Un Océan de pierre

Tango #1

by Matz

Après avoir volé des millions à un cartel de la drogue, John Tango s'est installé dans un village perdu de Bolivie, pensant avoir trouvé le coin idéal pour prendre sa retraite. Mais le hasard fait bien mal les choses, son nouveau voisin et son fils semblent fuir eux aussi un passé compliqué. Quand ces derniers sont attaqués par trois hommes armés, Tango prend leur défense et tue les assaillants. Il l'ignore encore mais il vient d'attirer l'attention de deux puissants groupes armés. Le coin le plus tranquille de la Cordillère des Andes ne va pas le rester longtemps.

Une histoire complète.

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Adventure, Thriller

72 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2017

About the author

"Matz" is the pseudonym for French writer Alexis Nolent. He has written scripts for video games, a novel, and as Matz, a number of comics including Triggerman by Walter Hill. His graphic novel, Du plombe dan la tete a.k.a. Headshot, was adapted into the 2012 film, Bullet To The Head.


See http://www.dargaud.com/bd/Auteurs/Matz for a bio in French.

Reviews

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Matz since I read "The Killer" series.

I'm not sure if this new one will measure up, but I expect to enjoy it nonetheless.

What I love most about Matz's work is the rawness of his writing. The world and society are full of hypocrisy; everyone wears a mask to hide their true selves, everyone has their own selfish agenda, and everyone pretends to be righteous about saving the world when they can't even help the person knocking on their door. Matz cuts through all this bullshit and unveils the world as it truly is.

It's refreshing to see the world through Matz's eyes, without any pretense.

But I digress...

This first volume of Tango is a self-contained story, so I'm curious to see where it will go from here.

[Mirnes Alispahić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matz sure knows how to write a story. Combined with Philippe Xavier's art, it makes this graphic novel a real pleasure to read. Tango is a character we've seen so many times. Mysterious stranger who chose to live secluded, in a village in Bolivian Andes only to have his past come to his doorstep after he finds himself in a wrong place at a wrong time.
There is something about French-Belgian comic book school that makes me nostalgic as if I'm reading comics of my childhood again. I guess it's that legacy they leave behind. It reminds me of XIII and Largo Winch and those pulp novels I used to read. In short, this graphic novel has everything you need to enjoy. Nice story, great art, loveable main character, mystery, a bit of erotica. As if watching a good action movie.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A stolen child on my hands, and my former employer is trying to kill me... I think it's safe to say that this time I'm in the s*** up to my neck.'

Great artwork and a fast paced action story with a hero who takes on the criminals he used to work for.

Tango is not a good man. He was strongarmed into working for a drug cartel until he found a way out and escaped with their money. Now he hides out in a small town in Bolivia but when his enemies come to look for him everything goes downhill over night. Coupled with the fact that he has to return a kidnapped child to his family, it is safe to say he is in deep s*** and it is rising fast.

I enjoyed this. It is fast paced, lots of gun fights but Tango holds his own against the mob. I am looking forward to book two so I can see where his adventures and 'Dirty Harry ' attitude lead him to next!

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[HornFan2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley.com and European Comics for providing me with an advance PDF in English for my honest review.

Not a typical genre that I'll read, although I like the change Like these European Comics a lot, they give you a personalized easy PDF file to read and definitely will have to read more of them.

This was my first read from the author Matz, liked this one, although was expecting a more intense ending, the graphic's are excellent really captured the Andes and liked the Tango character a lot. The only thing I'd change with the story is that he takes Agustina with him, make her badass so she can get worked into the series as his lethal sidekick.

Definitely will look for more of this series and if you like graphic novels/comics, you'll like this one.

[The Cannibal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Déjà la prise en main était bonne : j'avais dans mes petites menottes douces et délicates un album bien lourd. Putain, un 66 pages ?? Ça existe encore, parait ? D'habitude, on radine un peu sur les pages.

J'ouvre... Waw, la première image m'en met plein les mirettes !

Un dessin réaliste, des couleurs chaudes, des paysages à me couper le souffle et mon imagination est déjà au travail, m'imaginant en train de chevaucher dans ces contrées de rêves (si Le Lombard et Babelio veulent me payer le voyage... Je suis partante).

Et le fameux Tango ? Qu'en est-il ? Ni un mélange à boire, ni une chanson, ni une danse, mais un homme qui est allé se perdre dans le trou du cul de la Cordillère des Andes, et sûrement pas pour éluder ses impôts, mais pour fuir quelque chose, ou quelqu'un ou se faire oublier.

Ma foi, le Tango, je le croiserais au coin d'un cactus dans la pampa, je lui demanderais l'heure et même plus.

Il a la beauté troublante d'un beau brun ténébreux, un corps avec les tablettes de chocolat non fondues et selon Agustina, il n'a pas l'air d'être un branleur au lit.

Bref, il avait une petite vie tranquille, peinard, sans se prendre la tête, intégré dans le paysage et dans la populace, et puis, bardaf, l'embardée, il a aidé ses voisins et amis lorsque le père s'est fait agresser et le passé, tel Zorro, a surgit hors de la nuit.

Si le scénario a des airs de grand classique avec des personnages aux passés troubles, renfermant des secrets pas nets, sordides, se cachant du monde après l'avoir fui (parce qu'ils ont fait des grosses bêtises), je dois avouer que la manière de nous le présenter et de nous le conter est des plus intrigantes.

Ici, personne n'est tout blanc ou tout noir, chacun a ses secrets, son passé, ses emmerdes, ses erreurs de jeunesse, avec ou sans circonstances atténuantes. Vous serez seul juge.

On se laisse porter par l'histoire, on s'attache à Tango et à son jeune aidant, Diego, on tremble pour eux, on cravache nos montures pour échapper aux méchants, tout en se disant que la nuque brisée, pour certains, c'est encore trop gentil.

Tiens, vu la qualité du dessin et des paysages, j'aurais vu surgir Blondin entre deux cactus que je n'aurais pas été étonnée. Niveau musique, celle, magique, d'Ennio Morricone, aurait donné un trip d'enfer à certains passages.

Je n'espère qu'une chose, c'est que les aventures de notre Tango ne soient pas la seule et l'unique et que, si suite il y a, elle soit d'aussi bonne qualité littéraire que celle que je viens de dévorer.

Pour ceux qui voudraient la découvrir - l'album vaut la peine qu'on l'achète - cette histoire se suffit aussi à elle-même puisqu'elle a un début, un milieu et une fin, sans cliffhanger.

Le tout servi par un bon scénario, un ton incisif, des personnages attachants (pas tout, hein !) et une bonne dose d'humour, ce qui ne gâche rien.

Tiens, niveau Tango, on a aussi une réplique dans "Garde à vue" avec Ventura, Serrault, Guy Marchand et Romy :
— Tango, ça s'écrit comme un tango ?
— Oui. Comment voulez-vous que ça s'écrive ? Comme paso doble ?

[Prin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me begin by noting that I read the English edition. Here’s the synopsis: “He used to play a dangerous game, running cash for the mob. Now he calls himself Tango, and he lives in a little village rising like a small island out of the rocky sea of the Andes. He’s made a few friends since he arrived, with whom he’s got a lot in common: they’ve all got secrets from their past, and they’re not exactly who they say they are. One by one, their secrets are revealed in a storm of violence when old friends come knocking, demanding past debts be paid. High up in the Bolivian hills, a mountain community is once again upended by the arrival of strangers and the troubles they seem to bring with them.”

My thoughts: This is pure cinematic art! It perfectly captures the beautiful landscape of the desert mountains. We meet a lot of interesting and morally grey characters led by Tango, the gringo that loves to play archaeologist and collect Incan artifacts for leisure. Tango is a mystery. He is obviously a man with a dark and complex past but he decides to retire in a quiet village in the Andes.

Pretty soon the story becomes action-packed with gunfights and violent combat as Tango’s past catches up with him. It is impressive how the intense action scenes are depicted by the artist through the panels. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a John Wick level of intensity. This story is a perfect reminder that everyone lies and small towns have their secrets too. In the end we learn that we’re all just looking for happiness and a good life, and that nothing is ever worth sacrificing our freedom for.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing a copy of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

[Krishnakumar Mohanasundaram · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good one with great artwork - despite a very old storyline that has been handled many times ..

So we meet Tango (John) hiding in deserts of Bolivia away from people , living in a village, making out with a local widow, spending time with a local kid and helping out the locals... Until one day the kid's father is attacked by strangers.. Tango intervenes and kills them.. But keeps himself out of the news...

But then when the news spreads the rural place begins to have visitors...
A detective who comes searching for the kid and a group of thugs from Tango's past who have come kill him and get back the money he stole from them...
As the kid's not-real-father is killed, Tango promises to take the kid to his real parents.. The duo fight against the henchmen who have come to kill Tango and eventually reach Buenos ares where the kid is united with the parents...

Tango , needing to hide again, gets on with the detective in his boat...

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Tango 1: An Ocean of Stone' by Matz with art by Xavier Philippe is a graphic novel about a mysterious man living in a town full of secrets.

Tango lives in a small village and that's how he likes it. When a young boy's father is threatened, Tango intercedes, only to discover that the man has secrets. Those secrets bring a load of trouble to the town, including those from Tango's own past.

It's a nice anti-hero story of a guy who just wants to be left alone, but ultimately does the right thing. I liked the story and art and it was a good read.

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.

[Metabull · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent action-comic set in a remote Bolivian village with a slice of western mixed in. It is good, but nothing special.

The art is clean, but a tad too classic. Very reminiscent of other Franco-Belgian comics in the same vein.

[João Teixeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não é um livro mau, mas confesso também não me deixou completamente deslumbrado.
Irei ler os volumes seguintes, pois fiquei curioso relativamente a que novas aventuras irá correr esta personagem, Tango.

[Komuniststar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red junaka sa tajnom, lipih žena, akcije i različitih lokacija realističkog crteža i evo još jednog tipičnog žanrovskog francuskobelgiskog stripa.

[Paudie Sca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous landscapes and a decent story.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might put this comic down thinking you'd seen not much that was fresh or original, or you might appreciate it for having a very readable style, and great visuals that really capture the setting. It's the usual thing of lovable criminal-with-a-past reluctantly getting saddled with a kid, this time the boy living with a friend of his who gets shot. Turns out all the world's been going after our hero for the past four years, which is why he's been hiding in the Bolivian outback. Some things are a little weakly done (someone takes umbrage against him in a very unlikely way), some people are a little too indestructible, but it's generally fine. Only one sequel has come the way of the original French audience at time of writing this, but it should be equally good entertainment.

[Elia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhere in a tiny Bolivian village in the Andes, an American named Tango lives a simple life, until the days he goes to visit his friend Anselmo and finds him being beaten up by thugs. Slowly all kinds of secrets start to surface - Anselmo, Tango, Tango's girlfriend Agustina and some shady new "tourists" in town all have secrets, and they all lead to violence and mayhem that puts Anselmos's son Diego in the middle of a gang war.
There's a lot of action, shooting and even some sexy-times, but the ending feels a bit abrupt - even though this is part one in a series, it seems like the author tried to close it up a little too neatly.

[Horror Sickness · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5stars

Great graphic novel full of action packed scenes as well as drama and a great well thought background story.

We follow Tango, that escaped his life 4 years ago and moved to a very small town in the Andes. However the past ends up catching up with him as other secrets from the villagers come to light and Tango gets himself wrapped up in a big mess.

Fantastic character development and a gripping story.

Absolutely loved as well the journal pictures at the end about the real places and some history on the area.

[Ellen IJzerman (Prowisorio) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[January Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, but I didn't enjoy it. I'm sure some people will, it just wasn't for me.

[Mahatma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minder sterk na nummer één maar nog steeds vermakelijk.