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The Retreat #1-2
The Retreat
Two friends take off for a weekend getaway to a remote mountain area to reminisce about their third friend, now gone. From mundane conversations to intimate confidences, the two remaining pals remember their departed companion, their unique friendship, and all those things that are often left unsaid, but that remain floating in the silence.
- GenresGraphic NovelsComics
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 25, 2018
A story of three friends--guys--who go to a cabin in the mountains--a retreat--and one of them goes missing. Permanently, lost without a trace. Not much happens, really. They talk, and it is hard to see how these three very different guys could have become friends, they argue so much. But the other two, the most different of the three, seem to bond through the loss, and later go back to the cabin to talk and reminisce. It's mostly about what it means when friends or family members suddenly lose someone. It's like this amputation. How do people cope in the new relationship with one of them missing? I see that a lot of people find the story lacking, and I get that, the characters are not that deeply etched, but I liked it. Maybe 3.75, but if you have experienced anything like this loss, I would recommend it.
August 19, 2018
Serge and Igor take off for a weekend to a mountain retreat to spend some time reminiscing about their missing friend, Matt. Through their conversation and flashbacks, we come to know all three men. This is not an eventful book. It's about good friends, things left unsaid, and coming to terms with loss and grief.
The artwork is lovely. Tirabosco’s figures are cartoony but expressive, his backgrounds solid and more realistic. He likes using moody grays and blacks, but it never feels dark or claustrophobic.
The writing is equally masterful. Wazem never goes for cheap sentiment. His characters speak for themselves, and their friendly banter has the ring of authenticity about it.
This is a quiet masterpiece of a book. Highly recommended!
The artwork is lovely. Tirabosco’s figures are cartoony but expressive, his backgrounds solid and more realistic. He likes using moody grays and blacks, but it never feels dark or claustrophobic.
The writing is equally masterful. Wazem never goes for cheap sentiment. His characters speak for themselves, and their friendly banter has the ring of authenticity about it.
This is a quiet masterpiece of a book. Highly recommended!
March 25, 2018
The Retreat
Pierre Wazem, Tom Tirabosco (Illustrations)
This is a graphic story about friendship.
Serge and Igor are revisiting a mountain cabin that they had visited before with their friend Matt. They remember the good times they had. They remember how they used to kid each other in that sophomoric way young men sometimes do. Yet, at times their interaction would be thoughtful and family oriented.
At first the characterizations seem superficial and weak, but, as the story develops, that becomes less of a concern, and the core of friendship starts to emerge.
This is a quick read, perhaps an hour, yet sufficient time to assert part of the nature of friendship.
Pierre Wazem, Tom Tirabosco (Illustrations)
This is a graphic story about friendship.
Serge and Igor are revisiting a mountain cabin that they had visited before with their friend Matt. They remember the good times they had. They remember how they used to kid each other in that sophomoric way young men sometimes do. Yet, at times their interaction would be thoughtful and family oriented.
At first the characterizations seem superficial and weak, but, as the story develops, that becomes less of a concern, and the core of friendship starts to emerge.
This is a quick read, perhaps an hour, yet sufficient time to assert part of the nature of friendship.
February 27, 2018
This is a quiet story, about two friends who return to a mountain retreat to look back on the a third friend's absence. The story goes back and forth between past and present, using the same locations in both and highlighting the difference the missing friend made in the relationships. There's no major revelations, no amazing insights provided. It's just two somewhat parallel slices of lives compared and contrasted.
The art is nice, a very distinct style that serves the story well without outstripping it. Ultimately, it's a quiet story about lives changed by unexpected events. Perhaps I haven't had enough loss in my life to connect with it fully, but I can see how others could get comfort or even peace from it.
The art is nice, a very distinct style that serves the story well without outstripping it. Ultimately, it's a quiet story about lives changed by unexpected events. Perhaps I haven't had enough loss in my life to connect with it fully, but I can see how others could get comfort or even peace from it.
October 29, 2022
A really nicely observed book about friendship and grief. It’s nothing revelatory but captures the confused emotions that come with sudden loss of friends (that I know all too well) and lots of the small moments that come along with trying to find a design in sheer dumb bad luck. The art is particularly beautiful, with Tirabosco managing to evoke the body language of grief so effortlessly. Very much recommended
January 28, 2018
A bit of a disappointment. The set-up is good, but the characters are pretty thinly drawn.
February 2, 2018
Elegant artwork and a compelling tale to tell but I found the emotional arc of it a bit confusing, there are several strange mood shifts and pacing issues. Still an enjoyable read.
August 5, 2023
Simple, sweet, sad and beautifully drawn!
September 22, 2023
This was my first time reading a graphic novel, and I must admit the experience somewhat underwhelmed me. But perhaps that has more to do with the story than the medium.
The back blurb promised “a lyrical and touching tale of friendship put to the test amid mourning and nostalgia”. I found, however, that nothing much happens in the story. It lacked emotion. It feels like trying too hard to be something it isn’t.
It's just two moments in Igor and Serge’s lives seen side by side: when Matt was present and when he wasn’t.
A case could be made that the story is about suicide. Matt didn’t slip and fall but jumped. One of the characters believes this is possible, and some scenes in the flashbacks could point in that direction. The characters are on a quest to try and understand what happened. They are seeking closure. Not knowing what happened is eating away at Igor, who feels somewhat responsible for the death of his friend.
However, there are no major revelations, no amazing insights. There is no new take on dealing with loss, just that you have to learn to accept it and live with it. The only insight, perhaps, is that Serge and Igor seem somewhat closer than before. It is as though they feel united in their grief despite disagreeing on how Matt came to lose his life.
Perhaps because I failed to identify with any of the characters, I couldn’t feel their pain when they returned to the cabin to mourn their friend's loss and try to understand what happened. Maybe I haven’t experienced enough loss to appreciate the story truly.
The blurb also promised “humorous conversations”, but I didn’t find the story funny. The author tries to be witty, but the humour is clichéd and stereotypical. How is it still acceptable to mock someone for their chosen profession because it doesn’t ‘fit in’ to the archaic vision that there are male and female jobs? I mean, seriously, this is 2017 we’re talking about.
The art is very distinct and quite minimalist, keeping with the story. It neither outshines the story nor underdelivers.
Will I read another graphic novel after this one? Yes, but I might be more attentive to reviews first.
The back blurb promised “a lyrical and touching tale of friendship put to the test amid mourning and nostalgia”. I found, however, that nothing much happens in the story. It lacked emotion. It feels like trying too hard to be something it isn’t.
It's just two moments in Igor and Serge’s lives seen side by side: when Matt was present and when he wasn’t.
A case could be made that the story is about suicide. Matt didn’t slip and fall but jumped. One of the characters believes this is possible, and some scenes in the flashbacks could point in that direction. The characters are on a quest to try and understand what happened. They are seeking closure. Not knowing what happened is eating away at Igor, who feels somewhat responsible for the death of his friend.
However, there are no major revelations, no amazing insights. There is no new take on dealing with loss, just that you have to learn to accept it and live with it. The only insight, perhaps, is that Serge and Igor seem somewhat closer than before. It is as though they feel united in their grief despite disagreeing on how Matt came to lose his life.
Perhaps because I failed to identify with any of the characters, I couldn’t feel their pain when they returned to the cabin to mourn their friend's loss and try to understand what happened. Maybe I haven’t experienced enough loss to appreciate the story truly.
The blurb also promised “humorous conversations”, but I didn’t find the story funny. The author tries to be witty, but the humour is clichéd and stereotypical. How is it still acceptable to mock someone for their chosen profession because it doesn’t ‘fit in’ to the archaic vision that there are male and female jobs? I mean, seriously, this is 2017 we’re talking about.
The art is very distinct and quite minimalist, keeping with the story. It neither outshines the story nor underdelivers.
Will I read another graphic novel after this one? Yes, but I might be more attentive to reviews first.
December 15, 2018
Very sad.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews