I
am a great admirer of French book covers, the publishers there do a tremendous
work and I am left in constant awe most of the times with the artworks adorning
their book editions. It was only natural for me to take the step towards French
comic books and graphic novels, an indiscernible shift to another love of mine.
France has a great market of comic books, I’ve seen glimpses of it even during
the dire era of Communist censorship, a couple of comic strips made us gather
in a flock of kids around the little treasures of “Spiff and Hercules” or
“Rahan” that managed somehow to find their way into Romania of my childhood. I
re-discovered comic books and graphic novels in the recent years, I was drifting
away for a bit but I came back to them with great passion. And with the little
French I learned in school and my growing interest for French comic books I’ve
started last year to read a couple of these publications. I am also keeping a
close eye on the specialized publisher’s catalogues and it was while browsing
through Glénat’s list of publications
that I stumbled on a pair of writers and illustrators who made an instant hit
on me. Carine-M and Élian Black’Mor are two artists working
extensively within the fantasy and weird genres and when I came across the
cover of their album, “Les Maudits -
Bienvenue au Parc des Chimères”, on Glénat’s website all the circuits of my
brain began to buzz. Going further to the interior illustrations and other
books by Carine-M and Élian Black’Mor my desire to have their works close at
hand and peruse them fully started spinning faster and faster. To avoid
overcharging I was planning a financial push in acquiring these albums, but
that led me to the discovery of “In
Search of Lost Dragons” coming soon in English from Dynamite Entertainment. It did not change my decision of buying
Carine-M and Élian Black’Mor’s works, it only altered a little the editions I
am going for. As much as I would love to read “In Search of Lost Dragons” in
French my knowledge of this language makes the process of reading this
illustrated book much longer than it takes me in English. Fortunately, it is
not the only one due to be published in English, also “Black’Mor Chronicles – The Demons: Welcome to the Park of Illusions”
(which I mentioned earlier in its original title, “Les Maudits. Bienvenue au
Parc des Chimères”, and that led me to the discovery of Carine-M and Élian
Black’Mor) will be released by Insight Editions on June. I am still going for some of the French editions though,
“In Search of Lost Dragons” and “Black’mor Chronicles – The Demons: Welcome to
the Park of Illusions” are just two of the books written and illustrated by
Carine-M and Élian Black’Mor, there are still three others to be considered, “Guide du savoir – (Sur)vivre en compagnie
des ‘monsters’” (Guiding Manual – How
to survive in company of monsters), “L’Épouvantable
encyclopédie des fantômes” (The
terrible encyclopedia of ghosts) and “L’Effroyable
encyclopédie des revenants” (The
frightful encyclopedia of spirits). After all, the notion of restraining
myself goes out the window when I look over Carine-M and Élian Black’Mor’s
gallery of illustrations, so much so that I am even twitching for this mug
designed by Carine-M.
On the trail of dragons forgotten, an intrepid
illustrator and reporter journeys from Europe through the Middle East and
finally to Saigon in search of the dark caverns and mountaintop perches where
the elusive winged serpents dwell. With the gift of seeing the invisible, our
explorer friend records each encounter in a journal of gorgeous, fully painted
artwork, capturing every majestic and fearsome visual detail of the scaly
behemoths, and accompanies his findings with snippets of local lore as evidence
that these hidden beasts continue to shape the world in ways we may never
expect!
When world traveler and
paranormal journalist Élian Black’Mor arrives in London, he discovers a hidden
world—the Park of Illusions, a hidden refuge for werewolves, fauns, hydras, and
other mystical creatures. In this stunning collection of his observations,
Élian describes his encounters with fascinating supernatural beings of all
kinds, from the Master Eel of the Thames to the Plant Sarcophagus of Kew
Gardens.
A captivating story
presented in a unique format, Black’Mor Chronicles: The Demons features striking
illustrations and immersive text that work in tandem to produce a graphic novel
unlike any other. From secret messages hidden in the illustrations to
scrapbooked maps and Victorian advertisements, this beautiful book is one meant
to be examined over and over again. Imaginative and spectacular, Black’Mor
Chronicles: The Demons will have readers believing
that Élian’s extraordinary hidden world truly exists.
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