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Undertaker #1-2
Hrobař: Jedlík zlata, Tanec supů
Vstupte do světa ryzího spaghetti westernu - na vyprahlou půdu, po které se kodrcá kočár s chlápkem v černém. Hrobařem. Chlápkem s temnou minulostí, který pohřbívá mrtvé... a občas, když je to nutné, střílí živé. Westernový svět je plný zabijáků, podrazů, pastí a psychopatů. Někdy je výhoda, když s sebou vozíte vlastní zásobu rakví.
116 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
About the author
Xavier Dorison
187 books119 followersXavier Dorison est né en 1972 à Paris et passe trois années en école de commerce, où il organise le festival BD des Grandes Écoles, puis travaille chez Barclays Corp. Dès 1997, il écrit le premier tome du Troisième Testament, série co-scénarisé et dessiné par Alex Alice qui remporte un succès immédiat. Il publie ensuite deux séries aux Humanoïdes Associés : Prophet avec Matthieu Lauffray et Sanctuaire avec Christophe Bec. Il co-scénarise, avec Fabien Nury, le film Brigades du Tigre, qui sera également adapté en bande dessinée aux éditions Glénat avec Jean-Yves Delitte au dessin. Il co-scénarise, toujours avec Fabien Nury, le western fantastique W.E.S.T. mis en image par Christian Rossi. Et lance début 2007 une fresque pirate : Long John Silver. En 2008, il crée la série Les Sentinelles et participe au projet XIII Mystery, en scénarisant l'album sur La Mangouste. En 2008 également, il écrit Le Syndrome d'Abel pour son comparse Marazano, de retour au dessin. En septembre 2010, il s’associe à nouveau avec Alex Alice et commence la publication de l’antésuite du Troisième Testament, intitulée Julius, toujours chez Glénat. En mars 2012, paraît chez Dargaud le premier tome d’Asgard, série dans l’univers des vikings, dessinée par Ralph Meyer. En 2013 paraîtra chez Glénat une série coécrite avec son frère Guillaume Dorison.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 6, 2019
Bůh řekl: "Nenasereš chlápka, jenž na tě míří čtyřiačtyřicítkou."
Pro jednou byste měli Boha poslechnout.
Spaghetti western do morku kostí. Dokonce tak dobrý, že jsem na poli komiksového média ještě lepší nečetl. Má to vše, atmosféru, ambivalentní postavy i tenzi mezi nimi, nahnutou morálku, nekompromisnost, hmatatelné motivace všech zúčastněných a skvěle vystavěnou i vygradovanou žánrově čistou zápletku.
Navíc je to detailně nakresleno i živě vykolorováno (je to vůbec slovo?). K dokonalosti chybí jedině morriconeho hudba. Jediný ani ne snad zápor jako spíše nezvyk je, že se to málo řídí pověstným Tucovým pravidlem "Když máš střílet, střílej! Nemluv!". Tady hlavní djangovský antihrdina nejprve rád mluví a deklamuje. A hodně. Každopádně chválihodné je, že pak neopomene i střílet. A hodně.
Dorison po pirátském Silverovi opět dokazuje, že to snad píše přímo mě na míru. Pomalu ale jistě se tak sune na post mého nejoblíbenějšího komiksového scenáristy. Ještě tedy honem od něj sehnat Asgard a Mistra meče.
Pro jednou byste měli Boha poslechnout.
Spaghetti western do morku kostí. Dokonce tak dobrý, že jsem na poli komiksového média ještě lepší nečetl. Má to vše, atmosféru, ambivalentní postavy i tenzi mezi nimi, nahnutou morálku, nekompromisnost, hmatatelné motivace všech zúčastněných a skvěle vystavěnou i vygradovanou žánrově čistou zápletku.
Navíc je to detailně nakresleno i živě vykolorováno (je to vůbec slovo?). K dokonalosti chybí jedině morriconeho hudba. Jediný ani ne snad zápor jako spíše nezvyk je, že se to málo řídí pověstným Tucovým pravidlem "Když máš střílet, střílej! Nemluv!". Tady hlavní djangovský antihrdina nejprve rád mluví a deklamuje. A hodně. Každopádně chválihodné je, že pak neopomene i střílet. A hodně.
Dorison po pirátském Silverovi opět dokazuje, že to snad píše přímo mě na míru. Pomalu ale jistě se tak sune na post mého nejoblíbenějšího komiksového scenáristy. Ještě tedy honem od něj sehnat Asgard a Mistra meče.
December 25, 2021
pretty art boring story
April 22, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early!!
I really enjoyed this old west story of an undertaker who was once an outlaw. Jonas Crow is a quick witted and cocky undertaker who takes the job to escort a unlikeable rich mine owner's body to be stashed away so that no one can 'steal his riches'. He is of course escorted by Rose and Lin who both once worked under the rich man. They run into miners who are hunting them down for the gold of the dead mine owner.
I never once thought that this story was boring. It kept me hooked!
Reading this helped me decide that my library NEEDED this book!
I really enjoyed this old west story of an undertaker who was once an outlaw. Jonas Crow is a quick witted and cocky undertaker who takes the job to escort a unlikeable rich mine owner's body to be stashed away so that no one can 'steal his riches'. He is of course escorted by Rose and Lin who both once worked under the rich man. They run into miners who are hunting them down for the gold of the dead mine owner.
I never once thought that this story was boring. It kept me hooked!
Reading this helped me decide that my library NEEDED this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2019
Velmi slušné spaghetti.
November 4, 2022
Prvi deo efektniji od drugog, ali sve u svemu jako dobro.
May 1, 2019
Poctivá akční westernová jízda.
Ani Xavier Dorison, ani Ralph Meyer u nás nejsou úplně neznámí. Prvnímu jmenovanému tu jenom za poslední dva roky vyšly tři jiné kousky (Třetí zákon, Dlouhý John Silver, Asgard) a čtvrtý vychází v těchto dnech (Mistr meče). A byl to právě Asgard na kterém spolupracoval, stejně jako tady, s Ralphem Meyerem. A nutno říct, že jim ta spolupráce sedí, protože příběh a kresba se tu parádně doplňují.
Pořádný komiksový western tady nevyšel ani nepamatuju a do tohohle vakua si fanoušci Modré Crwe vybrali tuhle záležitost, kde se kulkami rozhodně nešetří, každá postava tu schovává nějaké to temné tajemství a kde si můžete udělat představu, jak dlouho byste asi na takhle divokém západě přežili.
Byť se na nás chystá ještě jeden book z téhle série, tak se nemusíte bát, protože už tenhle funguje jako samostatný příběh.
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- jste už vyhládlí na nějaký ten dobrý spaghetti western
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- neradi evropskou tvorbu
- už jste Xavier přejezení po tom nášupu, co nám tu naložili za poslední roky
Ani Xavier Dorison, ani Ralph Meyer u nás nejsou úplně neznámí. Prvnímu jmenovanému tu jenom za poslední dva roky vyšly tři jiné kousky (Třetí zákon, Dlouhý John Silver, Asgard) a čtvrtý vychází v těchto dnech (Mistr meče). A byl to právě Asgard na kterém spolupracoval, stejně jako tady, s Ralphem Meyerem. A nutno říct, že jim ta spolupráce sedí, protože příběh a kresba se tu parádně doplňují.
Pořádný komiksový western tady nevyšel ani nepamatuju a do tohohle vakua si fanoušci Modré Crwe vybrali tuhle záležitost, kde se kulkami rozhodně nešetří, každá postava tu schovává nějaké to temné tajemství a kde si můžete udělat představu, jak dlouho byste asi na takhle divokém západě přežili.
Byť se na nás chystá ještě jeden book z téhle série, tak se nemusíte bát, protože už tenhle funguje jako samostatný příběh.
Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- jste už vyhládlí na nějaký ten dobrý spaghetti western
Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- neradi evropskou tvorbu
- už jste Xavier přejezení po tom nášupu, co nám tu naložili za poslední roky
November 14, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and Abrams ComicArts for an advance copy of this graphic novel set in the American West of myth and legend, about a soldier with a particular set of skills, the past he is running from, the job he has taken and the companions he is protecting, trying to bring a very rich corpse to its final destination.
I loved movies from an early age, but westerns were not movies I cared about. I talk about the before times when television was maybe nine channels, and John Wayne was probably on four of them at any given moment. The Duke never did anything for me. Westerns all seemed clean, aw shucks ma'am and loaded with boring looking white actors who all looked the same with a jingoism that seemed blatant even at my young age. A move to Connecticut, and a easily bribed cable technician gave my family all the movie channels a boy could want. And that's where I found Spaghetti Westerns. European based Westerns with characters who looked dangerous, dirty and in some cases, deranged. No Randolph Scott here. The stories were bizarre. Silent gunmen, battles in the snow, a hero pulling a coffin containing a Gatling. Blood everywhere, along with mud, full spittoons, and a reality that I found missing in the clean look of Gunsmoke or Bonanza. Europe understood America more than Americans did. And these stories showed it. Even the comics seemed more real, more honest, and well more American than the ones printed on these shores. I always enjoyed the Blueberry stories, as well as other Western works presented by European creators. Added to that list is this series, one I can't wait to read more of. The Undertaker Volume 1: The Gold Eater & Dance of the Vultures written by Xavier Dorison, illustrated by Ralph Meyer is a story of redemption, greed, violence, more violence, running from the past, and trying one's best to do things right.
Jonas Crow was a man blessed with the skills needed to keep a man alive in a dangerous time. During the Civil War Crow was a sharpshooter, celebrated for his accuracy. Crow also took part in a serious war crime, one whose memory pursues him, both in infamy, and in his own thoughts. Crow travels the west trying to stay low, and taking small jobs. Crow has also taken on two companions, Rose and her housemaid, something Crow never thought he would ever do. Crow is asked to undertake what seems like a simple task. Accompany a body to its final resting place. There are a few problems. The body was of a wealthy miner who before dying swallowed much of his treasure in an effort to take it with him. The final resting place is across a very desolate 50 mile stretch of desert. And there are others some mad, some desperate all dangerous looking to get their hands on what the corpse is stuffed with, something Crow is not keen on allowing.
A well thought out story that is different, odd, violent and really engaging. Dorison has a nice writing style, one that brings the reader in, explains what is going on, and where things are headed. And boom the story goes. The characters are all interesting, even the female characters which is not something that most comics can do well. The art is really good, realistic in places, fantastic when needed, and in some places gruesome, shocking and surprising. I really liked the way the art complimented the story, and how both creators worked to each others strengths.
Fans of Blueberry and other European westerns will enjoy this story. The plot is good, told well and the art is really quite nice. This is the start of a series, and I hope to read more, something I am really looking forward to.
I loved movies from an early age, but westerns were not movies I cared about. I talk about the before times when television was maybe nine channels, and John Wayne was probably on four of them at any given moment. The Duke never did anything for me. Westerns all seemed clean, aw shucks ma'am and loaded with boring looking white actors who all looked the same with a jingoism that seemed blatant even at my young age. A move to Connecticut, and a easily bribed cable technician gave my family all the movie channels a boy could want. And that's where I found Spaghetti Westerns. European based Westerns with characters who looked dangerous, dirty and in some cases, deranged. No Randolph Scott here. The stories were bizarre. Silent gunmen, battles in the snow, a hero pulling a coffin containing a Gatling. Blood everywhere, along with mud, full spittoons, and a reality that I found missing in the clean look of Gunsmoke or Bonanza. Europe understood America more than Americans did. And these stories showed it. Even the comics seemed more real, more honest, and well more American than the ones printed on these shores. I always enjoyed the Blueberry stories, as well as other Western works presented by European creators. Added to that list is this series, one I can't wait to read more of. The Undertaker Volume 1: The Gold Eater & Dance of the Vultures written by Xavier Dorison, illustrated by Ralph Meyer is a story of redemption, greed, violence, more violence, running from the past, and trying one's best to do things right.
Jonas Crow was a man blessed with the skills needed to keep a man alive in a dangerous time. During the Civil War Crow was a sharpshooter, celebrated for his accuracy. Crow also took part in a serious war crime, one whose memory pursues him, both in infamy, and in his own thoughts. Crow travels the west trying to stay low, and taking small jobs. Crow has also taken on two companions, Rose and her housemaid, something Crow never thought he would ever do. Crow is asked to undertake what seems like a simple task. Accompany a body to its final resting place. There are a few problems. The body was of a wealthy miner who before dying swallowed much of his treasure in an effort to take it with him. The final resting place is across a very desolate 50 mile stretch of desert. And there are others some mad, some desperate all dangerous looking to get their hands on what the corpse is stuffed with, something Crow is not keen on allowing.
A well thought out story that is different, odd, violent and really engaging. Dorison has a nice writing style, one that brings the reader in, explains what is going on, and where things are headed. And boom the story goes. The characters are all interesting, even the female characters which is not something that most comics can do well. The art is really good, realistic in places, fantastic when needed, and in some places gruesome, shocking and surprising. I really liked the way the art complimented the story, and how both creators worked to each others strengths.
Fans of Blueberry and other European westerns will enjoy this story. The plot is good, told well and the art is really quite nice. This is the start of a series, and I hope to read more, something I am really looking forward to.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
While the Western has risen and fallen in favor here in America, it has continued to fascinate European creators, who have produced works set in an era they know only from history and movies. Among the more interesting offerings has been the Undertaker series from French-born Xavier Dorison and Ralph Meyer. They have been producing multiple story cycles since 2015, and last week their English-translated stories (by Tom Imber) finally reached us.
“The Gold Eater” cycle introduces us to Jonas Crow, who is, in 1868, an itinerant undertaker, arriving in Anoki City to collect the body of mining tycoon and grade-A asshole Joe Cusco. Rather than bequeath his wealth, he has decided to take it with him, swallowing gold nuggets. He has contracted with Crow to bring his corpse to the spot of his first gold strike and bury him there. His faithful assistant, Rose Prairie, is blackmailed into assisting him because if she doesn’t, some unknown innocent will be killed in three days’ time.
As they set out, they collect the Chinese governess Miss Lin, and the three are beset by Cusco’s former employees, led by McKullen, the town's sheriff, who learn of the gold and want it. Add in American soldiers seeking Crow, wanted for murder and known as the Butcher of Skullhill, and we’re off to the races.
Meyer wanted to write a Western, and Meyer conceived of the Crow to subvert the traditional notion of the Western hero. Here, he’s closer to Jonah Hex than John Wayne, cynical and solitary, uncomfortable with sharing the hearse wagon with the women. He is accompanied by the injured vulture Jed, whom he speaks to more than the women.
Once we’re off, the action is fast-paced as Crow and company have to contend with a harsh environment and with men willing to risk everything to get the gold their families need. There’s desperation to spread around, along with violence.
Working within the tried and true Western conventions, the story also addresses universal themes about loyalty, responsibility, and, of course, greed. Justice and morality are examined in the actions the Undertaker takes to protect the women and fend off the men, as he tries to honor his obligation.
Meyer’s Franco-Belgian art is rich in period detail and paces the action sequences quite well. He colored the work with Caroline Delabie in subtle tones, subduing the harsh glare of the sun and desert.
Each cycle is in two parts, so we can hope this does well enough for the remainder of the series to come to the States.
“The Gold Eater” cycle introduces us to Jonas Crow, who is, in 1868, an itinerant undertaker, arriving in Anoki City to collect the body of mining tycoon and grade-A asshole Joe Cusco. Rather than bequeath his wealth, he has decided to take it with him, swallowing gold nuggets. He has contracted with Crow to bring his corpse to the spot of his first gold strike and bury him there. His faithful assistant, Rose Prairie, is blackmailed into assisting him because if she doesn’t, some unknown innocent will be killed in three days’ time.
As they set out, they collect the Chinese governess Miss Lin, and the three are beset by Cusco’s former employees, led by McKullen, the town's sheriff, who learn of the gold and want it. Add in American soldiers seeking Crow, wanted for murder and known as the Butcher of Skullhill, and we’re off to the races.
Meyer wanted to write a Western, and Meyer conceived of the Crow to subvert the traditional notion of the Western hero. Here, he’s closer to Jonah Hex than John Wayne, cynical and solitary, uncomfortable with sharing the hearse wagon with the women. He is accompanied by the injured vulture Jed, whom he speaks to more than the women.
Once we’re off, the action is fast-paced as Crow and company have to contend with a harsh environment and with men willing to risk everything to get the gold their families need. There’s desperation to spread around, along with violence.
Working within the tried and true Western conventions, the story also addresses universal themes about loyalty, responsibility, and, of course, greed. Justice and morality are examined in the actions the Undertaker takes to protect the women and fend off the men, as he tries to honor his obligation.
Meyer’s Franco-Belgian art is rich in period detail and paces the action sequences quite well. He colored the work with Caroline Delabie in subtle tones, subduing the harsh glare of the sun and desert.
Each cycle is in two parts, so we can hope this does well enough for the remainder of the series to come to the States.
October 12, 2019
Hrobař prináša všetko, čo by sme od westernového príbehu čakali. Ponurý, nebezpečný a špinavý svet, ktorý chyby neodpúšťa a zaváhanie vám garantuje, že sa na vás vrhnú zo všetkých strán mrchožrúti. A nemyslím tým len zvieratá. Funebrák je skvelý hlavný hrdina a vo víre akcie sa správa tak, že mu jednoducho musíte fandiť. Nechýbajú prestrelky, bitky, naháňačky, ale aj komornejšie rozhovory, kde dianie trochu spomalí. V rozsahu dvoch kníh je príbeh uzatvorený, takže sa netreba báť, že po prečítaní ostane niečo nedopovedané. Ak vám ale príbeh Hrobařa sadne, garantujem vám, že okolo pokračovania nebudete chodiť v predajni dlho a siahnete po ňom okamžite. Westernov totiž v našich končinách veľa nevychádza a tento je mimoriadne kvalitný.
January 28, 2020
Hrobař dostane tip na práci přes inzerát. Vydá se na cestu a když dojede do cíle, setká se se svým zákazníkem. Je to sice zvláštní, ale musí se řídit jeho posledním přáním. Stejne tak i guvernantka zesnulého Rose a jeho služka Lin. Podle závěti musí Rose s hrobníkem cestovat a do tří dnů pohřbít tělo na určeném místě jinak zemře neznámý rukojmí. Rose to nemůže dopustit a tak se s hrobníkem dají na cestu. To ještě netuší, že horníci, kteří pracovali pro zesnulého jsou jim v patách a že má hrobník svá tajemství...
November 26, 2022
Kresba 4/5
Příběh 4/5
Westerny jsem sledoval hodně hodně dávno, ale od té doby uplynulo hodně času a tento žánr mě moc za srdce nechytá. Standardní zápletka, kde zloun je dobroun, a dobroni se stanou zlounmi kvůli zlatu, jak jinak.
Příběh 4/5
Westerny jsem sledoval hodně hodně dávno, ale od té doby uplynulo hodně času a tento žánr mě moc za srdce nechytá. Standardní zápletka, kde zloun je dobroun, a dobroni se stanou zlounmi kvůli zlatu, jak jinak.
February 17, 2020
Fakt mě to bavilo!
July 19, 2022
Európska kresba je proste top a na westernovky mám slabosť. Hlavne tie pútavo napísané.
April 10, 2026
An enjoyable, if fanciful, story (and lead character); reminiscent of classic Jonah Hex, but with far superior artwork and presentation and without any supernatural element. Equally bizzare though.
June 2, 2026
Super fun western done in the classic Spanish or European style, like from maybe the 70's, and I mean that in a good way!
December 29, 2023
Tohle mi fakt sedlo. Svižný, náležitě špinavý western se zajímavým hrdinou a kupou hlášek k tomu. 9/10
September 26, 2016
Zabavan western klasičnog tipa. Škrti bogataš umire i svi koji su radili za njega žele dio kolača, obični rudari se pretvaraju u ubojice, a najpošteniji ispada onaj tko je izvan zakona. Ima tu i dosta (crno)humornih momenata te sve u svemu priča lijepo teče. Malo mi je pretjeran (iako očekivan) odnos između naslovnog junaka i mlade engleskinje, kao i kraj ove dvodijelne priče, no što je tu je. Crtežu se pak stvarno nema šta prigovoriti. Ne odskače to stilski od komercijalnog standarda, ali je u pitanju stvarno dobro nacrtan strip. Čak bih rekao da je crtež taj koji čini ovaj strip zabavnim i tako lako čitljivim. Sve u svemu solidno štivo za razbibrigu za ljubitelje tematike pa i šire.
November 20, 2017
Pogrebnik mrvicu pati od previše obrata po kvadratnom metru (i to više u drugom albumu, nego u prvom), ali je usprkos tome jako dobar western. Cijelom dojmu doprinosi predivan "giraudovski" crtež Ralpha Meyera, ali i potpuno odgovarajuće boje Caroline Delabie. Jedina zamjerka vizualnom dijelu stripa tiče se štampe ili pripreme - digitalno izdanje je puno življih boja. Ali sve skupa, Pogrebnik je stvarno iznenađujuće dobar proizvod žanra koji sam (barem što se francuske scene tiče) smatrao praktički mrtvim. Scenarij je vrlo dinamičan, grabi na prvu i vozi do samog kraja drugog albuma.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews