A Promising New Bande Dessinée
La Grande Odalisque
Year: 2012
▪
124 pages
Authors:
Bastien Vivès
Florent Ruppert
Jérome Mulot
Language: French
Estimated Level: B2 (CEFR)
ISBN: 978-2800155739
Rated:
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 brazen 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 is modern, sassy and sexy, and the heist scenes hark back to 1960s spy TV shows such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E..
Despite my distaste for open-ended episodic content, there is plenty of closure here and the finale leaves us hungry for more. I’ve already placed my order for the sequel (Olympia) and can only hope more installments will follow.
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.