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Mattéo #1

Mattéo, première époque (1914-1915)

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A beautifully drawn and deeply emotional graphic novel trilogy following the singular destiny of a man caught up in the fervent passions of a tumultuous period that begins with the Great War of 1914. In a small town at the foot of the Pyrenees on the French Mediterranean, lifelong friends are called to arms, except for Mattéo, who, as the son of Spanish refugees, is exempt from service. Yet when his fellow villagers-including Juliet, the woman he loves-express disdain for his pacifism, he embarks on an epic adventure that will have a resounding impact on all their lives.

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2008

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Jean-Pierre Gibrat

52 books60 followers

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5 stars
89 (27%)
4 stars
152 (46%)
3 stars
64 (19%)
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18 (5%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author 6 books32.2k followers
February 17, 2019
Just as with Gibrat's lusciously painted The Reprieve, focused on a romance during WWII, Mattéo Volume one, is a story of WWI, set in 1914-1915, focused in part on a romance between Juliet and Mattéo. Mattéo is the son of a Spanish political refugee, a pacifist anarchist, so doesn't have to enlist with his French peers. Some of his friends do, and suffer from it, so discourage him through letters and in person, on return, from his enlisting, but Juliet's disapproval of his "cowardice" spurs him to battle, alas. Could this be the act that gets her to fully commit to him?

Trust me, as with The Reprieve, this is no romanticized version of WWI. It is a companion piece to every anti-war work you know about this or any other war: The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, the graphic novels of Jacques Tardi, all of it. Just released in late December 2018 in English, I am glad to have it and will read the second volume as soon as I can. Gorgeous art, and some lyrical writing.
Profile Image for Maksym Karpovets.
329 reviews146 followers
January 12, 2020
Маттео, молодий хлопець, син іспанського політичного біженця та пацифістського анархіста, закоханий у Жульєт. Приходить війна, усі мусять іти на фронт. Спочатку Маттео лишається вдома, бо не може бути зарахованим до війська, але згодом із усіма йде на фронт. Там знайомиться із товаришами, втрачає їх, перебуває на межі життя й смерті, а потім повертається у свою рідну провінцію. Холодні окопи, розірвані тіла й згодом депресивні госпіталі зовсім не те, що було у спокійній сільській місцевості. Коли ж Маттео повертається, то зустрічає болючу правду: Жульєт його не чекала.

Жибра реалістично відтворює не тільки усі жахіття війни, але й внутрішні коливання й переживання героя. Це тонка лірична історія про любов, жінок, розчарування, друзів, вірність. У якомусь сенсі, це дещо навіть старомодна історія, але від цього вона тільки виграє, адже цей ретро шарм і створює усю романтичну атмосферу. Звісно, без художньої майстерності Жибра цього б ніколи не було. Він як ніхто уміє прописувати затишок французької глибинки, її людей, їхніх буденних занять. Війна тим більше виглядає жорстокою і абсурдною на фоні цієї милої пасторалі. Цікавим є те, що Маттео не відразу йде на фронт, тому ми маємо нагоду подивитись на зростання розчарування та ненависті до цивільних (тих, хто не на війні) з боку солдатів і загалом французів. Ось ця лінія мені видається найбільш сильною, хоча Жибра усе ж фокусується на інтимних, персональних аспектах історії. До слова, Жибра не вперше працює із цим контекстом, адже його попередня робота "Відстрочка" також стосувалась теми людських цінностей та війни. Цей том завершується інтригою, тому справді цікаво як Жибра розвине далі історію.
Profile Image for brian annan.
86 reviews4 followers
December 29, 2018
more cerebral and unsettling than Gibrat’s books about WWII. much more pessimistic and clearly anti-war in tone.
the art as always is masterful, striking the perfect balance between fine detail and the soft romantic tones he’s perhaps best known for.
a serious and important read.
Profile Image for Nina.
309 reviews
February 6, 2019
Superb illustrations - each facial expression, each gesture feels real, natural, credible, powerfully evocative. The language too is practically poetry... quite salty, colloquial poetry, but all the more arresting in its acerbic expressiveness.

It’s the universal story: the enthusiastic march to war (“on fait juste l’aller et retour à Berlin!”), the horror and camaderie of the trenches, the gritted positivity of hospitals, and depressive PTSD in response to the dissonant return to civilian life, personalities forever changed. But there’s an interesting twist: Mattéo is the son of a Spanish political refugee, a pacifist anarchist no less, and therefore is not required to enlist along with his French peers. This allows the reader to remain on the homefront in 1914 and observe the growing disillusion, the hardening xenophobia and intolerance towards those not in uniform, and Mattéo’s inner turmoil about whether to sit out the formative event of his generation.

I finished it and started right back at the beginning.
Profile Image for Komuniststar.
1,390 reviews36 followers
May 2, 2018
Sviđaju mi se boje i kako svaki crtež izgleda, ali ne funkcionira mi ritam pripovijedanja.
Profile Image for Matt.
1,453 reviews14 followers
December 31, 2019
"The benefit of silence is the absence of bullshit."
Profile Image for João Teixeira.
2,344 reviews46 followers
June 21, 2022
DEsenhos maravilhosos... História confusa... Enfim, arredondo para cima, pois gosto muito de Gibrat.
Profile Image for Cristina Alves.
692 reviews50 followers
June 19, 2020
Publicado com imagens em https://osrascunhos.com/2020/06/08/ma...

Com a publicação, recente, em português do terceiro volume pela editora Ala dos Livros, deixei de procurar os volumes anteriores em português e adquiri uma versão em inglês. Esta tem menor tamanho do que a portuguesa, mas ainda assim, consegue-se admirar a expressividade dos desenhos.

Mattéo leva-nos a 1914, o ano da Primeira Guerra Mundial, centrando-se na personagem que dá nome ao volume. Filho de refugiados espanhóis, Mattéo sente-se à parte quando os outros jovens franceses começam a ser chamados, um a um, ao campo de batalha.

Sem o pai (pacifista) para o aconselhar, Mattéo sonha cada vez mais com a ida para a Guerra, um sonho romântico que não deixa esmorecer, nem com as cartas de um amigo que lhe descreve um inferno sem fim. Este sonho de honra na batalha é alimentado pela fuga emocional da namorada – uma jovem que admira outro rapaz, o filho dos ricaços da terra, pelas suas façanhas bélicas.

A combinação de todos estes elementos levará Mattéo aos campos da Primeira Guerra Mundial que, como esperávamos, se revelam desoladores, quer pela violência, quer pelos terrenos enlameados sem fim, quer pelos oficiais superiores que tecem ordens caprichosas com desprezo pelas restantes vidas.

Sem ser muito gráfico em relação aos horrores da Guerra, Mattéo explora o cinismo bélico que resulta em duas visões muito diferentes – a do oficial e a do soldado. Enquanto o primeiro assiste ao evento, protegido e distante (quer geográfica, quer emocionalmente), o segundo perde a vida, ou um braço, ou as faculdades mentais.

Expressivo, quer através do texto, quer através de posturas e feições (mas de uma forma clássica), Mattéo apresenta-se em tons pastel, excepto pelo destaque ocasional de cor – um vestido vermelho, uma explosão alaranjada, o sangue que se espalha. Também se denota a diferença de luz entre os cenários de conflito, sombrios, de pouca luz e dando mais destaque às expressões faciais pesadas; e os restantes, luminosos e detalhados. A par com a narrativa, o factor visual confere o sentimento necessário à leitura de cada página.

Mattéo é, sobretudo, um livro envolvente. Ainda que a história se centre numa só personagem, o autor vai tecendo os acontecimentos em seu torno, revelando-nos pensamentos e sentimentos, complementando com cartas e conversas. Mas sem elementos desnecessários, pois tudo o que existe serve a história.

A narrativa é, sem dúvida, anti-guerra: o confronto da versão oficial com a versão soldado, da visão romantizada com a realidade, os acontecimentos pouco honrados e pouco lógicos. A par com o que o autor nos apresenta desenrolam-se conversas a favor e a desfavor da guerra, mas a conclusão é quase sempre a mesma – apesar da suposta honra bélica, o ir para o campo de batalha é uma carnificina.

Tal como outros livros de Gibrat, este primeiro volume Mattéo fascinou-me. Por um lado, temos o desenho – fabuloso, principalmente nos episódios que não se referem à guerra. Por outro, a narrativa, que tece argumentos em torno da guerra enquanto explora uma personagem dividida pela vergonha da paz e a honra da guerra.
Profile Image for Stuart McMillan.
166 reviews21 followers
March 2, 2019
(Eurocomics English translation)

This tale of WW1, set variously in the pastoral idylls of the French countryside and the horrors of the trenches and wires of no-mans land, Gibrat's masterful art tells a tale on its' own. The observational nuances are just brilliant - whether the sunlit landscapes of the harvest to the bleak tones of cold fear in a foxhole, not a panel is wasted.

The filmic framing is accompanied by beautiful characterisation. Fear, hope, anger, care are all evident before written words are parsed.

Matteo's tale is begun here. An unfortunate, unlikely and unlovable character, Matteo has the good fortune to be living in France but born Spanish at the start of the Great War. Missing the opportunity to enlist, he becomes sullen and the butt of racism. Spurred on by unrequited love, he finally submits to a bout of conscience and enlists, where he finds friends and companionship, enemies and loss at the front lines.

A couple of things brought this down to a 4* review rather than a 5* one. One is purely practical - the Eurocomics translation is a beautiful hardback, but is pretty slim at 64 pages. I do like to get my value for money!

The second is the translation. While the artwork is beautiful and flowing, sometimes the narrative structure from one panel to the next doesn't flow as one might hope. On at least a couple of occasions, I found myself checking to see whether I had turned too many pages at once. I suspect that partly this is down to Gibrat's transitions, but, given that I thoroughly enjoyed both 'The Reprieve' and 'Flight of the Raven' (also from Eurocomics), there must be some element of this to lay at their door.

Notwithstanding this, If you've seen anything of Gibrat's artwork, this is a must to add to your collection and I'm really looking forward to voyeuristically and vicariously observing Matteo grow from his sullen teens through to his maturity.
Profile Image for Stella Delina.
24 reviews10 followers
October 29, 2015
Great illustration of the social, personal and psycological consequences of the war. Nice sketches and use of aquarelle colors!
Profile Image for Urbon Adamsson.
2,074 reviews110 followers
November 13, 2025
PT Mattéo é uma série em seis volumes que já queria ler há bastante tempo. Infelizmente, os dois primeiros tomos, originalmente editados pela Vitamina BD, estavam esgotados há anos e tornaram-se extremamente difíceis de encontrar no mercado de usados.

Felizmente, a Ala dos Livros, que já tinha assumido a responsabilidade de publicar os quatro volumes seguintes após a falência da Vitamina BD, decidiu agora também reeditar os dois volumes originais — sendo que o primeiro já se encontra disponível. Nesse sentido, deixo uma palavra de apreço à editora por ter dado continuidade a esta série, algo que não era da sua obrigação. Essa decisão demonstra um verdadeiro respeito pelos leitores portugueses e pela importância de manter obras de qualidade acessíveis.

Quanto ao livro em si — era tudo o que esperava. Admito que possa estar a ser um pouco parcial, já que adoro histórias passadas em contextos de guerra, sobretudo nas duas grandes guerras mundiais.

Aqui seguimos Mattéo, um jovem espanhol a viver em França que, por não ter nacionalidade francesa, fica isento do recrutamento para a Primeira Guerra Mundial. Ainda assim, acaba por se alistar, movido por um amor profundo por Julietta, uma jovem francesa. Uma decisão impulsiva que o lança num percurso cheio de aventuras, desilusões e confrontos com o destino.

Pergunto-me se voltaremos a ver algumas das personagens apresentadas neste primeiro volume — espero que sim. Adorei esta leitura inicial e só posso dizer que preciso do próximo volume para ontem.

Resta aguardar que o segundo e último volume em falta chegue rapidamente às livrarias, já que os restantes quatro da série já se encontram disponíveis.

--

EN Mattéo is a six-volume series I had been wanting to read for quite some time. Unfortunately, the first two volumes, originally published by Vitamina BD, had long been out of print and were extremely difficult to find on the second-hand market.

Fortunately, Ala dos Livros, which had already taken on the responsibility of publishing the remaining four volumes after Vitamina BD went bankrupt, has now decided to reissue the two original volumes — with the first one already available. In that regard, I have to express my appreciation to the publisher for continuing this series, even though it wasn’t their obligation to do so. That decision shows great respect for Portuguese readers and for the importance of keeping high-quality works accessible.

As for the book itself — it was everything I hoped for. I might be a little biased, as I love stories set against the backdrop of war, especially the two World Wars.

Here we follow Mattéo, a young Spaniard living in France who, because he isn’t French, is exempt from being drafted for the First World War. Yet, he ends up enlisting anyway, driven by his deep love for Julietta, a young French woman. An impulsive decision that sets him on a path filled with adventure, heartbreak, and confrontations with fate.

I can’t help but wonder if we’ll see some of the characters introduced here in the next volumes — I really hope so. I absolutely loved this first book and can only say that I need the next one right away.

Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the second and last missing volume to be released, since the following four are already available.
Profile Image for Shaynning - Libraire Jeunesse.
1,483 reviews34 followers
January 9, 2023
Cette Bd magnifique me faisait de l’œil avec ses aquarelles, mais bon sang que la plume est élégante elle aussi! Enfin, lorsqu'on lit les cases narratives, parce que des soldats français au front, ça ne fait pas dans le Molière.

La dernière Bd qui m'avait séduite avec ses aquarelles était "Blacksad", alors quel plaisir de voir à nouveau ce style. L'auteur a vraiment le sens des couleurs aussi et sait donner une profondeur au dessin juste par le choix des nuanciers. Vraiment, c,est très beau. En plus, les dessins à proprement parler sont un peu "sketchy": on voit la mine de plomb et le coup de crayon. le réalisme du dessin est aussi très bien travaillé, j'adore les visages. le seul petite bémol que je soulignerais est que les personnages de Juliette et Emily se ressemblent vraiment beaucoup, alors je les distingue un peu ma; l'une de l'autre. D'autant qu'elles ont toutes les deux des yeux bleu ciel.

Côté histoire, nous somme au début de la première guerre mondiale, qui ne porte bien sur pas ce nom. À l'instar des autres pays, les soldats de la France partent au combat avec joie et bonne humeur, on pense revenir pour Noël après avoir donner une leçon vite fait bien fait aux sales Allemands. Et bien sur, ils se sont tous bien trompés. Dans ce contexte, il y a Matteo, d'origine espagnol et ouvrier dans un vignoble. S'il voit les autres jeunes hommes mobilisés partir, il n'en est pas moins soulagé. Au contraire, on lui fait sentir qu'il aurait du, lui aussi, participer à cette guerre. Tous, sauf sa mère, soulagée de voir son fils à l'abri. Mais Juliette, la petite amie de Matteo, est sans doute l'élément clé dans la décision de Matteo de partir au front, surtout avec son rival mondain qui y est déjà et largement louangé. Matteo va donc partir et il nous livre, par ses mots ( fort poétiques) ce qu'il vivra dans les tranchés.

C,est l'une des Bd que j'ai trouvée le mieux écrite, avec les réflexions de Matteo, qui sont justes et élégantes. Il n'est pas simple de mettre les Lettres de l'avant dans ce medium destiné davantage au dessin, mais c,est un pari réussi ici.

Je recommande fortement, surtout aux amateurs d'Histoire et de peinture à l'eau! J'ajoute qu'il est incroyable d'être un auteur à la fois doué de sa plume que de son pinceau!

Catégorisation: BD fiction historique française, littérature adulte
Note: 9/10
Profile Image for Soobie has fog in her brain.
7,236 reviews136 followers
July 28, 2019
L'avevo marcato come "Want to read" e non mi ero accorta che l'Archivio del fumetto di Andreis ne aveva una copia. Ieri mi è capitato sotto gli occhi per caso e l'ho letto.

Parentesi. 17,99€ per un solo volume di 62 pagine sono un furto! Se dovessi comprarlo, lo comprerò sicuramente in un'altra lingua.

E, onesti come pochi, non hanno nemmeno segnato il nome del traduttore. Perché, si sa, i libri si traducono da soli di notte.

Il personaggio principale, Mattéo, non mi sta particolarmente simpatico. Principalmente perché sceglie di andare in guerra per una ragazza che non lo bada. Anzi, per una che poi si , non perdendo tempo con un fantaccino spagnolo senza cittadinanza. E il disgraziato, pur potendo scappare, si arruola. Anche se sa benissimo a cosa andrà incontro.

L'inizio è un po' così. Mi è piaciuta la parte dedicata alla guerra. E c'è una citazione che mi son dimenticata di segnarmi. Sabato prossimo.

Purtroppo l'archivio possiede solo i primi due volumi di quattro. Vediamo come mettere le mani sugli altri due.
Profile Image for The Bookish Chimera - Pauline.
490 reviews8 followers
April 20, 2025
“Pour mon père le patriotisme sentait la mort, il n’y accordait que du mépris et aux frontières peu de vertus.”

J’ai trouvé cette BD à la faveur d’un déménagement dans la famille et la couverture m’a intrigué.e suffisamment pour me donner envie de lire.
Le dessin est somptueux et supporté par un texte d’une aussi puissante qualité, chaque page plus belle que la précédente, même dans l’horreur de la guerre. J’ai apprécié qu’une bonne partie du livre soit consacrée à ce que l’on ne voit que trop peu, “l’arrière”, et encore plus que Mattéo soit originaire d’une ville (très) chère à mon cœur, Collioures. Mais la partie sur le front est elle aussi sublime dans sa brutalité, d’autant plus que si Mattéo est là c’est par amour, pour impressionner sa “belle”. J’ai aimé cette opposition entre la fougue amoureuse de la jeunesse et l’héritage familial de Mattéo, dont feu le père abhorrait tout sentiment patriotique. Cette dualité se sent très bien dans ses actions, et ne donne que plus de profondeur à ses motivations. Il en ressort une lecture bien plus humaine qu’historique au sens habituel du terme, et c’est très rafraichissant.

4.5/5



Profile Image for Morten Jespersen.
51 reviews1 follower
August 6, 2023
Mattéo første epoke 1914-1915
Af Jean-Pierre Gibrat

Anmeldereksemplar

Udgivet af @forlagetfahrenheit

vi er i 1914 Spanske Mattéo der er anarkist og pacifist bor i Frankrig og oplever mobiliseringen tæt på. Han nægter dog at lade sig hverve til krigen (første verdenskrig). Han ender dog med at melde sig til hæren for at imponere sin store kærlighed. Hun vælger dog en anden mand og pludselig er Mattéo ved fronten alene og ulykkelig.

Historien er et klassisk trekantsdrama sat i den store krig. Men tegningerne! Gibrat tegner simpelthen så utroligt at jeg bliver rørt af tegningerne uden at kigge på teksten.
Misforstå mig ikke teksten er rigtig god - men det er Gibrats streg og farvelægning der suger mig ind i historien, så jeg kan lugte elendigheden i skyttegravene.

Der er kommet tre album på fransk og indtil videre er første bind kommet på dansk - jeg håber virkelig at det bliver muligt at få de næste bind på dansk også - da serien virkelig har fortjent at blive læst af mange.
Profile Image for Zéro Janvier.
1,735 reviews127 followers
February 8, 2019
Le premier épisode d'une bande dessinée romanesque mettant en scène Mattéo, un immigré espagnol pacifiste qui finit par s'engager dans l'armée française au début de la Première Guerre Mondiale pour ne pas décevoir plus longtemps la femme qu'il aime.

C'est plutôt un début intéressant, bien servi par des dessins très réussis. L'horreur des tranchées m'a semblé particulièrement bien représenté.
Profile Image for Lucie Mug.
24 reviews4 followers
June 11, 2020
La saga historique de Gibrat des divers conflits et bouleversements de la première moitié du XXe siècle, si elle manque d'originalité au scénario, est portée par son trait fin, les "gueules" de ses personnages et la délicatesse des couleurs de l'aquarelle.
Profile Image for Filip Mladenovic.
139 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2023
Meni generalno ne smetaju sporije price. Ovde mi jeste u par navrata malo zasmetalo ali sa druge strane ima i puno genijalnih konverzacija, promisljanja i scena koje ostavljaju jak utisak. Nije savrsen ali je vredan.
517 reviews2 followers
June 1, 2025
Cómic francés, muy literario y con un dibujo de tipo acuarela suave y desvaído. La primera guerra mundial narrada por el hijo de un anarquista catalán exiliado en Francia (de ahí lo del Mateo?) Bonito.
223 reviews4 followers
December 20, 2019
Les dessins de Jean-Pierre Gibrat sont toujours aussi merveilleux.
Profile Image for Manfred Moonlight Ackermann.
847 reviews3 followers
January 16, 2020
Magnifique BD par Gibrat, une fois de plus avec cet auteur. Son humanité est impressionnante. Hâte de lire la suite de cette série ..
Profile Image for Michal.
329 reviews3 followers
November 15, 2021
I read The Reprieve before Mattéo, and it's the same gorgeous drawings! I love looking at colourful pages sketched by Jean-Pierre Gibrat. The story is also nicely written, and I like that in this case, there is a bit more of action. I will try to get the second volume as well.
228 reviews15 followers
October 24, 2020
U prvom albumu upoznajemo Mattea, mladog španjolca koji živi u Francuskoj. Kao stranac Matteo nije obvezan ići u rat koji je upravo započeo već provodi dane pomažući svojoj majci i valjajući se po livadama sa zgodnom Juliette, no ugodni trenutci postaju sve rjeđi. Juliette se sve više divi Guillaumeu, sinu svoga poslodavca koji je hrabro otišao u rat, i počinje u potpunosti izbjegavati Mattea. U pokušaju da ju impresionira i vrati, naš junak se prijavljuje u vojsku i kreće na frontu. Gibratovo pripovijedanje tečno je i zanimljivo, a tekst ima gotovo poetsku notu. U prvoj polovici albuma polako upoznajemo ključne likove i njihove odnose, dok se druga dotiče užasa rata. Iako mi je ljubavna priča kao okidač za odlazak u rat malo prenaivna i lik Juliette me ovdje uglavnom nervirao, način na koji se jednom pokrenuti događaji raspliću je vjerodostojan, uključujući i ipak nepredvidivi kraj. O Gibratovom crtežu je već mnogo toga rečeno. On je bez daljnjega izuzetno vješt i oku ugodan, iako mu se likovi prečesto ponavljaju. Skicozan crtež kakav krasi [i]Mattea[/i] nije svima po volji, no meni izuzetno odgovara, čak i više nego onaj ispoliraniji iz već spomenutih ranijih autorovih radova, pa tako i najimpresivniji dio prvog albuma ostaju scene rata od kojih sam se doslovce ježio. Na kraju se može reći da je u pitanju prosječna ljubavna priča sa složenim i problematičnim glavnim protagonistom i snažnim anti-ratnim pečatom. Za početak jedne sage sasvim solidno.
Profile Image for Mips.
599 reviews15 followers
February 14, 2015
WOI, een dorpje in de Franse Pyreneeën, Mattéo, van Spaanse afkomst en van huis uit anarchist-pacifist, besluit zich toch op te geven als soldaat in de hoop het hart van de Franse Juliette voor zich te winnen ...
**** voor het prachtige tekenwerk van Gibrat.
Profile Image for Magali.
99 reviews
July 30, 2011
La 1ère Guerre Mondiale vue des tranchées par un espagnol. Scénario intéressant en perspective :) Et pour ne rien gâcher, les dessins sont toujours aussi agréables.
Profile Image for Elinor.
1,382 reviews36 followers
April 26, 2016
Je m'attendais à aimer bien plus. C'était sympa, j'aime beaucoup le dessin, mais je m'attendais à plus, et surtout à plus fort émotionnellement.
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