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Adèle Blanc-Sec #1
Adele & the Beast: The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec
Muséum d'histoire naturelle du Jardin des plantes, 4 novembre 1911. Un œuf de ptérodactyle datant de la fin du Jurassique se craquèle légèrement. Un œil tout rond apparaît, bientôt suivi d'un bec parsemé de petites dents pointues. Puis le corps du ptérodactyle se déploie avant de briser la glace de sa cage de verre et de prendre son envol. Bientôt, tout Paris tremblera à la lecture des exploits sanglants de cet oiseau surgi du fin fond de la préhistoire… Ainsi commence Adèle et la bête, premier volet des aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec. Un hommage au feuilleton populaire, né de l'imagination de Jacques Tardi et publié pour la première fois en 1976. Plus de trente ans plus tard, ce classique de la bande dessinée entame une nouvelle carrière. Mais dans une présentation toute différente : en noir et blanc et, surtout, en petit format. Les éditions Librio tentent de renouer avec une formule – la BD en livre de poche lancée dans les années quatre-vingt. Cette fois, tout est prévu pour garantir un succès. Le prix, d'abord : à dix francs le volume, difficile de ne pas se laisser tenter. La reproduction en noir et blanc et le grammage du papier sont de qualité. L'absence de couleur n'est pas un handicap, bien au contraire : elle permet de redécouvrir les aventures d'Adèle et de profiter pleinement de l'ambiance pleine de mystère du Paris de ce début de siècle, propice au charme du noir et blanc. Enfin, la reproduction des planches respecte le format original et ne nuit en rien à la lecture. Le ptérodactyle peut être rassuré : cette nouvelle présentation n'empêchera pas le lecteur de frissonner à la lecture de ses sinistres exploits… --Philippe Actère
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
13 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Jacques Tardi
297 books210 followersJacques Tardi is a French comics artist, born 30 August 1946 in Valence, Drôme. He is often credited solely as Tardi.
After graduating from the École nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris, he started writing comics in 1969, at the age of 23, in the comics magazine Pilote, initially illustrating short stories written by Jean Giraud and Serge de Beketch, before creating the political fiction story Rumeur sur le Rouergue from a scenario by Pierre Christin in 1972.
A highly versatile artist, Tardi successfully adapted novels by controversial writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline or crime novelist Léo Malet. In Malet's case, Tardi adapted his detective hero Nestor Burma into a series of critically acclaimed graphic novels, though he also wrote and drew original stories of his own.
Tardi also created one of French comics' most famous heroines, Adèle Blanc-Sec. This series recreates the Paris of early 20th century where the moody heroine encounters supernatural events, state plots, occult societies and experiments in cryogenics.
Another graphic novel was Ici Même which was written by Jean-Claude Forest, best known as the creator of Barbarella. A satire, it describes the adventures of Arthur Même who lives on the walls of his family's former property.
Tardi has produced many antiwar graphic novels and comics, mainly focusing on the collective European trauma of the First World War, and the pitfalls of patriotism spawned several albums (Adieu Brindavoine, C'était la guerre des tranchées, Le trou d'obus, Putain de Guerre...). His grandfather's involvement in the day-to-day horrors of trench warfare, seems to have had a deep influence to his artistic expression. He also completed a four-volume series on the Paris Commune, Le cri du peuple.
Fantagraphics Books translate and publish in English a wide range of Tardi's books, done by editor and translator Kim Thompson.[3] The books released so far are West Coast Blues (Le Petit bleu de la côte ouest), You Are There (Ici Même), and It Was the War of the Trenches (C'était la guerre des tranchées); a single album collecting the first two Adele Blanc-Sec volumes has also been published.
->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_...
After graduating from the École nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris, he started writing comics in 1969, at the age of 23, in the comics magazine Pilote, initially illustrating short stories written by Jean Giraud and Serge de Beketch, before creating the political fiction story Rumeur sur le Rouergue from a scenario by Pierre Christin in 1972.
A highly versatile artist, Tardi successfully adapted novels by controversial writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline or crime novelist Léo Malet. In Malet's case, Tardi adapted his detective hero Nestor Burma into a series of critically acclaimed graphic novels, though he also wrote and drew original stories of his own.
Tardi also created one of French comics' most famous heroines, Adèle Blanc-Sec. This series recreates the Paris of early 20th century where the moody heroine encounters supernatural events, state plots, occult societies and experiments in cryogenics.
Another graphic novel was Ici Même which was written by Jean-Claude Forest, best known as the creator of Barbarella. A satire, it describes the adventures of Arthur Même who lives on the walls of his family's former property.
Tardi has produced many antiwar graphic novels and comics, mainly focusing on the collective European trauma of the First World War, and the pitfalls of patriotism spawned several albums (Adieu Brindavoine, C'était la guerre des tranchées, Le trou d'obus, Putain de Guerre...). His grandfather's involvement in the day-to-day horrors of trench warfare, seems to have had a deep influence to his artistic expression. He also completed a four-volume series on the Paris Commune, Le cri du peuple.
Fantagraphics Books translate and publish in English a wide range of Tardi's books, done by editor and translator Kim Thompson.[3] The books released so far are West Coast Blues (Le Petit bleu de la côte ouest), You Are There (Ici Même), and It Was the War of the Trenches (C'était la guerre des tranchées); a single album collecting the first two Adele Blanc-Sec volumes has also been published.
->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
June 17, 2024
História confusa, personagens muito parecidas, difícil de perceber quem é quem. Não era o que esperava.
June 14, 2024
From the start, it’s clear that this graphic novel is from an earlier era. The narrative and dialogue are overly descriptive, relying heavily on large text balloons instead of allowing the illustrations and panel sequences to convey the story.
Despite this, the novel has aged better than many of its contemporaries. It remains solid even by today's standards.
I was surprised to find that Adèle is not the main character. In fact, there isn’t a single protagonist who stands out; instead, multiple characters share the spotlight. I expected a specific type of female inspector, but Adèle defies this expectation, at least in this first volume.
The narrative is complex, both visually and thematically. Many characters look similar, which seems to be a deliberate choice to obscure the reader’s understanding of events and their perpetrators.
Interestingly, I found myself drawn into the story, eagerly turning pages to unravel the mystery. The blend of science, the paranormal, and fiction adds to its intrigue.
This book demands careful reading, as it can become confusing quickly.
Overall, I found it to be a decent crime story. Forty-five years ago, it might have been mind-blowing.
Despite this, the novel has aged better than many of its contemporaries. It remains solid even by today's standards.
I was surprised to find that Adèle is not the main character. In fact, there isn’t a single protagonist who stands out; instead, multiple characters share the spotlight. I expected a specific type of female inspector, but Adèle defies this expectation, at least in this first volume.
The narrative is complex, both visually and thematically. Many characters look similar, which seems to be a deliberate choice to obscure the reader’s understanding of events and their perpetrators.
Interestingly, I found myself drawn into the story, eagerly turning pages to unravel the mystery. The blend of science, the paranormal, and fiction adds to its intrigue.
This book demands careful reading, as it can become confusing quickly.
Overall, I found it to be a decent crime story. Forty-five years ago, it might have been mind-blowing.
April 6, 2015
Another classic Franco-Belgian series in ligne clair style familiar to fans of Tintin, Pilote, and Spirou (or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which takes obvious cues from Adèle). We have the beautifully rendered backgrounds, with especial care and attention paid to architecture and vehicles, and in the foreground, the people, who are evocative, cartoonish caricatures. As Scott McCloud points out, this is a very effective technique, as it combines the immersive realism of the world with relatable, symbolic characters.
Unfortunately, some of the characters are not quite idiomatic enough, and we sometimes get lost in a sea of mustachio'd men in bowlers and spectacles who are not immediately easy to differentiate. This book is also reminiscent of Tintin in a less appealing way than the art: like early Tintin, it takes itself rather lightly, and the plot, structure, and characterization leave much to be desired. The constant disguises, twists, betrayals, flashbacks, and exposition make a simple adventure needlessly complex. One of the characters even jokes that the plot is 'too convoluted to make a good novel', suggesting that Tardi is doing it deliberately, but I'm not sure why an author would choose to purposefully weak such havoc on their own structure.
I think it could have worked if it had been more madcap, like De Crecy, placing action and wit above all. Sure, it could work to put a straight, driving story into the middle of such convolutions, but there needs to be a central thread to be followed, and the twists should be there as jokes or absurdities set around the main plot, not as the central focus. By the third time some character pops in to explain through flashback what really happened earlier, we've lost all focus.
Adèle herself is particularly lost in the muddle here, neither villain nor hero, motivations and relationships undefined. However, even by the next volume, we can see Tardi beginning to settle in to a more serious, dark tone, and beginning to find a voice that works.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
Unfortunately, some of the characters are not quite idiomatic enough, and we sometimes get lost in a sea of mustachio'd men in bowlers and spectacles who are not immediately easy to differentiate. This book is also reminiscent of Tintin in a less appealing way than the art: like early Tintin, it takes itself rather lightly, and the plot, structure, and characterization leave much to be desired. The constant disguises, twists, betrayals, flashbacks, and exposition make a simple adventure needlessly complex. One of the characters even jokes that the plot is 'too convoluted to make a good novel', suggesting that Tardi is doing it deliberately, but I'm not sure why an author would choose to purposefully weak such havoc on their own structure.
I think it could have worked if it had been more madcap, like De Crecy, placing action and wit above all. Sure, it could work to put a straight, driving story into the middle of such convolutions, but there needs to be a central thread to be followed, and the twists should be there as jokes or absurdities set around the main plot, not as the central focus. By the third time some character pops in to explain through flashback what really happened earlier, we've lost all focus.
Adèle herself is particularly lost in the muddle here, neither villain nor hero, motivations and relationships undefined. However, even by the next volume, we can see Tardi beginning to settle in to a more serious, dark tone, and beginning to find a voice that works.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
February 10, 2014
Three issues with this comic:
1) All the males look pretty much the same. If you can tell them apart, I am impressed. All that separates them is slight differences in the shape of their mustaches.
2) The story is insanely complicated. You have to keep a dozen names in mind, and they are all french names and they usually only refer to characters by their last name (or their first -- who knows?)
3) I don't really understand why it was done as a comic. It wasn't clear that the medium added much or that the story couldn't have been done as well in prose.
This comic was the big big thing as a show I went to a few years ago. I finally read it. I don't see why.
1) All the males look pretty much the same. If you can tell them apart, I am impressed. All that separates them is slight differences in the shape of their mustaches.
2) The story is insanely complicated. You have to keep a dozen names in mind, and they are all french names and they usually only refer to characters by their last name (or their first -- who knows?)
3) I don't really understand why it was done as a comic. It wasn't clear that the medium added much or that the story couldn't have been done as well in prose.
This comic was the big big thing as a show I went to a few years ago. I finally read it. I don't see why.
December 19, 2021
Cette histoire nous fait voyager dans le temps - Paris, à la fin du XIXeme siècle - et j'aime ça. C'est aussi un peu comme lire un feuilleton: un mystère résolut et deux autres qui s'annoncent pour la prochaine aventure.
Les personnages sont un peu plats pour mon goût, argument qui peut-être dit plus sur mon profil de lectrice que sur ce travail en particulier. Mais c'est une des raisons aussi pour laquelle en bande dessinnée je préfère les aventures de plus longue haleine, où le personnage centrale est lui/elle aussi un mystère. Corto Maltese et John Constantine pour en nommer deux qui ont traversé mon chemin.
Je suis curieuse de découvrir plus Adèle Blanc-sec...
À voir.
Les personnages sont un peu plats pour mon goût, argument qui peut-être dit plus sur mon profil de lectrice que sur ce travail en particulier. Mais c'est une des raisons aussi pour laquelle en bande dessinnée je préfère les aventures de plus longue haleine, où le personnage centrale est lui/elle aussi un mystère. Corto Maltese et John Constantine pour en nommer deux qui ont traversé mon chemin.
Je suis curieuse de découvrir plus Adèle Blanc-sec...
À voir.
March 21, 2022
Gifted by a friend who knows my love for all things Paris and fin-de-siécle, this was my first experience with Tardi’s Adéle comic books. Fun story – though with a lot of exposition in the final pages – with elements from both steampunk and gothic horror and some lovely images of Parisian streets and city life.
May 3, 2021
Paper thin. I enjoyed her being a criminal detective.
December 16, 2019
In the film directed by Luc Besson, Adele is a journalist (like Tintin) whereas is in the book she is a criminal. Less formulaic direction by, say, the Coen brothers, would’ve better captured the tone of the book. The plot is hard to follow, at least partly because, during the writing, Adele was originally the antagonist (baddy) but took top billing when the author found her more interesting. Moreover, most of the male characters are almost indistinguishable, even when not in disguise, and are prone to double- and triple-cross each other. Finally, the plot seems scattershot in that, for example, Adele’s boyfriend only appears near the end, only to be killed almost immediately, and the real plot driver is not the pterodactyl but a previous robbery that isn’t even mentioned till very late on. Oh, and we have a copy in French, which I don’t properly understand. But somehow I found it so engrossing that I made the following synopsis (spoiler alert):
Adele Blanc-Sec kidnaps Edith Rabatjoie, intending to demand a ransom from her father, a wealthy and innovative engineer. Edith is in Paris to solve the mystery of the pterodactyl terrorizing the city, which is also being hunted by the brave but obtuse Inspector Caponi. Leaving Edith in the custody of her accomplices Albert & Joseph, Adele tries to brush off the lovestruck young scientist Zborowsky, but narrowly escapes being killed by a rival criminal, Lobel. On returning to her hideout, Adele finds that Albert has betrayed her, escaping with Edith and leaving Joseph unconscious. Pretending to be Zborowsky, Lobel lures Adele to the museum gardens, where the pterodactyl is shot by a big game hunter, St Hubert. As the pterodactyl dies, so, in Lyon, does the spiritualist Boutardieu, who had hatched its fossilized museum egg by channelling psychic energy. In the commotion in the gardens, Lobel tries to shoot Adele, but is himself shot by the triple-crossing Albert. The next day, Adele is joyfully reunited with Ripol, a former accomplice, after his dramatic rescue from the guillotine by what seemed to be another pterodactyl, but was really Edith in her father’s flying machine. Edith and Albert follow Ripol and Adele to the museum, where Ripol has stashed loot from a previous robbery. Ripol is shot dead by Albert, who is in turn shot by Joseph. As Caponi arrives on the scene, Adele escapes by accepting a lift from Simon Flageolet who, showing himself suspiciously knowledgeable of the whole affair, invites Adele to join forces with him.
Adele Blanc-Sec kidnaps Edith Rabatjoie, intending to demand a ransom from her father, a wealthy and innovative engineer. Edith is in Paris to solve the mystery of the pterodactyl terrorizing the city, which is also being hunted by the brave but obtuse Inspector Caponi. Leaving Edith in the custody of her accomplices Albert & Joseph, Adele tries to brush off the lovestruck young scientist Zborowsky, but narrowly escapes being killed by a rival criminal, Lobel. On returning to her hideout, Adele finds that Albert has betrayed her, escaping with Edith and leaving Joseph unconscious. Pretending to be Zborowsky, Lobel lures Adele to the museum gardens, where the pterodactyl is shot by a big game hunter, St Hubert. As the pterodactyl dies, so, in Lyon, does the spiritualist Boutardieu, who had hatched its fossilized museum egg by channelling psychic energy. In the commotion in the gardens, Lobel tries to shoot Adele, but is himself shot by the triple-crossing Albert. The next day, Adele is joyfully reunited with Ripol, a former accomplice, after his dramatic rescue from the guillotine by what seemed to be another pterodactyl, but was really Edith in her father’s flying machine. Edith and Albert follow Ripol and Adele to the museum, where Ripol has stashed loot from a previous robbery. Ripol is shot dead by Albert, who is in turn shot by Joseph. As Caponi arrives on the scene, Adele escapes by accepting a lift from Simon Flageolet who, showing himself suspiciously knowledgeable of the whole affair, invites Adele to join forces with him.
April 30, 2023
This is the first comic in Tardi's "Adèle Blanc-Sec" series, and it's also the first one I've read – though it seems that each one is a complete story, so they don't strictly need to be read in order. It's essentially a farcical, tongue-in-cheek pastiche of pulpy supernatural mysteries from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has a lot in common with two of the other Tardi comics I've read, "Ici Même" and "La Débauche" – to a surprising extent, considering that "Adèle Blanc-Sec" is solo Tardi, while those two are each scripted by different writers. Most notably, there's the same overall tone and sense of humour, the absurd comedy propelled by the rapid escalations of a convoluted plot. There are also a bunch of thematic commonalities: a strong sense of being set in France in or around the 1900s, parody of police and politicians, ridiculous/pathetic men, and strong/sassy women. The art style is also basically the same, though this being an earlier work (first published 1976), Tardi's lines aren't quite as confident and impressive.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable read, even if it's not as sophisticated and memorable as the wonderful "Ici Même" or as powerful as the decidedly more serious "C'était la guerre des tranchées". Not my favourite Tardi, but very good.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable read, even if it's not as sophisticated and memorable as the wonderful "Ici Même" or as powerful as the decidedly more serious "C'était la guerre des tranchées". Not my favourite Tardi, but very good.
May 21, 2024
Trama intricatissima che credo costituisca anche un po’ la parte comica del fumetto: tutti tradiscono tutti, può capitare che ci sia una carrozza che segue una carrozza che segue un terza carrozza e spesso nello stesso giardino 3-4 uomini camuffati si trovano nascosti dietro diversi cespugli per diversi motivi.
Credo che serva uno schemino dei personaggi e dei loro moventi per mettere in ordine la trama (non lo farò) e non aiuta il fatto che molti personaggi sono disegnati con dei tratti molto simili.
Nonostante la confusione e i diversi spiegoni, ho apprezzato le atmosfere e l’assurdità volutamente comica di certe situazioni.
In generale, mi sono divertita molto a sfogliarlo sicuramente anche per merito dell’app di Google traduttore che più volte ha tradotto ‘che confusione’ con ‘che insalata!’ 🥗
Credo che serva uno schemino dei personaggi e dei loro moventi per mettere in ordine la trama (non lo farò) e non aiuta il fatto che molti personaggi sono disegnati con dei tratti molto simili.
Nonostante la confusione e i diversi spiegoni, ho apprezzato le atmosfere e l’assurdità volutamente comica di certe situazioni.
In generale, mi sono divertita molto a sfogliarlo sicuramente anche per merito dell’app di Google traduttore che più volte ha tradotto ‘che confusione’ con ‘che insalata!’ 🥗
January 4, 2015
PTÉROdactyle pas PÉTROdactyle! Crétin!
Man merkt am Inhalt und an den Rezensionen, dass es Autor Tardi gefällt, mit dem Leser ein bisschen zu spielen. "Insanely complicated", schreibt ein Rezensent, der auch nicht mit der Personenzahl zurechtkommt (es sind ja auch mindestens 10! Das geht nun wirklich nicht in Comics!) - doch es ist ja der Sinn eines Verwirrspiels, dass man sich ein bisschen reinfuchsen muss. Und mir gefällt diese vordergründig nostalgische, späte fin-de-siècle-Stimmung, in der sich zwei Plots mit nur minimalen Gemeinsamkeiten überlagern - einer davon ein übernatürliches Ereignis in Form eines plötzlich geschlüpften Jura-Flugsauriers, der andere eine Kriminalgeschichte, in der sich die Komplizen gegenseitig an die Gurgel wollen; und Adèle Blanc-Sec ist mittendrin in allem...
Das Szenario ist letztlich etwas künstlich aufgesetzt, doch man findet schnell heraus, dass ein gewisses parodistisches Element beabsichtigt ist, das die hyperkomplexen, total auf deus-ex-machina-Momente setzenden und klischeehaften Detektiv- und Kriminalromane der damaligen Zeit auf die Schippe nehmen will. Besonders witzig sind die wunderbar dargestellten Verfolgungsjagden, in der sich mehrere Gruppen von Leuten gegenseitig verfolgen, und die Polizeibeamtenhierarchie, in der vom Präsidenten der Republik bis zum einfachen Kommissar durchdelegiert wird, dass es eine Freude ist. Klar, wer nachher an allem Schuld ist.
Vom Zeichnerischen her begeistert mich Tardi: Er geht an die Grenzen dessen, was man noch als ligne clair bezeichnen kann, und schafft wunderbare Eindrücke eines vergangenen Paris, gleichzeitig geheimnisvoll und deutlich aber auch an der Schwelle zur Moderne.
Die Fragen, die der Autor dem Leser am Ende des Bands freundlicherweise vorkaut sollen dann im nächsten Band beantwortet werden - so recht glaube ich nicht daran, bin aber trotzdem in freudiger Erwartung darauf.
Man merkt am Inhalt und an den Rezensionen, dass es Autor Tardi gefällt, mit dem Leser ein bisschen zu spielen. "Insanely complicated", schreibt ein Rezensent, der auch nicht mit der Personenzahl zurechtkommt (es sind ja auch mindestens 10! Das geht nun wirklich nicht in Comics!) - doch es ist ja der Sinn eines Verwirrspiels, dass man sich ein bisschen reinfuchsen muss. Und mir gefällt diese vordergründig nostalgische, späte fin-de-siècle-Stimmung, in der sich zwei Plots mit nur minimalen Gemeinsamkeiten überlagern - einer davon ein übernatürliches Ereignis in Form eines plötzlich geschlüpften Jura-Flugsauriers, der andere eine Kriminalgeschichte, in der sich die Komplizen gegenseitig an die Gurgel wollen; und Adèle Blanc-Sec ist mittendrin in allem...
Das Szenario ist letztlich etwas künstlich aufgesetzt, doch man findet schnell heraus, dass ein gewisses parodistisches Element beabsichtigt ist, das die hyperkomplexen, total auf deus-ex-machina-Momente setzenden und klischeehaften Detektiv- und Kriminalromane der damaligen Zeit auf die Schippe nehmen will. Besonders witzig sind die wunderbar dargestellten Verfolgungsjagden, in der sich mehrere Gruppen von Leuten gegenseitig verfolgen, und die Polizeibeamtenhierarchie, in der vom Präsidenten der Republik bis zum einfachen Kommissar durchdelegiert wird, dass es eine Freude ist. Klar, wer nachher an allem Schuld ist.
Vom Zeichnerischen her begeistert mich Tardi: Er geht an die Grenzen dessen, was man noch als ligne clair bezeichnen kann, und schafft wunderbare Eindrücke eines vergangenen Paris, gleichzeitig geheimnisvoll und deutlich aber auch an der Schwelle zur Moderne.
Die Fragen, die der Autor dem Leser am Ende des Bands freundlicherweise vorkaut sollen dann im nächsten Band beantwortet werden - so recht glaube ich nicht daran, bin aber trotzdem in freudiger Erwartung darauf.
February 12, 2019
3.5 stars. A pterodactyl hatches a the Natural History Museum in Paris in 1911 and makes many victims and newspaper headlines over the next several days. An inspector is sent out to take it down. Meanwhile there’s a complicated scheme involving a kidnapping by Adèle and some accomplices wearing mustaches and bowler hats. Everything becomes extremely confusing when several people put on fake mustaches and bowler hats to get their hands on some stolen money. By this point, Tardi has Adèle say she can’t follow the plot either, which had me relieved because I was totally confused by then.
Fine black and white drawings circa 1976 recreating the period; costumes, cars and buildings, all with a horror/gothic twist I loved but a tiny format that doesn’t allow to fully appreciate just how good those drawings are. I just read another reviewer who mentions that the second book in this series takes on a more definitive direction and has a less convoluted plot, so I shall follow up eventually.
Fine black and white drawings circa 1976 recreating the period; costumes, cars and buildings, all with a horror/gothic twist I loved but a tiny format that doesn’t allow to fully appreciate just how good those drawings are. I just read another reviewer who mentions that the second book in this series takes on a more definitive direction and has a less convoluted plot, so I shall follow up eventually.
October 9, 2018
En lisant cette BD, on plonge dans l'univers complètement délirant mais non moins captivant inventé par Jacques Tardi. Une BD assez perturbante au départ car elle offre un récit peu classique, qui peut au premier abord paraître assez décousu. Mais pour peu qu'on s'accroche un peu, on finit par se laisser entraîner par le "trip" de Tardi et suivre avec passion les aventures étranges et fascinantes aventures d'Adèle Blanc Sec!
February 3, 2025
Um pterodáctilo à solta nos céus parisienses. Uma estranha máquina voadora. Mistérios e traições convolutas, entre chantagens e proventos de assaltos. A histeria das autoridades e, muito discreta, a capacidade operativa de uma anti-heroína, metida até à ponta dos seus longos cabelos em misteriosos esquemas. Coneçam aqui as aventuras da lendária personagem de Tardi, num livro que se distingue pela elegância com que o autor evoca a estética fin de siécle da Paris dos primeiros anos do século XX.
February 22, 2018
Prefiero el Tardi más oscuro, estos primeros tres tomos de Adele Blanc-Sec no me han llamado excesivamente la atención.
January 19, 2020
3.5 stars
February 16, 2023
La historia es algo liante, pero la mezcla de arqueología y thriller policial con el París de los años 10 de fondo mola bastante.
May 24, 2024
I really like the movie adaptation of this comic so I decided to read the source material. Aaand the movie is way better. The plot here is just so confusing and I got lost by the end.
June 23, 2025
Sonunu pek anlamadım. Herkes birbirini kandırmış ama neden?
March 19, 2023
À l'occasion de la sortie du 10 eme et dernier tome de la série, relecture complète d'Adèle Blansec.
Malgré ses presque 40 ans, ça tient toujours la route !
Le décalage permanent et la loufoquerie de l'intrigue fonctionnent encore très bien.
Malgré ses presque 40 ans, ça tient toujours la route !
Le décalage permanent et la loufoquerie de l'intrigue fonctionnent encore très bien.
February 11, 2021
Auf 48 Seiten hat Tardi eine Story untergebracht, die vor Wendungen nur so strotzt. Zu Beginn schlüpft ein Pterodaktylus, ein Urzeit-Vogel aus einem versteinerten Ei. Er sorgt für Unruhe und Todesfälle im Frankreich des Jahre 1912. Der Staatspräsident persönlich ordnet die Lösung des Problems an, das dann beim nicht gerade hellen Kommissar Caponi landet. Und dann kommt Adele Blanc-Sec ins Spiel, die Abenteuerin wird mit ihren Gehilfen in die Sache verwickelt. Dabei will sie eine Maschine in die Hände bekommen, und hat dazu die Tochter des Erfinders gekidnappt. Ein Päläontologe, der sie für die Entführte hält, will sich mit ihr treffen. Am Ende kann Adele sich aus den Verwicklungen gerade noch lösen, nur um für einen neuen Auftrag angeheuert zu werden.
Tardi übertreibt es mit den Verwicklungen, da tauchen immer mehr Figuren unmittelbar auf, so wie er Adele einführt. Das erinnert sehr an manche Filme aus Hollywood, der Comic ist sehr filmisch erzählt. Der Stoff ist zu viel für 48 Seiten, aber Tardi kümmert sich nicht um eine nachvollziehbare Story, Ihm geht es um die Figuren und den phantastisch angereicherten Zeitkolorit; er treibt damit ein durchaus unterhaltsames Spiel.
Tardi übertreibt es mit den Verwicklungen, da tauchen immer mehr Figuren unmittelbar auf, so wie er Adele einführt. Das erinnert sehr an manche Filme aus Hollywood, der Comic ist sehr filmisch erzählt. Der Stoff ist zu viel für 48 Seiten, aber Tardi kümmert sich nicht um eine nachvollziehbare Story, Ihm geht es um die Figuren und den phantastisch angereicherten Zeitkolorit; er treibt damit ein durchaus unterhaltsames Spiel.
September 5, 2012
Parce que nous avous apprecié le film, et que nous aimons les BDs (françaises et allemandes surtout), nous avons décidé, ma femme et moi, de chercher celle-ci. Mais, à première vue, le dessin ne nous avons pas plu, afin que nous avons abandonné les recherches pour le premier tome. Mais, après une visite du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle dans le Jardin des Plantes, nous avons été incités de nouveau à le lire en dépit de notre antipathie initiale.
Alors, je suis heureux d'avoir pris cette décision. C'était une drôle de lecture, et après quelque pages j'ai appris d'apprécier l'art aussi ; ça me rappelle un peu de Ted McKeever, un de mes favoris. J'ai aimé la complexité et même la confusion de cette première aventure d'Adèle. J'attends la suite avec impatience... il faut peut-être qu'on revient à la France en quête de Tome II.
Alors, je suis heureux d'avoir pris cette décision. C'était une drôle de lecture, et après quelque pages j'ai appris d'apprécier l'art aussi ; ça me rappelle un peu de Ted McKeever, un de mes favoris. J'ai aimé la complexité et même la confusion de cette première aventure d'Adèle. J'attends la suite avec impatience... il faut peut-être qu'on revient à la France en quête de Tome II.
September 18, 2017
Plockade upp flera verk av Tardi på andrahandsmarknaden. Minns att jag läste några av dem när jag var i tioårsåldern, och tyckte att de var lite underliga.
I vuxen ålder tycker jag att de är fantastiskt underhållande. Miljöerna från framförallt Paris från början av 1910-talet är vackra och nostagiska. Jag känner igen en hel del från dagens Paris. Underliga ting händer nattetid i Paris, och historien känns som en Tintin för vuxna. Folk dör till höger och vänster, hjältinnan Adele dras bara med utan att lyckas lösa något egentligt problem, och det känns som att vad som helst kan hända. Ändå är denna första del ganska sansad jämfört med hur serien sedan utvecklar sig. Införskaffa och njut av det vackra hantverket, det känns verkligen genuint franskt och före sin tid. Hittar du inte de svenskutgivna gamla utgåvorna finns några verk utgivna på engelska också.
I vuxen ålder tycker jag att de är fantastiskt underhållande. Miljöerna från framförallt Paris från början av 1910-talet är vackra och nostagiska. Jag känner igen en hel del från dagens Paris. Underliga ting händer nattetid i Paris, och historien känns som en Tintin för vuxna. Folk dör till höger och vänster, hjältinnan Adele dras bara med utan att lyckas lösa något egentligt problem, och det känns som att vad som helst kan hända. Ändå är denna första del ganska sansad jämfört med hur serien sedan utvecklar sig. Införskaffa och njut av det vackra hantverket, det känns verkligen genuint franskt och före sin tid. Hittar du inte de svenskutgivna gamla utgåvorna finns några verk utgivna på engelska också.
August 7, 2024
An excellently executed mixture of many early 20th century pulp tropes, which means fun fun fun !
I mention it among my favorites by Tardi here:
https://youtu.be/dmCp795Lvsk
February 28, 2018
Juste avant la prémiere guerre mondiale la belle-laide Adèle Blanc-Sec cherchait la mystère et le danger à Paris.
Lorsque les dessins ne sont pas si clair que ceux de Hergé et cie, ils sont efficaces et évocateurs. L'histoire est sufficiamment «rococco» d'être imprévisible et intéressant. ABS est une charactère très attirante.
Lorsque les dessins ne sont pas si clair que ceux de Hergé et cie, ils sont efficaces et évocateurs. L'histoire est sufficiamment «rococco» d'être imprévisible et intéressant. ABS est une charactère très attirante.
October 25, 2018
Purchased it used, in a book fair. Took a long time to finish it, because the art and the coloring were very unnatractive. And I did not connect to the story, either. Only some time after that I realized that Tardi was a well known BD creator.
July 1, 2012
Very reminiscent of Tintin -- lavishly illustrated, lots of mysterious Eastern hijinx. The plotline is almost impossible to follow.
April 4, 2023
***NB Spoilers both for this and subsequent albums in the series.***
40 years have passed since I bought my first Adele album in 1983. Finally, this autumn, the 10th and last album arrived, and before reading it I have decided to read the 9 first albums one more time.
The Adèle series as a whole can be divided into three, sort of, where the first part consists of albums 1-3. They are told quite straight forward and are traditionally composed suspense stories. In Nos. 4 and 5, the story loosens a bit, and Adèle recedes more into the background, especially when she is frozen during the entire First World War. In the opening of album 6, the world war is over and the last five chapters take place from 1918 and into the twenties.
The first stories are the most accessible. Although intentionally confusing in plot and intrigue, they are quite easy to read. I love the humor and parody in these first chapters.
The drawing style has changed somewhat along the way. Adèle has become rounder at the edges and actually has quite a different face towards the end. But Jacques Tardi's masterful drawings of Paris are already prominent in album number one. No one can draw Paris like him, especially Paris in the rain.
Album No. 1 begins simply, effectively and captivatingly with the hatching of a pterodactyl at the natural history museum. It disappears into the night and the adventure begins. Adèle has nothing to do with this, but the hatching of the dinosaur egg sets in motion a series of events that eventually also involve her.
Adèle does not appear until some time into the story and she is not really a heroine, her main goal is to free her boyfriend (?) who is about to be executed for a murder that occurred during a robbery at a banker. To achieve this, she and her cronies kidnap the daughter of an inventor who happens to have created a flying device similar to the pterodactyl.
It's all done with warm humor and a twinkle in the eye. Adèle has a slightly indifferent, laconic approach to it all, which becomes more prominent in the later albums. She rarely seeks out the conflicts on her own initiative, but is reluctantly drawn into the intrigue. Here, too, she is completely uninterested in the pterodactyl, and when the story ends she is essentially on the bottom, without friends, without helpers and without the money from the robbery.
But as this is a tribute to serial novels from the beginning of the century, it ends with a cliffhanger. There was something more than money in the loot from the robbery at the banker's, and on the last page of the album, Adèle is approached by a mysterious person who is interested in this object. Mysterious things also happen on the Pont Neuf. What this is will maybe be revealed in the next album; The Demon from the Eiffel Tower.
40 years have passed since I bought my first Adele album in 1983. Finally, this autumn, the 10th and last album arrived, and before reading it I have decided to read the 9 first albums one more time.
The Adèle series as a whole can be divided into three, sort of, where the first part consists of albums 1-3. They are told quite straight forward and are traditionally composed suspense stories. In Nos. 4 and 5, the story loosens a bit, and Adèle recedes more into the background, especially when she is frozen during the entire First World War. In the opening of album 6, the world war is over and the last five chapters take place from 1918 and into the twenties.
The first stories are the most accessible. Although intentionally confusing in plot and intrigue, they are quite easy to read. I love the humor and parody in these first chapters.
The drawing style has changed somewhat along the way. Adèle has become rounder at the edges and actually has quite a different face towards the end. But Jacques Tardi's masterful drawings of Paris are already prominent in album number one. No one can draw Paris like him, especially Paris in the rain.
Album No. 1 begins simply, effectively and captivatingly with the hatching of a pterodactyl at the natural history museum. It disappears into the night and the adventure begins. Adèle has nothing to do with this, but the hatching of the dinosaur egg sets in motion a series of events that eventually also involve her.
Adèle does not appear until some time into the story and she is not really a heroine, her main goal is to free her boyfriend (?) who is about to be executed for a murder that occurred during a robbery at a banker. To achieve this, she and her cronies kidnap the daughter of an inventor who happens to have created a flying device similar to the pterodactyl.
It's all done with warm humor and a twinkle in the eye. Adèle has a slightly indifferent, laconic approach to it all, which becomes more prominent in the later albums. She rarely seeks out the conflicts on her own initiative, but is reluctantly drawn into the intrigue. Here, too, she is completely uninterested in the pterodactyl, and when the story ends she is essentially on the bottom, without friends, without helpers and without the money from the robbery.
But as this is a tribute to serial novels from the beginning of the century, it ends with a cliffhanger. There was something more than money in the loot from the robbery at the banker's, and on the last page of the album, Adèle is approached by a mysterious person who is interested in this object. Mysterious things also happen on the Pont Neuf. What this is will maybe be revealed in the next album; The Demon from the Eiffel Tower.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2019
(PT) Em dezembro de 1911, no Museu de história Natural de Paris, um pterodáctilo revive, depois de 136 milhões de anos adormecido no seu ovo, e causa pânico na capital. Ao mesmo tempo, em Dijon, uma mulher decide ir à capital para tentar a sua sorte, em algo que fará rica a sua familia. O que não sabe é que isto é o inicio de uma aventura com roubos, monstros e máquinas voadoras. E a primeira parte de uma conspiração ainda maior.
"Adele e o Monstro", o primeiro livro da saga Adele Blanc-Sec, de Jacques Tardi, é uma mistura de eventura e mistério, onde a personagem central é uma mulher. Meio detetive, meio bandida, é moldável o suficiente para levar adiante os seus objetivos. Quer para libertar Ripol, o seu amado, das garras da guilhotina, quer para ir adiante e recuperar o dinheiro roubado e o verdadeiro assassino do banqueiro Mingonneau. E pelo meio, o inspector Caponi, um Closeau "avant la lettre" que na verdade, é alguém manipulável, candidato ideal ao cargo de "boide expiatório"...
De resto, por si, é uma boa aventura, mas isto faz parte de algo bem maior.
"Adele e o Monstro", o primeiro livro da saga Adele Blanc-Sec, de Jacques Tardi, é uma mistura de eventura e mistério, onde a personagem central é uma mulher. Meio detetive, meio bandida, é moldável o suficiente para levar adiante os seus objetivos. Quer para libertar Ripol, o seu amado, das garras da guilhotina, quer para ir adiante e recuperar o dinheiro roubado e o verdadeiro assassino do banqueiro Mingonneau. E pelo meio, o inspector Caponi, um Closeau "avant la lettre" que na verdade, é alguém manipulável, candidato ideal ao cargo de "boide expiatório"...
De resto, por si, é uma boa aventura, mas isto faz parte de algo bem maior.
June 6, 2025
This is a famous French cartoon series set in early 20th century Paris, originally published in the 1970s. It’s an affectionate pastiche of the lurid, sensational thrillers serialised in the French papers and journals of the turn of the century, mixing the tropes of the paranormal, mad scientist, police drama, espionage, and romanticised criminal genres with political satire. The central character is a female adventurer, still a rare thing at the time of first publication in France.
It’s a fun read, but is rather convoluted and confusing in story - deliberately so - as well as overly wordy. The art is a classic reference now, but not very easy to follow due to its idiosyncrasies. So it’s not really something to go back to, hence the score.
It’s a fun read, but is rather convoluted and confusing in story - deliberately so - as well as overly wordy. The art is a classic reference now, but not very easy to follow due to its idiosyncrasies. So it’s not really something to go back to, hence the score.
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