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Le chant du cygne #1
Swan Song Part 1
Le lieutenant Katz et ses soldats ne sont pas des lâches. Combattants aguerris, ils ont souvent surgi de leur tranchée pour charger sous la mitraille. Mais aujourd'hui, ils en ont assez. L'incompétence criminelle de leurs officiers menace une fois de plus de les emmener au désastre. Ils décident de déserter. Pas pour fuir, pas pour se cacher. Ils se rendront ensemble à Paris pour déposer une pétition au parlement au nom de leurs frères de bataille. Commence alors le plus beau et le plus désespéré des périples...
64 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2014
About the author
Xavier Dorison
190 books121 followersXavier Dorison est né en 1972 à Paris et passe trois années en école de commerce, où il organise le festival BD des Grandes Écoles, puis travaille chez Barclays Corp. Dès 1997, il écrit le premier tome du Troisième Testament, série co-scénarisé et dessiné par Alex Alice qui remporte un succès immédiat. Il publie ensuite deux séries aux Humanoïdes Associés : Prophet avec Matthieu Lauffray et Sanctuaire avec Christophe Bec. Il co-scénarise, avec Fabien Nury, le film Brigades du Tigre, qui sera également adapté en bande dessinée aux éditions Glénat avec Jean-Yves Delitte au dessin. Il co-scénarise, toujours avec Fabien Nury, le western fantastique W.E.S.T. mis en image par Christian Rossi. Et lance début 2007 une fresque pirate : Long John Silver. En 2008, il crée la série Les Sentinelles et participe au projet XIII Mystery, en scénarisant l'album sur La Mangouste. En 2008 également, il écrit Le Syndrome d'Abel pour son comparse Marazano, de retour au dessin. En septembre 2010, il s’associe à nouveau avec Alex Alice et commence la publication de l’antésuite du Troisième Testament, intitulée Julius, toujours chez Glénat. En mars 2012, paraît chez Dargaud le premier tome d’Asgard, série dans l’univers des vikings, dessinée par Ralph Meyer. En 2013 paraîtra chez Glénat une série coécrite avec son frère Guillaume Dorison.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 1, 2020
(4,2 of 5 for a great but grim story from The Great War)
While the Ennis is mining dry the WW2, Dorison is going for The Great War. Story of one weary group of soldiers who tried to change the status of infantry from cannon fodder to human beings. Cédric Babouche's art is interesting, I wasn't a fan of it at the start, but it eventually got under my skin, even being bit chaotic sometimes. But the scenes are usually very nice captured and I liked the colouring, it added an extra layer of atmosphere here. The story is actually splendid, has a decent pace and it's well built, I believe Dorison in that. The whole story is in two parts, which is exactly enough space to tell what Dorison wants to tell. And that's the skill too. You must match the narration with the length (or vice versa) or the result would be lacking. That's for sure, sadly I read way too many examples of missing this point.
While the Ennis is mining dry the WW2, Dorison is going for The Great War. Story of one weary group of soldiers who tried to change the status of infantry from cannon fodder to human beings. Cédric Babouche's art is interesting, I wasn't a fan of it at the start, but it eventually got under my skin, even being bit chaotic sometimes. But the scenes are usually very nice captured and I liked the colouring, it added an extra layer of atmosphere here. The story is actually splendid, has a decent pace and it's well built, I believe Dorison in that. The whole story is in two parts, which is exactly enough space to tell what Dorison wants to tell. And that's the skill too. You must match the narration with the length (or vice versa) or the result would be lacking. That's for sure, sadly I read way too many examples of missing this point.
July 14, 2020
Une histoire qui prend aux tripes, elle secoue et chamboule, pourtant rien d'étonnant dans tout cela. Mais l'humanité de ces quelques hommes qui cherchent à éviter le pire.
June 8, 2017
April 1917. After nearly 3 years of fighting, the war in Europe has come to an absolute standstill, and any feverish attempts to break through only result in more necessary casualties and deaths. These brutal and futile attacks are organized by French commander Robert Neville, and amongst the French troops stuck in the trenches Neville has become their single focus point of all their anger. After yet another disastrous attack, a secret petition has begun to circulate amongst the troops, demanding the resignation of Neville. Thousands of soldiers have signed the document and passed it on to the next regiment, making the list of protesters grow larger and larger.
The section of lieutenant Katzinski are just returning from their offensive on the Chemin de Dames when the Neville-petition ends up in their part of the trenches. Still drenched in the blood of their comrades, a small group of the section takes up the document and decides to bring it to the military assembly in Paris. But that proves to be as long and rough a road as the one they’ve been traveling on for the last 3 years.
Mixing a little bit of fact with fiction, “Swansong” is an interesting, intimate look at World War One, which focuses on a group of deserters fighting for the greater good of their companions against all odds. It’s the group of Ronin making a stand, or a group of cowboys rising up against an evil sheriff, and in a way we’ve seen it all before but there’s no denying that still it remains an exciting concept. Writers Xavier Dorison and Emmanuel Herzet and artist Cédric Babouche are clearing having fun with the concept as well; but they deserve credit for keeping an eye on both the tragic undertone and historic accuracy as well. Dorison and Herzet manage to balance their story nicely between the tragic and the heroic, the comedic and the grim. Although the antagonist – an officer sent out to catch Katzinski’s band nicknamed the Puzzle, so battle-scarred and patched-up that he more closely resembles a walking corpse – might be a bit too much, the remain cast of characters is a surprisingly well-developed and interesting lot, each powered by their own sets of motivation.
While the trenches of the First World War might conjure up images of greys and blues, of mud-drenched clothes and blackened steel, but “Swansong” turns out to be as surprising on a visual level as it can be narratively. Babouche’s watercolor panels are drenched in green, ochres and oranges, and the sun is shining frequently within these pages. This combines nicely with Babouche’s drawing style, which is open and cartoonish, with clear influences from Japanese animé and manga showing in his character design and action.
It’s a style which might not necessarily fit any war-comic, but with “Swansong” looking for that balance between grim and accessible, Babouche’s style certain helps invite the reader into its pages.
The section of lieutenant Katzinski are just returning from their offensive on the Chemin de Dames when the Neville-petition ends up in their part of the trenches. Still drenched in the blood of their comrades, a small group of the section takes up the document and decides to bring it to the military assembly in Paris. But that proves to be as long and rough a road as the one they’ve been traveling on for the last 3 years.
Mixing a little bit of fact with fiction, “Swansong” is an interesting, intimate look at World War One, which focuses on a group of deserters fighting for the greater good of their companions against all odds. It’s the group of Ronin making a stand, or a group of cowboys rising up against an evil sheriff, and in a way we’ve seen it all before but there’s no denying that still it remains an exciting concept. Writers Xavier Dorison and Emmanuel Herzet and artist Cédric Babouche are clearing having fun with the concept as well; but they deserve credit for keeping an eye on both the tragic undertone and historic accuracy as well. Dorison and Herzet manage to balance their story nicely between the tragic and the heroic, the comedic and the grim. Although the antagonist – an officer sent out to catch Katzinski’s band nicknamed the Puzzle, so battle-scarred and patched-up that he more closely resembles a walking corpse – might be a bit too much, the remain cast of characters is a surprisingly well-developed and interesting lot, each powered by their own sets of motivation.
While the trenches of the First World War might conjure up images of greys and blues, of mud-drenched clothes and blackened steel, but “Swansong” turns out to be as surprising on a visual level as it can be narratively. Babouche’s watercolor panels are drenched in green, ochres and oranges, and the sun is shining frequently within these pages. This combines nicely with Babouche’s drawing style, which is open and cartoonish, with clear influences from Japanese animé and manga showing in his character design and action.
It’s a style which might not necessarily fit any war-comic, but with “Swansong” looking for that balance between grim and accessible, Babouche’s style certain helps invite the reader into its pages.
April 8, 2022
It’s the First World War, and things are not going well for the French. Once again, Lieutenant Kazinsky’s platoon are to be treated as cannon-fodder. The men are ordered over the top to face the enemy. The result is as bloody as it is expected. After the massacre, a few survivors from the platoon meet a fellow soldier who slips them a petition. It has been signed by countless French soldiers, demanding action to stop the slaughter. But the petition is only worth something if it can be seen by the right people back in Paris. The chances of that look remote, if not impossible. That is until events begin to run away with themselves, and the remnants of Kazinsky’s platoon find themselves on the run.
From the beginning, Swan Song feels fresh and vibrant, which is no mean feat when the subject matter of the Great War has been explored in a multitude of stories. We, the readers, also know what a grim and desperate place it was in the trenches. And yet, somehow, the creators seem to both acknowledge this and use it to inject urgency and even humour into the tale.
Illustrated in a style that would sit quite comfortably as anime, with a gorgeous loose watercolour palette, Swan Song feels different from its first few panels. It’s enough to make you sit up and drink in the story. But it’s not until almost halfway through, when the platoon survivors are lied to by their commanding officers, that it all changes gear and really feels special. What at first seems a reasonable if not foolish ploy to appeal their position quickly roars past the point of no return.
With several nicely conceived set pieces, great pacing, and interesting characters, I felt instantly at home with the story. And it’s always a pleasure to have your interest rewarded when a story alters course like this one does. It might only be April, but this is a contender for series of the year already.
From the beginning, Swan Song feels fresh and vibrant, which is no mean feat when the subject matter of the Great War has been explored in a multitude of stories. We, the readers, also know what a grim and desperate place it was in the trenches. And yet, somehow, the creators seem to both acknowledge this and use it to inject urgency and even humour into the tale.
Illustrated in a style that would sit quite comfortably as anime, with a gorgeous loose watercolour palette, Swan Song feels different from its first few panels. It’s enough to make you sit up and drink in the story. But it’s not until almost halfway through, when the platoon survivors are lied to by their commanding officers, that it all changes gear and really feels special. What at first seems a reasonable if not foolish ploy to appeal their position quickly roars past the point of no return.
With several nicely conceived set pieces, great pacing, and interesting characters, I felt instantly at home with the story. And it’s always a pleasure to have your interest rewarded when a story alters course like this one does. It might only be April, but this is a contender for series of the year already.
February 15, 2025
Ah bah oui.
February 3, 2026
Zwanenzang: deel 1"
"Morgen is dood"
Collectie Getekend
Nederlandstalige editie 2014
DE LOMBARD UITGAVEN
(Dargaud-Lombard N.V)
ISBN 978-9-0558-1851-8
"Morgen is dood"
Collectie Getekend
Nederlandstalige editie 2014
DE LOMBARD UITGAVEN
(Dargaud-Lombard N.V)
ISBN 978-9-0558-1851-8
September 26, 2023
Jarring distinctive water colors, but you get used to the illustrations as they progress. The individual cells are claustrophobic, as no doubt war in the WW1 trenches probably were, until they burst open into beautiful sunlit forests. Still, it's a bit of a challenge to follow the characters, except the main protagonists. Are our French heroes mutineers or well intentioned truth tellers? A great moral quandary carried by some action filled chases using all their wits. I can't wait for the follow on.
March 6, 2026
Gorgeous water-colour art with compelling writing; great ending for the first part of the story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews