Book picks similar to
The Speed Abater by Christophe Blain
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graphic-novel
How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion When He Was a Little Boy
René Goscinny - 1989
As a consequence of this accident, he developed phenomenal physical strength. But what actually happened? How did Obelix make that life-altering plunge?Here is the full story of what took place on that incredible day.
The Death of Stalin
Fabien Nury - 2010
Fear, corruption and treachery abound in this political satire set in the aftermath of Stalin's death in the Soviet Union in 1953. When the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, has a stroke—the political gears begin to turn, plunging the super-state into darkness, uncertainty and near civil war. The struggle for supreme power will determine the fate of the nation and of the world. And it all really happened.
Dead End
Thomas Ott - 2002
release, following hot on the heels of early 2002's Greetings from Hellville. Like Hellville, Dead End consists of Ott's trademark storytelling: wordless, stark, black-and-white scratchboard horror stories with twist endings, rendered beautifully with fish eye perspectives that create a vertiginous anxiety. Parts Twilight Zone, O. Henry, and Kafka, Ott's work evokes a visual history of literary suspense and horror; it reads like Dante's Inferno done as an issue of Tales from the Crypt, drawn by original Inferno illustrator Gustave Dore.The two stories in Dead End focus literally and figuratively on the circle. In the first short story, entitled "The Millionaires, " mysterious suitcase of money creates a cycle of death spurred by greed and lust; yes, another contemporary-updating of the tried "Monkey's Paw" variety, but in Ott's inimitable hands the story becomes less a morality play for children than a menacing reality check for adults. "Washing Day, " the collection's secon story, follows the path of an assassin on the trail of a former magician; the assassin quickly learns that there are perils in following a white rabbit.
The Building Opposite
Vanyda - 2003
A middle-aged couple lives on the third floor. And on the fourth are two young lovers, Claire and Louis. A building like so many others, where people cross on the stairs, are good neighbours and each have their own story - romantic or painful. As with some mangas, the stories concern everyday life but, in this case they occur closer to home. Everything is treated with such graciousness that we comprehend almost immediately that which is only a suggestion.' - Jean David Moran'
Good-Bye, Chunky Rice
Craig Thompson - 1999
It was winnning a Harvey Award, no less. It documentates the once upon a time in our fishing village town and a short turtle lad name of Chunky, last name Rice.Mister Chunky Rice be living in the same rooming house likewise myself, only that boy be restless. Looking for something. And he puts hisself on my brother Chuck's ship and boats out to sea to find it. Only he be departin' from his bestest of all friends, his deer mouse, I mean, mouse deer chum Dandel.Now why in a whirl would someone leave beyond a buddy? Just what be that turtle lad searchings for? I said you best read the book to find out. Merle said, "Doot doot."
In the Shadow of No Towers
Art Spiegelman - 2004
As in his Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, cartoonist Spiegelman presents a highly personalized, political, and confessional diary of his experience of September 11 and its aftermath. In 10 large-scale pages of original, hard-hitting material (composed from September 11, 2001 to August 31, 2003), two essays, and 10 old comic strip reproductions from the early 20th century, Spiegelman expresses his feelings of dislocation, grief, anxiety, and outrage over the horror of the attacks—and the subsequent "hijacking" of the event by the Bush administration to serve what he believes is a misguided and immoral political agenda. Readers who agree with Spiegelman's point of view will marvel at the brilliance of his images and the wit and accuracy of his commentary. Others, no doubt, will be jolted by his candor and, perhaps, be challenged to reexamine their position.The central image in the sequence of original broadsides, which returns as a leitmotif in each strip, is Spiegelman's Impressionistic "vision of disintegration," of the North Tower, its "glowing bones...just before it vaporized." (As downtown New Yorkers, Spiegelman and his family experienced the event firsthand.) But the images and styles in the book are as fragmentary and ever-shifting as Spiegelman's reflections and reactions. The author's closing comment that "The towers have come to loom far larger than life...but they seem to get smaller every day" reflects a larger and more chilling irony that permeates In the Shadow of No Towers. Despite the ephemeral nature of the comic strip form, the old comics at the back of the book have outlasted the seemingly indestructible towers. In the same way, Spiegelman's heartfelt impressions have immortalized the towers that, imponderably, have now vanished. —Silvana Tropea
The Grande Odalisque
Bastien Vivès - 2012
But the heist - to steal the Ingres painting The Grande Odalisque from the Louvre in Paris - is too much for the duo to handle, so they bring in Clarence, a bureaucrat's son with a price on his head by a Mexican drug cartel and, more importantly, an arms dealer. Next is Sam, a stunt motorcyclist and boxer by trade, who proves trigger happy with tranquilizer darts. Using soda can smoke bombs, rocket launchers, and hang gliders, Alex, Carole, and Sam set off a set of circumstances that results in a battle with the French Special Forces - and their partnership, which was on the rocks, will never be the same again. Ruppert and Mulot, two of the most innovative comic creators in the world, team up with multiple Angouleme prize winner Bastien Vives to bring you this impossibly funny, violent, and sexy action-packed thriller.
The Autumnlands, Vol. 1: Tooth and Claw
Kurt Busiek - 2015
When the wizards of the Autumnlands reach through time to bring back a legendary hero, they don't get the savior they expected. But in a shattered, besieged city, he's their only hope of survival—and possibly their entire world's, as well.Collects THE AUTUMNLANDS: TOOTH & CLAW #1-6
Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars
Jeff Lemire - 2015
Written by award-winning creator, Jeff Lemire, Descender is a rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey. Lemire pits humanity against machine, and world against world, to create a sprawling epic. Created by Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Trillium) and Dustin Nguyen's (Little Gotham) critically acclaimed, bestselling new science fiction series!Collecting: Descender 1-6
This Woman's Work
Julie Delporte - 2017
Julie Delporte examines cultural artifacts and sometimes traumatic memories through the lens of the woman she is today—a feminist who understands the reality of the women around her, how experiencing rape culture and sexual abuse is almost synonymous with being a woman, and the struggle of reconciling one’s feminist beliefs with the desire to be loved. She sometimes resents being a woman and would rather be anything but.Told through beautifully evocative colored pencil drawings and sparse but compelling prose, This Woman’s Work documents Delporte’s memories and cultural consumption through journal-like entries that represent her struggles with femininity and womanhood. She structures these moments in a nonlinear fashion, presenting each one as a snapshot of a place and time—trips abroad, the moment you realize a relationship is over, and a traumatizing childhood event of sexual abuse that haunts her to this day. While This Woman’s Work is deeply personal, it is also a reflection of the conversations that women have with themselves when trying to carve out their feminist identity. Delporte’s search for answers in the turmoil created by gender assumptions is profoundly resonant in the era of #MeToo.
The Cruise of Lost Souls
Pierre Christin - 1975
After a military device is mysteriously hidden in the town, Liternos is literally lifted from the ground and sent on an incredible journey across the countryside. As the floating town nears the ocean, it raises the spirits of other villagers and peaks the interest of an army that are having strange problems of their own.
X'ed Out
Charles Burns - 2010
A weird buzzing noise on the other side of the wall has woken him up, and there, across the room, next to a huge hole torn out of the bricks, sits his beloved cat, Inky. Who died years ago. But who’s nonetheless slinking out through the hole, beckoning Doug to follow.What’s going on? To say any more would spoil the freaky, Burnsian fun, especially because X’ed Out, unlike Black Hole, has not been previously serialized, and every unnervingly meticulous panel will be more tantalizing than the last...
Pretending Is Lying
Dominique Goblet - 2007
In a series of dazzling fragments-skipping through time, and from raw, slashing color to delicate black and white-Goblet examines the most important relationships in her life: with her partner, Guy Marc; with her daughter, Nikita; and with her parents. The result is an unnerving comedy of paternal dysfunction, an achingly ambivalent love story (with asides on Thomas Pynchon and the Beach Boys), and a searing account of childhood trauma-a dizzying, unforgettable view of a life in progress and a tour de force of the art of comics.
Long Time Relationship
Julie Doucet - 2001
The book is divided into six chapters, each focusing on a theme; one is a series of eerily compelling portraits based on a dozen family photographs Doucet found discarded in a garbage can in Berlin. In another series, Doucet explores gender issues as no one else can with twenty hilarious, somewhat unflattering portraits of the "modern man." She deftly explores other themes, ranging from fortune cookies to female sexuality (go figure ), and everything is neatly encompassed in this sharply-designed art book. Julie Doucet is internationally renowned for her wry, sexually-charged work, a sort of "female R. Crumb" of comics. She is the author of four books, including the 2000 Firecracker Award-Winner "My New York Diary. "
The Last Unicorn
Peter S. Beagle - 2010
Beagle, The Last Unicorn is a tale for any age about the wonders of magic, the power of love, and the tragedy of loss. The unicorn, alone in her enchanted wood, discovers that she may be the last of her kind. Reluctant at first, she sets out on a journey to find her fellow unicorns, even if it means facing the terrifying anger of the Red Bull and malignant evil of the king who wields his power. Adapted by Peter B. Gillis and illustrated by Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon.