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Memories: Memories of Outer Space and Memories of Other Times
Presents two of the author's graphic novels, combining surreal and fantastic worlds with a touch of science fiction.
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
About the author
Enki Bilal
244 books326 followersEnki Bilal (born Enes Bilal) is a French comic book creator and film director.
Bilal was born in Belgrade, then the capital of Yugoslavia, to a Czech mother, Ana, who came to Belgrade as child from Karlovy Vary, and a Bosnian Muslim father, Muhamed Hamo Bilal who had been Josip Broz Tito's tailor. When he was five years old, his father managed to take a trip and stay in Paris as a political émigré. Enki and the rest of the family followed him, four years later.
Enki Bilal has no sense of belonging to any ethnic group and religion, nor is he obsessed with soil and roots. He said in one interview: "I also feel Bosnian by my father's origin, a Serb by my place of birth and a Croat by my relationship with a certain friends, not to mention my other Czech half, who I am inherited from mother".
At age 14, he met René Goscinny and with his encouragement applied his talent to comics. He produced work for Goscinny's Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote in the 1970s, publishing his first story, Le Bol Maudit, in 1972.
In 1975, Bilal began working with script writer Pierre Christin on a series of dark and surreal tales, resulting in the body of work titled Légendes d'Aujourd'hui.
He is best known for the Nikopol trilogy (La Foire aux immortels, La Femme piège and Froid Équateur), which took more than a decade to complete. Bilal wrote the script and did the artwork. The final chapter, Froid Équateur, was chosen book of the year by the magazine Lire and is acknowledged by the inventor of chess boxing as the inspiration for the sport.
Quatre? (2007), the last book in the Hatzfeld tetralogy, deals with the breakup of Yugoslavia from a future viewpoint. The first installment came in 1998 in the shape of Le Sommeil du Monstre opening with the main character, Nike, remembering the war in a series of traumatic flashbacks.
In 2012, Bilal was featured in a solo exhibition at The Louvre. The exhibition, titled "The Ghosts of the Louvre", ran from 20 December 2012 to 18 March 2013. The exhibition was organized by Fabrice Douar, and featured a series of paintings of "Ghosts", done atop photographs that Bilal took of the Louvre's collection.
Bilal was born in Belgrade, then the capital of Yugoslavia, to a Czech mother, Ana, who came to Belgrade as child from Karlovy Vary, and a Bosnian Muslim father, Muhamed Hamo Bilal who had been Josip Broz Tito's tailor. When he was five years old, his father managed to take a trip and stay in Paris as a political émigré. Enki and the rest of the family followed him, four years later.
Enki Bilal has no sense of belonging to any ethnic group and religion, nor is he obsessed with soil and roots. He said in one interview: "I also feel Bosnian by my father's origin, a Serb by my place of birth and a Croat by my relationship with a certain friends, not to mention my other Czech half, who I am inherited from mother".
At age 14, he met René Goscinny and with his encouragement applied his talent to comics. He produced work for Goscinny's Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote in the 1970s, publishing his first story, Le Bol Maudit, in 1972.
In 1975, Bilal began working with script writer Pierre Christin on a series of dark and surreal tales, resulting in the body of work titled Légendes d'Aujourd'hui.
He is best known for the Nikopol trilogy (La Foire aux immortels, La Femme piège and Froid Équateur), which took more than a decade to complete. Bilal wrote the script and did the artwork. The final chapter, Froid Équateur, was chosen book of the year by the magazine Lire and is acknowledged by the inventor of chess boxing as the inspiration for the sport.
Quatre? (2007), the last book in the Hatzfeld tetralogy, deals with the breakup of Yugoslavia from a future viewpoint. The first installment came in 1998 in the shape of Le Sommeil du Monstre opening with the main character, Nike, remembering the war in a series of traumatic flashbacks.
In 2012, Bilal was featured in a solo exhibition at The Louvre. The exhibition, titled "The Ghosts of the Louvre", ran from 20 December 2012 to 18 March 2013. The exhibition was organized by Fabrice Douar, and featured a series of paintings of "Ghosts", done atop photographs that Bilal took of the Louvre's collection.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 21, 2025
"Memories: Memories of Outer Space and Memories of Other Times" is a fascinating glimpse into the early creative universe of Enki Bilal, one of France’s most distinctive and celebrated graphic novelists. This collection of short stories, alternating between the cosmic and the intimate, already carries the seeds of the themes and atmospheres that would later define his major works: melancholy futures, strange beauty, and the fragile humanity hidden within.
Not every story has the same impact—some feel more like experiments than fully realized pieces—but the best ones shine with that unmistakable Bilal touch: visual poetry, sharp irony, and a sense of mystery that lingers long after reading. What makes the book especially rewarding is seeing how Bilal’s style and imagination were taking shape, story by story, sketch by sketch.
For fans of Bilal, this volume is both a treasure chest and a time capsule. For newcomers, it’s an intriguing entry point—an uneven but rich collection that shows an artist already pushing against the boundaries of the genre.
Not every story has the same impact—some feel more like experiments than fully realized pieces—but the best ones shine with that unmistakable Bilal touch: visual poetry, sharp irony, and a sense of mystery that lingers long after reading. What makes the book especially rewarding is seeing how Bilal’s style and imagination were taking shape, story by story, sketch by sketch.
For fans of Bilal, this volume is both a treasure chest and a time capsule. For newcomers, it’s an intriguing entry point—an uneven but rich collection that shows an artist already pushing against the boundaries of the genre.
March 20, 2018
A small army of short stories showcase the wit, wisdom and art of one of Europe's top cartoonists.
The stories range in tenor, from cute, short gags to (slightly) longer sci-fi tales. The longer tales are often parables of humanity's failings, although some of them are simply excuses for Bilal to draw exotic and exciting aliens and alien locales. The parables are interesting, even if they won't change how you look at the world, and the gag stories are always good for a smile.
His art is quite strong, although I thought that the coloring muddied his efforts in several of the stories. Overall, it's not a home run by any stretch, but Memories is a solid double.
The stories range in tenor, from cute, short gags to (slightly) longer sci-fi tales. The longer tales are often parables of humanity's failings, although some of them are simply excuses for Bilal to draw exotic and exciting aliens and alien locales. The parables are interesting, even if they won't change how you look at the world, and the gag stories are always good for a smile.
His art is quite strong, although I thought that the coloring muddied his efforts in several of the stories. Overall, it's not a home run by any stretch, but Memories is a solid double.
February 10, 2026
Enki Bilal is a genius, a monumental talent. This collection of his short stories published throughout Metal Hurlant, Heavy Metal, and other magazines showcases (one of) his distinctive art style(s), the Exterminator 17 and Nikopol Trilogy style, before he transitioned to the epic painted panels he produced for Monster, Coup de sang, and Bug. It is a travesty that most of his work is out of print in English; almost every other language's readers recognize his worth, but nope, apparently not us. He belongs on any shelf next to the other French greats like Moebius, Druillet, Caza, and the like. Bilal's unique background gives him a unique perspective, and it shows in his work. His art is incredible and his stories absolutely worthy of his artistic talent. Highly recommended.
December 3, 2022
Incredible, 5 star artwork meets kind of standard, 3 star Heavy Metal writing. I know Bilal found his groove with later works but the visual artistry is here. Looking forward to delving into Nikopol.
June 15, 2024
Hitchhikers Guide goes all french and Mobiusy. Loved it. Want more.
November 6, 2015
This is the second comics collection by Yugoslavian-born, French comics artist (and sometimes comics writer, and even film director), Enki Bilal I have read (although I have yet to actually review the brilliant collection
Townscapes
in here).
Combining two previous collections of early short pieces – Memories of Outer Space and Memories of Other Times – it showcases Bilal's work between 1972 and 1981 (sometimes in collaboration with various comics writers), with stories ranging from science fiction to pure fantasy and the outright weird.
The stories included are "Tragedy in the Colonies," "In the Name of the Wire-bound Father," "Final Negotiation," "Planet of No Return," "Orlaon's Defeat," "Stricken" (written by Pierre de la Varech), "Another Tragedy in the Colonies," "The Plitch," "The Cursed Bowl," "On Borrowed Wings," "Ophiuchus," "The Thing to Come," "The Mutant," "Night Sky," "The Big Space Opera" (written by Automarchi), "Ill-gotten Gains" (written by Linus), "A Planet for Every Magrobian" (in b/w; written by Jean-Pierre Dionnet), "The Omnibus to Vega" (also written by Dionnet), "Close the Shutters, Open Your Eyes" (in b/w), "Crux Universalis Eternity Road" (in b/w), "One-death Furlough" (in b/w; written by Dominique Grange), "City Ad" (in b/w), "Mondovision" (in b/w) and "The Chef's Surprise." These story range from one–two pages to between ten and twenty. Also included are two untitled pieces (a single-pager and a two-pager), as well as six thematically linked pin-ups in b/w, and two reprinted covers.
All in all an enjoyable read, even if I found the longer stories in Townscapes more impressive reads.
Combining two previous collections of early short pieces – Memories of Outer Space and Memories of Other Times – it showcases Bilal's work between 1972 and 1981 (sometimes in collaboration with various comics writers), with stories ranging from science fiction to pure fantasy and the outright weird.
The stories included are "Tragedy in the Colonies," "In the Name of the Wire-bound Father," "Final Negotiation," "Planet of No Return," "Orlaon's Defeat," "Stricken" (written by Pierre de la Varech), "Another Tragedy in the Colonies," "The Plitch," "The Cursed Bowl," "On Borrowed Wings," "Ophiuchus," "The Thing to Come," "The Mutant," "Night Sky," "The Big Space Opera" (written by Automarchi), "Ill-gotten Gains" (written by Linus), "A Planet for Every Magrobian" (in b/w; written by Jean-Pierre Dionnet), "The Omnibus to Vega" (also written by Dionnet), "Close the Shutters, Open Your Eyes" (in b/w), "Crux Universalis Eternity Road" (in b/w), "One-death Furlough" (in b/w; written by Dominique Grange), "City Ad" (in b/w), "Mondovision" (in b/w) and "The Chef's Surprise." These story range from one–two pages to between ten and twenty. Also included are two untitled pieces (a single-pager and a two-pager), as well as six thematically linked pin-ups in b/w, and two reprinted covers.
All in all an enjoyable read, even if I found the longer stories in Townscapes more impressive reads.
August 27, 2012
This book is a collection of two books, Memories of Outer Space and Memories of Other Times, which are both in turn collections of short comics illustrated by Enki Bilal. Bilal is a European comic creator who was born in Yugoslavia but brought up in Paris. His best known works are probably the Nikopol and the Beast trilogies.
For all but six of the stories, Bilal is also the writer as well as illustrator. The stories all date from 1972 - 1981 and vary in length from a single page to 10 pages but with most being done about 3-5 pages in length. Thematically the stories tend to fall into three categories - space opera, near future and horror - and can be serious or comic.
As with most collections there is a variability in quality in the story telling but, in the main, the art is exceptional and a good illustration of the European style. For myself, I tended to prefer the grander SF/space opera stories rather than the horror ones in this collection but found myself frustrated by the short length of the stories and longing for a meatier story to sink myself into. But nevertheless an interesting collection worthy of investigation if you have never come across Bilal's work before.
For all but six of the stories, Bilal is also the writer as well as illustrator. The stories all date from 1972 - 1981 and vary in length from a single page to 10 pages but with most being done about 3-5 pages in length. Thematically the stories tend to fall into three categories - space opera, near future and horror - and can be serious or comic.
As with most collections there is a variability in quality in the story telling but, in the main, the art is exceptional and a good illustration of the European style. For myself, I tended to prefer the grander SF/space opera stories rather than the horror ones in this collection but found myself frustrated by the short length of the stories and longing for a meatier story to sink myself into. But nevertheless an interesting collection worthy of investigation if you have never come across Bilal's work before.
February 5, 2013
A mixed bag of his earlier work, it's historically interesting as an insight into the evolution of one of the most significant european comic book artists, it goes from bad to really good. Some of the earlier horror stuff is virtually unrecognisable both in visual style, which seems crude and amateurish when compared to the detailed idiosyncratic style he came to be known for, as well as story wise, which are forgettable at best and lack the ironic bite of his later work.
April 12, 2012
Enki Bilal Lines and colors been one of the most beatiful Panels ever made.. I just love the way handling the simple issues in his very special deep way..
September 13, 2018
Сборник ранних коротких рассказов Энки Билала, автора "Никополя". Рассказы местами научно-фантастические, местами уходят в мистику, большинство раскрывает одну-единственную простую идею, часто шутку. Получается сборник эдаких комикс-анекдотов.
Очень понравилось несколько зарисовок, выполненных детализированной графикой. Жаль, что автор не пошёл дальше по этому пути.
Очень понравилось несколько зарисовок, выполненных детализированной графикой. Жаль, что автор не пошёл дальше по этому пути.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews