George Gerfaut, aimless young executive and desultory family man, witnesses a murder and finds himself sucked into a spiral of violence involving a...
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Feb 11, 2012
Jim
rated it: 
Oh, shut up! Just shut up! Finish your whiskey. Take a shower. Come to bed and screw.
I don't remember the characters in Jean-Patrick Manchette's Three To Kill being quite that graphic, but French artist Jacques Tardi has definitely captured the anarchic spirit of the original in this new illustrated version. Tardi is famous to fans of European comics, but this the first for me. It's a racy, rude and hilarious rendition of Manchette's revenge noir – although, as I said, Manchette's sa More...
I don't remember the characters in Jean-Patrick Manchette's Three To Kill being quite that graphic, but French artist Jacques Tardi has definitely captured the anarchic spirit of the original in this new illustrated version. Tardi is famous to fans of European comics, but this the first for me. It's a racy, rude and hilarious rendition of Manchette's revenge noir – although, as I said, Manchette's sa More...
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Feb 11, 2012
Tosh
rated it:
A couple of years ago City Lights put out two noir novels by Jean-Patrick Manchette, and they knocked me out. I am a sucker for classic French noir writing and films. Think Melville, not the writer, but the French director. Nevertheless the wonderful Jacques Tardi has put illustrations to the late and much missed Manchette with West Coast Blues.
Like all of Manchette narrations, the act of chance has a major affect on its characters, and this story does not fall off that subject More...
Like all of Manchette narrations, the act of chance has a major affect on its characters, and this story does not fall off that subject More...
Feb 11, 2012
Kirstie
rated it:
I'm always so excited to find more Tardi books that have been translated and this is a really interesting one. It's actually a graphic novel that has been adapted from the original novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette. I haven't read the original so I am not sure how this compares in terms of accuracy but the best part about this one is the mood. In many ways, the plot is far fetched and yet a little formulaic, though somewhat reminiscent of Cohen Bros. It starts with a late night 90mph drive and
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Feb 11, 2012
Rick
rated it: 
From the opening panel until the final words, Jacques Tardi's adaptation of Manchette's crime novel Le Petit bleu de la côte ouest sizzles with a dazzling graphic intensity. Salesman George Gerfaut unknowingly becomes embroiled in conspiracy and murder when he stops to aid the victim of a car accident. Much like the 1950s American crime novels they emulate, Tardi and Manchette offer a impressive display of destructive violence, wanton love, and disregard for life. Showcasing Tardi's singular art
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Feb 11, 2012
sweet pea
rated it:
i really liked this one. the path of the narration reminds me of a French New Wave film, lots of cuts, like Godard. some things you knew way before they happened. it's not structured like a typical crime story, mostly because the main character isn't a criminal or the law. that said, Gerfaut is in no way a sympathetic character. in fact, the two thugs were my favorite characters by far. the story is a fresh take on crime comix and one of the only ones i can say i liked.
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Jan 21, 2010
Jon
rated it:
An interesting and quick read that goes a long way towards providing social and political context without bogging down the plot. The story itself is very simple, the protagonist a bit more complex, but I loved how the riots of 1968 and France's ongoing labor issues are a persistent background without impacting the plot, it provides a sense of realism and implies a sort of national mood that makes this type of character possible. I also love the way that music is constantly mentioned. American re
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Jan 19, 2012
Jacob
rated it:
Most folks who find themselves pursued by hired killers after witnessing a murder would roll over and give up, but not Georges Gerfaut. Gerfaut is a pretty tough dude, much to his surprise. Three people want him dead? They're welcome to try, if Gerfaut doesn't get them first.
Three to Kill is another slim thriller from Jean-Patrick Manchette (who writes twice as well as most Americans, and at half the length), and it is so much better than Fatale. After Manchette's first book, I w More...
Three to Kill is another slim thriller from Jean-Patrick Manchette (who writes twice as well as most Americans, and at half the length), and it is so much better than Fatale. After Manchette's first book, I w More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Laurent
rated it: 
Je voulais lire Manchette depuis longtemps, sa réputation n'étant plus à faire. Je l'ai découvert à travers deux romans : celui qui donne son titre à cette note et la position du tireur couché, lu l'année passée.
Pour le petit bleu..., voici le pitch :
Gerfault est un cadre. Il bosse dans une boite sérieuse, technique, roule en mercedes, a un appartement à Paris, des idées de gauche molle, une femme jolie bossant dans la culture, deux petites filles. De nos jours, on dirait que c More...
Pour le petit bleu..., voici le pitch :
Gerfault est un cadre. Il bosse dans une boite sérieuse, technique, roule en mercedes, a un appartement à Paris, des idées de gauche molle, une femme jolie bossant dans la culture, deux petites filles. De nos jours, on dirait que c More...
Feb 11, 2012
Steve
rated it: 
While I like the art a great deal, I also had some major problems with how some scenes were conveyed. There are too many people smiling directly into "the camera" during the beach fight, the layout of the confrontation in the woods doesn't line up, and the behavior of the gas station attendant in that shootout is non-sensical. the dialogue is also really weird at times, especially when it comes from the main character. Girfaut is completely blank personality-wise and thus is uninterest
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Apr 11, 2008
David
rated it:
Here's a re-print of a 1976 French title with a spare, vicious elegance that stands in stark contrast to Stansbery's torrid sensationalism. Businessman Georges Gerfault stops to aid the victim of what seems to be a roadside accident but is in reality a failed hit job, and finds himself in the crosshairs of a pair of hired guns, Carlo and Bastien, who make their first attempt on his life while he vacations with his family at the sunny seaside, and chase him across the country and right out of his
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Feb 11, 2012
Dan
rated it:
Such good comics. It plays out like a dark, noirish version of North by Northwest involving shootouts, exploding heads and a really strong undercurrent of black humour.
"George Gerfaut, aimless young executive and desultory family man, witnesses a murder and finds himself sucked into a spiral of violence involving an exiled war criminal and two hired assassins. Adapting to the exigencies of his new life on the run with shocking ease, Gerfaut abandons his comfortable middle More...
"George Gerfaut, aimless young executive and desultory family man, witnesses a murder and finds himself sucked into a spiral of violence involving an exiled war criminal and two hired assassins. Adapting to the exigencies of his new life on the run with shocking ease, Gerfaut abandons his comfortable middle More...
Dec 28, 2009
Johnny
rated it:
A very quick and fun read. At 135 pages, it doesn't waste any time, yet tells the story completely. In more ordinary hands, this tight thriller would be 300 pages (When did the genre get so bloated?).
Violent and idiosyncratic, one can sense the influence of James Cain, the most terse of all crime writers.
One word of warning. Either the writing style or the translation takes some getting used to, but if you give the clunky sentences some time, it begins to have a voice o
Violent and idiosyncratic, one can sense the influence of James Cain, the most terse of all crime writers.
One word of warning. Either the writing style or the translation takes some getting used to, but if you give the clunky sentences some time, it begins to have a voice o
Feb 02, 2010
Mat
rated it:
A French noir gem. Picked up when Borders UK was going out of business (5 books for 1 pound, can't go wrong). Excellent translation, and delightful middle-manager anti-hero, bit of a schlub, who finds himself on the wrong side of two hitmen for no good reason at all.
Nihilistic in a really fun way. Finished in two brief readings. I'll definitely seek out more Manchette. (Maybe even in original.)
Nihilistic in a really fun way. Finished in two brief readings. I'll definitely seek out more Manchette. (Maybe even in original.)
Jul 25, 2011
Andy
rated it:
A rambling noir about a mid-level corporate family man on the lam from a couple of killers. Everything was cool until our family man jumps a freight train, hangs out with hobos and mountain men and gets all "Sullivan's Travels". J.P. Manchette is a good writer so I'll try "Fatale" which I hear is better and I may even check out the Tardi interpretation of this book. O frere where art thou?
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Jun 29, 2009
Chels
rated it: 
I couldn't get through this book. Horribly written, I felt like my brain was melting. This is rare for me, but the first 10 pages were SO painful, that I flipped to see if the middle of the book got any better.... but no.... so I decided not to waste my time. Looks interesting, but no thanks.
Feb 11, 2012
Jason
rated it:
West Coast Blues is a graphic novel by Jacques Tardi adapted from the original novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette. The illustrations are in black and white – matching the noir of the story it is illustrating, an ordinary man who unwittingly witnessed a murder is now trying to escape from two hired killers who are trying to tie up loose ends. As he leaves his family to flee the killers, he himself become increasingly ruthless and the body count of innocent and less-than-innocent victims caught in th
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Mar 20, 2011
Cathal
rated it:
Just magnificent, and even more so because I found it so unexpected, strange, and new. It was not like any "noir" book I had previously read, and I am eager to read more of Manchette's work.
May 14, 2011
Author recommended via article at the WSJ website: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...
Mar 18, 2009
I am on page 40. A man named Georges Gerfaut witnesses a murder. The men that committed the murder are looking for him.
Feb 11, 2012
Charles Dee
rated it:
An aimless young sales executive who likes to mix booze and barbiturates and drive his Mercedes at 90mph around the rim roads of Paris stumbles onto a crime scene and finds himself pursued by some very bad people. Actually they are bad but strangely ineffective, and the hero, who at first seems clueless and easy pickings, proves to be adept at doing whatever it takes to stay alive. Tardi's drawings quickly establish locales as various as tourist-infested beaches or the French Alps. This is based
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Aug 11, 2011
DoctorM
rated it:
Not a bad, quick read. Lovely little quirky faux-noir from one of the better French authors working with "hard-boiled" themes. Not as good as early Sebastian Japrisot, but clever and fun.
Feb 11, 2012
Ron
rated it:
Too French for my tastes but a highly lauded graphic novel about vengeance. A salesman stops to help a man whose car has crashed and a few days later two hitmen try to kill him. He lams it and over the course of a year, and with some assistance, he settles whatever the score is supposed to be. The real strength here are the characterizations -- Tardi, by way of the original novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette, has put a lot of information into his slim volume, and it's impressive. Dark, detached
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Feb 11, 2012
Tardi is something of a corner stone in modern European comics. Although the script in this case is a fairly straight forward crime novel, the storytelling and artwork is very good. Unlike most of his work the setting is contemporary but the style works perfectly for this type of story. This book is one of the first in an effort from Fantagraphics to make Tardi's work available in English. Hopefully they will be successful so us non-Fench speaking Tardi fans can get access to his work.
Feb 11, 2012
thegift
rated it:
this is the graphic version of jean-patrick manchette's novel, titled in english 'three to kill'. i knew the plot, the characters, the violence, the voice, all rendered very well in graphic terms by tardi. i like his art. easy read i thought of how the medium is different and what is lost- mostly psychological sense of protagonist- and what is gained- mostly scenes stripped down, speeded up, and less time to dwell on improbabilities.
Feb 11, 2012
Maré
rated it:
Liked it. I go into a lot of recommendations pretty blindly so I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised.
Edit:
I bumped it up to 4 stars because gosh. This story really sticks with you. Every detail is burnt into my brain, which is rare. I forget things very easily. There's so much drama and no one event overshadows the rest. It's consistent without being boring.
Edit:
I bumped it up to 4 stars because gosh. This story really sticks with you. Every detail is burnt into my brain, which is rare. I forget things very easily. There's so much drama and no one event overshadows the rest. It's consistent without being boring.
Feb 11, 2012
matt
rated it:
I loved the artwork. What an incredibly fluid line - beautiful.
The story, however - not so great. So utterly existentialist that it almost makes no sense. Character motivation seems largely absent - the relationships make little sense - the story fails to create any tension or suspense.
BUT THE ARTWORK! I really want to find more of Tardi's books.
The story, however - not so great. So utterly existentialist that it almost makes no sense. Character motivation seems largely absent - the relationships make little sense - the story fails to create any tension or suspense.
BUT THE ARTWORK! I really want to find more of Tardi's books.
Jul 12, 2007
Jim
rated it:
This one's a wicked sparkling gem, something you can enjoy in a single evening — and I truly mean ENJOY. First published in the late 1970s, this dark, violent and hilarious novel is the most pleasurable instance of the revenge motif since Fay Weldon's She Devil. Kudos to City Lights for bringing it back to life.
Feb 11, 2012
Tim
rated it:
Totally sweet graphic novel adaptation of some french dude's noir story. Apparently it's tough to find English translations of french dude's stuff (citylights put some out at some point?), but I'd like to read some after checking this out. There's drugs, violence, angry hobos, and several penises.
