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Le combat ordinaire #1-2
Ordinary Victories
This is the story of Marc, a photographer who’s tired, of a very patient chick he meets, of banal horrors and of his pain-in-the-neck cat. It’s the story of his art thrown against heavy anxiety attacks; of a really cute woman in his small town who seems to take to him against all odds; of the old neighbor, a peaceful likable fellah until you get to know his disturbing role in the war...
128 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
9 people are currently reading
1184 people want to read
About the author
Manu Larcenet
129 books436 followersManu Larcenet (full name: Emmanuel Larcenet) is a French comics writer and artist. He has been working with Fluide Glacial magazine since 1994 and with Spirou magazine since 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
May 14, 2018
Marco is a photographer of dramatic world events, including the horrors of war, but one day he just stops doing it. He’s in therapy, but it’s not really working. He’s taking medication for anxiety/panic attacks (which is never specifically related to his war photography work). He visits his brother, with whom he gets high and jokes around a lot. He visits his parents, with whom he’s not close. His father seems like he is in decline. Along the way he meets an older man who he befriends, but then later cuts himself off from the man because he was involved in war crimes. He meets a woman who wants to marry him, have babies and buy a house, and Marco is just not ready for any of this, though his brother and his wife have just had a baby. Marco could be close to any of these people, but he keeps them all at a distance.
Marco has anger issues. He seems to make pretty clear distinctions between right and wrong. It’s that Dylan line: “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” He can’t seem to live with contradictions or tolerate others who are living them. He and his brother seem funny together, sometimes, but they also seem like immature, selfish jerks. Which is the central point, I guess; he needs to grow up, and by the end, we see him begin to make better choices. And can he actually become friends with the old man he has met and had so summarily criticized as a monster?
At one point Marco photographs men at the shipyard where his father once worked. This seems to be his way back, professionally, though others in the art world he admires don’t seem to understand or appreciate the work. Several pages feature some of these (drawn) photographs, with reflections on the art and its relationship to life and ethics.
I liked it a lot, because it is layered, and complex, but get this, with cartoony/manga-influenced representations of characters. Published in 2004, Ordinary Victories was awarded the top prize at Angouleme. It’s published in a series, ComicsLit which specifically works toward “exploring our lives, our feelings, our experiences,” which works here.
Marco has anger issues. He seems to make pretty clear distinctions between right and wrong. It’s that Dylan line: “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” He can’t seem to live with contradictions or tolerate others who are living them. He and his brother seem funny together, sometimes, but they also seem like immature, selfish jerks. Which is the central point, I guess; he needs to grow up, and by the end, we see him begin to make better choices. And can he actually become friends with the old man he has met and had so summarily criticized as a monster?
At one point Marco photographs men at the shipyard where his father once worked. This seems to be his way back, professionally, though others in the art world he admires don’t seem to understand or appreciate the work. Several pages feature some of these (drawn) photographs, with reflections on the art and its relationship to life and ethics.
I liked it a lot, because it is layered, and complex, but get this, with cartoony/manga-influenced representations of characters. Published in 2004, Ordinary Victories was awarded the top prize at Angouleme. It’s published in a series, ComicsLit which specifically works toward “exploring our lives, our feelings, our experiences,” which works here.
June 3, 2025
Is it really a french graphic novel if it does not include several panels of a character singing some french song? Or women magically losing their clothes for several panels? Probably not. I do not know why though, but it is so so common and often just does not make sense.
But apart from that this made sense - the feelings of a confused, anxiety riddled photographer. Not the most mature or logical of main characters but relatable throughout. Narrative is not closed here (and I suspect it will not be in the second volume either, since it is not that kind of book). In 2025 its political sub-theme is as relevant, or more, than in 2004.
The art is beautiful. I would not have thought the style to work for this story but it does, perfectly. Coloring work is wonderful.
Very good.
Li a edição portuguesa, e a tradução e edição pareceram-me excelentes.
But apart from that this made sense - the feelings of a confused, anxiety riddled photographer. Not the most mature or logical of main characters but relatable throughout. Narrative is not closed here (and I suspect it will not be in the second volume either, since it is not that kind of book). In 2025 its political sub-theme is as relevant, or more, than in 2004.
The art is beautiful. I would not have thought the style to work for this story but it does, perfectly. Coloring work is wonderful.
Very good.
Li a edição portuguesa, e a tradução e edição pareceram-me excelentes.
November 21, 2015
Marco does his best to escape the working-class world of his family by becoming a photographer/war journalist (it's not entirely clear to me). But, during the course of the story, he stops traveling, stops taking pictures of the horrors of war, and starts doing some soul searching. It is as if he got on a ship just to go somewhere else and by the time he stops running and looks around to see where he is, he realizes he's in uncharted territories (and doesn't speak any of the local languages.) He tries to find his way home in part by photographing the men at the ship yard his father worked at during his younger years.
The novel opens in Marco's therapist's office with Marco, I'm guessing in his late twenties or early thirties, lying on the couch looking at the far wall and his therapist, in his seventies maybe, bald (and wearing sun glasses?), sitting at the head of the couch looking toward the cater-cornered wall, so that neither sees the other. Marco tells the wall, he is breaking up with his therapist, and his therapist seems to hear Marco say that he is ending that particular session. They both get up and the his therapist tries to schedule the next appointment. Marco repeats his intention to end therapy and then asks his (dubious?) therapist how he would comment on Marco's "current state." "The role of the therapist isn't to limit an individual to his pathological state..." the therapist says. "However...I guess that we could say that you're developing some profoundly obsessive behaviors, accompanied by neuroses, obsessive as well."
With that Marco leaves and embarks on his new life of panic attacks, family visits, big fat joints, and taking walks on someone else's property (and that someone else is not happy about it and threatens Marco and his cat.) During Marco's habitual adventures he meets and begins to become friends with a man who seems quite nice and philosophical, but who Marco soon discovers was guilty of heinous war crimes in his younger years.
What I love about this book is the close attention paid to Marco's struggle to piece together a life that makes sense to him. He can't seem to understand who people really are if they change over time, and he has a very hard time forgiving people who have behaved unethically. He can't make sense of the complexity and contradictions of the choices people make. He wants people to be consistent and considerate, to do the right things and to fight for the "right" causes. But as the novel goes on, he has to face his own destructive behaviors, and he starts to see that the "right causes" are possibly as morally bankrupt as the "wrong" ones. No matter who is in charge, people are suffering under the weight of the industrialized economic systems that have come to haunt us.
I don't think I am conveying the humor and sensitivity with which this book explores relationships with family, memory and history. It really is a beautiful book, and has a lightness to it though it explores heavy themes.
One of my favorite parts of the book is one in which through some kind of graphic documentary style, the author looks at the relationship between the artist and his/her art. How is it possible an artist can be malevolent and yet make beautiful works? How can there be this distance between the soul of an artist and the soul of his/her works? This question is the one that is explored from a few angles in the book. What does it mean to be a good person? What does it mean to be evil? What makes someone a talented or good artist? Are there any fixed points in the ethical and aesthetic universe or is everything moving relative to everything else?
One thing that bothered me about the book is that the main character and his brother are kind of selfish, childish jerks with wives who are often in the position of acting more like mothers or big sisters than wives. As far as I could tell, this behavior was supposed to be part of their charm. I appreciate that this is a book exploring masculinity and masculine relationships with self and other and work and past. But, I don't know, I was a bit put off by the immaturity of some of the men in this book.
The novel opens in Marco's therapist's office with Marco, I'm guessing in his late twenties or early thirties, lying on the couch looking at the far wall and his therapist, in his seventies maybe, bald (and wearing sun glasses?), sitting at the head of the couch looking toward the cater-cornered wall, so that neither sees the other. Marco tells the wall, he is breaking up with his therapist, and his therapist seems to hear Marco say that he is ending that particular session. They both get up and the his therapist tries to schedule the next appointment. Marco repeats his intention to end therapy and then asks his (dubious?) therapist how he would comment on Marco's "current state." "The role of the therapist isn't to limit an individual to his pathological state..." the therapist says. "However...I guess that we could say that you're developing some profoundly obsessive behaviors, accompanied by neuroses, obsessive as well."
With that Marco leaves and embarks on his new life of panic attacks, family visits, big fat joints, and taking walks on someone else's property (and that someone else is not happy about it and threatens Marco and his cat.) During Marco's habitual adventures he meets and begins to become friends with a man who seems quite nice and philosophical, but who Marco soon discovers was guilty of heinous war crimes in his younger years.
What I love about this book is the close attention paid to Marco's struggle to piece together a life that makes sense to him. He can't seem to understand who people really are if they change over time, and he has a very hard time forgiving people who have behaved unethically. He can't make sense of the complexity and contradictions of the choices people make. He wants people to be consistent and considerate, to do the right things and to fight for the "right" causes. But as the novel goes on, he has to face his own destructive behaviors, and he starts to see that the "right causes" are possibly as morally bankrupt as the "wrong" ones. No matter who is in charge, people are suffering under the weight of the industrialized economic systems that have come to haunt us.
I don't think I am conveying the humor and sensitivity with which this book explores relationships with family, memory and history. It really is a beautiful book, and has a lightness to it though it explores heavy themes.
One of my favorite parts of the book is one in which through some kind of graphic documentary style, the author looks at the relationship between the artist and his/her art. How is it possible an artist can be malevolent and yet make beautiful works? How can there be this distance between the soul of an artist and the soul of his/her works? This question is the one that is explored from a few angles in the book. What does it mean to be a good person? What does it mean to be evil? What makes someone a talented or good artist? Are there any fixed points in the ethical and aesthetic universe or is everything moving relative to everything else?
One thing that bothered me about the book is that the main character and his brother are kind of selfish, childish jerks with wives who are often in the position of acting more like mothers or big sisters than wives. As far as I could tell, this behavior was supposed to be part of their charm. I appreciate that this is a book exploring masculinity and masculine relationships with self and other and work and past. But, I don't know, I was a bit put off by the immaturity of some of the men in this book.
September 29, 2022
9 de 10*
Opinião:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...
Opinião:
https://abibliotecadajoao.blogspot.co...
March 7, 2009
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I've been reading a lot of beautiful comics lately.
Hell, I've been reading a lot of beautiful books, in general, lately.
And Manu Larcenet's Ordinary Victories is a beautiful book. It's a largely rambling slice of life, which follows Marco, a photo journalist "taking pictures of corpses or people in the process of becoming ones" who is tired of his old life. Marco is a neurotic dweeb who has just quit his old profession, just stopped therapy, and just moved to the French countryside.
From there, things simply flow. He has a cat. He meets a girl. Things happen. Mainly sad things, but happy things as well. Life changes, and his face is shoved into some unpleasant truths: the mortality of loved ones, the fear and fact of change (and its political ramifications), the disconnect between beautiful art and asshole artists, and how the hidden lives of strangers effect our own.
Larcenet's art is fantastic. His characters are all cartoony, yet his backgrounds are detailed and realistic. It's a lot like Cerebus (or really, Tintin). It's a great effect, that allows us to project ourselves into the simplistic cartoon style, yet become immersed in a detailed and living world. Occasionally, he changes his style and focuses on a fully rendered drawing that usually seems to be an accurate portrayal of one of Marco's photographs. It's a jarring juxtaposition, but it works well (and reminds me of some of the techniques Seiichi Hayashi used in Red Colored Elegy.
Anyway, the delicate drawings give a type of a fragility to the characters and the situations. So while the big-head cartoon style of the characters allows us to identify and project, the sketchy line and detailed backgrounds show a world always at the verge of breaking up and fragmenting into non-being. And the writing is dead-on; it's so pitch perfect and mundane that it seems like an auto-biography. The story doesn't seem constructed but seems lived.
[image error]
[image error]
[image error]
I've been reading a lot of beautiful comics lately.
Hell, I've been reading a lot of beautiful books, in general, lately.
And Manu Larcenet's Ordinary Victories is a beautiful book. It's a largely rambling slice of life, which follows Marco, a photo journalist "taking pictures of corpses or people in the process of becoming ones" who is tired of his old life. Marco is a neurotic dweeb who has just quit his old profession, just stopped therapy, and just moved to the French countryside.
From there, things simply flow. He has a cat. He meets a girl. Things happen. Mainly sad things, but happy things as well. Life changes, and his face is shoved into some unpleasant truths: the mortality of loved ones, the fear and fact of change (and its political ramifications), the disconnect between beautiful art and asshole artists, and how the hidden lives of strangers effect our own.
Larcenet's art is fantastic. His characters are all cartoony, yet his backgrounds are detailed and realistic. It's a lot like Cerebus (or really, Tintin). It's a great effect, that allows us to project ourselves into the simplistic cartoon style, yet become immersed in a detailed and living world. Occasionally, he changes his style and focuses on a fully rendered drawing that usually seems to be an accurate portrayal of one of Marco's photographs. It's a jarring juxtaposition, but it works well (and reminds me of some of the techniques Seiichi Hayashi used in Red Colored Elegy.
Anyway, the delicate drawings give a type of a fragility to the characters and the situations. So while the big-head cartoon style of the characters allows us to identify and project, the sketchy line and detailed backgrounds show a world always at the verge of breaking up and fragmenting into non-being. And the writing is dead-on; it's so pitch perfect and mundane that it seems like an auto-biography. The story doesn't seem constructed but seems lived.
[image error]
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[image error]
December 28, 2023
4,5*
A leitura que eu estava a precisar. Perfeito para quem quer ler sobre o quotidiano, que tanto está de repleto de dor e sofrimento, como tem momentos em que rimos com as pessoas de quem gostamos. Ler sobre a vida normal de uma pessoa normal com problemas normais é um conforto.
A leitura que eu estava a precisar. Perfeito para quem quer ler sobre o quotidiano, que tanto está de repleto de dor e sofrimento, como tem momentos em que rimos com as pessoas de quem gostamos. Ler sobre a vida normal de uma pessoa normal com problemas normais é um conforto.
August 27, 2017
Un classique instantané. Art exquis.
La perfection.
La perfection.
January 13, 2021
Theme song of the book can be “Coldplay - Fix You”.
Marco is broken inside. He is questioning life and having an existential crisis after being a war photographer . In the meantime, he is involved in a romantic relationship with a decent woman who wants a decent relationship.
Marco is emotionally unavailable and hides behind his traumas. He runs away from his girlfriend whenever he needs to take some responsibility.
To be honest, I had a hard time liking Marco. I appreciated the book that it includes so many layers and poses many important questions compared to most of the graphic novels I have read. But again... not being able to like the protagonist affected my reading experience and I couldn’t finish the book. Maybe another day...
Marco is broken inside. He is questioning life and having an existential crisis after being a war photographer . In the meantime, he is involved in a romantic relationship with a decent woman who wants a decent relationship.
Marco is emotionally unavailable and hides behind his traumas. He runs away from his girlfriend whenever he needs to take some responsibility.
To be honest, I had a hard time liking Marco. I appreciated the book that it includes so many layers and poses many important questions compared to most of the graphic novels I have read. But again... not being able to like the protagonist affected my reading experience and I couldn’t finish the book. Maybe another day...
December 29, 2017
*2.5 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t really dislike this. But I didn’t really like it either.
It seemed to me like it had no beginning nor ending and I couldn’t relate to the main character. I found him annoying. I felt like there was no conflict in this, it just felt flat to me.
Basically, it wasn’t for me.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t really dislike this. But I didn’t really like it either.
It seemed to me like it had no beginning nor ending and I couldn’t relate to the main character. I found him annoying. I felt like there was no conflict in this, it just felt flat to me.
Basically, it wasn’t for me.
August 28, 2025
De forma aparentemente leve, abordam-se temas profundos. A construção das personagens é feita de forma indirecta.
Vamo-nos apercebendo dos seus valores através das suas atitudes, o que confere realismo à narrativa. Gostei e quero ler o volume seguinte.
Lido pela primeira vez em Fevereiro de 2022 e relido em Agosto de 2025.
Vamo-nos apercebendo dos seus valores através das suas atitudes, o que confere realismo à narrativa. Gostei e quero ler o volume seguinte.
Lido pela primeira vez em Fevereiro de 2022 e relido em Agosto de 2025.
April 25, 2017
Modern hayat buhranları, içten diyaloglar, minimalist çizimler.
August 15, 2021
3 bölümden oluşan serinin son bölümü benim için unutulmaz olacak (aslında hep böyle diyoruz ama unutuyoruz, hafızamız şakacı bir müzikten başka bir şey değil, yalnızca travmatik anlar unutulmuyor onları da saklayan hafıza değil bilinçaltı zaten).
Uzun zaman oldu Larcenetin grafik romanlarını olmayalı. Talihsiz olan şey ise peş peşe muhteşem grafik romanlar okuduktan sonra bu romanı okumuş olmam ama yine de keyifliydi bilhassa da son bölüm itibariyle). Sırada Blast serisi olabilirdi ama açıkçası hiç istekli değilim o seriye başlamak için.
Uzun zaman oldu Larcenetin grafik romanlarını olmayalı. Talihsiz olan şey ise peş peşe muhteşem grafik romanlar okuduktan sonra bu romanı okumuş olmam ama yine de keyifliydi bilhassa da son bölüm itibariyle). Sırada Blast serisi olabilirdi ama açıkçası hiç istekli değilim o seriye başlamak için.
February 15, 2018
Ordinary Victories is great, not simply because Manu Larcenet juggles the themes of burning out after attaining one's modest career goals, struggling to produce good art, and navigating relationships with aging parents. Almost as an aside, the book also contains the most plausible explanation I've read for the rising appeal of racist, populist politicians among blue collar workers.
In the book, the photographer-protagonist, Marc, visits the small town dock where his dad used to work as a stevedore. As a successful liberal artist from the big city, Marc ends up arguing politics with one of his dad's old co-workers, a large dockworker. The dockworker supports a xenophobic, right-wing, populist party who promises that high-paying, blue collar jobs will return when immigrants are tossed out of France. Their conversation happens in front of their mutual friend, a kindly immigrant dockworker. Marc argues that their immigrant friend will be tossed out, those politicians are hateful hucksters, and those jobs aren't coming back because the labour is done cheaply elsewhere (and is likely also being automated). The larger dockworker stalks off in a huff, then returns sheepishly with a melancholy rejoinder (paraphasing): "I have been watching my way of life disappear for a few years now. It is difficult to keep my family and household together on my diminishing income. You are probably right about that party. But I would throw my support behind anyone who promised me that I can have what I already had. I have been waiting for someone, anyone to address me about my life and about jobs like mine instead of silence as my life gets worse. I can't help voting for them since at least they address my problem, even if I know they won't actually fix it."
All that to say, I found this book much more enlightening as to why blue collar folk consistently vote against their own interests (usually for xenophobic right-wing populists) than Hillbilly Elegy. Hillbilly Elegy promised that but did not deliver. People getting a raw deal in a society that no longer values their labour will vote for fantasy deals and empty promises, even if those deals appear to involve xenophobia, hucksters and lies as potential costs, as long as they are nominally treated like people whose issues matter and whose concerns will be addressed.
In the book, the photographer-protagonist, Marc, visits the small town dock where his dad used to work as a stevedore. As a successful liberal artist from the big city, Marc ends up arguing politics with one of his dad's old co-workers, a large dockworker. The dockworker supports a xenophobic, right-wing, populist party who promises that high-paying, blue collar jobs will return when immigrants are tossed out of France. Their conversation happens in front of their mutual friend, a kindly immigrant dockworker. Marc argues that their immigrant friend will be tossed out, those politicians are hateful hucksters, and those jobs aren't coming back because the labour is done cheaply elsewhere (and is likely also being automated). The larger dockworker stalks off in a huff, then returns sheepishly with a melancholy rejoinder (paraphasing): "I have been watching my way of life disappear for a few years now. It is difficult to keep my family and household together on my diminishing income. You are probably right about that party. But I would throw my support behind anyone who promised me that I can have what I already had. I have been waiting for someone, anyone to address me about my life and about jobs like mine instead of silence as my life gets worse. I can't help voting for them since at least they address my problem, even if I know they won't actually fix it."
All that to say, I found this book much more enlightening as to why blue collar folk consistently vote against their own interests (usually for xenophobic right-wing populists) than Hillbilly Elegy. Hillbilly Elegy promised that but did not deliver. People getting a raw deal in a society that no longer values their labour will vote for fantasy deals and empty promises, even if those deals appear to involve xenophobia, hucksters and lies as potential costs, as long as they are nominally treated like people whose issues matter and whose concerns will be addressed.
November 27, 2022
Crítica original aos dois volumes com imagens no Rascunhos
Galardoado com o prémio Angoulême de melhor álbum de banda desenhada, O Combate Quotidiano foi lançado em dois volumes no mercado português pela editora A Seita. Trata-se de um lançamento muito esperado (e comentado) que não decepcionou!
Este não é um livro fácil para se falar. Não porque a linha narrativa seja difícil de perceber (muito pelo contrário), nem porque os temas sejam estranhos – mas porque toca em realidades sensíveis, usando um fotógrafo como personagem principal para falar de fobias (e problemas psicológicos), memórias e relacionamentos familiares.
Marco, o fotógrafo, é um jovem adulto complicado – sofre ataques de pânico e de ansiedade, tem dificuldades em assumir responsabilidades e é seguido por um psicólogo sem que este seguimento pareça surgir efeito. A origem destes problemas psicológicos não é clara – ainda que possa ter relacção com o seu papel como fotógrafo de guerra, existem detalhes nos relacionamentos que podem ser anteriores a essa experiência. Logo no início percebemos que o relacionamento com os pais é distante, e que terá sido este afastamento emocional que terá determinado o afastamento físico.
Os seus relacionamentos são raros. Por um lado vai-se comunicando com o irmão (também com problemas de maturidade), por outro, aproxima-se de um velhote curioso e distante. Mas a grande novidade é o interesse de uma rapariga. Marco não está, decididamente, pronto para assumir um relacionamento e prosseguir através do caminho expectável de um relacionamento amoroso – e qualquer referência a essa evolução vai facilitar o regresso da ansiedade. O fotógrafo tem, também, um grande problema em se relacionar com os que o rodeiam.
Esta componente da história, a de se referir a problemas psicológicos, é tratada de forma exemplar – sem romantizar a doença, mas também sem a problematizar em excesso, um verdadeiro combate quotidiano em que por vezes se melhora, por vezes se piora. E nem sempre se percebe os factores que levam às alterações.
Em relação aos relacionamentos, percebemos que existe um grande distanciamento com os progenitores, sobretudo com o pai. Esta figura distante e cada vez mais encolhida em si mesma, parece diminuir com o desaparecimento da sua antiga profissão – a mesma que teria justificado a existência de inúmeras famílias na localidade. Quando o estaleiro começa a fechar, Marco irá fotografá-lo como tentativa de se relacionar com o pai, mas também como forma de guardar a memória de uma família maior do que o núcleo familiar. Marca, assim, o fim de uma época.
Mas as fotografias são mais do que uma memória. Marco tem dificuldades em lidar com mudanças, sejam estas na sua vida ou na forma de estar dos que o rodeiam, e a forma como se dedica a fotografar o estaleiro quase parece uma tentativa de tentar manter algo que está a desaparecer, para a sua própria calma mental.
O Combate Quotidiano é, portanto uma leitura brutal. Diria mais, até – uma das melhores leituras publicadas em Portugal nos últimos tempos (largos meses). Apesar de se centrar sobretudo numa única personagem, consegue criar uma perspectiva única, mostrando como esta personagem, com os seus defeitos e virtudes, lida com a dificuldade em assumir as suas próprias particularidades. Demonstra, em suma, o longo caminho em tomar as decisões certas e em progedir naquilo que lhe é esperado.
Galardoado com o prémio Angoulême de melhor álbum de banda desenhada, O Combate Quotidiano foi lançado em dois volumes no mercado português pela editora A Seita. Trata-se de um lançamento muito esperado (e comentado) que não decepcionou!
Este não é um livro fácil para se falar. Não porque a linha narrativa seja difícil de perceber (muito pelo contrário), nem porque os temas sejam estranhos – mas porque toca em realidades sensíveis, usando um fotógrafo como personagem principal para falar de fobias (e problemas psicológicos), memórias e relacionamentos familiares.
Marco, o fotógrafo, é um jovem adulto complicado – sofre ataques de pânico e de ansiedade, tem dificuldades em assumir responsabilidades e é seguido por um psicólogo sem que este seguimento pareça surgir efeito. A origem destes problemas psicológicos não é clara – ainda que possa ter relacção com o seu papel como fotógrafo de guerra, existem detalhes nos relacionamentos que podem ser anteriores a essa experiência. Logo no início percebemos que o relacionamento com os pais é distante, e que terá sido este afastamento emocional que terá determinado o afastamento físico.
Os seus relacionamentos são raros. Por um lado vai-se comunicando com o irmão (também com problemas de maturidade), por outro, aproxima-se de um velhote curioso e distante. Mas a grande novidade é o interesse de uma rapariga. Marco não está, decididamente, pronto para assumir um relacionamento e prosseguir através do caminho expectável de um relacionamento amoroso – e qualquer referência a essa evolução vai facilitar o regresso da ansiedade. O fotógrafo tem, também, um grande problema em se relacionar com os que o rodeiam.
Esta componente da história, a de se referir a problemas psicológicos, é tratada de forma exemplar – sem romantizar a doença, mas também sem a problematizar em excesso, um verdadeiro combate quotidiano em que por vezes se melhora, por vezes se piora. E nem sempre se percebe os factores que levam às alterações.
Em relação aos relacionamentos, percebemos que existe um grande distanciamento com os progenitores, sobretudo com o pai. Esta figura distante e cada vez mais encolhida em si mesma, parece diminuir com o desaparecimento da sua antiga profissão – a mesma que teria justificado a existência de inúmeras famílias na localidade. Quando o estaleiro começa a fechar, Marco irá fotografá-lo como tentativa de se relacionar com o pai, mas também como forma de guardar a memória de uma família maior do que o núcleo familiar. Marca, assim, o fim de uma época.
Mas as fotografias são mais do que uma memória. Marco tem dificuldades em lidar com mudanças, sejam estas na sua vida ou na forma de estar dos que o rodeiam, e a forma como se dedica a fotografar o estaleiro quase parece uma tentativa de tentar manter algo que está a desaparecer, para a sua própria calma mental.
O Combate Quotidiano é, portanto uma leitura brutal. Diria mais, até – uma das melhores leituras publicadas em Portugal nos últimos tempos (largos meses). Apesar de se centrar sobretudo numa única personagem, consegue criar uma perspectiva única, mostrando como esta personagem, com os seus defeitos e virtudes, lida com a dificuldade em assumir as suas próprias particularidades. Demonstra, em suma, o longo caminho em tomar as decisões certas e em progedir naquilo que lhe é esperado.
April 12, 2023
"I'm a disturbance
when the crowd is calm."
when the crowd is calm."
April 23, 2011
This contains the first to parts of Larcenet's Ordinary Victories, translated into English from the original French. The stories are about a photographer who has problems with anxiety. He's also sick of his work lately and feeling generally lost and lonely. Meeting his brother for some "big fat joints" and video games seems to bring some happiness into his life, but not much else seems able to produce that effect. After his cat gets a minor injury, he meets an interesting female vet with whom he develops a relationship which struggles a bit due to his neuroses, but seems to stabilize after a while. On the way he also visits his old parents, does a photo set with his dads' old co-workers and has the photos displayed in a show alongside one of his big idols of photography, befriends an old war veteran with a past he's unable to ignore, and has many other encounters.
The book tells a very personal moving story that really draws the reader in, while at the same time remaining completely realistic and never moving beyond picturing the everyday events of normal people. Some of the characters are unusually colorful and eccentric, but none some much that it becomes implausible. I just dove into the story and found myself unable to put it down until it was over. I'm now heading over to the next book, containing the English version of parts three and four. Expect a review of that later today!
The book tells a very personal moving story that really draws the reader in, while at the same time remaining completely realistic and never moving beyond picturing the everyday events of normal people. Some of the characters are unusually colorful and eccentric, but none some much that it becomes implausible. I just dove into the story and found myself unable to put it down until it was over. I'm now heading over to the next book, containing the English version of parts three and four. Expect a review of that later today!
August 7, 2008
This is considered a "grown-up" graphic novel in my library system, but I think YAs would love it. There's no rampant sex, and only the most light-hearted consumption of large amounts of marijuana, so why not put it in the teen collection?
This is about a young Frenchman named Marco, who used to be a renowned photographer of foreign wars and exotic locations but who is somewhat of a self-pitying slacker. He still loves photography, but wants to do it on his own terms - however, it takes him a while to find his vision. He does, eventually (by photographing the unique and weathered faces of the guys down at the shipyard where his dad used to work) and he finally commits to his patient but increasingly irritated girlfriend.
Marco's confusion, self-doubt, and moral certainty (which becomes more uncertain as time goes on) are all realistically and entertainingly portrayed.
And man, do I wish I lived in his nifty old French country farmhouse!
This is about a young Frenchman named Marco, who used to be a renowned photographer of foreign wars and exotic locations but who is somewhat of a self-pitying slacker. He still loves photography, but wants to do it on his own terms - however, it takes him a while to find his vision. He does, eventually (by photographing the unique and weathered faces of the guys down at the shipyard where his dad used to work) and he finally commits to his patient but increasingly irritated girlfriend.
Marco's confusion, self-doubt, and moral certainty (which becomes more uncertain as time goes on) are all realistically and entertainingly portrayed.
And man, do I wish I lived in his nifty old French country farmhouse!
May 30, 2013
La paziente e sconvolgente routine giornaliera descritta attraverso la forza invisibile del vivere quotidiano. Divertente, quasi comico, ma vigliacco nel mostrare la faccia spietata del vivere comune.
February 8, 2023
I still find it hard to believe this is the same guy that illustrated "Brodeck's Report". The two works couldn't be further from each other. 😄
I was expecting for this read to eventually get emotional but it never really came to that. The story has several sad moments but it's also full of fun moments so things never really get too dark, even in the saddest moments.
It probably didn't help the fact that I simply didn't felt a connection with the main character. I don't see myself in the main character, at all. We're very different.
I never manage to connect with him. He felt too much immature and I always ended up feeling more bad about the other characters than about him. He felt too selfish, always putting his interests above everyone else, although that begins to change after a while.
The story is full of moments that will take us into the memory lane of our own lives where we experienced similar situations.
Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable read.
I was expecting for this read to eventually get emotional but it never really came to that. The story has several sad moments but it's also full of fun moments so things never really get too dark, even in the saddest moments.
It probably didn't help the fact that I simply didn't felt a connection with the main character. I don't see myself in the main character, at all. We're very different.
I never manage to connect with him. He felt too much immature and I always ended up feeling more bad about the other characters than about him. He felt too selfish, always putting his interests above everyone else, although that begins to change after a while.
The story is full of moments that will take us into the memory lane of our own lives where we experienced similar situations.
Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable read.
November 30, 2017
Slightly trippy graphic novel about Marco, a flailing war photographer/journalist with a grumpy cat and anxiety. Follow him as he tries to understand his life.
"The most beautiful images are often the least honest"
I liked the change to gritty black and white and to red, and back to everyday multi-color.
Very well done.
*eARC Netgalley*
"The most beautiful images are often the least honest"
I liked the change to gritty black and white and to red, and back to everyday multi-color.
Very well done.
*eARC Netgalley*
August 24, 2025
Novela Gráfica em quatro volumes (em Portugal saiu em dois) que relata a vida e as angústias de um fotógrafo, já não tão jovem assim, e como lida com os problemas e desafios da vida quotidiana nomeadamente os relacionamentos com os pais, o irmão, o amor, o trabalho, etc. Este relato parece ter uma componente mais ou menos autobiográfica, cuja dimensão não é clara, mas também não é minimamente relevante – é sim uma excelente história, muito bem desenvolvida e isso é que é importante!
Manu Larcenet do qual já conhecia outras obras (e.g. A estrada e O Relatório de Brodeck), opta neste caso por uma arte gráfica completamente diferente dessas, tão diferente que é difícil conceber ter saído da mesma pena. Confesso que tive alguma dificuldade em “entrar” no desenho, nomeadamente na representação dos narizes, mas com algum esforço acabei por me habituar e não dar grande relevância, embora nunca tenha verdadeiramente aderido ao estilo. Aliás, esse é o único ponto negativo numa obra que, fora isso, é quase perfeita.
A edição é de muito boa qualidade e é um trabalho conjunto d’A Seita e Arte de Autor o que é raro e se saúda.
Avaliação: 9 / 10
Manu Larcenet do qual já conhecia outras obras (e.g. A estrada e O Relatório de Brodeck), opta neste caso por uma arte gráfica completamente diferente dessas, tão diferente que é difícil conceber ter saído da mesma pena. Confesso que tive alguma dificuldade em “entrar” no desenho, nomeadamente na representação dos narizes, mas com algum esforço acabei por me habituar e não dar grande relevância, embora nunca tenha verdadeiramente aderido ao estilo. Aliás, esse é o único ponto negativo numa obra que, fora isso, é quase perfeita.
A edição é de muito boa qualidade e é um trabalho conjunto d’A Seita e Arte de Autor o que é raro e se saúda.
Avaliação: 9 / 10
October 28, 2017
Je m'attaque enfin à ce monument qu'est Manu Larcenet ! Pour l'instant je ne suis pas déçue sur cette description de la vie ordinaire - jamais si ordinaire que ça...
February 27, 2011
Marco è un fotografo di guerra che un giorno decide di ritirarsi nella campagna francese insieme al suo gatto e ai suoi attacchi di panico. Seguiamo le sue giornate, impariamo a conoscere quella paura che sembra bloccare ogni sua possibilità di allontanarsi dai riti abituali, quel buco nero dentro ben protetto dalla corazza che gli fa tenere un po' a distanza tutti. Incontriamo con lui la veterinaria carina di cui si innamorerà, conosciamo il fratello e la sua fidanzata e vediamo la loro vita scorrere mentre quella di Marco sembra sempre un po' più lenta.
quella paura paralizzante sembra così famigliare, così reale, vicina, conosciuta, anche se ancora (forse per un soffio, una trascurabile casualità) non vissuta. gli incontri/scontri con gli altri, la guerra sullo sfondo, la vittoria alle ultime elezioni dell'estrema destra, gli operai ogni giorno più dimenticati, i genitori che invecchiano, la difficoltà a fare il lavoro che si ama con onestà e soddisfazione. sempre con il terrore che tutto vada per il peggio o, ancor più straziante, che quello che ci accade passi inosservato, lasciandoci soli nel rosso e nero delle nostre notti dell'orrore.
a leggere Lo scontro quotidiano di Manu Larcenet (da poco uscito da Coconino Press) sembra di sfogliare la vita del più caro amico, quello che è sempre stato al tuo fianco, di cui conosci tutto, qualche cosa ammiri, qualcun'altra odi, qualche difetto accarezzi con tenerezza.
con affetto e calore te lo tieni vicino, in cuor tuo sperando sempre che tutto vada per il meglio, a lui e a te.
quella paura paralizzante sembra così famigliare, così reale, vicina, conosciuta, anche se ancora (forse per un soffio, una trascurabile casualità) non vissuta. gli incontri/scontri con gli altri, la guerra sullo sfondo, la vittoria alle ultime elezioni dell'estrema destra, gli operai ogni giorno più dimenticati, i genitori che invecchiano, la difficoltà a fare il lavoro che si ama con onestà e soddisfazione. sempre con il terrore che tutto vada per il peggio o, ancor più straziante, che quello che ci accade passi inosservato, lasciandoci soli nel rosso e nero delle nostre notti dell'orrore.
a leggere Lo scontro quotidiano di Manu Larcenet (da poco uscito da Coconino Press) sembra di sfogliare la vita del più caro amico, quello che è sempre stato al tuo fianco, di cui conosci tutto, qualche cosa ammiri, qualcun'altra odi, qualche difetto accarezzi con tenerezza.
con affetto e calore te lo tieni vicino, in cuor tuo sperando sempre che tutto vada per il meglio, a lui e a te.
September 9, 2014
This is one of those rare times when almost anything I write is not going to be adequate to convey all of the thoughts and emotions and depth necessary to cover the subject properly. It would also take far more words to describe all of that than to simply read the book, and still I would fall far short. There is only one other book I can think of that I have encountered where I was struck with this same thought, and it was The Tao te Ching. That is rarified air for a "lowly" graphic novel. There are just so many subtle touches and brilliant approaches to the wide array of subjects and ideas that could only be done in a graphic format such as this. Larcent is also not afraid to let things go unsaid or allow them room to breathe. This is a remarkable accomplishment and a true journey of thoughts and emotion that grips the reader and never lets go. It captures the essence of life. Again, that sounds quite lofty or hyperbolic but it actually applies here. It isn't just a slice of life story but life sliced up into a story, and even though not every reader will relate or have experienced every slice I would wager most have (or will) experienced many of them. Ordinary Victories will challenge you and make you think, it will make you laugh, it will make you look inward, and it will make you cry. It is deserving of every award bestowed upon it and I am grateful that it was recommended to me, I am now recommending it to you.
October 16, 2023
"O Combate Quotidiano" volumes 1 e 2
Manu Larcenet
Conheci o trabalho de Manu Larcenet com a sua adaptação gráfica do romance "O Relatório de Brodeck" e adorei esse seu trabalho.
No que diz respeito à arte, esta é bastante diferente nestes livros, o que mostra a versatilidade deste autor. Não conseguiria dizer que tinham sido desenhados pela mesma pessoa. Inicialmente estranhei, mas depressa de habituei aos narizes peculiares e pontos em vez de olhos.
Mas se a arte parece, à primeira vista, infantilizada e caricatural, o argumento é bastante sério e profundo, tocando em muitos aspectos sensíveis da vida.
Marco é um fotógrafo, um pouco desiludido com o seu trabalho. Muda-se para o campo e decide repensar a sua vida. Nestes dois livros acompanhamos Marco ao longo de vários anos.
De uma forma muito crua e transparente, esta história aborda diversos aspectos da vida, muitos deles comuns às nossas próprias vidas ou a vidas de pessoas próximas. A ansiedade e depressão, a pressão profissional, a complexidade das relações amorosas ou de amizade, a paternidade, o envelhecimento dos pais, o luto, a nostalgia por tempos passados, são alguns dos temas presentes.
É uma história que tem muitas vezes um tom triste, mas também esperançoso. A vida não é perfeita, tem momentos maus, mas também está recheada de coisas boas que devemos valorizar.
Manu Larcenet
Conheci o trabalho de Manu Larcenet com a sua adaptação gráfica do romance "O Relatório de Brodeck" e adorei esse seu trabalho.
No que diz respeito à arte, esta é bastante diferente nestes livros, o que mostra a versatilidade deste autor. Não conseguiria dizer que tinham sido desenhados pela mesma pessoa. Inicialmente estranhei, mas depressa de habituei aos narizes peculiares e pontos em vez de olhos.
Mas se a arte parece, à primeira vista, infantilizada e caricatural, o argumento é bastante sério e profundo, tocando em muitos aspectos sensíveis da vida.
Marco é um fotógrafo, um pouco desiludido com o seu trabalho. Muda-se para o campo e decide repensar a sua vida. Nestes dois livros acompanhamos Marco ao longo de vários anos.
De uma forma muito crua e transparente, esta história aborda diversos aspectos da vida, muitos deles comuns às nossas próprias vidas ou a vidas de pessoas próximas. A ansiedade e depressão, a pressão profissional, a complexidade das relações amorosas ou de amizade, a paternidade, o envelhecimento dos pais, o luto, a nostalgia por tempos passados, são alguns dos temas presentes.
É uma história que tem muitas vezes um tom triste, mas também esperançoso. A vida não é perfeita, tem momentos maus, mas também está recheada de coisas boas que devemos valorizar.
October 17, 2009
I'm not sure if this is autobiographical or not, but the complexity and nuance of the characters makes me feel like it is; it's tough to get away with characterization such as that in this book without it being based on reality.
I enjoyed this. It's what I call a slice-of-life story - you get to watch a character for a section of life; nothing wild, nothing crazy, just life. It follows a down-and-out photojournalist as he learns to truly love a woman, as he comes to grips with his father's ailing health, and as he deals with crippling panic attacks and a waning passion for his work.
The art is truly beautiful. The simplest of Larcenet's French countryside drawings are beyond my own abilities and make me sigh in envy, and I can't even imagine what his realistic landscape work must look like. He's great at capturing expression and humor in his simple cartoon people, and his coloring is also amazing. I hope I can find more by this fellow.
I enjoyed this. It's what I call a slice-of-life story - you get to watch a character for a section of life; nothing wild, nothing crazy, just life. It follows a down-and-out photojournalist as he learns to truly love a woman, as he comes to grips with his father's ailing health, and as he deals with crippling panic attacks and a waning passion for his work.
The art is truly beautiful. The simplest of Larcenet's French countryside drawings are beyond my own abilities and make me sigh in envy, and I can't even imagine what his realistic landscape work must look like. He's great at capturing expression and humor in his simple cartoon people, and his coloring is also amazing. I hope I can find more by this fellow.
July 26, 2023
Este final 🥺🫂. Ansiosa para ler o próximo.
Review em vídeo aqui :)
Review em vídeo aqui :)
October 11, 2021
Marc is a young man who suffers from panic attacks, hates work, abhors change, loves photography, adores his pet cat, and feels profoundly betrayed by a former friend.
September 25, 2020
c'est déchirant, c'est politique. mes choses préférées à trouver dans un livre. je suis très contente.
November 30, 2017
My initial thought is... man this artwork is REALLY French. I mean, duh, it's a French graphic novel, but the style is unmistakably French in that everyone on here looks like a kids newspaper cartoon from the 1950's.
The story, however, is not kiddish, and it's definitely something MANY people in their 20's and 30's can relate to:
Marco, a fairly successful photo journalist, has reached a point in his life where he just CAN'T anymore. He can't handle his violent panic attacks, he can't handle his psychotherapy, he can't handle the soul crushing aspects of the things he sees in his job, he can't handle the pace of life in Paris.... about all the can handle is a little house in the country with his cat, so he takes a year long sabbatical to get his head in order.
What comes next is a year of self reflection, heartbreak, love and discovery that speaks to any of us who have gone through that infamous "quarter life crisis."
The story, however, is not kiddish, and it's definitely something MANY people in their 20's and 30's can relate to:
Marco, a fairly successful photo journalist, has reached a point in his life where he just CAN'T anymore. He can't handle his violent panic attacks, he can't handle his psychotherapy, he can't handle the soul crushing aspects of the things he sees in his job, he can't handle the pace of life in Paris.... about all the can handle is a little house in the country with his cat, so he takes a year long sabbatical to get his head in order.
What comes next is a year of self reflection, heartbreak, love and discovery that speaks to any of us who have gone through that infamous "quarter life crisis."
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