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Elfes #1

Elfes T01: Le Crystal des Elfes Bleus (Les Terres d'Arran - Elfes t. 1)

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"Les Elfes bleus d’Ennlya, une petite ville portuaire du Nordrenn, ont tous été massacrés ! L’Elfe bleue Lanawyn et Turin, un homme réputé, enquêtent alors que toutes les pistes mènent vers un clan d’Yrlanais, ces Hommes du nord qui haïssent les Elfes. Dans la cité île Elsemur, Vaalan une jeune Elfe bleue passe l’épreuve de l’eau des sens. La mère prophétesse voit son avenir proche, un avenir lié au crystal sacré. « Celui qui contrôle le crystal, contrôle l’océan. » Cette annonce fait grand bruit et il se murmure que Vaalann pourrait être le messie que les Elfes bleus attendent depuis plusieurs générations... Entre enquête et initiation, cette histoire nous mène dans un monde de faux-semblants, de rêves et de désillusions !"

56 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2013

13 people are currently reading
233 people want to read

About the author

Jean-Luc Istin

295 books31 followers

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5 stars
165 (22%)
4 stars
320 (44%)
3 stars
189 (26%)
2 stars
43 (5%)
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9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
Profile Image for Gianfranco Mancini.
2,338 reviews1,070 followers
November 12, 2021


Trama e personaggi che pescano a piene mani da Il Signore degli Anelli ed Elric di Melnibonè (gli Elfi Blu sono praticamente un incrocio tra gli Eldar della Terra di Mezzo ed i Melnibonéani di Moorcock), intrighi di corte e violenza in stile Game of Thrones, ed un pizzico di Warcraft .



Magari non troppo originale, ma storia e disegni sono davvero ai massimi livelli per quanto mi riguarda.



Una delle migliori saghe fantasy che abbia mai letto, qui al suo fenomenale debutto.




Profile Image for Sud666.
2,330 reviews198 followers
April 16, 2020
The superb French comic set in a fantasy world continues. This one tells the story of the Elves.

Lanawyn, a Blue Elf, and Turin, her human ally, set out to find who murdered a town of Blue Elves. This leads them to the doorstep of a clan of Yrlans - Northern men who hate Elves. War is in the air.

Meanwhile, Vaalann, a young Blue Elf, seems to be destined to find and be able to wield an ancient Elven relic that grants control of the oceans.

These two stories intertwine in this first volume about the Elven people. Nice art, wonderful setting and great stories have made this French series about the various fantasy races among my favorite comics to read. If you are a fantasy fan, you will enjoy these as well.
Profile Image for Mirnes Alispahić.
Author 9 books112 followers
November 12, 2024
This is the series that started this fantastic French fantasy comic book about Elves, Orcs, Goblins, Dwarves, and Mages. The story starts interestingly enough: an elven ghost town, an Orc necromancer, the looming threat of war, and a mad king who despises Elves. It does seem familiar sometimes, but it's exciting nonetheless. Art is amazing, which became a trademark of these novels. However, Orcs in this issue don't look much like later Orcs. While Warcraft inspired the latter ones, here it's an obvious influence of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Marquise.
1,958 reviews1,414 followers
July 15, 2016
An interesting start of the series, if rather simple in plotting and a bit too traditional old-school fantasy for some tastes, in the sense that the storyline is shaping up to be a Darkness vs Light conflict.

Nonetheless, it kept my attention till the end because of the characters, and the lovely art does a good job of conveying the large and varied landscapes and cultures of this fictional world. Such a world is inhabited by the usual races of Man, Elf, Dwarf and Orc, although given the series' overarching premise it's the Elves who'll be the protagonists, with five races of Elves having their own separate stories encased within the global story: The Blue Elves, who are tied to the sea and water; the Wood Elves, self-explanatory; the White Elves, those most closely tied to ancient magic and dragons; the Half-Elves, the despised byproducts of forbidden liaisons between Elves and Humans, who are pariahs in this world as a result of the prohibition of intermarriage; and the Dark Elves, the most fascinating yet also terrifying of all Elven races, who are infallible assassins at a price too high to be paid.

The arc pertaining to the Blue Elves is carried on the shoulders of the young Elven girl Lanawyn and her Man companion of "questing," who is amusingly called Turin (homage to Professor Tolkien, mayhaps?). As it happens in these traditional types of fantasy stories, an ancient evil has awakened and is threatening the world, aiming to recover a set of magical crystals that each race of Elves guards jealously, sort of like the rings of power that Sauron coveted and wanted to recover with the One Ring, and it falls to Lanawyn to prevent it when the Blue Crystal chooses to use her as its champion to fight back the threat. I can't say I found this particularly original but rather predictable, and it left me with a Tolkien-clone taste in my mouth, but as I'd mentioned because of the art and the fairly nice character handling, I'm rating this rather higher than I normally would and look forward to meeting the rest of the Elven peoples. I'm confident the Blue Elves will be amongst my favourites, in part due to their overall culture, and in part because I've always fared well with Jean-Luc Istin's works.
Profile Image for Anastasiaadamov.
1,058 reviews38 followers
June 3, 2020
This is one beautiful graphic novel! I loved the story and how the characters were portrayed. I look forward to reading more of these!
Profile Image for Lucía.
144 reviews2 followers
March 10, 2017
Primera Reseña
Al final no he podido aguantar hasta Navidad y aprovechando que es el Día de las Librerías me lo he comprado.

La calidad de los materiales con los que está hecho es excelente. Tapa dura, a todo color, hojas de gran calidad...
Lo primero que nos encontramos al abrir el cómic es un mapa bastante sencillo a la vez que detallado del mundo donde se desarrolla la acción. Después, comienza la historia de El Cristal de los Elfos Azules y a continuación, la de El Honor de los Elfos Silvanos. Ninguna de estas dos historias tiene relación entre sí salvo porque se desarrollan en el mismo mundo (aunque en diferentes lugares geográficos) y porque en ambas salen los elfos negros, que al parecer son más malos que na.

Supongo que conforme vayan sacando más números al español se irán entrelazando todas estas historias para crear un complejo y fascinante entramado. Los dibujos no solo son excelentes sino que la trama también es muy buena y bajo mi punto de vista, nada predecible.

¡ESTOY DESEANDO HACERME CON LAS DEMÁS ENTREGAS!

Segunda Reseña
En esta primera entrega, La elfa azul Lanawyn y su amigo humano Turin descubren que todos los elfos azules de la ciudad de Ennlya han muerto en extrañas circunstancias. La investigación sobre quién es el responsable les llevará hasta el creador del poderoso y temible cristal azul y a una guerra contra el reino de Yrlania y su asquerosete rey Rinn.
Profile Image for Kyle Bateman.
31 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2020
This one really caught me off guard. Picked it up purely on a whim because it was cheap and I’ve enjoyed everything by this publisher in the past. It really blew me away. It really thrives in world building via showing not telling. There is only one real time where the story stops to explain some lore, and it only lasts for about a page, and is very intriguing. The book has its priorities more on character interactions, and demonstrating the dynamics between different races, peoples, factions etc. It is all very digestible and accessible for the first volume in what is only one series in a line of books all fleshing out this new fantasy world (an extremely ambitious project it seems). You get one complete story in this volume that was satisfying while also leaving me intrigued as to the future of these characters and this setting. I know the next volume focuses on a different kind of Elves so I have no idea if any of these characters will reoccur; while I hope they do, I can be sufficiently content in the story told in this volume alone. Highly recommended for hardcore and casual fantasy fans alike, especially if you have a penchant for French comics. You’ll find many of the hallmarks of modern French comics here: expressive colors, tall pages with wide panels, very witty and intelligent dialogue, and an excellent sense of pace. Can’t wait to delve into the next volume.
Profile Image for Sharly.
298 reviews15 followers
May 30, 2022
Aquí va la reseña de los 16 primeros tomos.

Me ha gustado muchísimo los primeros 3-4 tomos; historias originales y bien ambientadas en las diferentes razas élficas. Pero luego la calidad baja y se va convirtiendo en un producto de entretenimiento de masas. Lo que menos me ha gustado es el toque ‘winter is coming’…
Profile Image for Lulai.
1,368 reviews153 followers
June 13, 2015
Graphiquement ce livre est beau, l'histoire est bien mené je lirai surement le reste de la saga
Profile Image for Martina.
208 reviews6 followers
November 5, 2021
La grafica è bellissima e la trama è avvincente e non scontata, con un bel worldbuilding e un finale inaspettato. Le protagoniste femminili sono fantastiche!
Profile Image for Priscilla Carina.
177 reviews6 followers
May 14, 2023
I'm not really into comics, but I saw this and picked it up due to the nice illustrations. I ended up enjoying this quick yet visually appealing read!
Profile Image for Ivana.
385 reviews37 followers
March 16, 2020
Elves is a groundbreaking graphic novel created by Jean-Luc Istin and Kyko Duarte. The first volume consists of the first two issues of the Elves: The Crystal of the Blue Elves and The Honor of the Silvan Elves. The two stories are not connected even though they are happening in the same universe.



The Crystal of the Blue Elves

Blue Elves are elves closely connected to the element water. They build cities and live on islands. They build great fleets and are the primary rulers of the sea. On the other hand, there are also humans who resent the Blue Elves for their power and are quite bloodthirsty.
After an Elven city of Ennlya has been massacred, a Blue Elf named Lanawyn and her human companion Turin must investigate who has caused this great tragedy leading them into many dangers and possibly even costing them their lives.



The Honor of the Silvan Elves

When the human city of Eysine has been attacked by orcs mercenaries, the king's daughter Llali endeavours into the forest ruled by the so-called Forest Spirits, who are actually Silvan Elves, to seek their help in driving the orcs away. There she meets a Silvan Elf who realises the power she carries and together they try to bring back the good that the world has almost completely lost.



I have immensely enjoyed this graphic novel! The art was astounding, what I liked the most about it is the fact that it was slightly different in both The Crystal of the Blue Elves and The Honor of the Silvan Elves, but at the same time it kept its beauty. The difference in the aesthetic of the art and the colour pallet only contributed to the story that was told.
The only critique I have is that I wanted a bit more. Not because I feel the story was not well branched out, but because I wanted to dive into the presented world much, much deeper!

I must say I enjoyed the second issue, The Honor of the Silvan Elves a bit more. The characters were as if they were made out of flesh and blood. I could empathise with them and the end made my eyes water.

I simply loved traveling through this fantasy world filled with such magnificent beings. It felt like going home to Tolkiens Middle Earth, but also in the same time it felt like I was discovering a whole new world.
I wholeheartedly recommend this graphic novel.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://bookprejudice.wordpress.com/2...
Profile Image for Ynwa.
210 reviews24 followers
June 13, 2015
3,5/5
Ce n'est absolument pas ce que j'ai l'habitude de lire mais étant donné que j'avais le tome sous la main je me suis lancée.

Dans un premier temps je dois dire que j'ai beaucoup aimé les planches. Bon travail concernant les illustrations. L'histoire était assez interessante avec une bonne intrigue. J'ai aimé comment les différents points de vue s'imbriquaient ensemble.
Cependant je dois avouer que j'ai parfois été un peu perdue avec tous les noms de personnages. Les changements de points de vue réguliers n'ont pas aidé même si on s'y habitue.

Ce premier tome m'a (très, très, très) vaguement rappelé certaines scènes du Seigneurs des anneaux
Profile Image for Ceres.
639 reviews
June 16, 2016
Il ne m'aura fallu que le mot "Elfes" pour me convaincre de lire cette BD et j'ai très bien fait. J'ai énormément apprécié l'univers, très bien mis en place. Graphiquement c'est superbe, on en prend plein la vue. Du côté de l'intrigue, j'ai adoré le fait qu'elle soit double, ce qui donne du rythme à l'histoire. Le côté historique lié aux elfes me plait énormément, de même que tous ces peuples et races qui cohabitent. Je suis heureuse d'avoir l'autre tome consacré aux elfes bleus et je pense bien découvrir les autres sous peu!
Profile Image for WortGestalt.
255 reviews21 followers
December 25, 2017
Schöner, wenn auch zugegeben sehr gängigen Mustern folgender Fantasy-Comic und Start zum ersten Zyklus der Elfen-Saga. Inhaltlich etwas schlicht, aber die Koloration ist toll, spielt vor allem mit eisigen und wässrigen Blautönen im Kontrast zu gelben und orangenen Erd- und Feuertönen. Ich fand ihn toll für Zwischendurch, wenn es mal rein um Unterhaltung gehen soll.
Profile Image for Sabine.
67 reviews
June 11, 2019
J'adore ! Les couleurs et le dessin sont un vrai plaisir pour les yeux, et le scénario fait la part belle à des personnages complexes et attachants. A lire absolument !
1,365 reviews5 followers
June 30, 2023
POPKulkturowy Kociołek:

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/swiat...

Historia podąża tu za elfką Lanawyne oraz jej ludzkim przyjacielem Turinem. Oboje prowadzą śledztwo, mające wyjaśnić jak doszło do rzezi elfów na pewnej odizolowanej wysepce i kto dokonał tego makabrycznego czynu. Dość szybko odkrywają oni, że wydarzenie to jest dopiero początkiem większej tragedii. Związane jest to z szeroko zakrojonym spiskiem, którego celem jest pogrążenie spokojnego świata w odmętach mroku i śmierci. Uwagę czytelnika przykuwa tu również inny wątek, poszukiwania mitycznego Niebieskiego Kryształa Elfów.

Opowieść którą śledzimy przewracając kolejne strony komiksu, to przykład dosyć klasycznego przygodowego fantasy. Jean-Luc Istin dobrze balansuje tu pomiędzy fantazyjną widowiskowością, dość rozbudowanym światem (bogaty lore), ciekawymi bohaterami, odrobiną humoru i solidną dawką mroku. Ponadto wymienione dwa główne wątki są dobrze i płynnie prowadzone, nie pozostawiając czytelnika bez konkretnych odpowiedzi na nurtujące go pytania (historia ma charakter dość zamknięty).

Całościowo scenariusz pierwszego tomu można więc określić solidnym fantasy, które powinno więcej niż zadowolić fana gatunku. Nie jest to jednak dzieło idealne, więc znajdzie się coś, na co można ponarzekać. Na przykład dość szybko zostajemy tu wrzuceni w wir akcji, bez dokładniejszego przedstawienia bohaterów. Brakowało mi tu wyjaśnienia, jak przedstawiciele dwóch różnych ras (niespecjalnie za sobą przepadających) stali się przyjaciółmi. Nie ma to jednak znaczenia dla głównej historii i być może innych czytelników nie będzie to w ogóle interesować...
Profile Image for Matthew.
559 reviews6 followers
May 10, 2024
This is a mystery.

There are 3 threads.

First a blonde blue elf and a human discover a bunch of murdered blue elves. They find a Yrlan dagger and suspect the Yrlans. Solving this mystery is their goal.

Then there is a dark haired elf maiden who is preparing to seek the sacred blue jewel in the ocean.

And lastly there is the drama of the Yrlan court. A mad king. A worm-tongued advisor. And a good steward.

SPOILER

The main thread is the mystery. The pair of investigators head to Yrlan and come up with nothing. Their gut says Yrlans are innocent. They go back and examine the blue elf corpses more closely and discover they seem to have murdered each other. They return to the massacre site to investigate further and find a wizard’s body. They travel to an orc necromancer and learn the truth from the wizard’s ghost. It’s a little perfunctory.

The Valaan thread is very drawn out; not much happens but it gets many pages. The crystal temple sequence is a showcase for the art. You begin to suspect she’s the bad guy and she is.

And lastly, there is the Yrlan drama to complicate things a little. Because of them, there is a decent battle scene with some water elementals.

The conclusion comes abruptly with the little blue elf stabbing Valaan in the back. To finish in one volume is tricky, and the page allocation is questionable. But I enjoy the format for its variety and fast-moving pace.

Art is good. The elf maidens are well-proportioned and there were a couple cool concepts — the orc lair, the elf city in the sea ringed by waterfalls, the blue crystal’s temple, the water elementals.
Profile Image for Christopher.
1,589 reviews44 followers
November 4, 2020
Elves Vol. 1: The Crystal of the Blue Elves starts out with Lanawyn and her human ally busily conducting investigations about has been going on in the Port Town of Nordrenn, Elvish Lands etc. It is from there our characters quests take them around the lands, oceans etc in a book that is visually beautiful that ties in with script giving everything a great feel and tone to the adventures taking place! The world building throughout is immense as we see the various races and factions, Dwarfs, Elves, Humans etc that inhabit the lands and each has its on own unique cultures! The unique cultures work really well and are the route of the character and racial disagreements between them! This gives everything an epic three-dimensional feel! Elves Vol. 1: The Crystal of the Blue Elves really handles brilliantly the difference in cultures and at the same time really shows the lands they inhabit! At the same time Elves Vol. 1: The Crystal as answering plot points sets up future plots making for ongoing mysteries and adventure that will not see coming! At the same time we get backstory and future plots! Elves Vol. 1: The Crystal answers questions but at the same time creates new questions! From the start starts of with a bang full of mysteries, sword swinging as the battles are constant, cinematic vistas that tie in perfectly with the script, daring do as the odds are epic, brilliant epic battles as the elves and humans defend themselves from the Orks, corrupt elves etc and action! Epic Crisp High Five! Highly Recommended! Get it When You Can!
Profile Image for Karine Darnessy.
868 reviews10 followers
September 23, 2022
Il y a quelques mois, je découvrais cet univers via le premier tome de la branche Mages. Aujourd’hui, c’est du côté des elfes que je m’embarque avec le premier opus.
Comme pour Aldoran, ce qui me frappe le plus c’est le soin et les détails de la couverture, un magnifique objet livre. Ensuite, le style graphique qui correspond toujours à mes goûts, qui me plaît beaucoup ainsi que la gamme de couleurs qui est en adéquation avec le monde des Elfes bleus. Tout est en nuance, pas agressif ni voyant.
Pour l’histoire, j’ai apprécié de découvrir un autre peuple de ce monde qui ne cherche pas la guerre, veut vivre en paix avec ses voisins bien que ceux-ci soient des idiots qui se croient supérieurs et qui ont tous les droits sur la nature qui les entourent. J’ai aimé aussi la petite enquête sur le drame qui s’est déroulé dans la ville portuaire et les différents points de vue.
Pour conclure, je suis définitivement amoureuse de cet univers. Tout me plaît dans cette gigantesque série. La richesse du monde d’Arran, des peuples et de l’histoire. Les graphismes soignés des planches, des couvertures. Les amateurs de Fantasy et de l’univers du jeu de rôle d’où proviennent ces bandes dessinées peuvent y aller les yeux fermés. C’est une série à faire petit à petit afin de profiter de chaque branche.
https://la-bibliotheque-du-labyrinthe...
Profile Image for bbouquineur.
71 reviews1 follower
April 24, 2021
Der erste Band der Elfen-Konzeptreihe, die auf deutsch im Splitter-Verlag erscheint. Ich habe diesen Band schon mal gelesen, weil ich mit dieser Reihe beginnen wollte, danach aber den Faden verloren und auch bei der zweiten Lektüre (mit dem gleichen Ziel) weiß ich wieder warum: Die Welt ist faszinierend und macht Lust auf mehr, aber die Geschichte ist doch etwas verworren. Nach einem interessanten Auftakt zerfasert sie schnell, wir begleiten unterschiedliche Akteure an unterschiedlichen Orten - manchmal nur ein bis zwei Seiten, dann sind wir wieder am nächsten Schauplatz. So entsteht kein richtiger Erzählfluss, man stockt immer wieder. Dazu trägt auch bei, dass die verschiedenen Protagonisten im immer gleichen blau (ja, ich weiß, es sind Blauelfen...) auch optisch nicht gut zu unterscheiden sind. Inhaltlich können sie sich durch diese Erzählweise aber auch nur schwer etablieren. Das Ende kommt dann sehr schnell... es bleibt insgesamt zu wenig Zeit für eine überzeugende Entwicklung.
Es ist bei weitem keine schlechte Geschichte, es geht mir nur darum, darzustellen, warum sie mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, wie ich es gerne gehabt hätte. Trotz dieser Schwächen bleibt eine interessante Welt, die Lust auf mehr macht. - 3/5
Profile Image for La librairie de Charron.
330 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2022
On commence l’histoire paisiblement avec une Elfe bleue et un humain, qui chevauchent des ours polaires vers une cité elfe réputée très chaleureuse mais voilà qu’arrive le drame. Pendant ce temps, une autre Elfe bleue apprend le destin qui l’attend.

La femme Elfe et l’humain se rendent dans un autre royaume, dirigé par un homme, comment dire, assez tyrannique, prêt à faire la guerre pour n’importe quelle raison et les hommes qui y vivent sont, à leurs apparences générales, des barbares ; enfin, ils le sont pour moi, vu que je les trouve comme tel vu leurs manières. Des barbes trop longues, des rires bizarres, enfin le mot barbare se suffit à lui-même.

En tous les cas, tout ce qui concerne les dessins et les couleurs, c’est vraiment bien dessiné ... J’ai bien apprécié le visage de la femme Elfe en particulier. Pour le reste, l’histoire est assez sympa à lire, on suit une petite enquête et on a de la magie, avec une bataille pour sauver une cité ; bref, un premier tome intéressant à lire et je me demande où ça va mener dans le tome suivant car c’est vraiment divertissant.
Profile Image for Drine Psylook.
1,301 reviews7 followers
September 10, 2018
Ça faisait un moment que cette saga me faisait de l’œil. Bien sûr le côté fantasy jouait beaucoup dans mon attirance mais pas que, les couvertures sont très jolies et me plaisent beaucoup.
Quant au récit, au début, je l’ai trouvé un peu brouillon.
On ne connaît rien au contexte et on est tout de suite plongé dans l’histoire sans préambule ce qui m’a donné la désagréable sensation d’avoir manqué quelque chose.
Les dessins sont assez beaux, surtout les décors qui sont magnifiques, mais j’ai surtout aimé les couleurs, parfaites pour un univers médiéval-fantastique.
J’ai bien aimé cette bande-dessinée.
https://psylook.kimengumi.fr/2018/09/...
Profile Image for Marco Silva.
Author 1 book12 followers
September 25, 2018
I have read the English version. A well-told story that presents a cool worldbuilding. It works with the tropes of what could be named as 'tolkian lore'. The art is very good and the pages layouts are very interesting. This is the first book of this series and a good starter, I'm very curious to see what comes next. From the little, I have read about this series each book has a different team working on it. I need to investigate more about this shared universe: The idea is not new in literature (ex.: Wild Cards) but it's the first time I hear about it in graphic literature. I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Tristan.
1,443 reviews18 followers
December 11, 2023
Currently available on Kindle Unlimited, this is the first volume in a multi volume shared universe based on the tropes of dungeons and dragons. We have the usual elves and orcs and Viking-like humans. The art is nicely done and the story is okay, but it’s a po-faced imitation of the Silmarillion, a high-fantasy attempt at gravitas that relies heavily on wordy explanations and infodumps to make much sense. It’s rather jaded to be honest. This volume makes for an okay read, but I’m not likely to revisit.
Profile Image for Inês LG.
80 reviews
October 16, 2024
I enjoyed the overall universe and the beautiful art; however it was a bit too childish and short for me. The action scenes were 1 page and everything evolved too quickly and in a sloppy manner. Maybe I'm the problem for reading children's comics with my age haha!
Edit note: I did some research and as it turns out this is categorized as adult! Unfortunately I don't really see it... They could have gone way deeper into the world building, characters and actions scenes, it would have made it indeed more adult :)
Profile Image for Meteora-books.
406 reviews10 followers
September 30, 2019
4.25/5
Ce T1 est une superbe découverte et je n’ai qu’une envie : lire la suite!! On est immergé dans l’univers dès les premières pages et si certaines choses nous paraissent un peu floues au début, on plonge rapidement dans ce monde unique et fascinant. J’ai aimé le fait d’avoir à la fois une histoire terminée et une fin suffisamment ouverte pour donner envie de lire les tomes suivants! Et les dessins sont sublimes!!
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