Pacific

by Martin Trystram, Martin Trystram, Romain Baudy

Seconde Guerre mondiale, quelque part dans le Pacifique… Udo Grötendick, un soldat novice – un « bleu » – rejoint en tant que radio sa nouvelle affectation à bord d’un U-Boot, l’un de ces sousmarins allemands qui font la réputation de la Kriegsmarine. Le capitaine du bâtiment, Kaleunt, est considéré comme un héros,pour le nombre impressionnant de missions victorieuses à son palmarès de combat. Dans le paquetage du nouveau venu, un livre apparemment subversif, dont l’équipage, qui ne demande qu’à bizuter le bleu, se débarrasse séance tenante. Pourtant, au fil des jours à bord, le livre va s’ingénier à réapparaître dans les endroits les plus inattendus, comme s’il était doué d’une vie propre…

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Bande Dessinée, Historical Fiction, War

96 pages, Hardcover

First published February 9, 2013

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story could have been a little more elaborated, especially towards the end, but it is still totally worth it, and the artwork is so gorgeous!
Obrigada pela dica, Atilano.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite pleasing book, I really liked the art and landscape format which goes well with the actual shape of the submarine, maybe it was intention, I don't know... Story could use few more pages I would say, as everything happens really fast and I wouldn't mind better build up of atmosphere. Twist with book(s) is interesting, but it also could use some more work, as it left quite without explanation, leaving many things to readers imagination to fill in the gaps, but maybe that was the whole point. 3.5 *

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another example of a book that people seem to really hate on for not neatly tying up the intentionally abstract nature of the catalyst and climax.
The book does a great job of setting up the sweaty, confined, U-boat that the mostly non-characterized rookie protagonist is thrust into and does an even better job pulling us from this setting into something much stranger and inexplicable. It would be misleading to say that the ending is open to interpretation, because truly, about half of the book is. I hope to hash this out with somebody. It definitely warrants discussion.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Not what I expected at all - a fever dream, a magical realist fantasy set in the Pacific (were there U-boats operating in WWII there?), a modernist fairy tale that starts with a new crew member, Udo (radio operator), being flown to his new submarine assignment. The crew are a well-oiled machine operating in the vast Pacific Ocean, and Udo's arrival sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the crew to cast off the chains of Nazi servitude. Akin to the grit in an oyster meaning that a pearl can form. All it takes is one book (the title of which is never revealed) to break the rusting chains...and by the end it's revealed that it's not just the one ship...
The artwork is beautiful, with a few single page images being sublime, in line work and colouring, whilst the moments of battle show the chaotic struggle beneath the waves.

[Hollowspine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this graphic novel about the nature of war. Men stuck on a U-Boat, but the mysterious appearance of a book starts a ripple of questioning. Is the war justified? What are they fighting for? Whom are they fighting against? No matter how often the book is destroyed, somehow it keeps appearing, until finally it the captain must read it.

[spoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art was sometimes really pretty—especially at the end. The story was mediocre and didn’t cohere for me.

[Mélissa Tardif · Rating 3 out of 5]

L’histoire manquait un peu de « gras » autour de l’os, mais les graphiques sont vraiment beaux.

[Mikel Maeztu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ya por el formato elegido, asemejado a la forma de un uboot ya esperas algo especial pero la historia no es muy allá. No profundiza en personajes ni la historia tiene ninguna emoción

[Oliver Hodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a case of great art and intriguing premise, but not enough explanation of the main points of the story- especially what was in the haunted book and how it related to the captain's fears. Was the main character (the radio operator on the u-boat) deliberately unsettling people or was he maybe possessed by the book?
In one way, not telling this made the ending pretty interesting and memorable, but it made the characters a bit less so. Well worth reading for the highlights of quirk and mild terror, and would love to see more from these creators, even with the story flaws.

[Kix-Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'est une bande dessinée originale, entre le fantastique et l'historique. Les planches sont réussies. J'aime particulièrement le contraste réalisé et les dernières planches qui sont très belles. Le format de la bande dessinée correspond parfaitement au sous-marin.

[F Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice art and some interesting ideas, but lacking in substance. Would recommend to submarine enthusiasts (though its not at all aiming for historical realism).