. The dialogue and narrative certainly tell the story well enough. The art is all golden, white, and blue, and seems to promise sun, fun and puppy love. But there's a queasy undercurrent and a sense of menace that flows off the characters. Sometimes it's explicit and sometimes it just lurks in the shadows, but when every time a kid gets in the water you expect a drowning, well, you know you've been hooked.
So, I had no idea what to expect when I opened this up. I certainly didn't expect a sun drenched slightly supernatural bildungsroman. This was a stunner.
(Please note that I had a chance to read a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
January 27, 2020
I thought the graphics were very well drawn.
I’m finding it difficult to rate this because it is only the start of a story. I can see potential in it but having only read this part I found the ‘asides’ confusing & don’t really know how they fit into the storyline.
The characters were believable, I can see how a small fishing community would have reacted the way they to to newcomers with modern technology.
I’m finding it difficult to rate this because it is only the start of a story. I can see potential in it but having only read this part I found the ‘asides’ confusing & don’t really know how they fit into the storyline.
The characters were believable, I can see how a small fishing community would have reacted the way they to to newcomers with modern technology.
October 16, 2019
A fascinating start to this graphic novel series. Young William moves to the small village of Barellito with his family. His father, ever the optimist, his father has big dreams of starting up a fishing business there, but the local villagers are unfriendly and hostile.
Despite this life goes on and William soon finds a group of friends of his own. With these new friends comes mystical experiences and puzzling dreams. William doesn't know what these expeirnces mean but and he knows they point to something in their future. Meanwhile the hostility of the villagers boils over into tragedy and the lives of the children changes.
This is a great first book with as a low lying suspense that runs through the story. This suspence pulls the reader in and it was so easy to become lost in the lives of the villagers, the mysticism and the joy of new life and new adventures. I enjoyed reading this and I defintely wanted more. Alas I will have to wait for that, but this first episode has certainly awakened my appetite for more.
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley.
Despite this life goes on and William soon finds a group of friends of his own. With these new friends comes mystical experiences and puzzling dreams. William doesn't know what these expeirnces mean but and he knows they point to something in their future. Meanwhile the hostility of the villagers boils over into tragedy and the lives of the children changes.
This is a great first book with as a low lying suspense that runs through the story. This suspence pulls the reader in and it was so easy to become lost in the lives of the villagers, the mysticism and the joy of new life and new adventures. I enjoyed reading this and I defintely wanted more. Alas I will have to wait for that, but this first episode has certainly awakened my appetite for more.
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews