J’ai découvert « Les 5 Terres » récemment, j’ai bien aimé le tome 1. Comme j’en parlais brièvement sur le groupe Facebook Bubble, un fan absolu m’a parlé de la sortie d’une intégrale en édition limitée. C’est un épais volume avec une très belle couverture cartonnée toilé, jaquette, 6 ex-libris signés par les auteurs, avec un tirage limité à 280 exemplaires au prix modique de… 235 € !
Et évidemment j’ai craqué ! Mais je ne regrette pas mon achat, le volume est splendide.
Les ex-libris sont très beaux mais, pour l’instant, je les laisse en sécurité dans la BD.
Corben – Intégrale des publications Eerie & Creepy
J’ai découvert Corben par l’intermédiaire de <a href= »{{}} »>Métal Hurlant. L’auteur est mort en 2020.
C’est pourquoi son éditeur, Delirium a décidé de lui rendre hommage et de sortir une intégrale de ses publications dans les revues Eeerie et Creepy. Cette édition limitée et numérotée à 2500 exemplaires, avec dos toilé et sérigraphié, est proposée dans le cadre des 10 ans de DELIRIUM.
Là aussi cette intégrale est superbe.
Locke & Key
Je continue ma lecture de Locke & Key. Cette fois-ci, en cadeau pour l’achat des deux tomes, j’ai eu une mini-BD hors commerce avec deux courtes histoires assez drôles.
Ghost World
J’ai lu Ghost World de Daniel Clowes en anglais ce week-end. C’est une bande dessinée « _Coming of age_ » sur Enid et Rebecca, deux amies de 18 ans, à la charnière de l’enfance et de l’âge adulte. Rebelles, cyniques, frustrées de ne pas avoir de petit ami, les deux filles commencent à s’éloigner.
Bandes dessinées très intéressantes, parfois difficiles à comprendre pour moi à cause de l’argot américain, c’est l’une des bandes dessinées indépendantes américaines les plus réputées. Il y a même un film basé sur le livre, je ne l’ai pas vu cependant.
Meadowlark
Une autre BD en anglais que j’ai lue hier soir, Meadowlark d’Ethan Hawke (l’acteur !) et Greg Ruthe. Ce n’était pas ce à quoi je m’attendais : Je pensais que ce serait “juste” un roman graphique, mais à la place j’ai reçu un coup de poing dans l’estomac ! Oui, comme le dit la quatrième de couverture, c’est une histoire de passage à l’âge adulte, qui parle de la relation dysfonctionnelle entre un fils et son père, mais c’est avant tout un thriller captivant et très violent. Et la violence ne cesse de monter en cascade jusqu’à la fin.
Le dessin est magnifique, très réaliste, bien que très statique même quand il devrait y avoir du mouvement. C’est un peu bizarre, comme si chaque scène était un tableau.
J’ai adoré la bande dessinée, mais ce n’est pas pour les âmes sensibles.
I splurged again this month in terms of buying comics :scream:
Les 5 Terres – L’intégrale en édition limitée
I discovered « Les 5 Terres » recently, I liked volume 1. As I was talking about it briefly on the Bubble Facebook group, an absolute fan told me about the release of a limited edition complete. It’s a thick volume with a very nice hardback cover, dust jacket, 6 bookplates signed by the authors, with a limited edition of 280 copies at the modest price of… 235 €!
And obviously I cracked! But I do not regret my purchase, the volume is splendid.
The bookplates are beautiful but, for now, I’m leaving them safely in the comic.
Corben – Complete publications from Eerie & Creepy
I discovered Corben through <a href= »{{}} »>Métal Hurlant. The author died in 2020.
That’s why his publisher, Delirium, decided to pay tribute to him and to release an integral of his publications in the magazines Eeerie and Creepy. This limited and numbered edition of 2500 copies, with silk-screened cloth back, is proposed for the 10th anniversary of DELIRIUM.
There too, this complete set is superb.
Locke & Key
I continue my reading of Locke & Key. This time, as a gift for the purchase of the two volumes, I got a mini-comics with two short and funny stories.
Ghost World
I read Ghost World by Daniel Clowes in English this weekend. It’s a « _Coming of age_ » comics about Enid and Rebecca, two 18 years old friends, at the turning point of childhood and adulthood. Rebels, cynical, frustrated of having no boyfriend, the two girls start growing apart.
Very interesting comics, sometimes hard to understand for me because of the US slang, it’s one of the most renowned independent American comics. There’d even a film based on the book, I haven’t seen it.
Meadowlark
Another comics in English that I read last night, Meadowlark by Ethan Hawke (the actor!) and Greg Ruthe. It was not what I expected: I thought it’d be “just” a graphical novel, but instead I received a punch in the stomach! Yes, as the backcover says, it’s a coming of age story about the dysfunctional relation between a son and his father, but above all a captivating, very violent, thriller. And the violence keeps cascading until the end.
The drawing is beautiful, very realistic, although very static even when there should be movement. It’s a bit weird, like if each scene was a painting.
I loved the comics but it’s not for the faint of heart.
Here are some reading notes from the last three days.
Setting the context: for most series I read very spaced out, I have a hard time fully memorizing the story, characters, unresolved ongoing plots… And sometimes when I start a new volume, I don’t know who so-and-so is, if what’s-his-name is good, bad or ambiguous, etc. 😅
That’s what happened to me on several comics here.
Umbrella Academy T3
I loved the Netflix series, funny, crazy. Then I started reading the comics. They are funny and weird too, but even more than the TV series! And the drawing is particular, at the limit of the burlesque I find… And as much as I managed to follow the volume 1 (for your information the story has almost no relation with the scenario of the series), I have almost no memory of what happens in the volume 2…
And I understood nothing in volume 3, really nothing! After a while, I can hold on to the plot again and enjoy reading, but I don’t understand anything about what’s going on, the characters’ goals, the space travel, the time travel, or whatever. I was confused at the end, I feel like I went from one thing to another all the time.
Maybe there is a higher level of reading, or some subtleties, that I missed?
Sillage T13
Same effect of my poor memorization of certain characters or plots, but to a lesser degree. I’ve loved Sillage since the beginning. Recently, in order to read volumes 11 and 12, I quickly reread the whole series to get back into the swing of things. But now, a few months later, I’m starting volume 13, and I’m lost 😅
The story is still generally understandable and pleasant to read, but I have the impression each time that I don’t understand certain plots because I don’t know if this or that character is « nice » or not.
I will nevertheless read the rest with pleasure!
Il faut flinguer Ramirez Acte 2
Praise be to Nicolas Pétrimaux, who included a QR code at the beginning of the comic that points to a six-minute video summarizing Act 1 in still images and voice-over! It served me well. Act 2 is as funny, offbeat and breathtaking as Act 1, maybe even more bloody: people are dying by the dozen around this poor Ramirez who doesn’t seem to control anything in his life… except that we realize he has a much richer life than we thought!
Interesting revelations are made in the second part of the comic. I really like the road-movie that serves as the plot of the comic, and I invite keen eyes to spot at least one explicit reference to « Thelma and Louise« . The fake ad pages are still fun to read, and I can’t wait to read the rest!
Locke & Key T3
Again, I had forgotten some details from volumes 1 and 2 (too many keys, some details about Dodge, some secondary characters…) but I managed to dive back in very quickly. And once again, I loved it.
I feel a certain anguish when reading each volume, I am afraid for the heroes, and I find that the horrific side is very successful. I am also impatient to read the next volume.
Voici quelques notes de lecture des trois derniers jours.
Petite info pour le contexte : pour la plupart des séries que je lis de façon très espacée, j’ai du mal à mémoriser entièrement l’histoire, les personnages, les intrigues en cours non résolues… Et parfois, quand je commence un nouveau tome, je ne sais plus qui est untel, si machin est gentil, méchant ou ambigu, etc. 😅
C’est ce qui m’est arrivé sur plusieurs BD là.
Umbrella Academy T3
J’ai adoré la série Netflix, drôle, déjantée. Puis j’ai commencé à lire les BD. Elles sont drôles et bizarres aussi, mais encore plus que la série télévisée ! Et le dessin est particulier, à la limite du burlesque je trouve… Et autant j’ai réussi à suivre le tome 1 (pour information l’histoire n’a presque aucun rapport avec le scénario de la série), je n’ai presque aucun souvenir de ce qui se passe dans le tome 2…
Et je n’ai rien compris au tome 3, mais rien ! Au bout d’un moment, j’arrive de nouveau à me raccrocher à l’intrigue et prendre plaisir à la lecture, mais je ne comprends rien de ce qu’il se passe, des objectifs des personnages, des voyages dans l’espace, le temps ou que sais-je. J’étais dérouté à la fin, j’ai l’impression d’être passé du coq à l’âne en permanence.
Peut-être y a-t-il un niveau de lecture supérieur, des subtilités scénaristiques, que j’ai ratés ?
Sillage T13
Même effet de ma faible mémorisation de certains personnages ou intrigues, mais à un moindre niveau. J’aime beaucoup Sillage depuis le début. Récemment, pour lire les tomes 11 et 12, j’ai relu rapidement toute la série pour me remettre dans le bain. Mais là, quelques mois plus tard, je commence le tome 13 et je suis largué 😅
L’histoire reste cependant globalement compréhensible et agréable à lire, mais j’ai l’impression à chaque fois de ne pas comprendre certaines intrigues parce que je ne sais plus si tel ou tel personnage est « gentil » ou pas.
Je lirai néanmoins la suite avec plaisir !
Il faut flinguer Ramirez Acte 2
Loué soit Nicolas Pétrimaux, qui a inclus au début de la BD un QR code qui pointe vers une vidéo de six minutes résumant l’acte 1 en images fixe et voix off ! Ça m’a bien servi. L’acte 2 est aussi drôle, décalé et haletant que le 1, peut-être plus sanguinolent encore : les gens meurent à la chaine autour de ce pauvre Ramirez qui ne semble rien contrôler de sa vie… sauf qu’on se rend compte qu’il a une vie bien plus riche qu’on ne pouvait le penser !
D’intéressantes révélations sont faites dans la deuxième partie de la BD. J’aime beaucoup le road-movie qui sert de trame à la BD, et j’invite les regards attentifs à repérer au moins une référence explicite à « Thelma et Louise« . Les fausses pages de publicités sont toujours aussi drôles à lire, et je suis impatient de lire la suite !
Locke & Key T3
Là encore, j’avais un peu oublié certains détails des tomes 1 et 2 (trop de clés, certains détails concernant Dodge, quelques personnages secondaires…) mais j’ai réussi à me replonger dedans très vite. Et encore une fois, j’ai adoré.
Je ressens une certaine angoisse à la lecture de chaque tome, j’ai peur pour les héros et je trouve que le côté horrifique est très réussi. Là aussi je suis impatient de lire la suite.
In these paradoxically obscurantist times, even though science, society and knowledge progress faster than ever, I think the following three readings are a must.
Human knowledge is progressing in all fields, whether in hard sciences or in social sciences, the world is globally more and more at peace, we have more and more factual information at our disposal…
And yet there are more and more people who believe in conspiracy theories, each one more stupid than the other! Other categories of professional liars want to pit people against each other according to their race, gender, skin color. And a third category of liars, which often crosses the two others, wants a resurgence of religion and all the evils that go with it: rejection of science, social regression, regression of women’s rights, violence, manipulation…
One of the plausible causes is the amount of hateful, misleading and conspiracy information that can be found on social networks. For the last year or two, I have found reading the news anxiety-provoking and, even though I have cleaned up my newsfeeds on social networks, the positive, universalist and sensible people I am, post virulent messages in defense of rationality, secularism, human rights, or re-share to criticize them the hateful and misleading messages of people I don’t want to follow.
But when there is so much nuanced and factual information at our fingertips, why do we read more of the misleading, aggressive or conspiracy-oriented articles?
It becomes impossible to be heard as a universalist and rationalist without raising our voice. What’s going on? :worried:
Apocalypse cognitive
In order to understand a little bit what is going on, the reading of Apocalypse Cognitive by Gérald Bronner, a famous sociologist (and strongly criticized by the pseudo-sociologists of the extreme left, that’s a good sign!) seems to me indispensable. I have already read several of his books, and I have briefly talked about them here:
This one is in the same vein: quite easy to read (no hard vocabulary or abstruse concepts) and salutary. Even if once again the author doesn’t bring a miracle solution, he explains where the problem comes from (once again our poor brain) and gives us and our leaders some ways to act.
The situation is unprecedented. Never in the history of mankind have we had so much information at our disposal and never have we had so much free time to draw leisure and knowledge of the world. Our predecessors dreamed that science and technology would liberate humanity. But this dream may now turn into a nightmare. The flood of information has led to a generalized competition of all ideas, a deregulation of the « cognitive market » which has an unfortunate consequence: to capture, often for the worse, the precious treasure of our attention. Our minds are under the spell of the screens and give in to the thousand faces of unreason.
Victim of a plundering in rule, our spirit is in the middle of a stake on which our future depends. This disturbing context reveals some of the deepest aspirations of humanity. Is it time to confront our own nature? On the way we react will depend the possibilities to escape from what we must call a civilizational threat.
Here is a passage from the book that I particularly liked, in French:
I find indeed that Jean-Jacques Rousseau is too much venerated in France, considering the nonsense he says about « man is good by nature, but perverted by civilization ». His words might have made sense with the limited scientific knowledge of his time, but in our time, it is absurd! I have a bad memory of my philosophy classes in which we were told about « *Rousseau… the good savage man… blah blah… » until we were nauseated.
Note : I read earlier this article by Yascha Mounk, « Facebook and the moral panic ». He says that we should not blame the hysterization of debates only on social networks. He is right to say that Facebook is not the only culprit, but Facebook’s Metaverses are an amplifier of the cognitive failings that Gérald Bronner describes.
In any case, the reading of Apocalypse Cognitive is salutary!
Le bêtisier du laïco-sceptique
Next reading, which completes the previous one very well. A small book in the form of questions and answers with an extract from the major texts on secularism at the end of the book: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789, Law of Separation of Church and State of 1905, Law on the Freedom of the Press of 1881…
« Le bêtisier du laïco-sceptique » by Renée Fregosi, Nathalie Heinich, Virginie Tournay and Jean-Pierre Sakoun is published by the Comité Laïcité République.
This committee has just recently awarded the 2020 and 2021 Secularism Awards. The master of ceremonies is none other than Gérald Bronner and one of the 2021 laureates Rachel Khan, whose book I talk about below. I see it as a very good choice, showing that the themes of all these books are linked. But maybe others will see it as… a plot! :sweat_smile:
I said above that our time, which should be more and more rational with the progress of knowledge, becomes paradoxically more obsessed by religions, and I regret it. This resurgence of the religious fact leads the fundamentalists, the believers and all the idiotic allies of religions (The Regressive Left generally speaking) to deform the French secularism and to make it say false things, even to demonize it!
This book puts things in their place: there is only one secularism, it has been present in our history since the French Revolution, and it is not against religions. On the other hand, it puts religions back where they should remain, in the private sphere, and it defends the freedom to believe and not to believe.
Third salutary reading, Rachel Khan’s Racée, which won the National Secularism Award 2021. I mentioned earlier wokism and the emergence of Critical Theories on race, sex, gender, etc. This is what Rachel Khan denounces in her book with humor and intelligence.
She comes from a melting pot, with a Gambian father and a French mother of Polish-Jewish origin, « _Afro-Yiddish Tourangelle_ », and refuses to accept identity-based distinctions. She is a universalist and dismantles in this book all the indigenist and racialist hatred that is emerging in France and in other countries.
Conclusion
These three books go really well together, the news of the awarding of the Prix de laïcité reinforces even more the intellectual connivance between the three themes.
All three books are overall positive and calming to read, rather than stirring up hatred like a lot of content in social networks or the media right now. I highly recommend them to people who are interested in critical thinking and universalism.
Les lectures de Farzad 