Metax

by Antoine Cossé

In the dystopian city-state of Kronin, the chief engineer is in charge of all mining of Metax — a precious material that has become indispensable to survival because of its extraordinary qualities. Meanwhile, a police officer investigates the mysterious killing of royal horses, suspecting a terrorist insurrection. Sabrina, the engineer's daughter, is a member of this resistance group, which appears to be comprised of children. Meanwhile, the King's hidden hand sets in motion a power play that will change the destiny of the kingdom forever, and all of these characters get caught up together in a whirlwind of violence and faith.

This lusciously illustrated, science fiction fantasy by French cartoonist Antoine Cossé moves with the grace of a swan. Dark, romantic, and compassionate, it is an exploration of greed, its consequences, and the possibility of escape.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Dystopia

300 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2022

About the author

Antoine Cossé is a French illustrator and cartoonist. Cossé was born in Paris in 1981. He studied Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts in London, where he still lives.
His comics have been published by Breakdown Press, Retrofit comics, Fantagraphics Books, most notably Mutiny Bay (2014), Showtime (2017) and Metax (2022).
His illustration works have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Wetransfer, The Guardian, Les Inrockuptibles, Libération, Le Monde Diplomatique and others.

Reviews

[Mansoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It bears a striking resemblance to a particular kind of cinema: the minimalist way of cartooning, the painterly characteristic of the art, visual pleasures embedded in single-panel pages, the vagueness of narrative. Also deliberately not using a visual tool is reminiscent of Ozu.



Stills from And Life Goes On… (Abbas Kiarostami, 1992) & La diosa arrodillada (Roberto Gavaldón, 1947)

[Paul Dembina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really disappointing. A wafer thin story padded out with many pages of dialogue-free images showing objects (birds and cars mostly) in transit from one location to another. Could easily be read through in less than an hour.

[Estibaliz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was probably way too conceptual for me to actually enjoy it.

The art is pretty unique, with lots of dark watercolors. The story, however, it's not very well developed, and because of the nature of said art, it might get a little bit muddy and hard to follow (specially when it comes to know who is who) at times. Of course, the minimalism when it comes to the scarce dialogue didn't help either.

Not sure that I would actually recommend this graphic novel...

[disco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This art style is speaking to me.

[verda neverda · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm just a beginner in a world of comics, so i enjoyed the style and cinematic feeling while letting myself to ignore the pretending-to-be-mysterious fabula.
3.5/5 and why not? :)

[Diego Dotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had potential, an interesting story and some beautiful unique drawings.

[Marion Egger · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the stellar art - minimalistic but vibrant with an excellent grasp of depicting movement and creating a (sombre) atmosphere. The characters are a quite. hard to distinguish due to the minimalistic style though, and the plot remains a bit vague

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd read. Atmospheric and expansive, Metax was very much about delivering a tone more than anything else: a rare kind of book these days. I liked the bits of story that were there. Wig was an especially chilling character.

[Dusty Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful comics I’ve read in recent memory. I’ve been a fan of Antoine Cossé’s art from what little pieces I’ve seen but never had a chance to read a full story before this. The art alone is worth picking this up, but it’s the graceful way the story moves through this surrealistic watercolor images that really makes it special. The story is hazy and compelling. I can see it read as oblique but I felt it left it open to bringing what you want to the larger messages. A beautiful book full of dancing, death, wicked plans, espionage, and masterful art. A really special experience, one to savor and come back to.

[Marek · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.7
Nie mogę nie doceniać wydawnictw takich, jak to. "Metax" przyciąga swoją formą - niecodziennością minimalistycznej estetyki, wizualną abstrakcją i niejasnością pojęć oraz znaczeń, które towarzyszą nam od samego początku i są obecne na większości stron komiksu. W samej treści Cossé też nie stara się odkrywać swoich kart zbyt szybko, co przez długi czas działa na korzyść samej opowieści, którą można sklasyfikować na pograniczu science- i political fiction. Dużo tu niedopowiedzeń wszelkiego rodzaju, co podsyca naszą wyobraźnię, intryguje i wzmaga apetyt. Ostatecznie jednak całość zostawia nas z dziwnym poczuciem niespełnienia. Otrzymania tylko wycinka jakiejś większej historii, poznania tylko małej cząstki świata, który - być może - zachwyciłby bardziej, gdyby go nam przybliżyć.

Nie umiem więc nie doceniać takich prac, a jednocześnie często nie umiem się też nimi w pełni zachwycać - a przynajmniej na poziomie wywołującym we mnie jakieś głębsze uczucia oraz odczucia, które pozostają we mnie na dłużej. Ciekawa to pozycja, ale ostatecznie nie trafia w moje serce.

[Electric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viele effektive Panels und Splashpages gefüllt mit psychedelischen Figuren, großartig konstruierten, geradezu filmischen Einstellungen und abstrakt angedeuteten Landschaften in schwarz/grauem Aquarell. Manche davon würde man sich wirklich gerne an die Wand hängen - eine echte Story wird daraus aber nicht so richtig. Aber ich bin diesem Comic und dem Menschen der ihn mir verkauft hat jedenfalls dankbar für den Begriff und das Gefühl von "atmosphärischer Science-Fiction". Unfassbar schön gemachte Ausgabe der Edition Moderne.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il voto complessivo viene dalla media di quelli per graphic e per novel.
Lo stile delle tavole mi è piaciuto un sacco, sono in scala di grigi nella maggior parte del volume e tutte molto scure e acquerellate. Le forme e le figure a volte sono ridotte al minimo, al concetto.

Tuttavia, anche la storia è ridotta all'osso, se non avessi letto la trama riportata sul volume non credo che avrei capito molto. Forse troppo concettuale per me?

[Lorenzo Coltellacci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graficamente incredibile, ma dalla storia mi aspettavo qualcosina di più. Sia a livello di storytelling, che non è sempre fluido e ben chiaro (complice anche lo stile grafico di cui sopra), sia a livello di trama, che sa di già visto, anche nel messaggio finale.

Bellissimo da vedere, ma con qualche mancanza nella sostanza.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I liked this, considering I tend to write off graphic novels that are this artistic / stylistic. It changed my outlook on visual storytelling and I really enjoyed it. Probably my favorite read of the year.

[টক দইয়ের চা · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of time...

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit quick and not a whole lot to the story, yet it is still a very engrossing and unique imaginative story with brilliantly masterful artwork!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s nice to switch things up to dancing and swimming.

[Gala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully unusual graphic novel with spare illustrations and text delivering a complex but understandable alternate world.

[MilesTeller Shirtless · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kinda Mid Moebius

[Jackson Wehrli · Rating 5 out of 5]

bien fait bien écrit

[Ana Matos · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

[Agnieszka · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Corey Nyhus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving parable about art, truth, and shapeshifting children. I'm enamored with the way Antoine Cossé cartoons.

[Matteo Celeste · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5, in realtà...

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, eye opening, visionary book, with lush illustration and an incredible pace. As usual, Cosse takes us on a filmic journey, that never disappoints

[will · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow, I would like to see a screen adaptation of it

[Ellis ♥]

Recensione per Leggere Distopico e Fantascienza Oggi ! 😊

Giunge in Italia grazie a ADD editore e con la traduzione di Claudia Durastanti: Metax di Antoine Cossé.
Una trasposizione fumettistica che racconta una storia profonda e complessa.
Continua qui: https://www.leggeredistopico.com/2024...

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems insane I initially gave this three stars but I remember being a little ambivalent. Maybe it was ahead of its time. I’ve also read a few Joe Kessler comics since and his hand in editing and flow is evident. Regardless, I was compelled to pick up a copy to re-read years later and now it’s is one of my favorite comics. The experience of flipping through the pages and visual storytelling are paramount here, even if the narrative is murky. The ambiguity works for this dreamy, architectural thriller though. Highly recommended