Olympia

La Grande Odalisque #2

by Bastien Vivès, Jérôme Mulot, Florent Ruppert

Alex, Sam en Carole zijn de meest sexy kunstdieven die er op de wereld rondlopen. Geen museum is veilig voor ze, want de dames schrikken voor geen enkele opdracht terug. Na De grote odalisk (vier sterren op Cuttingedge.be en het album sleepte ook diverse prijzen in de wacht), brengen Vivès, Rupert en Mulot hun drie hoofdrolspeelsters weer tot leven.

Voor een maffiabaas moeten ze drie schilderijen stelen die samen tentoongesteld worden in het Petit Palais in Parijs. Het is uitzonderlijk dat de Olympia van Manet wordt uitgeleend en dus moet het snel gaan ...

Het trio sexy kunstdieven is eindelijk terug. Geschreven en getekend door een trio getalenteerde auteurs van de nieuwe lichting. Een vervolg op De grote odalisk 1 (Vrije Vlucht, 2013), een album dat erg lovende kritieken kreeg en opgenomen werd in de officiële selectie van het stripfestival van Angoulème 2013. Dit kunstwerkje voor zes handen is overduidelijk met zichtbaar plezier gemaakt. De vreugde waarmee de auteurs aan dit album hebben gewerkt, spat van elke pagina en er is ook nu weer de grootste zorg besteed aan tekst, tekeningen en inkleuring.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Bande Dessinée, Crime, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, France

136 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2015

About the author

Bastien Vivès is a Parisian who has drawn or collaborated on more than a dozen graphic novels since his published debut in 2006, including most recently The Butchery (Fantagraphics, 2021). The Angouleme Comics Festival granted Vivès the “Revelation” Award in 2009 and the prize for best series in 2015.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels to me--an outsider reduced to reading work in translation years later--consistent with a lot of other French comics from these guys and others: Gorgeous women--check; Corto Maltes-inspired preposterous action sequences--check, and great sweeping yet delicately water-colored French and Italian scenery--check, with an eye to mid-nineteenth century romantic style. Escapism at its best. The guys aren’t as gorgeous as the women, but that is part of the update, to focus on the women (?). Okay, the three super-modelish thieves are typically lithe objects of the Male Gaze, but hey, Carole is nine months pregnant! We might not have read this fifty years ago, especially since every frame puts the emphasis on Beauty, so give the boys credit for including this anomaly (?) in French romantic storytelling. Progress? Ah, but this is not exactly trying to be a feminist comic, folks.

This is silly fun, in the way of all these adventures. How do they make their escape? Don’t ask, or ask James Bond or anyone from Mission Impossible. I like the banter between Alex and the hitman. I like it that an escape involving so much water ends in a water-birth for Carole, assisted by her two bffs. What can I say, it’s beautifully illustrated fun.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, reallyyy hope we get more of this series. I love these women, and their friendship with their hitman was everything. The heist in this was just as ridiculous as in the first volume (actually, it was even MORE ridiculous) but equally amazing and fun to read.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic volume in this series (La Grande Odalisque).

The artwork is the star of the show. Beautiful sketchy architecture, beautiful woman, sublime watercolors.

The story is quite fun! Our three girls are forced by threat of death to steal 3 paintings from a single art-gallery. They're joined by their would-be hitman to ensure the job gets done properly. Together the 4 of them make a fun and compelling group.

It's basically a goofy Mission Impossible with female leads. I never saw that Ocean's Eleven movie with all women... but this book could be a great script for female-lead heist film.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fitting sequel to The Grande Odalisque, and, I'm guessing, for most, if you read round one then it's worth reading round two as well. But I can't imagine it would make sense to read this one before reading its predecessor.

Also, if you saw (and, like me, enjoyed) the Netflix movie Wingwomen, you need both books to cobble together the movie storyline, even if there are innumerable (significant) variations in the plot, characters, villains, settings, motivations, etc.

Full marks for creativity and, frankly, simply being different in so many ways, than most of the graphic novels (or, of course, the manga or comic books) that I've consumed over the years.

[a ☕︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

another heist, this time for two venuses and manet’s olympia. unfortunately the panel on the cover only happens in a dream. still, this is just as scribbly and ornate as the first, with color choices i liked even better. a hitman gets added to the trio (the arms dealer from the previous novel vanishes) and there are some aquatic capers. adding to my collection—it makes me think too much of good 60s spy flicks to leave it out.

[Uva Costriuba · Rating 1 out of 5]

Não sou o público pra essa HQ.
Esse comentário é só para eu me lembrar o que li.

Não gostei do desenho gasoso digital, não curto a parte do roubo com comédia pastelão e também não consegui simpatizar com as protagonistas gostosonas brincando com armas. E não achei nada lúdico o parto em água de encanamento estourado seguido de assassinatos falsos. O hype aparentemente é pros franceses... Não recomendo o quadrinho pra ninguém que eu conheço.

[Diego Dotta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I was drawn to the cover. However, I was disappointed to find the story sexist and shallow. After doing some research on the authors, I came across another book by them that I also disliked. It's now clear to me that their work isn't a good fit for me.

[Δημήτρης Μπ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to "The Grande Odalisque" continues from the point the first volume left off. Our three protagonists now try to steal not one but three famous paintings from the Petit Palais in Paris. In their job, they are accompanied by Toni, an Italian assassin, paid by an Italian mob boss in order to watch over and help them with there heist, and deliver the stolen paintings to his employer.

The story progresses slowly (which becomes a little tiring, especially some time in the middle of the volume). However, when there were action scenes, the pace accelerated rapidly, thus creating an adequate balance.

As far as the art-style is concerned, it's the same as in the first volume, with relatively simple lines, yet eye-pleasing and quite bold at times.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel is Perfect!

Please make more books!

[Marc Bosch · Rating 3 out of 5]

El trío Vivès, Ruppert & Mulot sigue con su experimento gamberro sobre las tres ladronas de arte. En este segundo volumen las escenas son aún más inverosímiles que en La gran Odalisca y los giros de guión igual de descabellados. Los dibujos de Vivès y la sonrisa incrédula del ¿Venga si hombre, y ahora qué más!? son los dos motores que nos empujan a pasar pagina tras página. No hay pretensión alguna de verosimilitud y si en cambio un esfuerzo cuidado en todo lo que tiene que ver con el dibujo. Y por supuesto unas ganas enormes de forzar hasta el límite el género de acción hasta alcanzar el nivel de parodia. Seguro los tres se divirtieron un montón cuando hacían sus reuniones para preparar el guión…

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olympia's predecessor, The Grand Odalisque, was goofy fun, but it ultimately left me cold with unlikeable characters making bad decisions. Olympia stars those same unlikeable characters making bad decision - but for some reason I liked it better? Maybe the decisions aren't as bad and the characters seem to be learning some lessons.

Like in The Grand Odalisque, the plot revolves around a heist, this time a heist at the behest of a mobster who plans to kill the trio of female thieves after they complete their task. Also: Carole, one of the thieves, is now pregnant. The planning and the heisting are good fun, as expected. Bastien Vives art continues to shine. If you had any fun with The Grand Odalisque, Olympia comes highly recommended.

[Sharni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what I enjoyed most - converting the hitman who is babysitting your trio of cat thieves while they pull off an art heist by gently bullying him - not only onto their side but into moving across the world and starting a new life of art crime OR that they solved an art heist gone wrong by floating out of a flooding museum on a torpedo. Absolutely insane behaviour. Enjoyed it muchly!

[Audrey A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colors were so good! Characters were boring. Fun action and art theft! Didn’t like how faces were drawn.

[Yellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Het tweede deel en ditmaal komen de meiden in de problemen en moeten ze schilderijen jatten voor een maffiabaas. Carole is ook bij de groep want zij probeerde ze te helpen. Het was best wat spannender dit keer want Carole is zwanger, en niet zo'n beetje ook. Je kunt al voorstellen dat dit wat dingen moeilijker maakt, maar toch gaat ze ervoor. Ik vond het erg leuk om de meiden weer samen te zien want ik moet zeggen zonder Carole zie je echt alleen maar meer hoe irritant Alex is. Wat een tuthola zeg. Ik vond het wel grappig, in ieder geval aan het begin, hoe de meiden met Tonio omgingen, daarna werd het ietwat vervelend.
Aan het einde komt alles in stroomversnelling en HOLY WOW, ik was echt even geschokt door het einde, gelukkig krijgen we nog een epiloog, ik was al bezorgd dat het boek ophield op dat punt.
Weer prachtige illustraties en ik heb dus weer genoten. Enerzijds wil ik meer, anderzijds vind ik het perfect waar het nu is geeindigd.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

more of a 3.5. probably better than the first one but still not amazing. we did get to see more of the relationship between the three girls which i enjoyed. the addition of toni was quite funny and the ending was more uplifting.

[Juju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I was really liking this second book in this french art thief babes series. After struggling with Carole's disappearance in the last book, the girls get back together, and are forced into another impossible job. I was completely annoyed by Alex in the first third as Sam tries to hold everything together, but then her crazy, unhinged charm won me over again as they hang out and go partying with the mafia hitman who's probably not there to be their friend. I really liked the breakdown of their plan in the Petit Palais as Carole guides them through it. Things get weird and Lady Gaga's there I and loved everything... until those last 10 pages, when I get upset at these French asshole creators, what the flying crap are they thinking, how the hell do you end the book like that? F-you all, I'm never reading anything by you jerks again. Then, after calming down a few days later I picked up the book again and realized there's actually a few pages after page 124, and ok, even though the image on the cover never happens, it's a great book, thank you.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book was enjoyable enough and since it ended with a statement that Carole, Alex, and Sam would be back in the next book, right after a scene where Alex tearfully listens to Carole's goodbye before apparently dying, I sort of needed to read the sequel. Carole's presumed death is addressed immediately, not in the actual details of how she got out of it, but revealing that she was taking the opportunity to fake her own death and seek a different life.

The rest of the book is much like the first, absurd and amusing and full of beautifully depicted action. Maybe a bit less of the acrobatics of the previous one, but the girls do end up riding a torpedo as a sort of aquatic battering ram/get-away vehicle so that's cool. I do wonder if they ever ended up doing anything with the drug running business they sort of took over in the previous book; but maybe it just paid for their lifestyle in between art heist gigs.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the sequel before the first book, so found some of the relationships and flashbacks to a previous art heist (in The Grande Odalisque) a little confusing. And it did take a few panels to get used to the unique drawing style — very loose, suggestive of the characters without being overworked. Incredible research must have gone into the background scenery — architecture, artwork, birds’-eye views of Paris — and the dynamism of the characters and their motorcycles and other unusual modes of conveyance evidenced an intuitive sense of physics. The dialogue and quick scene changes really move the narrative along.

Great stuff!! I hope to revisit both books and lavish more time on the details of the drawings.

[Lauren Schnoebelen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first one in this duology. I love these characters and it was hard watching Alex and Sam think Carole was dead and what they did to process that grief. The addition of Toni to the group was wonderful. I absolutely loved watching Alex just hassle him all the damn time. Their creativity with this job was amazing and the twists that came during the entire job were perfect. I wish there was so much more to the adventures these women have but I also really appreciated the way this ended.

[NoID · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le scénario peut sembler bricolé, mais la sauce prend et on se retrouve vite à se laisser charmer par ce trio de voleuses un peu foutraques, Alex, Carole et Sam.

Une histoire à la Ocean onze, douze ou que sais-je à la française et au féminin

Une bande dessinée aux graphismes et couleurs de haut niveau pour un bon petit thriller bien tendu à la fin qui dégomme tout ! Ou pas ?

https://www.noid.ch/olympia/

[rndgmoat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sequel that is just as good as the first installment, this is a really fun graphic novel that is the equivalent of your favorite late 90s summer thriller--a little sexy, a lot of action, some humor, and a happy ending. If you rewound time and asked Brian de Palma to film this series say in 1998, we would probably just now be getting ready for the anxiously debated reboot starring Ana de Armas and Kristen Stewart.

[Sarah Remsing · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I didn’t know this was Part 2 until after I read it, so some of my impressions might be influenced by missing context.

I felt that the plot was weak, one character was too annoying to deserve sympathy, and the ending fell a little flat. I did love the illustrations though, they feel rich even though the style is simple and almost sketchy

[Malu Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gostei bem mais do que o primeiro volume. As personagens são melhores desenvolvidas e a relação delas também. Existe uma relação de causa e consequência que faz muito mais sentido que o primeiro livro.

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mas el primero donde el caracter de Carole y sobretodo Alex te sorprende. Aqui siguen con sus aventuras delictivas para conseguir unas obras con un guardian en todo momento, y bastante peliculesco pero el final es muy resulton. Lo recomiendo

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

A deeply impressive comic where the visual appeal is much greater than the ramshackle story. One imagines that the word "badass" was frequently uttered during composition, or the French equivalent at any rate.

[Jena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really hoping to get more out of this one. I'd read Grand Odalisque and I wanted to try to make sense of these characters. This didn't do it. The women seem so much like someone's fantasy thank anything remotely plausible.

[sheribubble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I much preferred the first book but this one still had a pretty interesting story. The dialogue frustrated me a bit though, I think it leaned into gender troupes in a forced way at times, which was pretty distracting.

[amelie sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Mahatma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik verwachtte licht entertainment, maar dit was een erg slap afkooksel van Tarantino.