The spiffy adventures of McConey (Les formidables aventures de Lapinot in the original French language) is a comic series by the popular French cartoonist Lewis Trondheim. The series mixes satire and fantasy. The main characters are all for instance McConey (Lapinot) is a shy and easygoing rabbit, while Richard is an engaging cat with a loud mouth and a knack for getting into trouble. The stories alternate between modern France and stock historical settings. The recurring characters in the series can be thought of as actors who don't always play the same people, but always play the same type of roles. The series is generally each book is different in terms of pace, plot, theme, etc. Out of the ten official volumes of the series, only two have been translated in English.
The phenomenal Lewis Trondheim is never where you next expect him. As an artist and writer, Trondheim has earned an international following as one of the most inventive, versatile, and prolific graphic authors. From autobiography to adventure, from bestselling fantasy and children's books to visual essays, Trondheim's unique, seminal imagination consistently dazzles. His work has won numerous awards, including the Angoulême prize for best series with McConey and he also co-created the titanic fantasy epic Dungeon with Joann Sfar.
He is one of the founding members of the alternative publishing house L'Association, a proving ground for many of the greatest talents in European comics working today. He is also the editorial director of a new imprint called Shampooing, dedicated to comics for all ages.
Lewis lives in the South of France with his wife, Brigitte Findakly, and two children.
Último de los álbums de Lapinot en mi poder y última de mis relecturas -curiosamente, del libro que leí primero de todos- de esta magnífica serie de unitarios donde Trondheim repite personajes pero les cambia el contexto histórico, el género o incluso (de manera más moderada) las personalidades. Estamos en la línea "principal", por así decir -el París de la actualidad, con Lapinot y sus amigos viviendo aventuras costumbristas- pero aquí, aunque en tren de comedia de enredos, Trondheim involucra un elemento sobrenatural -una piedra que trae una maldición a su propietario- que disparará las situaciones más descacharrantes. Con un timing absoluto para la comedia, personajes hermosos -nunca el gato Richard brilló como ahora- y una trama orquestada a la perfección, donde todo está medido hasta el más mínimo detalle, Trondheim habla de las relaciones humanas -o animales- la amistad y conceptos más herméticos como pueden ser la suerte o la superstición. Para cuando Lapinot, Richard y el resto de la barra entiende que hacer con la maldita piedra, hay incluso un giro más y será uno que no develaremos aquí pero sí asegurar que es un disparador de la carcajada más ruidosa. El mejor de los cuatro libros de Lapinot en mi poder, creo, el más redondo de todos. Un placer leerlo.
L'auteur nous offre une nouvelle agréable lecture de 30min mais rien de transcendant dans le dessin, l'humour ou le scénario.
Trondheim flatte la nostalgie de ses lecteurs trentenaires en organisant une course de billes et en jouant au flipper, invente des scènes invraisemblables seulement drôles pour leurs enfants (l'exorcisme), crée des seconds rôles monolithiques facile à moquer (la souris c'est un intello chiant haha ! Il adore le trivial poursuit et le scrabble bouuuuhhhh), moque son petit milieu d'artiste (le vernissage) tout en reproduisant ses incontournables (toujours se foutre de la gueule des keufs, c'est des cibles faciles et en plus c'est pas le genre à acheter des bd).
A nouveau quelques bulles restent : "- Ta vocation, c'est quoi ? C'est de devenir un saint ? - Et toi ? C'est de mourir avec de l'argent que tu n'aurais pas dépensé ?" mais je continue de ne pas m'expliquer le succès et "l'humour fin" que déniche des lecteurs dans ces planches.
I spent a good half of this feeling like I'd be underwhelmed, until the pace and simplicity kind of clicked, and I realized that this wasn't a grand supernatural adventure, but a supernatural adventure about everyday life - and then I was able to see that it was something fairly unique, in addition to being fun and good-natured.
A nice, quick read. Although the style is cartoon-ish, I think it's really targeted more towards people in their late-20s to early 30s. It's about a group of friends getting back together--I found myself thinking of my college friends and myself--and the adventures that they stumble over on a few days in the city. Many of the adventures revolve around a curse one of them picks up along the way. Pretty funny, but I always like Trondheim's humor, anyway.