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Paris 2119
Celebrated author Zep (A Story of Men, A Strange and Beautiful Sound) weaves a mystery borne from humanity's addiction to convenience and technology, and the dangers such addiction can propose. This gorgeously illustrated, poignant sci-fi tale aims a spotlight on current social trends such as over-consumption, climate change, identity theft, and transhumanism. Painted in detailed watercolors by Dominique Bertail, this book evokes the classic science fiction styles of Jean "Moebius" Giraud, Enki Bilal, and Jean-Claude Mézières.
88 pages, Hardcover
First published January 23, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
January 27, 2021
Gorgeously illustrated story set a hundred years in the future. Most of the world travels by teleportation now. Our hero, Tristan Keyes, discovers a dark secret about teleportation that's no surprise to anyone who has read scientific theory on how teleportation could actually become possible or just read any science fiction dealing with teleportation. The story follows a lot of action movie tropes and doesn't really go anywhere interesting. It also has a crap ending. So to recap, so-so story, brilliant art.
Received a review copy from Magnetic Press and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Magnetic Press and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
December 6, 2020
Teleporting has become the main mean for transportation, but Tristan, our main character is old school and doesn't use it. Good choice, taken into consideration what he will discover later.
Despite a few gaps in the logic and characters' behaviour, the story draws you in and delivers.
Add to it some great artwork, the almost sepia colouring being perfect for the narrative, and you get a very good sequential art piece.
>>> ARC received thanks to Diamond Book Distributors / Magnetic Press via NetGalley <<<
It's available in the Read Now section.
Despite a few gaps in the logic and characters' behaviour, the story draws you in and delivers.
Add to it some great artwork, the almost sepia colouring being perfect for the narrative, and you get a very good sequential art piece.
>>> ARC received thanks to Diamond Book Distributors / Magnetic Press via NetGalley <<<
It's available in the Read Now section.
December 22, 2020
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors / Magnetic Press in exchange for an honest review.
What attracted me to this book were the plot and the graphics in beautiful sepia tones. But the graphics seemed to me to be inconsistent at times - characters that seem to look different, breasts that unnaturally change shape and size, wrong shadows, etc. Fortunately, the plot kept its appeal and it made me want to keep going, until sadly it disappointed me towards the end.
* Plot: 4★ / Plot fulfilment 1★
* Characters: 3★
* Language/Humor/Witticism: 3★
* Graphics: 3★
* Enjoyability: 2.5★
What attracted me to this book were the plot and the graphics in beautiful sepia tones. But the graphics seemed to me to be inconsistent at times - characters that seem to look different, breasts that unnaturally change shape and size, wrong shadows, etc. Fortunately, the plot kept its appeal and it made me want to keep going, until sadly it disappointed me towards the end.
* Plot: 4★ / Plot fulfilment 1★
* Characters: 3★
* Language/Humor/Witticism: 3★
* Graphics: 3★
* Enjoyability: 2.5★
December 10, 2020
Gorgeous art, solid writing, immersive story. Visually breathtaking worldbuilding won me over. .I'm in for more.
December 12, 2020
Takes an interesting sci-fi idea concerning a mystery related to mechanised teleportation, and seems unsure of the point it wants to make, so it clumsily tries to make ALL of them.
The worldbuilding of future Paris is interesting, the art is beautiful. The main characters look cast by a model agency, which makes the whole thing feel slightly unreal. The female main character, Kloe, is basically just there to have sex with the male main character, Tristan, which is nice for him, but kind of disappointing for the reader.
The continued relation between Kloe and Tristan is confusing, as it negates one of the negative philosophical arguments involved with the teleportation mystery (look at me, dancing around the subject), negates it so strongly to make the whole mystery kind of redundant.
2.5 stars
(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)
The worldbuilding of future Paris is interesting, the art is beautiful. The main characters look cast by a model agency, which makes the whole thing feel slightly unreal. The female main character, Kloe, is basically just there to have sex with the male main character, Tristan, which is nice for him, but kind of disappointing for the reader.
The continued relation between Kloe and Tristan is confusing, as it negates one of the negative philosophical arguments involved with the teleportation mystery (look at me, dancing around the subject), negates it so strongly to make the whole mystery kind of redundant.
2.5 stars
(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)
September 19, 2021
Із відомим швейцарським автором мальованих історій Зепом, справжнє ім’я якого є Філіп Чаппуїс, та французьким художником Домініком Бертейлом зустрічаюся вперше. До цього твору, мені не було відомо ніякого мальопису, над якими вони працювали окремо чи разом. Але долею випадку на моїй полиці опинилося банд десіне «Париж 2119» (2019), мальопис, який уперше був виданий французькою мовою, а пізніше за допомогою краундфандинґу на Kickstarter надрукований англійською. Історія написана в жанрі наукової фантастики й зосереджена на сучасних суспільних тенденціях.
«Париж 2119» переносить нас у далеке майбутнє, світ, де технології забезпечують людей усім необхідним, миттєвою розвагою, безпекою та легкими подорожами через спеціальні «телепорти». Незважаючи на цей світ див, Трістан Кійс відчуває себе людиною зі старих часів і категорично відмовляється від усіх можливих технологій. Особливо від нових пристроїв телепортації від корпорації Transcore, які дають змогу людям переміститися з одного місця в інше за коротку мить. Натомість він вважає за краще ходити вулицями Парижа та переміщуватися на довгі відстані по старому, за допомогою пошарпаного метрополітену чи інших транспортних засобів.
Під час подорожі на метро Трістан натрапляє на дивну жінку, яка на вигляд здається ошелешеною, ходить у якомусь трансі ледь розмовляючи. Він не переймається цим, поки знову не зустріне ту саму жінку, яка стала його начальницею на новій роботі. Однак зараз жінка виглядає добре й не пам’ятає їхньої першої зустрічі. Згодом Трістан ще кілька разів зустрічає її за різних обставин, які змушують задуматися. Усе, що пов’язане із телепортацією є занадто загадковим і підозрілим. Тому головний герой виявляє бажання докопатися до суті справи, і незабаром натрапляє на змову, що виходить за рамки всього, що він міг собі уявити.
Не скажу, що сюжет цього банд десіне відрізняється якоюсь надзвичайною оригінальністю. А спосіб телепортації, який ми розкриємо прочитавши мальопис, узагалі наштовхує на думку, що я вже таке десь зустрічав. Та одна з речей, яка відразу кидається в очі, коли читаєш «Париж 2119» — це те, наскільки гарно виглядає ця історія. Малюнок Домініка Бертейла — надзвичайний. Використання акварелі не часто бачиш у мальованих історіях, тому кожного разу, коли мені трапляється така нагода, я дістаю багато задоволення від художньої частини. Завдяки тонкій та акуратній роботі, Бертейл надає історії делікатний та вишуканий вигляд. Цей стиль малюнку в поєднанні з архітектурою, виглядом інтер’єру чи елементами, які наповнюють вулиці Парижа, роблять візуальні образи, місця та атмосферу, справді, захоплюючими. Єдине, що мені не дуже сподобалося, як виглядають обличчя персонажів, вони здавалися мені занадто беземоційними. Хоча, яке місце емоціям у такому світі, де все вирішують за тебе, а задоволення приносять на тарілці під ніс.
Головною метою мальопису було показати на що здатні люди заради комфортного життя й чи задумуються вони, які страшні речі можуть лежать під виглядом прекрасних технологій. Я б не сказав, що мене чимось вразило це банд десіне, окрім гарного малюнку Домініка Бертейла звісно. Але цікава ідея, проста сюжетна лінія, трохи сексу, інтриги та антураж Парижу 2119-го року — зробили цей мальопис досить хорошим. Але якщо б порадити його вам, то сказав би, що братися за нього вартує в більшій мірі через малюнок.
«Париж 2119» переносить нас у далеке майбутнє, світ, де технології забезпечують людей усім необхідним, миттєвою розвагою, безпекою та легкими подорожами через спеціальні «телепорти». Незважаючи на цей світ див, Трістан Кійс відчуває себе людиною зі старих часів і категорично відмовляється від усіх можливих технологій. Особливо від нових пристроїв телепортації від корпорації Transcore, які дають змогу людям переміститися з одного місця в інше за коротку мить. Натомість він вважає за краще ходити вулицями Парижа та переміщуватися на довгі відстані по старому, за допомогою пошарпаного метрополітену чи інших транспортних засобів.
Під час подорожі на метро Трістан натрапляє на дивну жінку, яка на вигляд здається ошелешеною, ходить у якомусь трансі ледь розмовляючи. Він не переймається цим, поки знову не зустріне ту саму жінку, яка стала його начальницею на новій роботі. Однак зараз жінка виглядає добре й не пам’ятає їхньої першої зустрічі. Згодом Трістан ще кілька разів зустрічає її за різних обставин, які змушують задуматися. Усе, що пов’язане із телепортацією є занадто загадковим і підозрілим. Тому головний герой виявляє бажання докопатися до суті справи, і незабаром натрапляє на змову, що виходить за рамки всього, що він міг собі уявити.
Не скажу, що сюжет цього банд десіне відрізняється якоюсь надзвичайною оригінальністю. А спосіб телепортації, який ми розкриємо прочитавши мальопис, узагалі наштовхує на думку, що я вже таке десь зустрічав. Та одна з речей, яка відразу кидається в очі, коли читаєш «Париж 2119» — це те, наскільки гарно виглядає ця історія. Малюнок Домініка Бертейла — надзвичайний. Використання акварелі не часто бачиш у мальованих історіях, тому кожного разу, коли мені трапляється така нагода, я дістаю багато задоволення від художньої частини. Завдяки тонкій та акуратній роботі, Бертейл надає історії делікатний та вишуканий вигляд. Цей стиль малюнку в поєднанні з архітектурою, виглядом інтер’єру чи елементами, які наповнюють вулиці Парижа, роблять візуальні образи, місця та атмосферу, справді, захоплюючими. Єдине, що мені не дуже сподобалося, як виглядають обличчя персонажів, вони здавалися мені занадто беземоційними. Хоча, яке місце емоціям у такому світі, де все вирішують за тебе, а задоволення приносять на тарілці під ніс.
Головною метою мальопису було показати на що здатні люди заради комфортного життя й чи задумуються вони, які страшні речі можуть лежать під виглядом прекрасних технологій. Я б не сказав, що мене чимось вразило це банд десіне, окрім гарного малюнку Домініка Бертейла звісно. Але цікава ідея, проста сюжетна лінія, трохи сексу, інтриги та антураж Парижу 2119-го року — зробили цей мальопис досить хорошим. Але якщо б порадити його вам, то сказав би, що братися за нього вартує в більшій мірі через малюнок.
January 27, 2021
Slick sci-fi, loved the concept and the aesthetics.
February 21, 2021
I enjoyed this easy to read sci-fi dystopian short graphic novel.
I find the sequential art quite appealing and amazingly done.
The characters are convincing and developed well.
However, the plot needs more convincing I feel. The ending wrapped up well.
Warning for nudity and drugs.
Thanks authors and the publisher for the copy.
I find the sequential art quite appealing and amazingly done.
The characters are convincing and developed well.
However, the plot needs more convincing I feel. The ending wrapped up well.
Warning for nudity and drugs.
Thanks authors and the publisher for the copy.
January 25, 2021
Gorgeous art, dime store philosophy, and 80s action movie plot combine in an underwhelming graphic novel. There were some interesting idea about future France and more could have been done with central teleportation idea, but the comic was so short that none of the ideas had time to be explored or breathe. Neither did the plot or the relationships between the characters, leading to that action movie feel and an underwhelming ending. Triple the number of pages and they might have had something really good here.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2020
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In 2119, most people travel by teleporting, but Tristan is old school. He still prefers the metro and walking, and his distrust of technology only gets worse when he begins to notice some strange things happening to people that all seem to have something to do with teleportation.
This is a very short graphic novel with an interesting premise. The tone of the art is dark, which fits the story perfectly. I do feel like the story itself needed more fleshing out; the ending especially felt abrupt and kind of "oh well what can you do 🤷♀️".
There is a lot of female nudity in this book, and it almost feels like the goal of some of the pages was "how long can we keep Kloe's boobs on display?" There's one page especially where we're treated to a zoomed in view of her genitals but one panel below that, Triston covers his with his pants when he gets up. No double standards here or anything.
In 2119, most people travel by teleporting, but Tristan is old school. He still prefers the metro and walking, and his distrust of technology only gets worse when he begins to notice some strange things happening to people that all seem to have something to do with teleportation.
This is a very short graphic novel with an interesting premise. The tone of the art is dark, which fits the story perfectly. I do feel like the story itself needed more fleshing out; the ending especially felt abrupt and kind of "oh well what can you do 🤷♀️".
There is a lot of female nudity in this book, and it almost feels like the goal of some of the pages was "how long can we keep Kloe's boobs on display?" There's one page especially where we're treated to a zoomed in view of her genitals but one panel below that, Triston covers his with his pants when he gets up. No double standards here or anything.
January 9, 2021
+Digital Arc gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+
3.5 not-so-fast stars.
Tristan Keys is a writer looking for work in Paris, who likes to walk under the neverending rain and ride the subway, which goes against everything his society does. For years Transcore has incorporated teleportation as a public means of transportation. Diverse drones watch the streets, and the digital duplicates that replace the identity is a daily thing, while the poor have been left sleeping in the streets.
Then Tristan stumbles upon something he was not supposed to witness, and the plot carries familiar cover-up themes and themes that are certainly not original . But the way Tristan conducts himself is too silly, and it doesn't suit me.
Are anti-tech people so naive? I do not think so. Paranoid is the word I would use.
The end is also too abrupt, And, we are left for the brevity with the main unsolved ... and an open ending.
All in all, it is a comic that has good visuals, although some vignettes are flat, and it stands out more in the dark planes with the marginal society.
Like all these images of cyberpunk, it draws attention as all the "useful" members of society, that is, making money, are very beautiful and with statuesque bodies. While the rest are not. The comic is also carried away by the fact that the characters who "take charge of things" are not brilliantly beautiful either, uh, probably the poor devils must be raising money for their cosmetic surgery or something similar?
-----------------------
{Esta vez en castellano:}
Tristan Keys es un escritor en busca de trabajo en París, al que le gusta caminar bajo la lluvia interminable y viajar en metro, lo que va en contra de todo lo que hace su sociedad. Durante años, Transcore ha incorporado la teletransportación como medio de transporte público.
Diversos drones vigilan las calles, y los duplicados digitales que reemplazan la identidad es algo cotidiano, mientras los pobres se han quedado durmiendo en las calles.
Luego Tristan se topa con algo que se suponía que no debía presenciar, y la trama incluye temas familiares de encubrimiento y temas que ciertamente no son originales. . Pero la forma en que Tristan se comporta es demasiado tonta y no me queda bien. ¿Es la gente anti-tecnológica tan ingenua? No lo creo. Paranoico es la palabra que usaría.
El final también es demasiado brusco y no resuelve gran cosa, . Final abierto, creo que le llaman ;)
Con todo, es un cómic que tiene buenas visuales y se lee rápido, aunque algunas viñetas son planas, y se destaca más en los planos oscuros con la sociedad marginal.
Como todas estas imagenes de cyberpunk, llama la atención como todos los miembros "útiles" de la sociedad, es decir haciendo dinero, son muy hermosos y con cuerpos esculturales. Mientras que el resto, no lo son. El comic se deja llevar tambien por eso de que los personajes que "se hacen cargo de las cosas" tampoco son rutilantemente bellos, uh, probablemente los pobresdiablos deben estar juntando dinero para su cirugia estetica o algo parecido?
3.5 not-so-fast stars.
Tristan Keys is a writer looking for work in Paris, who likes to walk under the neverending rain and ride the subway, which goes against everything his society does. For years Transcore has incorporated teleportation as a public means of transportation. Diverse drones watch the streets, and the digital duplicates that replace the identity is a daily thing, while the poor have been left sleeping in the streets.
Then Tristan stumbles upon something he was not supposed to witness, and the plot carries familiar cover-up themes and themes that are certainly not original . But the way Tristan conducts himself is too silly, and it doesn't suit me.
Are anti-tech people so naive? I do not think so. Paranoid is the word I would use.
The end is also too abrupt, And, we are left for the brevity with the main unsolved ... and an open ending.
All in all, it is a comic that has good visuals, although some vignettes are flat, and it stands out more in the dark planes with the marginal society.
Like all these images of cyberpunk, it draws attention as all the "useful" members of society, that is, making money, are very beautiful and with statuesque bodies. While the rest are not. The comic is also carried away by the fact that the characters who "take charge of things" are not brilliantly beautiful either, uh, probably the poor devils must be raising money for their cosmetic surgery or something similar?
-----------------------
{Esta vez en castellano:}
Tristan Keys es un escritor en busca de trabajo en París, al que le gusta caminar bajo la lluvia interminable y viajar en metro, lo que va en contra de todo lo que hace su sociedad. Durante años, Transcore ha incorporado la teletransportación como medio de transporte público.
Diversos drones vigilan las calles, y los duplicados digitales que reemplazan la identidad es algo cotidiano, mientras los pobres se han quedado durmiendo en las calles.
Luego Tristan se topa con algo que se suponía que no debía presenciar, y la trama incluye temas familiares de encubrimiento y temas que ciertamente no son originales. . Pero la forma en que Tristan se comporta es demasiado tonta y no me queda bien. ¿Es la gente anti-tecnológica tan ingenua? No lo creo. Paranoico es la palabra que usaría.
El final también es demasiado brusco y no resuelve gran cosa, . Final abierto, creo que le llaman ;)
Con todo, es un cómic que tiene buenas visuales y se lee rápido, aunque algunas viñetas son planas, y se destaca más en los planos oscuros con la sociedad marginal.
Como todas estas imagenes de cyberpunk, llama la atención como todos los miembros "útiles" de la sociedad, es decir haciendo dinero, son muy hermosos y con cuerpos esculturales. Mientras que el resto, no lo son. El comic se deja llevar tambien por eso de que los personajes que "se hacen cargo de las cosas" tampoco son rutilantemente bellos, uh, probablemente los pobresdiablos deben estar juntando dinero para su cirugia estetica o algo parecido?
Read
March 21, 2021French science fiction graphic novel (I read it in English, it was a library impulse borrow). It looked appealing at first glance, but that was as far as it went.
The plot was really dated - I read the exact same plot about teleportation so many times. Without spoilers: If you can think of 3 basic storylines about teleportation, this is probably one of them.
It was interesting that the story was set in Paris in 2119, and that a lot of features of the landscape were unexplained - e.g., there are a lot of famous sights with weird spiky things embedded in them, and that made me wonder about all sorts of things like the aftermath of some kind of nanotechnological warfare or?? It's never revealed, but that's part of the fun. But this was the only thing I liked about the book.
Now comes the worst:
The protagonist's love interest - the dark-skinned Black woman on the cover - is sexualized to an extreme extent, while the protagonist - the white dude on the cover - isn't. It reminded me of the infamous shots of Miranda's behind in Mass Effect 2 (which are being removed for the rerelease), except it was much worse. At one point we get a detailed closeup of her genitals, but we never see Protagonistdude's dangly bits.
There is a discussion in the bonus material at the end that they were originally planning on making Protagonistdude less conventionally attractive, and that would have made him more interesting to me as a character, but with the embarrassing sexual wish fulfilment angle, well.... *flails* I just don't think there's any saving this story.
Oh! And I had Thoughts about the book illustrating "the dregs of society" [sic] AKA people who do not use the teleportation machines with a Chasidic man in traditional clothing. (Though to be honest, it turns out the Chasidim were right. But this is not explored at all, it's just a throwaway visual.)
____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library and I can't wait to return it.
The plot was really dated - I read the exact same plot about teleportation so many times. Without spoilers: If you can think of 3 basic storylines about teleportation, this is probably one of them.
It was interesting that the story was set in Paris in 2119, and that a lot of features of the landscape were unexplained - e.g., there are a lot of famous sights with weird spiky things embedded in them, and that made me wonder about all sorts of things like the aftermath of some kind of nanotechnological warfare or?? It's never revealed, but that's part of the fun. But this was the only thing I liked about the book.
Now comes the worst:
The protagonist's love interest - the dark-skinned Black woman on the cover - is sexualized to an extreme extent, while the protagonist - the white dude on the cover - isn't. It reminded me of the infamous shots of Miranda's behind in Mass Effect 2 (which are being removed for the rerelease), except it was much worse. At one point we get a detailed closeup of her genitals, but we never see Protagonistdude's dangly bits.
There is a discussion in the bonus material at the end that they were originally planning on making Protagonistdude less conventionally attractive, and that would have made him more interesting to me as a character, but with the embarrassing sexual wish fulfilment angle, well.... *flails* I just don't think there's any saving this story.
Oh! And I had Thoughts about the book illustrating "the dregs of society" [sic] AKA people who do not use the teleportation machines with a Chasidic man in traditional clothing. (Though to be honest, it turns out the Chasidim were right. But this is not explored at all, it's just a throwaway visual.)
____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library and I can't wait to return it.
January 22, 2021
English Review Below.
قصة عن المستقبل البعيد، عالم ديستوبيا يبدو فيه أن البشر أتقنوا تكنولوجيا الانتقال الآني، ولكن يكتشف بطلنا أسرارا تعرضه للخطر وتجعله يشك في كل شيء. مشكلتي الوحيدة معها هي أنها قصيرة جدا، كنت أتمنى لو أنها أطول لو لها أعداد أخرى. فالرسم رائع حقا والقصة مثيرة جدا للاهتمام ولكنها انتهت أسرع من اللازم.
I loved the art, the setting, the characters, my only problem is that it was too hurried and not fleshed-out enough. It's such a shame that a world like this with this story and art isn't a series with multiple volumes!
It kinda throws you in the story and you start discovering this dystopian world. We're in Paris, and this is in the far future, where humans supposedly perfected teleportation, and we see how the rich and well-off live what seems like a comfortable life, and the poor and those who don't trust technology left to rot living ordinary and dirty lives. Our hero stumbles upon a secret about their lifestyle that changes everything.
I'm just sad that there isn't more and that it's this short!
I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC!
قصة عن المستقبل البعيد، عالم ديستوبيا يبدو فيه أن البشر أتقنوا تكنولوجيا الانتقال الآني، ولكن يكتشف بطلنا أسرارا تعرضه للخطر وتجعله يشك في كل شيء. مشكلتي الوحيدة معها هي أنها قصيرة جدا، كنت أتمنى لو أنها أطول لو لها أعداد أخرى. فالرسم رائع حقا والقصة مثيرة جدا للاهتمام ولكنها انتهت أسرع من اللازم.
I loved the art, the setting, the characters, my only problem is that it was too hurried and not fleshed-out enough. It's such a shame that a world like this with this story and art isn't a series with multiple volumes!
It kinda throws you in the story and you start discovering this dystopian world. We're in Paris, and this is in the far future, where humans supposedly perfected teleportation, and we see how the rich and well-off live what seems like a comfortable life, and the poor and those who don't trust technology left to rot living ordinary and dirty lives. Our hero stumbles upon a secret about their lifestyle that changes everything.
I'm just sad that there isn't more and that it's this short!
I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC!
December 7, 2020
8.75 out of 10 stars
Cool and interesting! I wish it was longer.
Keywords: graphic novel, science fiction, noir (?), far future, teleportation; content warning: nudity
REVIEW
Paris 2119 is speculative fiction about the future hundred years from now on. The story follow Tristan, a nostalgic of old things in the world brimming with technological magics. In 2119 climate change ravaged the earth and conventional mode of transportation no longer preferred, people choosing instant teleportation instead. One day, Tristan met something strange in a subway that will change himself forever.
I really like the artstyle. It's imaginative, vivid, and detailed. It also match with the bleak, noir tones of the story. The suspense feels real and it has gritty edges too. The dialogues and explanations work really well too, not crowding nor info dump-y despite a lot of it spent on worldbuilding.
What I like the most is the concept and worldbuilding. It touches many issue like ecological crisis and transhumanism. What is souls and what make human is a human. Also the ethics regarding technology. It's interesting and thought-provoking. The worldbuilding is quite creative and the artwork portrayed it perfectly.
What really bother me is how the female character only act as love interest and have no further rule other than being there having sex with the hero and giving some warnings. And how the story feels lack conclusion. Other than those complaints, this is amazing.
Thank you Netgalley and Magnetic Press for providing me digital arc of this book in an exchange of honest review.
CONCLUSION
It's a quick read and pretty cool.
Cool and interesting! I wish it was longer.
Keywords: graphic novel, science fiction, noir (?), far future, teleportation; content warning: nudity
REVIEW
Paris 2119 is speculative fiction about the future hundred years from now on. The story follow Tristan, a nostalgic of old things in the world brimming with technological magics. In 2119 climate change ravaged the earth and conventional mode of transportation no longer preferred, people choosing instant teleportation instead. One day, Tristan met something strange in a subway that will change himself forever.
I really like the artstyle. It's imaginative, vivid, and detailed. It also match with the bleak, noir tones of the story. The suspense feels real and it has gritty edges too. The dialogues and explanations work really well too, not crowding nor info dump-y despite a lot of it spent on worldbuilding.
What I like the most is the concept and worldbuilding. It touches many issue like ecological crisis and transhumanism. What is souls and what make human is a human. Also the ethics regarding technology. It's interesting and thought-provoking. The worldbuilding is quite creative and the artwork portrayed it perfectly.
What really bother me is how the female character only act as love interest and have no further rule other than being there having sex with the hero and giving some warnings. And how the story feels lack conclusion. Other than those complaints, this is amazing.
Thank you Netgalley and Magnetic Press for providing me digital arc of this book in an exchange of honest review.
CONCLUSION
It's a quick read and pretty cool.
January 1, 2021
I really liked the art style and the colours. They were tasteful and evocative. However, I found the storyboarding to be extremely weak.. The novel presents an argument of technology and its subsequent effects. No one lives in the "real world" anymore, just virtual. The concept wasn't anything that we haven't encountered, so many of such stories exist. But they all have something that makes them stand out and sets them apart, puts a new light on the perspective. This story, however, fails to do any of that.
I found the cover of this novel to be very misleading. I had thought that Kloé and Tristan would both be the main characters. But the book relegates Kloé to just being the love interest who does not subscribe to the same ideology as Tristan, has sex with him everytime they appear together, is used to threaten and subdue him and eventually given to him as a reward for, I don't know, surviving?
I had expected so much more from this but was sorely disappointed.
Digital galley provided by the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are not impacted by this fact.
Find me elsewhere: Blog | BookTube | Instagram | Twitter | The Story Graph
I found the cover of this novel to be very misleading. I had thought that Kloé and Tristan would both be the main characters. But the book relegates Kloé to just being the love interest who does not subscribe to the same ideology as Tristan, has sex with him everytime they appear together, is used to threaten and subdue him and eventually given to him as a reward for, I don't know, surviving?
I had expected so much more from this but was sorely disappointed.
Digital galley provided by the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are not impacted by this fact.
Find me elsewhere: Blog | BookTube | Instagram | Twitter | The Story Graph
December 6, 2020
Gorgeous art, solid writing, immersive story. I'm in for more.
December 12, 2020
Paris, the future. It's a world of weather control set to permanent rain, digitised cyber-clones and people who are not who they appear to be, and of a network of individual and public teleporting boom tubes, sending us from one online, cybernetic interface to another, and never any human-to-human contact. Or babies. Definitely not babies – they're too risky, too random and uncontrollable. Our hero, he of the academic sort of drudge work and buxom businesswoman Nubian goddess partner, meets an awkward, possibly ill, old woman on the Metro, with them being almost the only people still to use such antiquated infrastructure. He then meets her as a perky, bossy new employer. He then meets the out-of-it aged version again, and sees her killed. And then sees the boss… It can't be that he's such a stick-in-the-mud he's out of tune with the modern world, so what the fudge is actually going on?
I take it as writ than you're on board with that premise – it's a good background to a story. But this isn't at all perfect. For one, it's forced me to review the ending, or rather, the complete lack of one. This has to go down as one of the most dubiously incomplete, open endings in years. I've looked for what should be a sequel, but everything points to this being the full 80 pages and that we should never expect any more. Now, some of that is mitigated by the 'twist' of this being a very well-used solution to similar cases elsewhere in genre fiction, but it still boils down to this feeling weirdly dumped by its own creators, before the first date has even reached desserts. Before that we've heard an awkward fanfare about the girlfriend's colour (well, if I also made one above it's only because the book can't stop gawping at the difference in their skin tones), we've admired the architecture and world-building that made this a work of such potential, and yes, loved that set-up. A strong set-up, then, that leads to a strong upset. Three and a half stars, perhaps, when it could have been a lot more.
I take it as writ than you're on board with that premise – it's a good background to a story. But this isn't at all perfect. For one, it's forced me to review the ending, or rather, the complete lack of one. This has to go down as one of the most dubiously incomplete, open endings in years. I've looked for what should be a sequel, but everything points to this being the full 80 pages and that we should never expect any more. Now, some of that is mitigated by the 'twist' of this being a very well-used solution to similar cases elsewhere in genre fiction, but it still boils down to this feeling weirdly dumped by its own creators, before the first date has even reached desserts. Before that we've heard an awkward fanfare about the girlfriend's colour (well, if I also made one above it's only because the book can't stop gawping at the difference in their skin tones), we've admired the architecture and world-building that made this a work of such potential, and yes, loved that set-up. A strong set-up, then, that leads to a strong upset. Three and a half stars, perhaps, when it could have been a lot more.
January 28, 2021
I don’t know if it’s just me but lately I’ve been reading a lot of graphic novels that catch me with the synopsis or the art style, but they ended up with a poor execution. Unfortunately Paris 2119 wasn’t the exception.
In this futuristic world, Tristan is a guy who feels as an outsider surrounded by a bunch of new tech that is 24/7 around him. He has a hard time adjusting to the world he lives in, but contraire to him, his girlfriend has a nice job and finds herself in this magnificent city where everything is possible just by clicking some button, such as teleportation.
The thing is, great advances come with a dark secret: apparently, every time you teleport to someplace else, the device creates a copy of yourself. And where do these copies, dare to say, clones go? We really don’t know much but they get “handled”.
For a moment I thought I was reading just volume 1, and we will eventually know what will happen, but then it ended so abruptly I wasn’t sure if this was a stand-alone or not. The premise, like I said, was interesting but I really didn’t like the execution. The art is quite something and I would recommend it solely for that. But the story wasn’t strong enough like I thought it would.
I feel like this would be better as a series so we could explore the whole world.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
In this futuristic world, Tristan is a guy who feels as an outsider surrounded by a bunch of new tech that is 24/7 around him. He has a hard time adjusting to the world he lives in, but contraire to him, his girlfriend has a nice job and finds herself in this magnificent city where everything is possible just by clicking some button, such as teleportation.
The thing is, great advances come with a dark secret: apparently, every time you teleport to someplace else, the device creates a copy of yourself. And where do these copies, dare to say, clones go? We really don’t know much but they get “handled”.
For a moment I thought I was reading just volume 1, and we will eventually know what will happen, but then it ended so abruptly I wasn’t sure if this was a stand-alone or not. The premise, like I said, was interesting but I really didn’t like the execution. The art is quite something and I would recommend it solely for that. But the story wasn’t strong enough like I thought it would.
I feel like this would be better as a series so we could explore the whole world.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
December 13, 2020
I enjoyed this fast paced sci-fi in which a man discovers that the transportation system in his city actually kills people and replaces them with a virtual copy that seems to be real but isn't. You can only tell if someone is real if you touch them.
It is the year 2119, and technology has developed at a very fast rate. Transport is instant and in the blink of an eye you can be on the other side of the world. Old forms of travel, such as trains and the metro still exist. Tristan prefers the old ways to the new despite the pressure to conform and when he realises that things are not as they seem, he finds himself suddenly pushed to the margins and erased but he decides to resist.
The artwork is good and the greys and dark colours convey the darkness behind the story. It reminds me of the Matrix with two worlds laying side by side but only those who understand are able to navigate both worlds and resist.
It is a good story with artwork that does an excellent job of portraying the darkness in the story. I would definitely like to read what happens next.
Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
It is the year 2119, and technology has developed at a very fast rate. Transport is instant and in the blink of an eye you can be on the other side of the world. Old forms of travel, such as trains and the metro still exist. Tristan prefers the old ways to the new despite the pressure to conform and when he realises that things are not as they seem, he finds himself suddenly pushed to the margins and erased but he decides to resist.
The artwork is good and the greys and dark colours convey the darkness behind the story. It reminds me of the Matrix with two worlds laying side by side but only those who understand are able to navigate both worlds and resist.
It is a good story with artwork that does an excellent job of portraying the darkness in the story. I would definitely like to read what happens next.
Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
December 6, 2020
Thanks Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review.
Paris 2119 is about the future where the people is now so into technology and doesn’t even go out to the streets, because they all travel with teletransportation, Tristan, who is a “Nostalgic” that doesn’t use teletransportation, finds out about a horrible truth that could change everything.
I loved this, this reminded me of “Black Mirror” and this has a great concept of the future, and this is very sci-fi and entertaining for me, I couldn’t stop reading it, but the only thing that really bothers me about this, it’s the fact that it’s only 74 pages and it’s so short and I WANTED more, and also after that end we could want to know more about what happened.
The graphics were so cool and I loved them, and this also gave me vibes of “Love, Death, Robots” and this it’s great and I want more of it. thanks.
Paris 2119 is about the future where the people is now so into technology and doesn’t even go out to the streets, because they all travel with teletransportation, Tristan, who is a “Nostalgic” that doesn’t use teletransportation, finds out about a horrible truth that could change everything.
I loved this, this reminded me of “Black Mirror” and this has a great concept of the future, and this is very sci-fi and entertaining for me, I couldn’t stop reading it, but the only thing that really bothers me about this, it’s the fact that it’s only 74 pages and it’s so short and I WANTED more, and also after that end we could want to know more about what happened.
The graphics were so cool and I loved them, and this also gave me vibes of “Love, Death, Robots” and this it’s great and I want more of it. thanks.
May 17, 2021
(4,1 of 5 for a nice storyboard for another Black Mirror episode)
I like that utopia to dystopia scenarios so this hit the right string for me. Proper sci-fi, good story, very close to "Black Mirror" stuff (with the theme, social/ethic/corporate criticism, the depressing atmosphere and a rather bitter end) and I like that too. Maybe a bit too close, but I would make a bet that I saw this exact premise somewhere. But the story is very well written and executed, the art is very much what I like for European comics. And I must appreciate the story/page count criterium. The execution of the story perfectly fits the number of pages. That looks like a natural thing, but it is not. I see both not enough and too many pages more often than I would like and it always leads to unsatisfying reading. Luckily with Paris 2119, the length-to-story fits perfectly. As a sci-fi fan, I enjoyed and recommend this comic.
I like that utopia to dystopia scenarios so this hit the right string for me. Proper sci-fi, good story, very close to "Black Mirror" stuff (with the theme, social/ethic/corporate criticism, the depressing atmosphere and a rather bitter end) and I like that too. Maybe a bit too close, but I would make a bet that I saw this exact premise somewhere. But the story is very well written and executed, the art is very much what I like for European comics. And I must appreciate the story/page count criterium. The execution of the story perfectly fits the number of pages. That looks like a natural thing, but it is not. I see both not enough and too many pages more often than I would like and it always leads to unsatisfying reading. Luckily with Paris 2119, the length-to-story fits perfectly. As a sci-fi fan, I enjoyed and recommend this comic.
February 11, 2021
The first project I backed from Magnetic Press. Well, reading French Comics in English... Soobie, you're not doing it right!
I loved the story this BD presents. In a near future, everybody can move through teleportation but the protagonist - a bit like me - isn't really convinced by all this. He starts seeing weird things happening to people who have just teleported and starts asking questions. Which is not a good idea in his case.
The plot was good. The conception was also good. The realization on paper is somehow too rushed. Really. It takes two or three pages for the protagonist to find out the truth and then... Puff!, the BD ends.
I was a bit disappointed by it but the story raises good points.
I also like the art and the colors but this is not enough to earn the book three stars.
I loved the story this BD presents. In a near future, everybody can move through teleportation but the protagonist - a bit like me - isn't really convinced by all this. He starts seeing weird things happening to people who have just teleported and starts asking questions. Which is not a good idea in his case.
The plot was good. The conception was also good. The realization on paper is somehow too rushed. Really. It takes two or three pages for the protagonist to find out the truth and then... Puff!, the BD ends.
I was a bit disappointed by it but the story raises good points.
I also like the art and the colors but this is not enough to earn the book three stars.
January 23, 2019
Paris 2119, c’est avant tout la découverte d’un monde futuriste à travers un pan de vie et pourtant, l’histoire nous emmène vers une sorte de course poursuite qui aurait pu être haletante. Tristan cherche la vérité sur ces machines de téléportation et il finira par la trouver. Le dénouement se termine de manière ouverte. Finalement, il ne sera pas l’acteur du changement ni de la rébellion. Il sait, il a tout perdu, mais cela s’arrête là et c’est sans doute le seul point qui m’a déçue. Toutefois, je n’ai pas boudé mon plaisir. C’est un album magnifique, bien pensé, bien travaillé. Une idée de ce que pourrait devenir notre futur, peut-être. À lire sans modération ! Ma chronique complète sur Songe d'une nuit d'été : https://songedunenuitdete.com/2019/01...
December 6, 2020
Paris 2119 is a fun sci-fi graphic novel. The story was very easy to follow an wasted no time jumping into the mystery and action. I appreciated the themes of environmental pollution and sustainability the writer touched on. I also really liked the art work. It was bright and clear. I would have preferred for the story to end in a different place than it did, but I'm sure there will be future volumes. If you like graphic novels and sci-fi definitely give this one a try.
Thanks to the publisher Diamond Back Distributors/Magnetic Press via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Thanks to the publisher Diamond Back Distributors/Magnetic Press via Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.
December 13, 2020
Underwhelming.
I'm not huge into graphic novels, but I tried one earlier this year that I absolutely love and this premise seemed interesting to me so I thought I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately, it was just kind of meh. The artwork was alright, but the story itself and its execution fell flat. It's short, rushed, and the interesting idea of teleportation and its impact on the population was very underdeveloped.
I'm not huge into graphic novels, but I tried one earlier this year that I absolutely love and this premise seemed interesting to me so I thought I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately, it was just kind of meh. The artwork was alright, but the story itself and its execution fell flat. It's short, rushed, and the interesting idea of teleportation and its impact on the population was very underdeveloped.
May 23, 2024
J'ai apprécié l'intrigue, mais elle reste en suspens et n'est pas assez développée selon moi. C'est un bon premier ouvrage qui mériterait une suite, mais qui ne se suffit pas à lui-même ou du moins qui n'est pas à même de me satisfaire. J'aurai aimé pouvoir accompagner encore un peu les différents personnages
March 7, 2019
Si ma femme avait lu cette bande-dessinée elle aurait dit: "Ça c'est vraiment très français! Un finale soudain et manquant de sense!" :) mais on peux dire qu'est une histoire interessante!
December 25, 2020
What a wonderful read to help round out my year!
June 26, 2021
+
Le scénario intriguant au fil des pages
-
La fin
Le scénario intriguant au fil des pages
-
La fin
December 29, 2020
Paris 2119 trata temas de mucha actualidad como el calentamiento global y el impacto de la tecnología en la humanidad, pero todo desde una perspectiva interesante, que provoca e invita a reflexionar. No deja indiferente.
La parte gráfica que es muy imaginativa y con todos los detalles muy bien cuidados, desde los personajes principales que parecen modelos de revista, hasta el empleo de colores en tonos sepia. Todo guarda un buen equilibrio y está en consonancia con lo que nos narra el autor.
Reseña completa en: https://libroshappy.org/paris-2119-by...
La parte gráfica que es muy imaginativa y con todos los detalles muy bien cuidados, desde los personajes principales que parecen modelos de revista, hasta el empleo de colores en tonos sepia. Todo guarda un buen equilibrio y está en consonancia con lo que nos narra el autor.
Reseña completa en: https://libroshappy.org/paris-2119-by...
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