Reviews

La feria de los inmortales by Enki Bilal

carlacbarroso's review against another edition

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3.0

I don't know what I was expecting but it felt like something was lacking. Maybe depth to the story or I'm missing something there. I did like the art, the gods, the way history repeats itself, but it could've gone further and deeper into some themes, I think.

acrisalves's review against another edition

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5.0

Com fotos em https://osrascunhos.com/2017/01/31/a-feira-dos-imortais-enki-bilal/

á muito me tinham falado de uma época anterior de Enki Bilal onde os desenhos eram mais definidos e fantásticos, onde as histórias eram mais imaginativas e a totalidade mais fascinante. Conhecendo apenas os albums mais recentes (e gostando do estilo inóspito, pós-apocalíptico, desesperado e nostálgico) o que encontrei nesta dupla de histórias foi um tom ainda mais estranho e alienígena, uma falta de esperança de ironia forte onde o deserto está dentro dos homens e não no espaço que ocupam.

Em A Feira dos Imortais os alienígenas são semelhantes a deuses egípcios, em naves que se locomovem a energia petrolífera, um método ultrapassado e que é desdenhado por alguns destes seres de cabeça animal. A postura destes deuses assemelha-se à dos deuses gregos, usando os seres humanos a seu belo prazer para os seus próprio fins.

Hórus insurge-se contra os restantes deuses e para levar a cabo um plano de troca de poder no governo humano, um caminho que poderá levar ao fim de uma ditadura, resolve devolver à terra um humano exilado numa cápsula com o seu robot, também condenado. Estando em baixas temperaturas o regresso à terra não decorre sem incidentes – ainda demasiado gelado para acordar, o embater de uma perna provoca a sua quebra como se de gelo se tratasse deixando o homem a esvair-se lentamente em sangue.

O trauma de acordar não se fica por aqui. Para além da presença estranha de um alienígena todo poderoso que resolve apropriar-se da sua mente, descobre que a amada morreu há muito a dar à luz o filho de ambos e que pouco reconhece do mundo que deixou. Possuído pela entidade semi-divina atinge o estatuto de herói concretizando parte do plano da entidade para se insurgir contra o líder humano actual.

Imaginativo, carregado de detalhes mirabolantes e alusões religiosas, contendo paralelismo com mitologias várias e retratando uma sociedade distópica onde a sociedade se divide entre os ricos e os outros e as mulheres são mantidas em locais fechados onde cumprem o seu papel reprodutor, A Feira dos Imortais apresenta um Bilal carregado de ideias e de detalhes onde não falha a ironia do destino.

mikhe's review against another edition

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4.0

I really love Bilals graphic novels, they are dark and beautiful. I love the weird futuristic meets ancient egypt-thing.

cetian's review against another edition

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4.0

The very first Enki Bilal I read. And probably the book that showed me BD/Comics were so much more than I grew up believing they were.

syntaxen's review against another edition

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4.0

Art - 5/5
World - 5/5
Characters - 3/5
Translation (Finnish) - 4/5

jgkeely's review against another edition

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3.0

There's something so indulgent about French stories, which is at the same time their strength and their downfall. They lilt along, laughing and provoking, never shying away, but there is also a lack of self-editing there that tends to leave them a bit silly and unfocused.

Sometimes, I think it's a problem of translation, and this translation is so unusually literal from the French, as if it were meant for primary English readers who understand the French language and culture, but who are unable to read in the language on their own. This is certainly one style of translation, but for a story like this, I tend to prefer a translation of idioms, emotions, and speech into the new language; but that requires a new writer just as creative and interesting as the original author.

But I also know it isn't entirely the problem of translation, as I've seen complex, intriguing stories that are delightful and deep even in translation, such as the works of Kurosawa or Charlier's 'Blueberry' comic. Then again, they are both familiar with the same Western traditions I am, so perhaps it's an easier shift.

Nikopol shows some of those indulgent tendencies, but also has an undercurrent of satire for overblown space operas like 'L'Incal'. Between engaging in indulgence and mocking indulgence, we get some fun, ironical, self-aware amusement, but there isn't a very strong plot to hang it all on. Perhaps it's my problem, but I tend to feel that nothing can really replace a good story.

The art was good, but the stylization was rather extreme. Everyone had the same cheekbones and the range of expression was disappointingly lacking. The world design was fun and detailed, though it all became similar rather quickly.

The colors were surprisingly straightforward, showing little dynamic exploration, especially when compared to the Moebius works that inspired it. The soft colors were pretty, but Bilal wasn't exactly pushing the boundaries. People were pinkish and the backgrounds were washed out browns and blues. When people were blue or green, it wasn't a mood choice, just some aliens.

It's always interesting to see the sci fi influence of Jodorowski's failed European Dune, from Blade Runner to most of Moebius' sci fi, but Nikopol is just another entry, not particularly revolutionary in its own right, though it was the inspiration for the sport of Chess Boxing, which is amusing enough, as legacies go.

My Suggested Reading In Comics

marcosfaria's review against another edition

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4.0

Três anos atrás, eu tinha lido “A Mulher Enigma” e não tinha entendido nada. Pode ter sido só por ter começado pelo meio, mas esse primeiro volume da trilogia Nikopol faz muito mais sentido. O futuro imaginado por Bilal é pessimista não apenas pelos motivos comuns na ficção científica distópica, mas principalmente pela forma como a aventura se desenrola: Nikopol é um herói impotente, que só consegue algum sucesso na sua luta quando se deixa levar por forças maiores que as suas.

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