Djinn, Vol. 2

Djinn #3-4

by Jean Dufaux, Ana Mirallès (Illustrations)

Love and politics collide in this seductive adventure as two women find themselves entangled in a race to unearth the legendary lost treasure of the last Sultan!

In present day Turkey, Kim Nelson continues her quest to recover the rumored long-lost treasure of the Ottoman Empire that only her grandmother, Jade, had the power to find. But Kim has inherited the powers of her alluring ancestor—powers that hold the key to a treasure that no one has ever laid eyes on; the powers of a djinn. Now, following her escape from Turkey’s last remaining harem, Kim is finally ready to unlock the secrets of her heritage.

However, Kim Nelson was not the first in her family to seek the treasure. Back in the early twentieth century, Jade has been kidnapped by Lord Nelson in his efforts to retrieve his wife from the depths of the Sultan’s harem. It’s not long before the captive falls in love with the captor, and the pair experiences an unprecedented passion. Now having stolen the hearts of both Lord and Lady Nelson, Jade will do whatever it takes to protect their love, even if it means stealing the great treasure of the last sultan.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Jean Dufaux is a Belgian comic book writer. Beginning his professional career as a journalist for "Ciné-presse", Dufaux started writing comic books in the 1980s. Perhaps his most well-known, and certainly his most long-running, series is Jessica Blandy.

Reviews

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Usually I find no pleasure in men.”
"Not even with the Sultan?"
"The Sultan is my master, my pleasure doesn't matter. Only his satisfaction guides me.
"But..."
"But
With you. It's different. Your hands are gentle, like your gaze, you give... That's rare for a man."
"So what do you make of that?"
"I want more. — Jade & Lord Nelson

As with Volume One, this is volume is in two parts. Part One was originally titled La Tatouage (Tattoo), part two 's title was Le Trésor (The Treasure). These are descriptive titles, I wish they'd been used in the translation. Just as an aside that means the tattoos have so much more meaning and power than I anticipated or initially picked up on.

Have a random dump. This was hard to write a structured review of. I'm still enjoying this series as much as I can as someone who doesn't enjoy reading nudity. I will read Vol. 3 and see what I feel when/ if 4 gets released.
• One thing I missed in the first book is how sex-positive Djinn is. With 3 of the 6 main characters having lived in harems without judgement. There is a canon thruple, poly.
• I guess I'd given no thought to who Ebu Sarki (modern Sultan) would be. He's not what I expected but he is a logical choice, how he got caught up in this is just complicated. Like Zirua it is a nice connection to the past. I actually like him, I think he may come back. Maybe.
• I like that the echoes stop, that was unsustainable as a long term thing. Using a Whirling Dervish as a mesmerizing device, possibly closer to hypnosis, is smart and not something I remember reading and perceiving in the first person.
• The ending is just confusing. I get what is happening in the Nelson/Jade time frame. But not in Kim's. I guess vol. 3 might explain it but that's a lot of explaining and fancy footwork.
• This whole thing feels very TV time travel episode in a way, you know those episodes where they are unexpectedly in the 20s, 40s, 60s, or even further back. You need to keep track of where people sit, when. And their alignments which aren't always what one would expect.

It's true that my Grandmother was beautiful. It's also true she was a demon... but why would I be frightened? [...] Haven't I even become like her? they all say I have. — Kim Nelson

A representative gif:

[Magnus Frederiksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berättartekniken är en knapp trea. Det blir, som många storslagna serie, rörigt och korthugget och onödigt utdraget. På ett märkligt sätt lite tråkigt. Men det är vackert tecknat (en femma) och storyn är i grunden spännande om än osannolik. När man läst färdigt lämnar man den fina miljön och stämningen och det känns lite tomt. Gillade att vara i dessa illustrationer.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Remember the really unfortunate racism and colonialism you found in the early volumes of TinTin? Okay, take that, now add a lot of softcore pornography and nonsensical dialogue that pretends to be about something important. That's what this is. The artwork is outstanding, but put to terrible use.

[Alina Brzozowska · Rating 1 out of 5]

The comic objectifies women, and it's also ageist. I'm not particularly keen on reading/watching scenes depicting old men(geezers) having sex with young women, but never the other way around. Jean Dufaux has completely lost it. This comic is ageist trash and objectifies women.