La Nouvelle aux Pis

by Stéphane BLANQUET STEPHANE

Conçu comme un puzzle pervers qui accumule les chausse-trappes et multiplie les sens de lecture, ce théâtre d’ombres replonge le lecteur dans l’exaltation des jeux de pistes de l’enfance, de sorte qu’il faut s’y enfoncer par deux fois pour que se révèle sa logique vicieuse. Au delà de l’aspect ouvertement ludique de cette double lecture, LA NOUVELLE AUX PIS, par sa construction fragmentée, propose l’expérience unique de retrouver les sensations du rêve. Sa structure ainsi que son dessin, tout en découpes fuligineuses, parviennent à rendre comme peu d’œuvres auparavant un peu de la logique des ténèbres qui président à l’élaboration des songes.

Genres: Graphic Novels

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[XenofoneX · Rating 5 out of 5]

A shadow play told with Blanquet's nihilistic glee. This is a morbid fairy tale, or a collection of macabre fables that circle the psychic drain, pulling everything into the neurotic sewer of the artist's imagination -- child murder, genital mutilation, and necrophilia are recurring themes. Stephane Blanquet is one of the most talented artists working today, experimenting successfully in a variety of media. This beautifully produced album, published by Cornelius in 2001, is his masterpiece -- a baffling riddle that revels in its own ambiguity. This is a book for readers willing to let a wordless enigma retain its secrets.





The art alone is worth the price... I've 'read' through this book dozens of times, and my interpretation has changed on each occasion. Despite being afflicted with a serious medical condition, Blanquet is ridiculously prolific as an artist, cartoonist, illustrator, photographer, sculptor and publisher, beginning his career in the 90's as a published artist when he was just 16 years old. He provided the art for the 'Donjon: Monsters' album 'Le Noir Seigneur', written by series creators Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim; along with Killoffer's 'Les Profondeurs', 'Le Noir Seigneur' is not just the best album in one of the best epics in comics, but an artistic tour-de-force.



Other than a handful of stories published in Blab!, Kramer's Ergot, and a few other comic anthologies over the last two decades, the only work of Blanquet's to be translated for English audiences is his 48-page Donjon album and 'Toys in the Basement', another slim but stunning hardcover published by Fantagraphics. I had hoped more would follow, but the tragic death of Fantagraphics co-founder and lone BD translator Kim Thompson has limited their European output. Fortunately, this is one French edition that will mystify all readers equally, regardless of mother tongue.

[Cintia Andrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

bizarro. bom demais.