Peter Pan: Londres

Peter Pan #1

by Régis Loisel

"Con Peter Pan no tengo otra pretensión que la de contar algo que me hizo soñar da chico, de adolescente y de adulto.
Mi álbum está en la encrucijada de todas las infancias y su historia refleja esa sustancia maravillosa, mezcla de sueño y realidad, que se esfuma inexorablemente cuando crecemos.
Hay magia y poesía, pero también mucha crueldad en ese mundo."

Régis Loisel

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comic Book, France, Fiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Régis Loisel is a cartoonist living in Montreal, Canada. Since the 1970s Loisel has become one of the most decorated French comic artists, especially in the fantasy genre. Loisel has won several awards at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, including the lauded Grand Prix in 2002.

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great graphic novels masterpieces of the Belgian 90s, Peter Pan by Loisel is gorgeously illustrated - both the line drawings and the color are stunning. As for the story, this alternative Peter Pan story is excellent - this first volume makes you want to run back to the store to purchase the other four. This series was one of the first to help me reconsider graphic novels as a legitimate art form as I had previously categorized them as sub-literature with comics and such. This series is of higher matter for sure.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Pan is one of those stories that is so popular that even without ever having read it or seen it in any form, I'm still aware of most of the plot.

This will be the first time I'm actually reading the story, and I'm very curious to experience it firsthand.

In this version, Peter is a young boy trying to survive in what seems to be Victorian London, with a cruel mother and only the owner of a bar as a father figure, the only person in the world who cares for him.

Peter is about to discover something that might change his life...

The illustrations by Loisel are beautiful—by far the best part of this album.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up. I don't know if it was the first tale I was told but I'm sure it has never stopped haunting me. As a little kid I used to dream (both asleep and awake) that he came to my window to take me to Neverland and as an adult I've been aware of its many revisions, adaptations and studies.

I think Regis Loisel's is a shocking but brilliant take on Peter, true to the original version, going deep into the characters and drifting away from Disney.

Loisel's Peter lives in 19th century London East End, surrounded by characters who might have been taken out from "Le Miserable" or Dickens "Oliver Twist". He survives as a little thief trying to keep his alcoholic mother as happy as he can because otherwise she bits him to death. Surrounded by misery, poverty and mischivous characters his friends (orphan boys) are his only shelter. They gather round and Peter tells them wonderful stories. Mr Kundal, is also somebody to lean on, his only father figure. Considering the misery and evilness that surround him and what the future holds for him he decides he will not grow up. But the sudden arrival of a certain fairy will give wings to his imagination and he will fly to Neverland.

If Barries's Peter Pan de Barrie is about freedom and fantasy and the inner kid we all have and sometimes forget. Loisel's is about childhood trauma, lack of love and affection and the inability to love or the denial of a reality that may be too hard to face it.

Although this was just the beginning of the journey I'm eager to go on

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly interesting retelling of the Peter Pan mythos. This first volume follows Peter as a young boy living pretty much as a homeless child in the streets of London. He tells stories to the other street kids and has one friend in an old man who gives him a book of Greek Myths. I think he's a bit older than I imagine Peter Pan being.

Tinker Bells shows up near the end.

I'm interesting in reading more, but I just read Peter Pan (and watched a couple movies too) so I'm going to put this series on the back burner for now.

One thing I didn't like is that it doesn't quite mesh with the original book. Peter is a bit too old, Tinker Bell just gets her name randomly from Peter. The artwork is outstanding. Based on one of the covers I saw online, I expected this to be more pornographic. It's not that at all although it has lots of sexual themes (at one point an older man is about to molest Peter among other things). Tinker Bell is drawn fairly sexually but not gratuitous in my opinion.

[cook_your_book · Rating 2 out of 5]

Une version trash de Peter Pan.
Même si j'étais prévenue, j'ai trouvé cette version trop glauque pour moi... de plus, je ne suis pas fan des dessins et ça compte beaucoup dans une BD.
Petite déception donc...

[Damarys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una precuela, una visión adulta y libre de como un niño londinense de finales del siglo XIX llega a convertirse en Peter Pan. Me encantó, luego de terminar de leerla me puse a buscar información al respecto y encontré que es una serie de 6 tomos que tardaron 14 años en crearse (Wow).

Llegue a esta copia por casualidad (hoy) al escarbar en una librería que no es de mi agrado, ciertamente el dueño no sabía lo que tenia en el estante e inventó un precio, pero fue suficiente para saciar mi curiosidad, el libro es una primera edición de la editorial Norma y creo que no tendré tanta suerte de encontrar otro ya que son de 1992.

Es una obra notable que se hace poco, se lee rápido y se disfruta cada viñeta.
Recomendada.

[Liv Maillot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic was a real shock. The author chose to tell the story of Peter Pan through the darkness of the world and human cruelty. It made me very uncomfortable by the realism of the distress of Peter who tries to survive in the depths of society. Finally I liked the drawings a lot but their raw side disgusted me sometimes.

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relecture d'une de mes BDs préférées de mon adolescence, c'est beaucoup plus hard que dans mes souvenirs. Un début d'histoire rythmé qui donne envie de lire la suite immédiatement, avec un Peter Pan réimaginé au 19e siècle. Je recommande à tous les fans de BDs et aussi à ceux qui regardaient Peter Pan en boucle dans leur enfance, c'est très différent et beaucoup plus adulte.

[João Teixeira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma recriação da história de Peter Pan a pensar no público adulto e não no infantil. Uma Londres vitoriana carregada de personagens medonhas e da qual é necessário fugir.
Fiquei curioso em relação aos restantes volumes.

[Clin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je n'ai pas adhéré. c'est une version un peu trop cru pour moi. je n'y vois absolument pas l'intérêt. c'est juste intéressant d'avoir une autre version de Peter Pan, surtout les débuts de Peter. Néanmoins, je n'ai pas apprécié les dessins non plus.

[ChevalierBayard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nouvelle lecture, plus de 20 ans après la première, et c'est toujours aussi bien. Un classique !

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR CHILDREN.

I really appreciated Loisel's gritter interpretation of Peter Pan's origin story - it had a very Victorian, Dickensian vibe and deals with some pretty heavy subjects such as alcoholism and abuse.

Whilst Loisel's illustrations of Victorian London incredibly atmospheric and conducive to the overall gritty theme, I found some illustrations in bad taste, especially in regards to sexual abuse.

I'm not desperate to continue the series.

[Dustyloup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Est ce que mon pudeur qui ne permet pas de mettre 5 étoiles, peut être c'est une manque de compréhension du langage? mais sinon, excellent adaptation de peter pan et nous donne l'histoire de ses origines même plus crédible que celui du Barrie. c'est claire que peter a inventé sa jeunesse comme tous ses autres histoires, là c'est plus réaliste.

[Gary Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me dream and the best Peter and Tinkerbell due to its realism. I love the illustrations (Loisel is awesome) and the story is a bit dark for the really young (actually a children's book for adults). There are some explicit illustrations and themes, so I say again, not really for children.

[Linguana · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/20...

[OmniscientCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'était juste atroce mais genre vraiment Peter et Mr. Kandal (je crois ?) sont des persos auxquels je me suis directement attaché, d'ailleurs s'agirait de parler du Peter en question qui s'en prend réellement plein la gueule d'une puissance mais sans nom. Le monde dans lequel il évolue est terrifiant et a réellement réussi à me donner la gerbe bien comme il faut, les persos arrivent tous à être aussi immondes les uns que les autres sans trop de difficulté, mais l’arrivée de clochette va sûrement changer la donne espérons-le. En soit sinon c’était super agréable et fluide à lire, j’ai trop aimé le début avec les orphelins et le contraste entre les histoires que Peter racontent et la dure réalité des choses, c’était sans passages ennuyeux enfin bref ça s'annonce bien j'ai trop hâte de lire la suite sûrement d'ici peu.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Currently available on the Internet Archive, this is a graphic novel retelling of Peter Pan by the celebrated Regis Loisel which is much closer to the Barrie original than the sugar-coated Disney version. This is dark and Dickensian, showing Peter as an abused urchin in the squalor of 19th century London, as an introduction to a recurring series. The art and the storytelling are both exceptional, and definitely not for kids. But why another adaptation of this story? I’ll score it three stars as a good read, and I’ll read on. The score might rise by a star if I reread the series, but I’m not so sure. I’m a bit tired of this cultural landmark.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je viens de dévorer un étrange Peter Pan… Une lecture différente… Une bande dessinée pas ordinaire…

Merci, chère voisine pour le prêt de tes volumes, une belle découverte!

C’est un Londres du XIXe siècle, très sombre et pauvre. C’est la misère et le malheur. Les illustrations sont magnifiquement représentatives de l’idée que l’on se fait de cette époque difficile et, en même temps, elles sont superbement remplies de beauté et d’espoir. Un mélange de réalité et d’illusion…

[cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I waited so long to start reading this as the huge Peter Pan I am, but I'm kinda glad I did, because it was so much more rough than I was expecting. It was great though. I will even get over the hypersexualisation of Tinkerwell and put the blame on the fact that it was published in the nineties. Looking forward to read the rest. I'll give a proper review then.

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

Konečně jsem si udělal čas na tolik vychvalovaného Loiselova Pana, ale první díl zatím výrazný dojem neudělal. Část v Londýně je dobrá a hezky buduje charakter hlavního hrdiny, jenže přesun do Nezemě je až moc rychlý a zápletka (zatím) až moc klasická. Těžko zatím soudit.
3,5*

[Fugo Feedback]

Lo compré hace mil años pero creo que nunca lo leí porque no se editaron los tomos siguientes...
Ahora que tengo al versión original novelada, quizás me la lea y después agarre esta reinterpretación en historieta.

[Collaroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cool reimagining of the Peter Pan story, where you really understand why Peter prefers to stay a child. Unfortunately, the artwork wasn't my cup of tea. I think I will read the next volume, though, because I'm interested in seeing how this plays out.

[Rafaela Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loisel c'est du génie !

[Maria Bergman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intressanta bilder

[Roman · Rating 3 out of 5]

very cool!!! love the style, 3 stars cause the story really begin at the end of this tome but it’s v good!! hyped to read the other ones

[Metabull · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tekenwerk is niet mijn ding. Het verhaal is een donkere interpretatie van het gekende verhaal die wel iets heeft.

[Coline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Mik Cope · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this in the German edition, borrowed from a mate. It's an odd book: I thought the draftmanship of all the people was pretty poor, all "warts and all", while the backgrounds, buildings etc were fine. Victorian London's slums are shown in all their debauchery. It was hard to feel any attachment to Peter or, indeed, any of the characters, who were basically all stereotypes, and the story was full of clichés. And yet ... there was something oddly compelling about it. Had I bought the book. I would have been sorely disappointed; as it is, I'll probably check out the next borrowed volume.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING: adult content!

What an epic find! If you're thinking of Disney's Peter Pan version and are thinking about getting this for your children for a bedtime read, forget it. I mean it! For the love of god, don't give this to your 5 year old thinking it's only a children's book, what could go wrong? You'll be the only one to blame when they ask all those curious questions. Well...unless you really do want to permanently scar your children for life. In that case, move along (preferably in the direction of the nearest psychiatrist) - I'm not getting involved.

This is not your typical light and fluffy read that Disney shoves down your throat when you're a kid. It has adult content from the beginning. It features bad language, violence and nudity. A lot of nudity. For one, Tinker Bell ditches that school girl look in favour of a more rather revealing one. She supports double DDs now and even a thong. To be fair, I could honestly care about the nudity. It's the spectacular detail of the artwork and the reality that is vividly painted that is the most awe-inspiring.

Loisel wastes no time to paint us a doom and gloom picture of London. The conditions are dire, people are desperate, the strong prey on the weak and innocent. The only thing connecting the young and the old is their need to escape this nightmare, albeit in different ways. The children escape through the magic of words, into stories far far away. The adult escape through the quickest way they know how...drinking or selling themselves short in hope of escaping the current situation/predicament.

One thing I love about this book is that Loisel really does capture the essence of Peter's story. The boy who never wanted to grow old remains just that...he remains untainted by the darkness in the adult world in essence maintaining his "innocence" for want of a better word.

Extra:

Here are a few teasers of the covers.

[Drine Psylook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Et oui, encore Peter Pan! Le moins qu’on puisse dire, c’est que ma dernière lecture m’a inspiré… ou pas :p
En cherchant des images du livre de James Matthew Barrie, je suis tombée sur différentes images de livres illustrées que je possède. Je me suis donc dit… eh bien, pourquoi ne pas les relire puisque c’est rapide et en faire un article pour chaque œuvre. Bon, il y en a deux que je zappe, si vous les connaissez un tantinet, vous comprendrez aisément pourquoi ce choix (ce sont Peter Pank et Zizi et Peter Panpan – BD érotiques, drôles, mais sans plus).
La première fois que j’ai lu ce premier tome de Peter Pan, c’était il y a déjà bon nombre d’années, et c’était surtout trop près de ma lecture de La Quête de l’Oiseau du Temps que j’avais adoré, au passage. J’avais donc très envie de découvrir cette série-là. Malheureusement, je n’avais pas accroché.
A l’époque, je trouvais, avec raison, que l’histoire était beaucoup trop sombre et glauque, les dialogues vulgaires; quant aux dessins, je les trouvais moins soignés que dans la Quête de l’Oiseau du Temps. Je ne comptais pas lire la suite.

Je l’ai relu avec du recul, nécessaire pour apprécier cette bande-dessinée à sa juste valeur. Et finalement, ça m’a bien plu. C’est vrai que c’est relativement sordide, mais pas pire qu’un bon Zola.
De plus, c’est une relativement bonne préquelle de l’œuvre originale de Peter Pan. Il est vrai que pendant la lecture du livre de James Matthew Barrie, je me suis souvent demandée ce qui avait poussé Peter à devenir si arrogant, fanfaron, détestant avec une telle fougue les adultes et refusant si violemment d’en devenir un lui-même. Je crois qu’il y a moyen de trouver les réponses dans cette saga, même si cela ne vient pas de l’auteur originel, dommage! :p
J’ai bien envie de lire la suite, et j’essaierai de me procurer les volumes suivants – la curiosité me titille maintenant…
Grrrr! tant pis, je prendrais mon mal en patience ^_^