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pedantichumbug's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The art is bloody amazing but storytelling couldn't be worse than this. How the characters came up and revealed the mysteries giving out all the details while talking to one another was so funny. We literally weren't given any chance to be even slightly surprised as readers. It's so wacky I love it.
iffer's review against another edition
2.0
I was intrigued by this book because the main character is supposed to be an interesting, strong female character, but Adele wasn't developed much on the first story arc; in fact, none of the characters really are. Perhaps I shouldn't have had such high expectations of the character development, though, since it seems like it's supposed to be a fun Victorian fantasy story. I'm sure this series would be a lot of fun for others who are more of a fan of this type of pulpy steampunk with big "reveals" explaining the crimes at the end, but this just want my cup of tea. I did like the feel of the art, though.
sophill15's review against another edition
3.0
Gifted by a friend who knows my love for all things Paris and fin-de-siécle, this was my first experience with Tardi’s Adéle comic books. Fun story – though with a lot of exposition in the final pages – with elements from both steampunk and gothic horror and some lovely images of Parisian streets and city life.
marvelarry's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
florina's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
ninala9's review against another edition
3.0
The story is a bit confusing, but honestly, it's just so nice to see a bande-dessinee that doesn't have oversexualized women.
nealalex's review against another edition
4.0
In the film directed by Luc Besson, Adele is a journalist (like Tintin) whereas is in the book she is a criminal. Less formulaic direction by, say, the Coen brothers, would’ve better captured the tone of the book. The plot is hard to follow, at least partly because, during the writing, Adele was originally the antagonist (baddy) but took top billing when the author found her more interesting. Moreover, most of the male characters are almost indistinguishable, even when not in disguise, and are prone to double- and triple-cross each other. Finally, the plot seems scattershot in that, for example, Adele’s boyfriend only appears near the end, only to be killed almost immediately, and the real plot driver is not the pterodactyl but a previous robbery that isn’t even mentioned till very late on. Oh, and we have a copy in French, which I don’t properly understand. But somehow I found it so engrossing that I made the following synopsis (spoiler alert):
Adele Blanc-Sec kidnaps Edith Rabatjoie, intending to demand a ransom from her father, a wealthy and innovative engineer. Edith is in Paris to solve the mystery of the pterodactyl terrorizing the city, which is also being hunted by the brave but obtuse Inspector Caponi. Leaving Edith in the custody of her accomplices Albert & Joseph, Adele tries to brush off the lovestruck young scientist Zborowsky, but narrowly escapes being killed by a rival criminal, Lobel. On returning to her hideout, Adele finds that Albert has betrayed her, escaping with Edith and leaving Joseph unconscious. Pretending to be Zborowsky, Lobel lures Adele to the museum gardens, where the pterodactyl is shot by a big game hunter, St Hubert. As the pterodactyl dies, so, in Lyon, does the spiritualist Boutardieu, who had hatched its fossilized museum egg by channelling psychic energy. In the commotion in the gardens, Lobel tries to shoot Adele, but is himself shot by the triple-crossing Albert. The next day, Adele is joyfully reunited with Ripol, a former accomplice, after his dramatic rescue from the guillotine by what seemed to be another pterodactyl, but was really Edith in her father’s flying machine. Edith and Albert follow Ripol and Adele to the museum, where Ripol has stashed loot from a previous robbery. Ripol is shot dead by Albert, who is in turn shot by Joseph. As Caponi arrives on the scene, Adele escapes by accepting a lift from Simon Flageolet who, showing himself suspiciously knowledgeable of the whole affair, invites Adele to join forces with him.
Adele Blanc-Sec kidnaps Edith Rabatjoie, intending to demand a ransom from her father, a wealthy and innovative engineer. Edith is in Paris to solve the mystery of the pterodactyl terrorizing the city, which is also being hunted by the brave but obtuse Inspector Caponi. Leaving Edith in the custody of her accomplices Albert & Joseph, Adele tries to brush off the lovestruck young scientist Zborowsky, but narrowly escapes being killed by a rival criminal, Lobel. On returning to her hideout, Adele finds that Albert has betrayed her, escaping with Edith and leaving Joseph unconscious. Pretending to be Zborowsky, Lobel lures Adele to the museum gardens, where the pterodactyl is shot by a big game hunter, St Hubert. As the pterodactyl dies, so, in Lyon, does the spiritualist Boutardieu, who had hatched its fossilized museum egg by channelling psychic energy. In the commotion in the gardens, Lobel tries to shoot Adele, but is himself shot by the triple-crossing Albert. The next day, Adele is joyfully reunited with Ripol, a former accomplice, after his dramatic rescue from the guillotine by what seemed to be another pterodactyl, but was really Edith in her father’s flying machine. Edith and Albert follow Ripol and Adele to the museum, where Ripol has stashed loot from a previous robbery. Ripol is shot dead by Albert, who is in turn shot by Joseph. As Caponi arrives on the scene, Adele escapes by accepting a lift from Simon Flageolet who, showing himself suspiciously knowledgeable of the whole affair, invites Adele to join forces with him.
cetian's review against another edition
2.0
Purchased it used, in a book fair. Took a long time to finish it, because the art and the coloring were very unnatractive. And I did not connect to the story, either. Only some time after that I realized that Tardi was a well known BD creator.
jgkeely's review against another edition
3.0
Another classic Franco-Belgian series in ligne clair style familiar to fans of Tintin, Pilote, and Spirou (or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which takes obvious cues from Adèle). We have the beautifully rendered backgrounds, with especial care and attention paid to architecture and vehicles, and in the foreground, the people, who are evocative, cartoonish caricatures. As Scott McCloud points out, this is a very effective technique, as it combines the immersive realism of the world with relatable, symbolic characters.
Unfortunately, some of the characters are not quite idiomatic enough, and we sometimes get lost in a sea of mustachio'd men in bowlers and spectacles who are not immediately easy to differentiate. This book is also reminiscent of Tintin in a less appealing way than the art: like early Tintin, it takes itself rather lightly, and the plot, structure, and characterization leave much to be desired. The constant disguises, twists, betrayals, flashbacks, and exposition make a simple adventure needlessly complex. One of the characters even jokes that the plot is 'too convoluted to make a good novel', suggesting that Tardi is doing it deliberately, but I'm not sure why an author would choose to purposefully weak such havoc on their own structure.
I think it could have worked if it had been more madcap, like De Crecy, placing action and wit above all. Sure, it could work to put a straight, driving story into the middle of such convolutions, but there needs to be a central thread to be followed, and the twists should be there as jokes or absurdities set around the main plot, not as the central focus. By the third time some character pops in to explain through flashback what really happened earlier, we've lost all focus.
Adèle herself is particularly lost in the muddle here, neither villain nor hero, motivations and relationships undefined. However, even by the next volume, we can see Tardi beginning to settle in to a more serious, dark tone, and beginning to find a voice that works.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
Unfortunately, some of the characters are not quite idiomatic enough, and we sometimes get lost in a sea of mustachio'd men in bowlers and spectacles who are not immediately easy to differentiate. This book is also reminiscent of Tintin in a less appealing way than the art: like early Tintin, it takes itself rather lightly, and the plot, structure, and characterization leave much to be desired. The constant disguises, twists, betrayals, flashbacks, and exposition make a simple adventure needlessly complex. One of the characters even jokes that the plot is 'too convoluted to make a good novel', suggesting that Tardi is doing it deliberately, but I'm not sure why an author would choose to purposefully weak such havoc on their own structure.
I think it could have worked if it had been more madcap, like De Crecy, placing action and wit above all. Sure, it could work to put a straight, driving story into the middle of such convolutions, but there needs to be a central thread to be followed, and the twists should be there as jokes or absurdities set around the main plot, not as the central focus. By the third time some character pops in to explain through flashback what really happened earlier, we've lost all focus.
Adèle herself is particularly lost in the muddle here, neither villain nor hero, motivations and relationships undefined. However, even by the next volume, we can see Tardi beginning to settle in to a more serious, dark tone, and beginning to find a voice that works.
My Suggested Reading In Comics