Categories
Graphic novels and comics

The graphic novel Carcajou

The graphic novel "Carcajou".
The graphic novel “Carcajou”.

The “Carcajou (Wolverine in English)” graphic novel is one of the best buys I’ve made this year. The authors have created an almost perfect work, in terms of scenario, graphics and colors.

The vast forests of Alberta, a large province in western Canada, provide the backdrop for this tale. The reader meets a number of colorful characters trying to make their way in this wild environment. Not everyone has what it takes to adapt, but that’s the reality of life in the developing outback.

By 1895, Alberta was attracting gold prospectors and businessmen interested in oil development. Some territories were acquired more or less ethically, and the natives lost out. However, their ancestral beliefs persisted despite injustice and unequal power relations.

The authors tackle a number of significant themes in the development of Canada’s history: the lack of respect shown to First Nations, the harmful effects of alcohol in remote areas, the courage and tenacity required of women to impose respect, the violence caused by firearms, and a police force that sometimes gets involved in crime.

All these aspects developed by less talented authors would produce a negative storyline. The genius of the authors is to have developed the story in a very dynamic way, while still conveying essential messages. There’s no real break in the action. The plot keeps the reader on his toes right to the end.

I loved the characters and clever plot of “Carcajou” and recommend this superb work to graphic novel fans.

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Title : Carcajou

Authors : Eldiablo et Djilian Deroche

Edition: Sarbacane, 2024

ISBN : 978-2-377-31792-9

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Graphic novel: “L’expert”.

The graphic novel "L'expert" by Jennifer Daniel.
The graphic novel “L’expert” by Jennifer Daniel.

The story takes place in 1977 in West Germany. A road accident that claims the lives of a woman and her child attracts the attention of a morgue employee, a man with high standards of professionalism and who is well regarded by his general manager.

This employee is Monsieur Martin, a former soldier who once fought in the Second World War and for whom the word “responsibility” weighs heavily in his existence as an older man. He conducts his own investigation, and naturally upsets people in high positions who have decided to look the other way to preserve their reputations.

Such a theme will always be relevant, as it affects not only German society but all nations across the planet, where individuals who have the most to lose in a given situation choose to disregard their obligations, despite the injustices.

The graphic novel “L’expert”  is very well done. I like the drawings, the scenario, the choice of colours, the period and the location where the story takes place. The Germans must certainly have appreciated its publication in 2022.

Click on the link for more graphic novels in my blog.

Title: The Expert (original German version as “Das Gutachten”)

Author: Jennifer Daniel

Publisher: Casterman, ©2024 for the French translation. Original German edition Carlsen Verlag GmbH, © 2022.

ISBN: 978-2-203-28080-9