Dungeon: The Early Years - Vol. 2: Innocence Lost

Donjon Potron-Minet #-97 -84

by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim (Illustrator)

Hyacinthe, Dungeon Keeper to be, continues to render justice in a cloak nightly as The Night Shirt and stumbles upon the one he pines for, Alexandra, an assassin, about to be raped! After his valiant and heroic rescue, his wettest dreams come true… with dire consequences. In the second story which happens quite a few years later, he’s married and a poor husband, worse even, a poor lover, until Alexandra plots to gain him back. Cloak and dagger with romantic bravura! And you thought he didn’t have it in him. Art by Eisner nominated Blain (Isaac The Pirate, Gus) and story by legendary Trondheim and Eisner nominated Sfar (Rabbi’s Cat).

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Bande Dessinée

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Joann 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.

Reviews

[Václav · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4,5 of 5 for this nice take on "transformation of Hyacinthe")
I really like Donjon/dungeon. It!s both a fun and thrilling read. These two volumes cover the transformation of Hyacinthe/Justice to something bigger in both of his personas, and the quick spiral towards the "Donjon". It's super fun to read so I was almost sad it "ended" and I will leap forward to the Dungeon years.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Blain is a great choice as artist on this stuff, and the combination of the darker tone and the wacky action really works well.

Surprisingly sexually explicit, or maybe not "explicit" but there's a lot more sex than you'd expect from the run of the mill "funny animal" book (though I think that Dungeon transcends that genre in almost every possible way).

Another plus is that these "early years" stories escape the overly-complex chronology found in the other books, where you often feel like you've missed a big chuck of action, which may or may not have been written yet, and may or may not have been translated into English, and may or may not be in another volume you just haven't read yet. (It's not like you need to know every detail in the right order, but events get surprisingly complex as stuff goes on.)

This also may be my favorite cover so far.

[Sarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tässä kirjassa todella menetetään viattomuus useammalla kuin yhdellä tavalla. Kolme ja puoli tähteä supistuu kolmeksi, kun Hyacinthe-pingviini seikkailee naismaailmassa, saa taudin, pelastaa tamman pahoilta jäniksiltä, haikailee rakastamansa salamurhaaja-Alexandran perään, hautaa vaimonsa, polttaa mitä eriskummallisimpia tuntemuksia aiheuttavia tupakkalaatuja (lahja tontuilta) ja sekaantuu kaupungin sorruttavaan metroprojektiin. Seksiä ja väkivaltaa luvassa tässä elukoiden täyttämässä sarjakuvaromaanissa. Hieman tarina katkesi keskeltä, kun albumin kahden erillisen tarinan välissä on kulunut vuosia. Mutta ihan luettavaa väärähköä huumoria, jälleen kerran.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read 3 or 4 of these Dungeon volumes and have to say this one is my least favorite so far. Usually when I get done reading one of these I feel inspired, like I want to create something similar, but this time it was just really dark. There was also a bunch of sex, which is fine, but the frequency in this one made it kind of boring.

Anyway, these books are quick reads so if you're a completest then read it. If not then skip it and enjoy the others.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Dungeon adventure, with surprising twists, great art, wild creatures, sharp dialogue and great art. This is fantasy I can get behind.

[Mikael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, Dramatic and awesome. Unlike the other arcs of Dungeon i feel that this one actually comes to a sort of conclusion at the end. Hyacinth and Alexandra deserves each other.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one covers a lot of time, and sort of jumps the story forward a bit. I kind of wish it had moved a little more slowly, I would have liked more adventures of the Night Shirt. That said, this is still great stuff, as we start to really see the tragic events that lead to Hyacinthe's rise (decline?) from vigilante hero to master of the Dungeon. (What, it's not a spoiler, you knew that was coming, right?)

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a lot more adult themes than I'd expected. Hyacinth "The Nightshirt" gets a social disease, rescues a fair mare(?) from some lawless rabbits, is rescued by his lady fair, and smokes all kinds of substances to enhance his powers. Hyacinth definitely loses some innocence points in this installment.

[DaViD´82 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soubor dvou příběhů. První je o opovrženíhodných králících, muňkách a právnících. A i navzdory několika výtečným scénám není nic moc. Druhý se odehrává po letech, v době zániku metropole a i navzdory několika výtečným scénám (průlet zničeným městem a rozpad společnosti především) není nic moc. Ano, chápete zcela správně, že toto album navzdory několika výtečným scénám není nic moc.

[Damien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being greedy for more of these characters and their evolution, I wish there wasn't the big jump in time in the middle of the book. It's great to finally have some more of this story.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors skip years (if not decades) of the Keeper's life between the two stories, but in doing so, we lose out on his transformation. Too much left unsaid.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

More wonderful convoluted adventures with colorful art, humor and great characters! For mature readers. ;)

[Bria · Rating 3 out of 5]

They like to lull you with all the volumes that are funny and clever and charming, only to spring on you with the occasional sad or upsetting ones!

[Liz Yerby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes

[Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

man, I really dig that Christophe Blain!

[Jake Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sfar & Trondheim can't return to the Early Years timeline soon enough.

[Dave Peticolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much fun.

[Sheridan]

It was only about half way through this volume that I realised how Bruce Wayne-ish the Night Shirt was (wealthy landowner, respected in society, has a night-time alter ego). Bizarre collection, with the first half continuing on from the previous collection while the second half doesn't seem to belong in a book called 'The Early Years'. I have no idea where the next volume might go, though the ending does reinforce ideas of Gormenghast, already instilled in the first collection.