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Donjon #1
La fortezza vol. 1
Nella lontana landa di Terra Amata c’è una terrificante Fortezza. Il suo business model è semplice e, da secoli, efficace: attirare avventurieri con la promessa di immensi tesori se sconfiggeranno i mostri in agguato nelle segrete, far uccidere gli avventurieri dai mostri, prendersi le cose che hanno portato con sé. Tutto perfetto, finché una strana setta di incappucciati decide di comprare la Fortezza e, quando il Guardiano del maniero declina l’offerta, per una serie di equivoci invece di mandare un enorme e bellicoso barbaro, a spaventare gli incappucciati, ci manda Herbert, un gracile papero, nobile decaduto del ducato di Vaucanson, assolutamente incapace di battersi. Insieme al drago Marvin, capo della vigilanza della Fortezza, Herbert vivrà un numero ridicolo di ridicole avventure.
Questa serie comedy-fantasy creata da Sfar e Trondheim (coadiuvati nei due capitoli finali dei sei raccolti in questo volume da un Boulet in stato di grazia) in Francia è durata ben trentasei episodi, che BAO raccoglierà in sei enormi volumi, a cadenza semestrale.
Contiene "Donjon Zénith" vol. 1-6
Questa serie comedy-fantasy creata da Sfar e Trondheim (coadiuvati nei due capitoli finali dei sei raccolti in questo volume da un Boulet in stato di grazia) in Francia è durata ben trentasei episodi, che BAO raccoglierà in sei enormi volumi, a cadenza semestrale.
Contiene "Donjon Zénith" vol. 1-6
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Joann Sfar
414 books508 followersJoann Sfar (born August 28, 1971 in Nice) is a French comics artist, comic book creator, and film director.
Sfar is considered one of the most important artists of the new wave of Franco-Belgian comics. Many of his comics were published by L'Association which was founded in 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu and six other artists. He also worked together with many of the new movement's main artists, e.g. David B. and Lewis Trondheim. The Donjon series which he created with Trondheim has a cult following in many countries.
Some of his comics are inspired by his Jewish heritage as the son of Jewish parents (an Ashkenazi mother and a Sephardic father). He himself says that there is Ashkenazi humor in his Professeur Bell series (loosely based on Joseph Bell), whereas Le chat du rabbin is clearly inspired by his Sephardic side. Les olives noires is a series about a Jewish child in Israel at the time of Jesus. Like Le chat du rabbin, the series contains a lot of historical and theological information.
His main influences are Fred and André Franquin as well as Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, Will Eisner, Hugo Pratt and John Buscema.
From 2009 to 2010, Sfar wrote and directed 'Serge Gainsbourgh: Une Vie Heroique', a biopic of the notorious French songwriter, of whom Sfar is a self-confessed fanatic. The film, which draws substantially on Sfar's abilities as a comic book artist through its extensive use of fantasy artwork, animation and puppetry, was released in 2010 to general critical acclaim.
Sfar is considered one of the most important artists of the new wave of Franco-Belgian comics. Many of his comics were published by L'Association which was founded in 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu and six other artists. He also worked together with many of the new movement's main artists, e.g. David B. and Lewis Trondheim. The Donjon series which he created with Trondheim has a cult following in many countries.
Some of his comics are inspired by his Jewish heritage as the son of Jewish parents (an Ashkenazi mother and a Sephardic father). He himself says that there is Ashkenazi humor in his Professeur Bell series (loosely based on Joseph Bell), whereas Le chat du rabbin is clearly inspired by his Sephardic side. Les olives noires is a series about a Jewish child in Israel at the time of Jesus. Like Le chat du rabbin, the series contains a lot of historical and theological information.
His main influences are Fred and André Franquin as well as Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, Will Eisner, Hugo Pratt and John Buscema.
From 2009 to 2010, Sfar wrote and directed 'Serge Gainsbourgh: Une Vie Heroique', a biopic of the notorious French songwriter, of whom Sfar is a self-confessed fanatic. The film, which draws substantially on Sfar's abilities as a comic book artist through its extensive use of fantasy artwork, animation and puppetry, was released in 2010 to general critical acclaim.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 4, 2016
NBM! This Incredible Series is a Confusing Thicket of Volumes For New Readers (But It's Not As Bad As It Seems)
Here's the 17-and-counting 100-page volumes released by NBM, collecting the 34-and-counting 50-page albums in the 'Donjon' series by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trodheim; the five translated 'Dungeon' sub-series, like 'Zenith', 'Twilight', and 'Monsters', have their own numbering; they're also being created simultaneously:
Any superhero fan who's accustomed to crossover events won't have a problem. Each sub-series is self-contained, so you can read 'Zenith' before 'Twilight', and vice-versa. For anyone interested, however, I've left a suggested reading order to make this epic story as rewarding as possible... and that's very rewarding, let me tell you.
Lewis Trondheim has had a rough time in North America. In France, he's a highly respected and prolific creator of bande dessinee, as a writer and an artist. He's also a co-founder of 'L'Association', which has established itself as one of France's most prestigious publishers. As popular as he is in Europe, his work was slow to catch on here, and his American debut, the first adventures of his rabbit detective 'McConey', sold a dismally low number of copies. That may have had something to do with his publisher at the time, Fantagraphics Books, run by the notoriously opinionated Gary Groth, whose laissez-faire approach to selling comics has left many of the cartoonists working with FB feeling like he didn't expect any book to be successful... and didn't really give a fuck either way. Groth and Thompson did care. There's not many people who have done more for raising the average IQ of comic-books than Groth and the sadly-departed Kim Thompson. Their weakness has always been promoting, but FB does it's best. Consequently, promotion was not a high priority. Positive reviews, word of mouth, and ads in the Comics Journal were all that could be relied on.
Trondheim's partner on Dungeon, Joann Sfar, has had a far better experience with the North American market; his book 'The Rabbi's Cat' was selected for publication by Pantheon -- the 'graphic novel' specialty label of a major publishing conglomerate -- sold very well, and won a number of the biggest industry awards, spawning a successful sequel. His comic for kids, 'Le Petit Vampire', was translated for English speaking audiences and became a New York Times Bestseller.
The two men's work on Donjon, or Dungeon, is a true collaboration that has continued for over 15 years. It's popularity in Europe persuaded NBM, a company whose history has been made up in large part by English translations of European artists like Francois Schuiten, Vittorio Giardino and Nicolas De Crecy.
The story that has emerged so far is one of the biggest, funniest, scariest, saddest,and most unpredictable comics on the market. It is simultaneously a parody, homage, and legit contender for the fantasy-comic-genre. From the start, Sfar and Trondheim introduced sly versions of the many cliches that have been repeated ad nauseum by legions of hacks and embarrassingly-earnest-utterly-awful writers that drag the entire genre down. Their satirical and surgical operation examines every narrative organ in the fantasy corpus, excising the many useless appendixes that the body has sprouted due to long exposure to Tolkien radiation... but as they had fun vivisecting fantasy and identifying the problematic but nowhere near fatal diseases and parasites, they also found ways to heal, as well. The story grew quickly and more characters fell into the plot-web and stuck. The world of Terra Amata was bigger now, and the ubiquitous quests were set in motion. But Trondheim and Sfar were falling in love with world-building; more importantly, they were good at it. They took readers forward then back in time, to witness the Dungeon's birth and inevitable death, as well as the consequences for the entire planet.
Tronheim provides the clean appealing linework for the first three volumes of Dungeon: Zenith, collected in this bundle.
As the storytelling moved into darker, richer territory, however, it's sense of humor was undiminished. Some of the most entertaining moments -- and stunning art-pages -- are found in the popular 'Monstres' series. Designed to tell the stories of the various creatures tasked with killing the adventurer's who come to the Dungeon in search of fame and fortune (leaving their own magical weapons and fancy armor behind instead -- this is the business that keeps the Dungeon in operation), each self-contained tale is illustrated by a different artist. 'Le Noir Seigneur', by Blanquet, 'Les Profondeurs', by Killoffer, and 'Mon Fils Le Tuer', by Blutch, contain some of my all-time favorite comic art, particularly the first two. But the talent at work -- Sfar, Trondheim, Killoffer, Blutch, Blanquet, Kerascoet, Stanislas, Yoann, Andreas -- that's a motherfuckin' murderers row, right there, um, yo(?).
Killoffer's 'Monsters':
Blanquet's 'Monsters':
Blutch's 'Monsters':
One major problem is the uncertainty readers interested in the series feel about where to begin, what comes next, etc. The lack of clear numbers comes from the fact that there ISN'T one proper order to proceed in... My suggestion is: Dungeon: Zenith (Vol. 1,2,3,4); Dungeon: Parade (Vol. 1,2); Dungeon: Twilight (Vol. 1,2,3,4); Dungeon: Monstres (Vol. 1,2,3,4,5); Dungeon: The Early Years (Vol. 1,2). I think fourth volumes are to be released soon in the Zenith and Twilight series, and a fifth volume is coming in the Monstres series. Never mind 'Bone' and 'Fables', take a chance on this amazing epic.
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
Here's the 17-and-counting 100-page volumes released by NBM, collecting the 34-and-counting 50-page albums in the 'Donjon' series by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trodheim; the five translated 'Dungeon' sub-series, like 'Zenith', 'Twilight', and 'Monsters', have their own numbering; they're also being created simultaneously:
Any superhero fan who's accustomed to crossover events won't have a problem. Each sub-series is self-contained, so you can read 'Zenith' before 'Twilight', and vice-versa. For anyone interested, however, I've left a suggested reading order to make this epic story as rewarding as possible... and that's very rewarding, let me tell you.
Lewis Trondheim has had a rough time in North America. In France, he's a highly respected and prolific creator of bande dessinee, as a writer and an artist. He's also a co-founder of 'L'Association', which has established itself as one of France's most prestigious publishers. As popular as he is in Europe, his work was slow to catch on here, and his American debut, the first adventures of his rabbit detective 'McConey', sold a dismally low number of copies. That may have had something to do with his publisher at the time, Fantagraphics Books, run by the notoriously opinionated Gary Groth, whose laissez-faire approach to selling comics has left many of the cartoonists working with FB feeling like he didn't expect any book to be successful... and didn't really give a fuck either way. Groth and Thompson did care. There's not many people who have done more for raising the average IQ of comic-books than Groth and the sadly-departed Kim Thompson. Their weakness has always been promoting, but FB does it's best. Consequently, promotion was not a high priority. Positive reviews, word of mouth, and ads in the Comics Journal were all that could be relied on.
Trondheim's partner on Dungeon, Joann Sfar, has had a far better experience with the North American market; his book 'The Rabbi's Cat' was selected for publication by Pantheon -- the 'graphic novel' specialty label of a major publishing conglomerate -- sold very well, and won a number of the biggest industry awards, spawning a successful sequel. His comic for kids, 'Le Petit Vampire', was translated for English speaking audiences and became a New York Times Bestseller.
The two men's work on Donjon, or Dungeon, is a true collaboration that has continued for over 15 years. It's popularity in Europe persuaded NBM, a company whose history has been made up in large part by English translations of European artists like Francois Schuiten, Vittorio Giardino and Nicolas De Crecy.
The story that has emerged so far is one of the biggest, funniest, scariest, saddest,and most unpredictable comics on the market. It is simultaneously a parody, homage, and legit contender for the fantasy-comic-genre. From the start, Sfar and Trondheim introduced sly versions of the many cliches that have been repeated ad nauseum by legions of hacks and embarrassingly-earnest-utterly-awful writers that drag the entire genre down. Their satirical and surgical operation examines every narrative organ in the fantasy corpus, excising the many useless appendixes that the body has sprouted due to long exposure to Tolkien radiation... but as they had fun vivisecting fantasy and identifying the problematic but nowhere near fatal diseases and parasites, they also found ways to heal, as well. The story grew quickly and more characters fell into the plot-web and stuck. The world of Terra Amata was bigger now, and the ubiquitous quests were set in motion. But Trondheim and Sfar were falling in love with world-building; more importantly, they were good at it. They took readers forward then back in time, to witness the Dungeon's birth and inevitable death, as well as the consequences for the entire planet.
Tronheim provides the clean appealing linework for the first three volumes of Dungeon: Zenith, collected in this bundle.
As the storytelling moved into darker, richer territory, however, it's sense of humor was undiminished. Some of the most entertaining moments -- and stunning art-pages -- are found in the popular 'Monstres' series. Designed to tell the stories of the various creatures tasked with killing the adventurer's who come to the Dungeon in search of fame and fortune (leaving their own magical weapons and fancy armor behind instead -- this is the business that keeps the Dungeon in operation), each self-contained tale is illustrated by a different artist. 'Le Noir Seigneur', by Blanquet, 'Les Profondeurs', by Killoffer, and 'Mon Fils Le Tuer', by Blutch, contain some of my all-time favorite comic art, particularly the first two. But the talent at work -- Sfar, Trondheim, Killoffer, Blutch, Blanquet, Kerascoet, Stanislas, Yoann, Andreas -- that's a motherfuckin' murderers row, right there, um, yo(?).
Killoffer's 'Monsters':
Blanquet's 'Monsters':
Blutch's 'Monsters':
One major problem is the uncertainty readers interested in the series feel about where to begin, what comes next, etc. The lack of clear numbers comes from the fact that there ISN'T one proper order to proceed in... My suggestion is: Dungeon: Zenith (Vol. 1,2,3,4); Dungeon: Parade (Vol. 1,2); Dungeon: Twilight (Vol. 1,2,3,4); Dungeon: Monstres (Vol. 1,2,3,4,5); Dungeon: The Early Years (Vol. 1,2). I think fourth volumes are to be released soon in the Zenith and Twilight series, and a fifth volume is coming in the Monstres series. Never mind 'Bone' and 'Fables', take a chance on this amazing epic.
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
November 6, 2024
Divertente e avvincente fantasy comico con situazioni e personaggi mai banali seppure derivativi.
April 16, 2023
Divorato in due giorni e subito entrato tra i miei fumetti preferiti.
La premessa è interessante: vedere un mondo fantasy dalla parte della fortezza con mostri assaltata dagli eroi, con la stessa fortezza immaginata come un'azienda, che cerca di guadagnare da ogni cavaliere che, morendo, abbandona i suoi beni nelle stanze e nei cunicoli.
La narrazione è divertente, assurda, con gag e battute in ogni vignetta, ma non rimane un fumetto comico fine a sé stesso, porta avanti una trama, le azioni hanno conseguenze e tutto si evolve, i personaggi principali vanno avanti attraverso sfighe e miglioramenti, attraverso amicizie e amori e guerre e uccisioni, subito diventano memorabili e ci si affeziona. Potrei continuare ad elogiare ogni minima parte, ma mi limito a fare i complimenti anche ai disegni, cartooneschi e semplici e funzionali alla storia, ma non per questo brutti o non gradevoli, anzi sono uno dei punti di forza del volume e aggiungono altra comicità.
5 stelle su 5 senza dubbio, non vedo l'ora di recuperare gli altri volumi
La premessa è interessante: vedere un mondo fantasy dalla parte della fortezza con mostri assaltata dagli eroi, con la stessa fortezza immaginata come un'azienda, che cerca di guadagnare da ogni cavaliere che, morendo, abbandona i suoi beni nelle stanze e nei cunicoli.
La narrazione è divertente, assurda, con gag e battute in ogni vignetta, ma non rimane un fumetto comico fine a sé stesso, porta avanti una trama, le azioni hanno conseguenze e tutto si evolve, i personaggi principali vanno avanti attraverso sfighe e miglioramenti, attraverso amicizie e amori e guerre e uccisioni, subito diventano memorabili e ci si affeziona. Potrei continuare ad elogiare ogni minima parte, ma mi limito a fare i complimenti anche ai disegni, cartooneschi e semplici e funzionali alla storia, ma non per questo brutti o non gradevoli, anzi sono uno dei punti di forza del volume e aggiungono altra comicità.
5 stelle su 5 senza dubbio, non vedo l'ora di recuperare gli altri volumi
February 8, 2020
Fun fantasy adventure that plays on the dungeon/hero's journey tropes quite well. I didn't think it did anything particularly outstanding but it kept me engaged and I'll definitely be searching out the other Dungeon books.
December 4, 2021
A great spoof of Dungeons and Dragons with likeable characters and a constant flush of creativity to complete it too. What more can you ask it for? Comics like these usually lose their appeal over time but this one gets better with each entry.
December 26, 2025
La Fortezza è un fumetto geniale. Il suo titolo fa riferimento al grande dungeon (d'altronde il titolo originale è Donjon) che fa da hub centrale delle avventure raccontate: un luogo la cui economia si fonda sul grande afflusso di avventurieri che entrano per impossessarsi dei suoi tesori per poi lasciarvi le penne e i loro averi.
A capo della Fortezza c'è il Guardiano, dal passato misterioso; è affiancato dal suo campione Marvin (un dragonide vegetariano che non può colpire chi lo insulta), dal mago Alcibiade e dallo scienziato e medico Horus, oltre che dal vero e proprio protagonista della vicenda, il papero Herbert, che da inutile impiegato diventa il responsabile della sicurezza grazie all'aiuto di una spada magica che non vuole rivelare i suoi poteri. Un cast folle che contribuisce notevolmente al tono comico dell'opera.
Le storie raccontate sono vere e proprie quest dense di avventure e colpi di scena: i personaggi lasciano la Fortezza per difenderla, per recuperare oggetti magici come occhi di giganti, per imparare lezioni da maestri che vivono in un sacco di iuta, per salvare principesse che non vogliono essere salvate. Ovviamente, tutto va sempre per il verso sbagliato e si finisce per risolvere le situazioni a scazzottate e colpi di fortuna (o a colpi di TONG DEUM, il pericolosissimo rigurgito di Marvin).
Al geniale umorismo, che ha il ritmo e il sapore delle migliori sit-com, si uniscono i disegni, dal tratto semplice della migliore scuola franco-belga, ma dall'immensa ricchezza di dettagli bizzarri.
Da leggere per un tuffo nell'avventura e nella risata!
A capo della Fortezza c'è il Guardiano, dal passato misterioso; è affiancato dal suo campione Marvin (un dragonide vegetariano che non può colpire chi lo insulta), dal mago Alcibiade e dallo scienziato e medico Horus, oltre che dal vero e proprio protagonista della vicenda, il papero Herbert, che da inutile impiegato diventa il responsabile della sicurezza grazie all'aiuto di una spada magica che non vuole rivelare i suoi poteri. Un cast folle che contribuisce notevolmente al tono comico dell'opera.
Le storie raccontate sono vere e proprie quest dense di avventure e colpi di scena: i personaggi lasciano la Fortezza per difenderla, per recuperare oggetti magici come occhi di giganti, per imparare lezioni da maestri che vivono in un sacco di iuta, per salvare principesse che non vogliono essere salvate. Ovviamente, tutto va sempre per il verso sbagliato e si finisce per risolvere le situazioni a scazzottate e colpi di fortuna (o a colpi di TONG DEUM, il pericolosissimo rigurgito di Marvin).
Al geniale umorismo, che ha il ritmo e il sapore delle migliori sit-com, si uniscono i disegni, dal tratto semplice della migliore scuola franco-belga, ma dall'immensa ricchezza di dettagli bizzarri.
Da leggere per un tuffo nell'avventura e nella risata!
May 24, 2020
Start like your typical fantasy story: there's a castle with monsters, treasure, great armies, ass-kicking princess, and protagonist, who's not overly bright, brave or strong, but has quest and will give it all to fullfill it... and not be fired from his job, which he definetely suck at.
What seems at first as simple comedy story with strong vibe of satire on fantasy genre rather quickly evolve into in-depth journey through fantasy thropes, archetypes and cliches, full of well written characters, witty dialogues and relatable situations. Tone shifts between satire, goofy comedy, but do not fear engaging with more bittersweet or straight up dark motives.
This tome is only a part of much bigger project, involving creation and evolution of a world in his past, present and future. And even if this ambitious project will never be finished, this volume is still worth checking.
And remember: even if you got bunch of monsters at your disposal and negotiating with dragons and army of cutthroats is your daily routine, never underestimate "nice guys" and bureaucracy. They will f*** you up.
What seems at first as simple comedy story with strong vibe of satire on fantasy genre rather quickly evolve into in-depth journey through fantasy thropes, archetypes and cliches, full of well written characters, witty dialogues and relatable situations. Tone shifts between satire, goofy comedy, but do not fear engaging with more bittersweet or straight up dark motives.
This tome is only a part of much bigger project, involving creation and evolution of a world in his past, present and future. And even if this ambitious project will never be finished, this volume is still worth checking.
And remember: even if you got bunch of monsters at your disposal and negotiating with dragons and army of cutthroats is your daily routine, never underestimate "nice guys" and bureaucracy. They will f*** you up.
May 15, 2025
A long time ago i read a comic that had rather simple art but showed great writing. Turns out that that comic was Donjon by Joann Sfar et al. Since then i have read comics with way worse art and Sfar does include other illustrators in the series at points. The writing however is what sets the series aside from the regular fantasy fare though. It touches on not just adventures but friendship, love, intrigue and life and death.
December 3, 2020
Panowie się dopiero rozkręcają. Wprawdzie we wstępie zostajemy uświadomieni jak rozdmuchany jest cały ten projekt, jednak ten tom to głównie parodia fantasy z bardzo przemyślanym światem, momentami zawiłą, ale bardzo spinającą się fabułą i sporą dawką humoru. Jest dobrze, ale liczę, że będzie jeszcze lepiej
December 6, 2020
Bao publishing ha sorpreso ancora una volta, riuscendo a garantire con un modestissimo prezzo di 25.00€ un Capolavoro mattone che riesce a catapultarti in un mondo fantasy-comico da cui non vorresti più uscirne i cui personaggi non sono per nulla scontati e dalla storia così bella e intrigata che non mi sarei mai aspettato dalle premesse del libro, MUST HAVE!
December 14, 2020
Serie fantasy a fumetti umoristica e satirica. Uno sword&sorcery divertentissimo.
October 9, 2022
Simpatico.
December 17, 2023
Powrót do czasów kiedy Cartoon Network grało na okrągło.
April 15, 2025
3,5 out of 5
October 22, 2025
- Ah niente è molto molto bello
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews