Very Good, Despite Lacking Closure

Bug is the first instalment of a remarkable story about the sudden breakdown of society on a global scale after the failure of all things digital.

A mysterious event snuffs out smartphones, desktop computers, internet servers—even digital implants which keep people alive—in an instant.

The information superhighway is gone and all electronically stored data is lost. What’s more, the calamity appears connected to a space mission to Mars—to one astronaut in particular—and chaos breaks out as governments and criminal organisations race to intercept him upon his return to earth.

Enki Bilal is, of course, a very important figure in the world of bande dessinée, and although I wouldn’t say Bug is up there with his most pivotal works, there is an excellence about his writing and illustration that is not often seen among sci-fi titles in this format.

I am a very picky critic so that is high praise from me, but if you wanted to press me on the negatives, I’d focus on three things:

1. Bilal’s textured, emotional art style is sublime, but gosh his characters have a tendency to look confusingly similar.
2. The story is way too short.
3. Bug is incomplete. It is not a self-contained story. There is no closure.

The third point is my reason for reading Bug again. Someone kindly gave me the second instalment at Christmas, so I decided to re-read the début to re-familiarise myself with the story. I’m glad I did, but do ask yourself if you really want to buy the first volume if there’s a possibility you won’t buy the second.

A Promising New Bande Dessinée

Wow, what a book. There is no denying the kerb appeal of that front cover and the opening chapter pulls no punches about the plot.

La Grande Odalisque is a fast-paced heist story about the theft of a very famous painting from an even more famous museum. It is so much more than that though. It is also a character-focused drama largely concerned with getting the reader to know—to admire, to relate to—the sassy career-criminal-women at its core: Carole, Alex and Sam.

Convincing readers to empathise with a trio of amoral crooks shouldn’t be an easy task, but Vivès, Ruppert and Mulot pull it off with aplomb. They leave us with three fantastically complex and distinct protagonists in a sort of globe-trotting, slapstick-Tarantino adventure. The art style frequently evokes memories of 1960s TV shows like Get Smart and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and the finale certainly leaves us hungry for more. I’ve already placed my order for the sequel (Olympia) and can only hope there are more stories to come.

If you’re learning French and concerned about the fluency level required to read this BD then I’d say B2 (CEFR) is enough for a comfortable ride but B1 will probably suffice provided you have a dictionary or translator at hand.