FANTAGRAPHICS AT 50! It’s been fifteen years since Fantagraphics first published a collection of the first four stories of Jacques Tardi’s adventuring anti-hero. To celebrate the character’s 50th anniversary (some synchronicity there obviously) the publisher brought us The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Vol. 1 in July. The first in a series that will eventually bring all ten stories into print in English for the first time.
To give some scene-setting, Adèle Blanc-Sec is an often intriguingly unsympathetic protagonist whose exploits take place in Belle Époque Paris in the early part of the 20th century. When we first encounter her in this volume she’s on a mission to prove the innocence of a man convicted for a murder he didn’t commit. Things become more fraught when a long dormant pterodactyl egg in a museum display mysteriously hatches and the escaped pterosaur starts terrorising the streets of the city. Thrown into the mix are incompetent police officers, corrupt city officials, the mysterious loot from a recent robbery, a monster hunter and more, as the motivations and endgames of a sprawling cast of characters crisscross…
This is a structural commonality between all four stories in this volume as further escapades involve a demon in the Eiffel Tower, a prehistoric man brought back to life, mummies, dark cults and the like. Characters weave in and out of stories, their allegiances and aims sometimes twisting and turning, and unexpected revelations coming to the fore. None of these stories are particularly easy to follow, largely because many of the characters are plot points rather than well-rounded individuals, and yet strangely that’s part of the charm. Indeed there are a couple of conversations between cast members that feel like Tardi is acknowledging this with a knowing little wink at the reader. See also the end of story summaries that explain the finer points of what you’ve just been reading!
The art, of course, is sumptuous throughout. Highly atmospheric and creating a version of Paris a step or two removed from the reality. A darkly romanticised version brought to life in careful colour choices that give it a haunting quality; as if something supernatural or otherworldly is just waiting to bubble up to the surface of the city’s streets. Which of course it often does. This is a beautifully illustrated collection of tales and the promise that the rest of the series will be appearing soon is most welcome. Convoluted plots may be the order of the day here but they are well worth the investment of your time because this is every bit the classic of European comics you’ve been told it is.
Jacques Tardi (W/A), Kim Thompson (T), Cynthia Rose (I) • Fantagraphics Books, $29.99
Buy online from Gosh! Comics here
Review by Andy Oliver
Fantagraphics at 50 Month runs through August at Broken Frontier. You can see articles as they’re published in one tagged list here.
