Siegfried III : Le crépuscule des dieux - Edition spéciale

Siegfried #3

by Alex Alice

Alors que le pouvoir de l'Or étend sa corruption et que la Terre est à l'agonie, Siegfried et Mime arrivent enfin au seuil de l'antre du dragon. Un combat titanesque va s'engager entre le jeune homme qui ne craint pas les dieux et le terrible monstre que l'avidité a rendu fou.
Troisième tome de la sublime série d'Alex Alice, "Le crépuscule des dieux" est un éblouissant feu d'artifice d'une maestria graphique impressionnante qui clôture en beauté l'une des plus grandes sagas d'héroic-fantasy de ces dernières années.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Mythology, Adventure, Fiction

168 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2011

About the author

Diplômé d'une école de commerce, Alex Alice est un dessinateur et scénariste français de bande-dessinés, connu principalement pour sa série "Le Troisième Testament".
Cette série de quatre albums est un thriller ésotérique largement inspiré des œuvres d'Umberto Eco.
Passionné par les opéras de Wagner, Alex Alice travaille actuellement sur une trilogie basée sur le mythique "Der Ring des Nibelungen", et prépare un film d'animation se déroulant dans le même univers.
Il a par ailleurs récemment publié une prequel au "Troisième Testament" : Julius.

Reviews

[Guillaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très belle relecture de ces mythes ! Les dessins sont vertigineux 🤩

[Marquise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This graphic novel surprised me with its quality and the twist at the end. I'd begun it with a little more than mild interest, and was feeling confused at the initial plotline, the physical appearance of the Nibelung that rears Siegfried; and the overlap of past, present and future. By the start of the third book, though; I was sucked in by the interesting take on the Götterdämmerung, that's not like anything I've read, and the Brunnhild/Siegrfied dynamics with those final panels that have an unexpectedly erotic air that adds to a mainly martial and gloomy storytelling. The script would've benefitted from more clarity of speech, but overall this tale makes sense when all books are put together. And the colouring of the panels, that impression that despite the gloomy atmosphere there's light somewhere awaiting to vanquish darkness, is lovely; and Mime isn't the disagreeable Nibelung that we're used to from the mainsteam myth: he is sympathetic at times, and funny without intending to. Siegfried, too, is relatable; no spotless hero, just a boy, with a boy's aspirations and flaws.

All in all, one of the best re-tellings of the Der Ring der Nibelungen myth like you've not thought of before, and well-worth the read.

[Cookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Review of the whole series

This was a great story based on Norse mythology. It's one of the recommended heroic fantasy graphic novels and I can see why.

It is pretty good all in all. The drawings are first of all magnificent (Siegfried is to die for) and add to the epic atmosphere of the series.

The plot in itself is deftly handled : I loved how the whole story was told through looking at the future to decide whether to accomplish it or not. Loved the plot twist at the end about the witch too. But the ending was a bit confusing. I don't know whether it makes sense for someone who knows the legend but I was a bit confused in the end.

The characters are also very funny and awesome. Mime and the witch are personal favourites. Siegfried is the typical hero and thus a bit bland (although he wasn't completely perfect). However, I would have enjoyed a larger cast of characters. With only 5, the story felt more closed off.

Anyway, this comic series is a great time. Having recently read Magnus Chase, my enjoyment of this adventure was heightened. While with Riordan we have slapstick farting, selfie-taking gods, the Siegfried series illustrate just how epic and "cool" Norse mythology can be if handled properly.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad the ending got tweaked: in the original tale Mime was an ugly toothless dwarf, and so his attempt at betrayal and his karmic demise felt appropriate and deserving - but in this version he's downright adorable, and made much more appealing simply for that rather shallow reason. Having his story end the same way would have been far more difficult to stomach because of this, and the comic's alteration is fitting and poignant.

On the whole the writing of this adaptation doesn't quite match the gorgeous artwork, and cannot hold the candle to the original story, but as was brought up it still has its merits.

[Markus Widmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many people will use the word epic for just about anything. Alex Alice shows you what it actually means. A story of such mythical ambition that it's no mean feat he actually pulls it off in the end. I'm very impressed.

[Edward Correa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antes de esta adaptación me leí la que trabajó Craig Russel y he de decir que no era tarea fácil alcanzar esa alta barra de calidad que había impuesto. Sin embargo, una vez completada esta trilogía estoy seguro de que el arte y la narrativa de Alex Alice me han gustado más que la obra antes mencionada. Quizás fue una excelente decisión mantener los temas polémicos al margen (dramas familiares en extremo convulsos aunque normales en este tipo de historias) y enfocarse en la parte más épica de esta narrativa fantástica, sin que eso de ninguna forma evite que los momentos dramáticos también destaquen. Maravilloso y recomendado!

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

EN
Probably my favorite!

FR
Sans doute mon tome préféré !

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conclusion of the grand saga of Siegfried. Story got little bit modified but in general strokes it remained faithful to [better known version of the story, through Wagner's works] story of final conflict between old and new world - Siegfried as representative of the new world manages to defeat the Fafnir the Dragon after which he is forced to denounce the old world and enter the final fight for the humanity's place under the sun.

Art is just beautiful, reminds me of the golden times of Disney animation. I have to say it is truly sad that this story was not realized [first] as a full feature animated movie (you need to check the trailer on Net, it is truly exquisite).

As a graphical version of the story it is excellent adaptation. Author managed to show the sheer epicness of this fantasy world as it gets reborn through fire.

Highly recommended to all fans of fine art.

[Tar Buendía · Rating 5 out of 5]

La animación y el tebeo son dos cosas que me apasionan y Alex Alice hace tebeos que parecen películas.

En este caso, tirando un poco a Disney en algunos detalles como el secundario Mime, el guión es más maduro que en el Castillo de las Estrellas. Si bien la historia de la Valquiria resulta un poco superficial lo cierto es que no me ha molestado. Lo he disfrutado mucho y el dibujo es una delicia.

[Ryofire · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're thinking of reading this, while the development materials are interesting, it's good to be aware about half the book is development materials, not comic. This is important because on top of this, this part of the narrative felt the most sparse, with a lot of sequences happening that might work better in animation than as a graphic novel. I like wordless, dreamlike narrative plenty (e.g., the animation for "The Firebird" from "Fantasia 2000" or even the Disney/Dali "Destino" animation project), and "Siegfried" from the getgo feels a lot more like projects like that than anything else. Long-form comics can also be wordless, such as "Tellurion" by Matt Rhodes. Those are all a lot stronger than this.

[Katja · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final part of this telling of Nibelung saga is as stunning to look at as the previous two. There are gorgeous illustrations taking a whole page that are like paintings waiting to be framed and put on the wall.
The story has epic moments with battles and dire situations but the ending is quite subtle after all bombastic action. It's a fine fantasy tale but can be sometimes a little confusing.

[Anubhav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Undoubtedly a gorgeous book and a terrific end to Alex Alice's retelling, but I'm miffed that it was spread over three relatively expensive volumes whose pagecounts were bloated by extra material that took up as much space as the story.

[miha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zmešano dobr postavljen strip, na konc ko se vse epsko odvija, čist odlično!!

Pa všeč mi je da je skor pol knjige na koncu skic in študij za film risani k so ga skor posnel, fino vidt proces in kr škoda da ni film končan.

[Lokita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dialogue in this saga is not going to win any awards-- even if I wasn't reading a translation, it's pretty sparse and pointed. But my gosh, I've never seen such a lush, developed fantasy world in comic form. This trilogy is in my top 3 comics ever.

[Sarah Schanze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't exactly my volume, which came out in June of 2017, but whatever! It's still beautiful and the story exciting and epic.

[LauraKatarooma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyllä tuossa rakkauden taistossa on joskus jotain niin elähdyttävää.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pretty art, as with the previous volumes.

[Bart Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solo decir que me puse triste porque se acabó y no hay más.
Después de esto sigo a Alex Alice donde me quiera llevar, a ciegas.

[Salibr]

This book is really great.

[Ritam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total masterpiece. There's nothing to say more.

[Trine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leste den norske versjonen Gudenes mørke. Fine bilder.

[Sylvaiiie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Une conclusion que j’ai eu un peu de mal à suivre et comprendre, je pense que le fait de ne pas être familière avec le mythe m’a porté préjudice 🤔

[a ☕︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

spell-binding

[StrictlySequential ArtNarrative · Rating 3 out of 5]

24×32 ¦ D.L. 11/2011 ¦ prix DA08 = eo(noté)

[Hubert Ricard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Une autre présentation de la Tétralogie de Wagner. Peut-être un peu trop compliqué.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice on kyllä loistava piirtäjä! Että hevosesta voikin saada niin ilmeikkään!

[Lars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Alice's Siegfried trilogy based on Wagner's opera and the myth of the nibelungen is the first European (style) graphic novel that I read. Visually this book is stunning (as are parts 1 and 2). The pages of European graphic novels are larger than US comics and the full page spreads in this book are a sight to behold. But the story as retold by Alice didn't grab me. It doesn't help that I am unfamiliar with the myth of the Nibelungen (I've only seen Fritz Lang's two part film, but never read the story). Like any mythological tale, this book is full of heavy themes like love, honor, sacrifice, family, greed and corruption. But the only human character in the story, Siegfried, is one-dimensional and never comes to life. He is the archetypical hero. The heroic outcast destined to safe his race and the world. The only interesting character really is the grumpy, selfish and treacherous Mime. If you're a fan of mythology and/or fantasy these books will appeal to you. If you're looking for a surprising and engaging reading experience, you might not find it here.

[Kami67 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le dessin est super super super, encore mieux que les premiers 2 tomes!

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

exceptionnel

[Anne Mey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore un tome épique et de superbes dessins. On aurait presque envie qu'il prenne plus de temps à montrer la lutte interne du héros. Une bonne conclusion à ce cycle.