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Prophet #1-4
Prophet - Intégrale
Depuis qu'il est revenu d'une expédition où il a découvert les traces d'une ancienne civilisation, Jack Stanton est en proie à des visions. Tout est bizarre autour de lui : on tente de l'assassiner, un cargo se brise en plein Manhattan et, bien évidemment, personne ne veut croire à ses histoires. Un soir, alors qu'il traverse le pont de Brooklyn, il se retrouve transporté dans un monde parallèle... L'avenir du monde est entre les mains de Jack Stanton. Pourra-t-il éviter un chaos planétaire ?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 26, 2016
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47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 4, 2023
Meh. This is one of those books that looks better than it reads. I came near to giving up on it a time or two, though, to be fair, that may have been impatience due to my having acquired some new reading material that I'm anxious to get to.
Jack Stanton is part of a Miskatonic University sponsored expedition to the Himalayas where he makes the discovery of a lifetime: the remains of an ancient civilization much older than anything previously discovered. At the center of the ruins is a glowing orb that exerts a strange fascination. We then cut to New York City, months later. Jack is preparing for an interview regarding a book he has just written about the expedition, when all Hell breaks loose. Literally. The world dissolves into chaos, a post-apocalyptic landscape where demons and titans and mutated humans roam ... Is Jack the prophet who will save the world?
This is a very Heavy Metal book (I'm talking more about the magazine than the music.) The artwork is lovely, sort of reminiscent of a cross between Bernie Wrightson and Pat Broderick. Sadly, the story is a mess, tacked on almost as an afterthought. It's one of those where stuff just kind of happens, because magic. It's pretty clear that we're reading a redemption arc--Jack starts out as an obnoxious character, but is all better by the end of the book (not a spoiler so much as a familiar plot)--but it takes forever to get to the point. We do eventually get details on what exactly happened to New York, or as much as it can be explained, anyway. This all would have seemed groundbreaking and clever in the 1980's, but is very familiar by today's standards. Honestly, this would have been better as a portfolio ...
Jack Stanton is part of a Miskatonic University sponsored expedition to the Himalayas where he makes the discovery of a lifetime: the remains of an ancient civilization much older than anything previously discovered. At the center of the ruins is a glowing orb that exerts a strange fascination. We then cut to New York City, months later. Jack is preparing for an interview regarding a book he has just written about the expedition, when all Hell breaks loose. Literally. The world dissolves into chaos, a post-apocalyptic landscape where demons and titans and mutated humans roam ... Is Jack the prophet who will save the world?
This is a very Heavy Metal book (I'm talking more about the magazine than the music.) The artwork is lovely, sort of reminiscent of a cross between Bernie Wrightson and Pat Broderick. Sadly, the story is a mess, tacked on almost as an afterthought. It's one of those where stuff just kind of happens, because magic. It's pretty clear that we're reading a redemption arc--Jack starts out as an obnoxious character, but is all better by the end of the book (not a spoiler so much as a familiar plot)--but it takes forever to get to the point. We do eventually get details on what exactly happened to New York, or as much as it can be explained, anyway. This all would have seemed groundbreaking and clever in the 1980's, but is very familiar by today's standards. Honestly, this would have been better as a portfolio ...
May 24, 2017
Humanoids takes books (usually graphic novels) from other places in the world that were successful and translates them in to English for English speaking folks to enjoy. I believe despite starring an American protagonist in New York, this was originally published in French.
I really enjoyed this volume. It's huge at 9.4 by 12.6 by inches so the art is presented at a very nice size. The story is an Indiana Jones type person finding something in a forgotten corner of the world that brings our world to the attention of demonic/alien forces that set out to destroy the world as we know it. Does our main character have any chance to survive, much less do anything to set things right?
Well worth the $30. Amazon has 5 copies left. No idea how large a print run this had but if it sounds like something you want to check out I wouldn't wait and assume it will be available for a long time. :)
I really enjoyed this volume. It's huge at 9.4 by 12.6 by inches so the art is presented at a very nice size. The story is an Indiana Jones type person finding something in a forgotten corner of the world that brings our world to the attention of demonic/alien forces that set out to destroy the world as we know it. Does our main character have any chance to survive, much less do anything to set things right?
Well worth the $30. Amazon has 5 copies left. No idea how large a print run this had but if it sounds like something you want to check out I wouldn't wait and assume it will be available for a long time. :)
May 16, 2017
Beautifully illustrated, but with a barely comprehensible story.
March 18, 2025
POPKULTUROWY KOCIOŁEK: Głównym bohaterem albumu jest profesor Jack Stanton. Naukowiec, który podczas wyprawy w Himalaje odkrywa ślady tajemniczej starożytnej cywilizacji. Odkrycie to nie tylko rewolucjonizuje znaną historię, ale prowadzi również do wielu dziwnych i niepokojących wydarzeniach. Finałem tego wszystkiego jest postapokaliptyczny chaos, w którym zaczyna pogrążać się świat. Pośrodku tego znajduje się główny bohater, który jako tytułowy Prorok, jako jedyny ma szansę uratować ludzkość.
Fabuła komiksu jest więc tu pełna dynamicznych zwrotów akcji i nikt nie powinien narzekać tu na brak wyrazistej adrenaliny. Momentami można jednak odnieść wrażenie, że scenariusz mógłby być bardziej pogłębiony. Niektóre wątki rozwijają się zbyt szybko, pozostawiając niedosyt.
Prorok to jednak nie tylko widowiskowa postapokalipsa. Bardzo duże znaczenie ma tu wątek upadku głównego bohatera. Jack musi odkupić swoje grzechy oraz zrozumieć swoje wcześniejsze błędy, tylko to pozwoli mu przetrwać i uratować ludzkość. Obok tego autor porusza tu również wątek poszukiwania sensu w zniszczonym świecie oraz tego, jak łatwo ludzkość wpada w pułapki własnych przekonań i obsesji.
Znajdzie się tu również coś dla fanów Lovecrafta. Nie ma tu co prawda dosłownych nawiązań do mistrza grozy, ale pojawiają się pewne subtelne odniesienia. Nie czyni to jednak z albumu horroru, chociaż w historii pojawia się kilka intensywniejszych scen tego typu.
Obok zauważalnych zalet scenariusza niestety nie brakuje tu także wad, które znacząco wpływają na ocenę całego dzieła.
Pierwszą z nich jest pewna przewidywalność historii. Twórca oparł bowiem swoje dzieło na sprawdzonych schematach, nie specjalnie starając się z nich wyłamać.
Druga o wiele poważniejsza wada tytułu, to postępujący scenariuszowy chaos. Dotyczy to zwłaszcza końcówki komiksu, gdzie kilkuletnia przerwa (pomiędzy trzecim i czwartym albumem) wyraźnie wpływa na rozwinięcie wątków. Ponadto ciężar narracji niepotrzebnie w pewnych momentach nadmiernie przytłacza, przez co opowieść staje się nadmiernie surrealistyczna...
https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/arche...
Fabuła komiksu jest więc tu pełna dynamicznych zwrotów akcji i nikt nie powinien narzekać tu na brak wyrazistej adrenaliny. Momentami można jednak odnieść wrażenie, że scenariusz mógłby być bardziej pogłębiony. Niektóre wątki rozwijają się zbyt szybko, pozostawiając niedosyt.
Prorok to jednak nie tylko widowiskowa postapokalipsa. Bardzo duże znaczenie ma tu wątek upadku głównego bohatera. Jack musi odkupić swoje grzechy oraz zrozumieć swoje wcześniejsze błędy, tylko to pozwoli mu przetrwać i uratować ludzkość. Obok tego autor porusza tu również wątek poszukiwania sensu w zniszczonym świecie oraz tego, jak łatwo ludzkość wpada w pułapki własnych przekonań i obsesji.
Znajdzie się tu również coś dla fanów Lovecrafta. Nie ma tu co prawda dosłownych nawiązań do mistrza grozy, ale pojawiają się pewne subtelne odniesienia. Nie czyni to jednak z albumu horroru, chociaż w historii pojawia się kilka intensywniejszych scen tego typu.
Obok zauważalnych zalet scenariusza niestety nie brakuje tu także wad, które znacząco wpływają na ocenę całego dzieła.
Pierwszą z nich jest pewna przewidywalność historii. Twórca oparł bowiem swoje dzieło na sprawdzonych schematach, nie specjalnie starając się z nich wyłamać.
Druga o wiele poważniejsza wada tytułu, to postępujący scenariuszowy chaos. Dotyczy to zwłaszcza końcówki komiksu, gdzie kilkuletnia przerwa (pomiędzy trzecim i czwartym albumem) wyraźnie wpływa na rozwinięcie wątków. Ponadto ciężar narracji niepotrzebnie w pewnych momentach nadmiernie przytłacza, przez co opowieść staje się nadmiernie surrealistyczna...
https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/arche...
August 12, 2021
Jack Stanton é, além de arqueologista, o único sobrevivente de uma expedição aos Himalaias. No entanto, por mais que ele tenha perdido colegas nessa jornada, ele também encontrou um misterioso orbe; e agora, após retornar dessa viagem, a fama é o seu grande objetivo.
O mundo todo passa a falar sobre Stanton, sua magnífica descoberta e seu novo livro, "Ante Genesem", onde ele narra não apenas o que aconteceu nas cordilheiras, como também suas teorias acerca desse globo extraterrestre.
No entanto, o que ele não esperava é que sua vida corresse perigo por causa desse achado... Aliás, não só a sua vida, mas a de todos os outros seres humanos: o orbe, quando tocado, atrai todos os mais diversos tipos de demônios. Se isso não bastasse, Jack acorda no futuro, onde todos os seres humanos também foram transformados em criaturas bestiais.
Agora, apenas ele poderá reverter seu grande e imperdoável erro...
"The Book of Chaos" tem uma premissa incrível calcada nos mitos lovecraftianos (um dos personagens que conhecemos aqui é o próprio Herbert West, de "Reanimator").
Acompanhamos os sofrimentos de um protagonista, não só suas qualidades, mas principalmente seus defeitos - e tudo aquilo que o torna um humano no meio de tantos monstros. Até mesmo os personagens secundários mais próximos de Jack são interessantes - e, pra mim, isso, junto dos questionamentos sobre humanidade e o passado intrigante de Stanton e seus novos amigos são o ponto alto dessa trama.
As ilustrações são bonitas, porém, vez ou outra, confusas, já que este novo mundo que encontramos também é, em sua própria maneira, confuso. Inclusive, a forma como essa trama foi editada me incomodou, porque existe uma sensação de que, enquanto algumas cenas seguem seu curso natural, outras são puladas, sem que haja motivo algum.
O que acabou me decepcionando nessa graphic novel é como a história começa muito bem, mas conforme as páginas avançam, tem tanta coisa acontecendo que nada é explicado. Até mesmo o final, que tem uma reviravolta inesperada, é jogado do nada, com recursos de deus ex-machina, e o leitor fica perdido da metade para o fim do quadrinho.
No geral, foi uma experiência de leitura ok, com personagens e mistérios que poderiam funcionar, mas acabam se perdendo dentro do próprio enredo.
Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!
O mundo todo passa a falar sobre Stanton, sua magnífica descoberta e seu novo livro, "Ante Genesem", onde ele narra não apenas o que aconteceu nas cordilheiras, como também suas teorias acerca desse globo extraterrestre.
No entanto, o que ele não esperava é que sua vida corresse perigo por causa desse achado... Aliás, não só a sua vida, mas a de todos os outros seres humanos: o orbe, quando tocado, atrai todos os mais diversos tipos de demônios. Se isso não bastasse, Jack acorda no futuro, onde todos os seres humanos também foram transformados em criaturas bestiais.
Agora, apenas ele poderá reverter seu grande e imperdoável erro...
"The Book of Chaos" tem uma premissa incrível calcada nos mitos lovecraftianos (um dos personagens que conhecemos aqui é o próprio Herbert West, de "Reanimator").
Acompanhamos os sofrimentos de um protagonista, não só suas qualidades, mas principalmente seus defeitos - e tudo aquilo que o torna um humano no meio de tantos monstros. Até mesmo os personagens secundários mais próximos de Jack são interessantes - e, pra mim, isso, junto dos questionamentos sobre humanidade e o passado intrigante de Stanton e seus novos amigos são o ponto alto dessa trama.
As ilustrações são bonitas, porém, vez ou outra, confusas, já que este novo mundo que encontramos também é, em sua própria maneira, confuso. Inclusive, a forma como essa trama foi editada me incomodou, porque existe uma sensação de que, enquanto algumas cenas seguem seu curso natural, outras são puladas, sem que haja motivo algum.
O que acabou me decepcionando nessa graphic novel é como a história começa muito bem, mas conforme as páginas avançam, tem tanta coisa acontecendo que nada é explicado. Até mesmo o final, que tem uma reviravolta inesperada, é jogado do nada, com recursos de deus ex-machina, e o leitor fica perdido da metade para o fim do quadrinho.
No geral, foi uma experiência de leitura ok, com personagens e mistérios que poderiam funcionar, mas acabam se perdendo dentro do próprio enredo.
Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!
July 21, 2018
Interesting story that is in vein of madness horror stories from Lovecraft's lore and movies like "Sphere". I found the story engaging and in regard to some of the other reviews [for me] story was not convoluted or hard to understand. This is a huge book, lots of pages and lots of things going around and it will take you a while to link everything up but that is a trademark of European comics and I like this approach (and this might not be everyones cup of tea, I agree).
Highly recommended for all fans of Lovecraft-like stories and that near madness experiences of the main character that are the trademark of this type of stories.
Highly recommended for all fans of Lovecraft-like stories and that near madness experiences of the main character that are the trademark of this type of stories.
March 17, 2020
Every page a masterpiece. Stunning to look at. Amazing work with scale, perspective, and atmosphere. The demons and monsters are skillfully designed. Interesting, if somewhat predictable story. I was surprised to find that the writer and artist were the same person, because there seemed to be some inconsistencies and lack of cohesion at some points. Also the NY skyline was drawn with the two towers after 911. Despite this, enjoyable nightmarish read. Beautiful to look at.
February 4, 2020
Overall nice read.
The plot was somewhat predictable and there were many things left without meaning. Still enjoyable.
The concept is amazing, though. I really liked it. I wish they've had done more with it.
The plot was somewhat predictable and there were many things left without meaning. Still enjoyable.
The concept is amazing, though. I really liked it. I wish they've had done more with it.
June 30, 2017
A nice Lovecraftian horror comic with an interesting enough story
January 13, 2022
I have to agree with others who said that this book looks better than it reads. In fact, I really enjoyed the art but man, is the narration unnecessary messy.
September 6, 2021
Au début on ne comprend rien. A l'image de notre héros propulsé dans le futur et poursuivi par des démons. On a également du mal à cerner Jack, sorte d'Indiana Jones aux amphèt', ancien enfant paumé des faubourgs malfamés de NYC, il se réclame de la science et joue du fusil à pompe, est marié mais cherche la gloire pour "le cul et les femmes"...
Le ton de la BD est très mature, dommage de pas avoir gommé les quelques dispensables incohérences de l'intro (les sherpas qui refusent de suivre à cause de légendes locales (on est en 2006), le porte container qui s'enfoncent dans Manhatthan comme un taxi...
Le dessin m'a peu convaincu, les visages humains sont assez disgracieux et surtout certaines bulles peu lisibles, notamment les scènes d'actions. Les mutants et titans/démons sont par contre assez cool.
L'histoire est rapidement plaisante à suivre, les pages se tournent avec plaisir. Par contre au moment du bilan des 4 tomes c'est assez faible en terme de psychologie des personnages. On s'attache au héros, un peu mais c'est tout. Même reproche sur la profondeur scénaristique qui reste très superficielle. Je n'ai d'ailleurs toujours pas compris pourquoi la sphère avait envoyé Jack dans le futur, ni pourquoi un démon rouge semble le poursuivre depuis son arrivé, ni pourquoi Jack reçoit ce tatouage et ses pouvoirs, ni pourquoi les humains qui se changent en démons ont des pouvoirs magiques... que n'ont pas les démons. Ni ce que sont ces pouvoirs (Athénaïs se met à voler et créer des boules de feu en fonction des besoins du scenario). Toujours pas compris non plus ce que fait la sphère "balise" (localiser la Terre à des démons extraterrestre d'accord mais la sphère a été placé là par les dits démons non ? Donc ils savent bien où elle est ? La balise a aussi des effets disparate : disparition d'humain, attaque d'animaux domestique envers leur maitre...
C'est notamment parce qu'il n'explique rien que le dernier tome est le plus mauvais : déjà on fini pas un cycle par des flashbacks surtout s'ils ne nous apprennent rien que l'on ne sache déjà et enfin le twist ending éculé et baclé en 10 pages laisse un goût de raté à une série qui méritait mieux.
Le ton de la BD est très mature, dommage de pas avoir gommé les quelques dispensables incohérences de l'intro (les sherpas qui refusent de suivre à cause de légendes locales (on est en 2006), le porte container qui s'enfoncent dans Manhatthan comme un taxi...
Le dessin m'a peu convaincu, les visages humains sont assez disgracieux et surtout certaines bulles peu lisibles, notamment les scènes d'actions. Les mutants et titans/démons sont par contre assez cool.
L'histoire est rapidement plaisante à suivre, les pages se tournent avec plaisir. Par contre au moment du bilan des 4 tomes c'est assez faible en terme de psychologie des personnages. On s'attache au héros, un peu mais c'est tout. Même reproche sur la profondeur scénaristique qui reste très superficielle. Je n'ai d'ailleurs toujours pas compris pourquoi la sphère avait envoyé Jack dans le futur, ni pourquoi un démon rouge semble le poursuivre depuis son arrivé, ni pourquoi Jack reçoit ce tatouage et ses pouvoirs, ni pourquoi les humains qui se changent en démons ont des pouvoirs magiques... que n'ont pas les démons. Ni ce que sont ces pouvoirs (Athénaïs se met à voler et créer des boules de feu en fonction des besoins du scenario). Toujours pas compris non plus ce que fait la sphère "balise" (localiser la Terre à des démons extraterrestre d'accord mais la sphère a été placé là par les dits démons non ? Donc ils savent bien où elle est ? La balise a aussi des effets disparate : disparition d'humain, attaque d'animaux domestique envers leur maitre...
C'est notamment parce qu'il n'explique rien que le dernier tome est le plus mauvais : déjà on fini pas un cycle par des flashbacks surtout s'ils ne nous apprennent rien que l'on ne sache déjà et enfin le twist ending éculé et baclé en 10 pages laisse un goût de raté à une série qui méritait mieux.
August 25, 2018
Obviously I read the english version of this, but it was a really interesting read! It was a bit of a cliche topic and a played out story arc, but loved the art, the humor, and the ending was actually a bit of a surprise. All-in-all, good graphic novel!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews