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Atomic Empire
1953: The world has entered the age of the Atom, but one man wonders about the civilization surrounding it. His name is Paul--a Sci-Fi writer who, since childhood, has been in telepathic contact with a hero from the distant future.
As Paul's case becomes famous, Gibbon Zelbub, a well-known Pentagon and American industry consultant, begins to take an interest in him and brings him to a Vermont lab. There, "the man who communicates with the future" will undergo a hypnotic experience that will make him commit an unforgivable sin and break the oath to his friend Zarth Arn, hero of the Galactic Empire.
In this astonishing and captivating original graphic novel, Thierry Smolderen and Alexandre Clerisse immerse themselves in the fluid and aerodynamic imagery of 1950's Sci-Fi. Inspired by a real psychological case, the story is both a psychiatric enigma and a space opera. A beautiful and contemporary tale exploring all the possibilities of the form, playing as much on the brilliantly evocative images as on the plot.
As Paul's case becomes famous, Gibbon Zelbub, a well-known Pentagon and American industry consultant, begins to take an interest in him and brings him to a Vermont lab. There, "the man who communicates with the future" will undergo a hypnotic experience that will make him commit an unforgivable sin and break the oath to his friend Zarth Arn, hero of the Galactic Empire.
In this astonishing and captivating original graphic novel, Thierry Smolderen and Alexandre Clerisse immerse themselves in the fluid and aerodynamic imagery of 1950's Sci-Fi. Inspired by a real psychological case, the story is both a psychiatric enigma and a space opera. A beautiful and contemporary tale exploring all the possibilities of the form, playing as much on the brilliantly evocative images as on the plot.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published December 19, 2012
4 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Thierry Smolderen
56 books15 followersThierry Smolderen (born 25 November 1954) is an essay writer, as well as a script writer of Belgian comic strips.
Smolderen is a teacher at École des Beaux-Arts of Angoulême, France. As a comic books historian, he wrote Naissances de la bande dessinée (2009), about the "platinum age" of comics. This book has been published in English by the University Press of Mississippi in 2014, under the title The Origins of Comics: From William Hogarth to Winsor McCay (Eisner Award nominee of 2015 in the Best Scholarly/Academic Work category).
Smolderen is a teacher at École des Beaux-Arts of Angoulême, France. As a comic books historian, he wrote Naissances de la bande dessinée (2009), about the "platinum age" of comics. This book has been published in English by the University Press of Mississippi in 2014, under the title The Origins of Comics: From William Hogarth to Winsor McCay (Eisner Award nominee of 2015 in the Best Scholarly/Academic Work category).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 12, 2016
I picked up this Belgian curiosity a few years ago because of its graphic invention. Combining elements of 50s advertising,
Disney's Hercules,
and even a little Mr. Lunch,
...Alexandre Clérisse's art is intriguing and fun. An ill-advised Wolverton Spacehawk-inspired page gives us an idea of just how much he depends on computer graphics and colors in the rest of the BD,
...but this is a rare aberration that editor Dargaud inexplicably let pass in an otherwise solid effort.
The story is a love letter to classic scifi told in 1964 Mexico with 1920s Shanghai, 1950s Brussels, Washington and New York flashbacks as well as distant galaxy flashforwards (whose black and white pages are the artistic high point of the BD):
This jumping among various times and places can make the story difficult to engage with at first, but patience is rewarded in the end. Thierry Smolderen has useful things to say about the psychological roots of modern consumerism, but mostly this is an adventure story with an egghead for a hero. Smolderen is interesting. In 2009 he wrote a book called The Birth of Bande Desinée where he traces BD's origins to Hogarth. He's currently a professor at the école des Beaux-Arts of Angouleme and has most recently worked on one of my faves, Diabolik, also with Clérisse.
Disney's Hercules,
and even a little Mr. Lunch,
...Alexandre Clérisse's art is intriguing and fun. An ill-advised Wolverton Spacehawk-inspired page gives us an idea of just how much he depends on computer graphics and colors in the rest of the BD,
...but this is a rare aberration that editor Dargaud inexplicably let pass in an otherwise solid effort.
The story is a love letter to classic scifi told in 1964 Mexico with 1920s Shanghai, 1950s Brussels, Washington and New York flashbacks as well as distant galaxy flashforwards (whose black and white pages are the artistic high point of the BD):
This jumping among various times and places can make the story difficult to engage with at first, but patience is rewarded in the end. Thierry Smolderen has useful things to say about the psychological roots of modern consumerism, but mostly this is an adventure story with an egghead for a hero. Smolderen is interesting. In 2009 he wrote a book called The Birth of Bande Desinée where he traces BD's origins to Hogarth. He's currently a professor at the école des Beaux-Arts of Angouleme and has most recently worked on one of my faves, Diabolik, also with Clérisse.
August 6, 2022
Inspired by a true psychiatric patient's story of a man who believed he was traveling through time and space and that some SF books that he read were really about himself. The true story was published by Robert Linder in 1955 as "The Jet-Propelled Couch", and was later turned into a TV play. Later, some people have come to believe that the patient was actually the author Cordwainer Smith (a.k.a. Paul Lineberger).
While reading this it became clear to me that the main character in this book was supposed to represent Cordwainer Smith and that led me to investigate, thus finding the Jet-Propelled Couch story, which I hadn't known before. This book treats it as if the story were literally true and that the protagonist really is in communication with, and even exchanging places with, people in the far, far future. And it mixes in some ideas from Cordwainer Smith's books.
Neat stuff! And the art is really cool. I don't feel the story fully works, but it is interesting.
While reading this it became clear to me that the main character in this book was supposed to represent Cordwainer Smith and that led me to investigate, thus finding the Jet-Propelled Couch story, which I hadn't known before. This book treats it as if the story were literally true and that the protagonist really is in communication with, and even exchanging places with, people in the far, far future. And it mixes in some ideas from Cordwainer Smith's books.
Neat stuff! And the art is really cool. I don't feel the story fully works, but it is interesting.
February 3, 2023
Well, sometimes you pick up a book with just one look at its cover. I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out a great graphic novel.
It's a sci-fi with enigmatic, parapsychological and philosophical elements. The story spans 1926 to 1964 to far future but timeline is not straight.
The art is retro-futuristic (generic), a combination of old-school design and unique digital illustration (I always love art styles of the 20th century, especially in furniture (oh my art deco), except for the ’80s. However, colour palette is what fascinated me most: choosing color schemes considering the type of place, time and ambiance.
I couldn’t help myself and made a collage (click for bigger size)
One scene reminded me of Shutter Island (2009), one other Piet Mondrian, one is almost like Sin City,,, (i can't fucking remember the movement of the painting on the right bottom corner pls enlighten me i'm dying here...)
The protagonist Paul is able to do telepathy with a dude who is years away, and they will save the galaxy.
I don’t wanna spoil the story but
So the story is familiar but its structure and art amazed me.
“I will never understand your interest in these fallen petty monarchs of yesteryear, when astral civilization was in its infancy.”
me either
xoxoxo
iko
July 21, 2022
Heavily dropped, eyes still hurt, from this failed experiment.
July 3, 2017
De Thierry Smolderen había leído antes la saga "Gipsy: The Fires of Siberia y de Alexandre Clérisse, Jazz Club, ninguna de las cuales me había parecido tan buena como esta historia que realizan en conjunto (tengo pendiente "L'Été Diabolik"). Con un estilo gráfico muy similar a la publicidad estadounidense de los años '50 y que queda perfecto a esta historia, nos cuentan en clave de ciencia ficción el contacto telepático que mantiene un habitante de la Tierra con un héroe intergaláctico exiliado de su planeta. Por rara que suene al principio y sumado a que la historia se cuenta de manera desordenada, para que el lector vaya completando las partes que faltan, resulta imposible dejar de leerla. Muy buena.
September 10, 2016
Volendone fare un riassunto, la trama di Souvenir dell'Impero dell'Atomo risulta molto semplice... interessante, ma pur sempre semplice. Il fascino di quest'opera sta in tutt'altro, e riassumerne la trama è quasi un delitto, perchè al lettore non viene presentata pagina dopo pagina, anzi, quasi gli esplode addosso! Al lettore spetta quindi il compito di ritrovarne i pezzi e ricomporla, flashback dopo flashback, tra passato, presente e futuro, riservando una particolare attenzione per i dettagli, quelle piccole scene pregne di poesia che sempre fanno riflettere. E non fermatevi alla bellezza della copertina, non è che il preludio ai disegni e ai colori che troverete all'interno!
"Tutto era successo in Cina, negli anni Venti, il giorno del compleanno dell'Imperatore...
Quel giorno, qualcosa aveva attraversato il cosmo e mescolato le carte del suo destino... Irrimediabilmente... tanto che era diventato impossibile capire in che ordine la sua storia avesse un senso o dovesse essere raccontata..."
"Tutto era successo in Cina, negli anni Venti, il giorno del compleanno dell'Imperatore...
Quel giorno, qualcosa aveva attraversato il cosmo e mescolato le carte del suo destino... Irrimediabilmente... tanto che era diventato impossibile capire in che ordine la sua storia avesse un senso o dovesse essere raccontata..."
January 6, 2020
Design: 25 out of 10
Story: 2 out of 10
Story: 2 out of 10
May 26, 2014
DAS IMPERIUM erzählt die Geschichte von Paul, einem amerikanischen Regierungsberater und SF-Autoren, der auf geheimnisvolle Weise mit Zarth Arn verbunden ist, dem Vertrauten des Imperators des Sternimperiums, 121.000 Jahre in der Zukunft.
Erzählt wird Pauls Leben im Stile eines Memory-Spiels. Die einzelnen Kapitel entsprechen den Kärtchen, und es braucht ein gutes Gedächtnis, um sie richtig zusammen zu führen, so dass die Geschichte aufgeht. Denn Smolderen springt nicht nur in Zeit und Raum hin und her, auch die Verschwörungen, in denen sich Paul bald als Spielball wieder findet, wollen durchschaut sein.
DAS IMPERIUM ist eine Hommage an die Pulps, Romane und Stories des Golden Age der SciFi. Anleihen macht Smolderen bei A.E. van Vogts gleichnamigen Roman,
vor allem aber bezieht er sich auf die Biographie von Cordwainer Smith.
(Smith / Linebarger mit seiner Tochter)
Die Zeichnungen, die Paul und seine Tochter darstellen, haben durchaus Ähnlichkeit mit Paul Linebarger, so Cordwainer Smiths richtiger Name.
Alexandre Clerisses Zeichenstil erinnert mich ein wenig an Illustrationen aus meinen Kinderbüchern der 50er Jahre, ist ungemein charmant und setzt Smolderens Text perfekt ins Bild. Der Aufbruch ins "Atomzeitalter" wird hier spür- und greifbar.
Das IMPERIUM ist nicht nur für Comic-Leser ein Leckerbissen, sondern auch für alle, die ein Faible für SciFi und die 50er Jahre haben.
Erzählt wird Pauls Leben im Stile eines Memory-Spiels. Die einzelnen Kapitel entsprechen den Kärtchen, und es braucht ein gutes Gedächtnis, um sie richtig zusammen zu führen, so dass die Geschichte aufgeht. Denn Smolderen springt nicht nur in Zeit und Raum hin und her, auch die Verschwörungen, in denen sich Paul bald als Spielball wieder findet, wollen durchschaut sein.
DAS IMPERIUM ist eine Hommage an die Pulps, Romane und Stories des Golden Age der SciFi. Anleihen macht Smolderen bei A.E. van Vogts gleichnamigen Roman,
vor allem aber bezieht er sich auf die Biographie von Cordwainer Smith.
(Smith / Linebarger mit seiner Tochter)
Die Zeichnungen, die Paul und seine Tochter darstellen, haben durchaus Ähnlichkeit mit Paul Linebarger, so Cordwainer Smiths richtiger Name.
Alexandre Clerisses Zeichenstil erinnert mich ein wenig an Illustrationen aus meinen Kinderbüchern der 50er Jahre, ist ungemein charmant und setzt Smolderens Text perfekt ins Bild. Der Aufbruch ins "Atomzeitalter" wird hier spür- und greifbar.
Das IMPERIUM ist nicht nur für Comic-Leser ein Leckerbissen, sondern auch für alle, die ein Faible für SciFi und die 50er Jahre haben.
July 4, 2019
I absolutely loved the art and how strongly it reflected the futuristic-modern aesthetic of the time. The mediocre rating reflects how my expectations of the story were improperly set in the first few pages, when it seemed like there would be more philosophical explorations intermingled with the story. It sort of left its potential behind for a fairly interesting story of intergalactic telepathic communication and the government's attempts to interfere with anything that seems out of the ordinary. When it tried to bring it back to some sort of moral conclusion, it felt a bit rushed and out of place.
Overall, an average story with an exceptional art style; definitely worth picking up if only for the latter reason.
Overall, an average story with an exceptional art style; definitely worth picking up if only for the latter reason.
December 30, 2014
Che poi il bello della fantascienza è che la interpreti come più ti piace.
http://justanotherpoint.wordpress.com...
http://justanotherpoint.wordpress.com...
May 7, 2023
Meh. Si graphiquement parlant je suis toujours sous le charme du trait de Clérisse, je dois dire que je n'ai pas accroché outre-mesure à l'intrigue dont les strates temporelles se succèdent (un procédé qui semble être récurrent chez Clérisse et Smolderen !) et dont, en refermant le livre, on ne sait pas très bien quoi faire.
Je ne suis pas hyper sensible à tout l'univers SF des années 60' aussi, il faut bien le dire, ce qui explique probablement que je n'aie pas été tout à fait séduite par l'ensemble. Ceci étant dit, la nostalgie des 50's et 60's côté design architectural et autres est bien restitué, c'est assez plaisant à regarder.
C'était pas mal, mais sans plus. (also : où sont les femmes ? ailleurs que sous les traits de faire-valoirs, femmes au foyer ou prédatrices sexuelles ? c'est la deuxième collaboration du duo Smolderen/Clérisse que je lis - L'été Diabolik il y a peu - et c'est la deuxième fois que je me pose la question...)
Je ne suis pas hyper sensible à tout l'univers SF des années 60' aussi, il faut bien le dire, ce qui explique probablement que je n'aie pas été tout à fait séduite par l'ensemble. Ceci étant dit, la nostalgie des 50's et 60's côté design architectural et autres est bien restitué, c'est assez plaisant à regarder.
C'était pas mal, mais sans plus. (also : où sont les femmes ? ailleurs que sous les traits de faire-valoirs, femmes au foyer ou prédatrices sexuelles ? c'est la deuxième collaboration du duo Smolderen/Clérisse que je lis - L'été Diabolik il y a peu - et c'est la deuxième fois que je me pose la question...)
October 17, 2019
3,5/5
Avevo addocchiato questa graphic novel tempo fa, conquistata dal titolo a mio avviso pazzesco. Ora che, finalmente, sono riuscita a prenderlo in prestito in biblioteca, sono rimasta piacevolmente colpita anche dalla bellissima copertina e dallo stile del disegno, davvero particolare e azzeccato per la storia.
Quest'ultima, tuttavia, non riesce ad esprimere appieno tutte le potenzialità dell'idea, di per sé interessantissima (un connubio tra passato e futuro, mistero e avventura, immaginazione e narrazione, scienza e fantascienza). In alcuni momenti, infatti, l'intreccio è un po' confusionario e, soprattutto nell'ultima parte del libro, la storia rimane troppo vaga e lascia un senso di incompiuto e non-spiegato che risulta spiazzante, e non in positivo.
Nonostante tutto da leggere, perché le scelte artistiche e narrative sono ambiziose e il prodotto finale è comunque affascinante e coinvolgente.
Avevo addocchiato questa graphic novel tempo fa, conquistata dal titolo a mio avviso pazzesco. Ora che, finalmente, sono riuscita a prenderlo in prestito in biblioteca, sono rimasta piacevolmente colpita anche dalla bellissima copertina e dallo stile del disegno, davvero particolare e azzeccato per la storia.
Quest'ultima, tuttavia, non riesce ad esprimere appieno tutte le potenzialità dell'idea, di per sé interessantissima (un connubio tra passato e futuro, mistero e avventura, immaginazione e narrazione, scienza e fantascienza). In alcuni momenti, infatti, l'intreccio è un po' confusionario e, soprattutto nell'ultima parte del libro, la storia rimane troppo vaga e lascia un senso di incompiuto e non-spiegato che risulta spiazzante, e non in positivo.
Nonostante tutto da leggere, perché le scelte artistiche e narrative sono ambiziose e il prodotto finale è comunque affascinante e coinvolgente.
June 3, 2025
Interesting graphic novel with a VERY 50s/60s-influenced illustration style that I liked a lot. It tells the tale of a science fiction author who is convinced he's communicating with beings in the far future. A nice bending of reality. I think a little of it might have been lost in translation from the original French, especially the final conclusion, but I still had a great time reading it.
March 22, 2024
Visiškai ne tokia knyga, kokia gali pasirodyti. Kaip ir pirkau sau ir vaikui, bet skaitydamas supratau, kad tai absoliučiai ne vaikams. Ir dėl sudėtingų temų, ir dėl nuogybių, ir teksto. Meninis apipavidalinimas paliko didžiausią įspūdį! Rekomenduoju kam patinka fantastika, komiksai, bei menas.
May 25, 2021
la fantascienza classica, quella bella.
April 21, 2024
Brilliant. Creative, and I loved the art style.
January 1, 2025
Génial!
November 27, 2019
I loved the art style the atomic age.
My biggest hurdle with this book was the hopping between timelines. I had to flip back and forth to compare the dates to understand the order of things. It needs to be smoother somehow. The dates aren’t just relative to the opening anchor date but to each other. Actually ended up rereading portions to understand the timelines.
There was some confusion as to how they got to the island.
Overall a good story encompassing science fiction and mid century modern atomic age themes. I liked the main character and his development.
My biggest hurdle with this book was the hopping between timelines. I had to flip back and forth to compare the dates to understand the order of things. It needs to be smoother somehow. The dates aren’t just relative to the opening anchor date but to each other. Actually ended up rereading portions to understand the timelines.
There was some confusion as to how they got to the island.
Overall a good story encompassing science fiction and mid century modern atomic age themes. I liked the main character and his development.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2014
Un peu déçu par l'histoire , car le visuel m'a beaucoup plus dès le début . Un récit plus claire et moins éparpillé aurait grandement amélioré la narration.
April 28, 2019
Simply marvelous! I've never seen or read anything quite like it. What a gem!
November 10, 2019
Este livro é, acima de tudo, uma homenagem muito bem feita à era dourada da Ficção Científica. Sem nostalgias ou lamentos de porque é que hoje não é assim, apenas com uma história mirabolante apoiada numa estética espantosa. E sim, a homenagem é à FC Campbelliana, da space opera clássica.
Os delírios de um cientista que, desde criança, acredita estar em contacto com um homem do futuro longínquo, talvez sejam mais que delírios. Quando é descoberto, é forçado a frequentar um psiquiatra que se aproveita das suas sessões para ganhar notoriedade. Mas a atenção que o cientista acaba por atrair talvez não seja a melhor. Cai nas boas graças de um industrial obcecado com o futuro, que organiza think tanks pouco convencionais onde os participantes são hipnotizados. Explora a ligação do cientista ao futuro, como forma de vislumbrar novas tecnologias e armamento, e fica tão longe fascinado com as visões que as tenta recriar em elaborados falsos cenários, em que os participantes se julgam transportados para bases orbitais ou planetas alienígenas. Entretanto, no futuro, o homem que foi o grande pacificador de um império em guerra descobre a verdade sobre o pior inimigo da ordem social.
Se a história pega em elementos da FC clássica com algum sentido crítico - as ligações entre a ideia de progresso dos anos 50 e a indústria militarizada da guerra fria, é no visual que este livro se revela imperdível. O trabalho de ilustração é espantoso. A estética vai buscar as iconografias futuristas dos anos 40 e 50. As inspirações estão entre a estética do fabuloso (e infelizmente pouco conhecido) filme Things to Come, onde Alexander Korda deu vida com um visual potente ao futurismo de H. G. Wells, a iconografia atom age, o design industrial futurista dos anos 50, ou as curvas da arquitectura googie. A ilustração deste livro é uma verdadeira tese que explora a iconografia futurista dos anos 40 e 50, aquele visual Gernsback continuum que William Gibson invocou no conto com o mesmo nome
Os delírios de um cientista que, desde criança, acredita estar em contacto com um homem do futuro longínquo, talvez sejam mais que delírios. Quando é descoberto, é forçado a frequentar um psiquiatra que se aproveita das suas sessões para ganhar notoriedade. Mas a atenção que o cientista acaba por atrair talvez não seja a melhor. Cai nas boas graças de um industrial obcecado com o futuro, que organiza think tanks pouco convencionais onde os participantes são hipnotizados. Explora a ligação do cientista ao futuro, como forma de vislumbrar novas tecnologias e armamento, e fica tão longe fascinado com as visões que as tenta recriar em elaborados falsos cenários, em que os participantes se julgam transportados para bases orbitais ou planetas alienígenas. Entretanto, no futuro, o homem que foi o grande pacificador de um império em guerra descobre a verdade sobre o pior inimigo da ordem social.
Se a história pega em elementos da FC clássica com algum sentido crítico - as ligações entre a ideia de progresso dos anos 50 e a indústria militarizada da guerra fria, é no visual que este livro se revela imperdível. O trabalho de ilustração é espantoso. A estética vai buscar as iconografias futuristas dos anos 40 e 50. As inspirações estão entre a estética do fabuloso (e infelizmente pouco conhecido) filme Things to Come, onde Alexander Korda deu vida com um visual potente ao futurismo de H. G. Wells, a iconografia atom age, o design industrial futurista dos anos 50, ou as curvas da arquitectura googie. A ilustração deste livro é uma verdadeira tese que explora a iconografia futurista dos anos 40 e 50, aquele visual Gernsback continuum que William Gibson invocou no conto com o mesmo nome
April 26, 2020
The colours jump out at you right away and the artwork is fun and simple and draws you in. The change in artistic style as the timelines shift, and use of different colour palettes, are really nice touches and help the reader navigate the constantly changing timelines. Still, I had a difficult time shifting focus with the different dates and timelines, and would have benefited re-reading some sections, I think. For me, there’s so much going on both obviously and with subtlety but barely enough explanation or dialogue. As a result of this fractured feeling, it wasn’t a satisfying read until the last quarter when finally I could piece things together a bit more. So I can recognize that there are different sections and movements throughout the story, but it's a bit like it was written in a completely different language before translating to English. I wanted it to be clearer but I imagine that was the author's intentions, in a way. Really interesting overall.
Favourite Quotes:
"As he watched the colourful squares whirl away between his daughter's fingers, Paul thought how few and fleeting were the moments that lent life all its savour."
"I can still hear them. Screams like that make the very stars shiver till the end of time."
"As you’ll see, you’re not the only one here blessed with a privileged view of the future."
"They call you ‘Master’?" "We’re busy making the man of tomorrow, Paul. Discipline is an integral part of the theory behind our project. Discipline and imagination. Multiply one by the other and you’ll alter the Earth's very orbit."
"A group of sleepwalkers, eyes vacant but faces beaming... swept up in a film that skipped around willy-nilly from shot to shot... whose only goal was to bewilder these brilliant intellects... the better to ensure their complete submission to the Master's will."
Favourite Quotes:
"As he watched the colourful squares whirl away between his daughter's fingers, Paul thought how few and fleeting were the moments that lent life all its savour."
"I can still hear them. Screams like that make the very stars shiver till the end of time."
"As you’ll see, you’re not the only one here blessed with a privileged view of the future."
"They call you ‘Master’?" "We’re busy making the man of tomorrow, Paul. Discipline is an integral part of the theory behind our project. Discipline and imagination. Multiply one by the other and you’ll alter the Earth's very orbit."
"A group of sleepwalkers, eyes vacant but faces beaming... swept up in a film that skipped around willy-nilly from shot to shot... whose only goal was to bewilder these brilliant intellects... the better to ensure their complete submission to the Master's will."
July 2, 2024
Die Geschichte ist ein Liebesbrief an die klassische Science-Fiction, erzählt im Mexiko des Jahres 1964, mit Rückblenden ins Shanghai der 1920er Jahre, ins Brüssel der 1950er Jahre, nach Washington und New York sowie in die ferne Galaxie, was die Faszination dieses Werkes ausmacht, denn die Handlung entfaltet sich erst Stück für Stück und es liegt am Leser, dieses Puzzle zusammenzusetzen.
Diese Sprünge zwischen verschiedenen Zeiten und Orten macht es anfangs schwierig, sich auf die Geschichte einzulassen, aber die Geduld wird am Ende belohnt. Thierry Smolderen hat viel Nützliches über die psychologischen Wurzeln des modernen Konsumverhaltens zu erzählen, aber im Wesentlichen ist dies eine Abenteuergeschichte mit einem Eierkopf als Hauptprotagonisten.
Inspiriert von der Geschichte eines echten Psychiatriepatienten, der glaubte, durch Zeit und Raum zu reisen.
Das Titelbild ist nur ein Vorspiel zu den Zeichnungen und Farben, die man im Inneren findet, sie springen einem sofort ins Auge, und die Illustrationen sind witzig und ziehen einen unweigerlich in ihren Bann.
Diese Sprünge zwischen verschiedenen Zeiten und Orten macht es anfangs schwierig, sich auf die Geschichte einzulassen, aber die Geduld wird am Ende belohnt. Thierry Smolderen hat viel Nützliches über die psychologischen Wurzeln des modernen Konsumverhaltens zu erzählen, aber im Wesentlichen ist dies eine Abenteuergeschichte mit einem Eierkopf als Hauptprotagonisten.
Inspiriert von der Geschichte eines echten Psychiatriepatienten, der glaubte, durch Zeit und Raum zu reisen.
Das Titelbild ist nur ein Vorspiel zu den Zeichnungen und Farben, die man im Inneren findet, sie springen einem sofort ins Auge, und die Illustrationen sind witzig und ziehen einen unweigerlich in ihren Bann.
March 21, 2022
Une bande dessinée de science-fiction atypique et fascinante.
Par le graphisme premièrement, en ligne directe des années 50 techno, tout en aplats, lignes et courbes, c’est magnifique et absolument réussi.
Ensuite l’histoire qui nous perd un peu, un peu trop complexe avec un schéma narratif alambiqué. C’est un peu mon gros zut ! Mais finalement, ce n’est pas si grave !
Et enfin, toutes les références SF, BD belge et comics, scientifiques et para scientifiques donnent à cet ovni sa touche « clin d’oeil averti » qui m’a beaucoup amusé.
https://www.noid.ch/souvenirs-de-lemp...
Par le graphisme premièrement, en ligne directe des années 50 techno, tout en aplats, lignes et courbes, c’est magnifique et absolument réussi.
Ensuite l’histoire qui nous perd un peu, un peu trop complexe avec un schéma narratif alambiqué. C’est un peu mon gros zut ! Mais finalement, ce n’est pas si grave !
Et enfin, toutes les références SF, BD belge et comics, scientifiques et para scientifiques donnent à cet ovni sa touche « clin d’oeil averti » qui m’a beaucoup amusé.
https://www.noid.ch/souvenirs-de-lemp...
February 14, 2021
Visually, this story is a lavish homage to the advertising styles of the late 1950s and 1960s, and narratively, it tries to capture that sense of retro-futurism, but it never quite holds together. Too-frequent flashbacks, flash-forwards and side-steps make an already shaky story difficult to follow. This will surely please those who can tune in to its very particular frequency. Everyone else, not so much.
February 9, 2023
Vidury knygos paserviruojama pedofilinė fantazija, o pabaigoje patiekiamas bybių desertas.
Pasakojimas šokinėjantis, vertimas prastas (lyg gūglio transleitu verstas, o gal vertėjai pateikė tik tekstą, o ne iliustracijas?), visos moterys atrodo visiškai vienodai, o pabaigoje paaiškėja, kad viskas tebuvo pgr veikėjo fantazijos vaisius?
Tai va.
Pasakojimas šokinėjantis, vertimas prastas (lyg gūglio transleitu verstas, o gal vertėjai pateikė tik tekstą, o ne iliustracijas?), visos moterys atrodo visiškai vienodai, o pabaigoje paaiškėja, kad viskas tebuvo pgr veikėjo fantazijos vaisius?
Tai va.
August 13, 2017
Argumento absurdo, guión enrevesado, y un dibujo que pretende imitar la estetica de los últimos 50's atómicos, el surrealismo, y otros elemento reconocibles, pero que hace aguas por todas partes.
Una pérdida de tiempo y dinero.
Una pérdida de tiempo y dinero.
December 31, 2020
Like any non-chronological story it took more thought to piece together and at times I wasn't sure what was real. Overall it had Slaughterhouse-Five vibes to it and I loved the mid-century-modern/atomic art style.
January 8, 2022
Great art! I have never read a graphic novel with art like this. The colors were also great. The story was good, but just didn't resonate with me. I kinda feel like knowing it's based in a true story took me out of it, because I kept wondering what parts the original patient believed to be true.
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