Social Blunderer

The Man Who Shot Chris Kyle: An American Legend
by Fabien Nury & Brüno

Europe Comics
Pub Date 26 Aug 2020   |   Archive Date Not set

Description
A former Navy SEAL and Iraq War veteran, Chris Kyle is the most lethal sniper in American military history. His autobiography, American Sniper, was a best-seller in the US. On February 2, 2013, Chris Kyle is killed by another veteran, Eddie Ray Routh. The murder takes place on a shooting range in Stephenville, Texas. But that’s only the beginning of their story.

Review:

Don’t think I was the target audience for this book. It was fine, but it didn’t really have anything fresh or new to say about the tragic events. It is a rather shallow biography of Chris Kyle and his murderer Eddie Ray Routh. It covers events leading up to Chris’s death.

There is a lack of commentary about the actions of Chris and Eddie that took me out the story. I’m not sure if it was even-handedness or an attempt at impartiality, but it meant my own preconceived notions weren’t challenged. The art ranges from serviceable to chillingly good. The final few pages are especially impactful. Nury’s script, as far as the dialogue and descriptions go is good. Clearly, the creative team have gone above and beyond in researching the events and quite rightly so. However, I didn’t find myself caring about any of the characters in the book. Chris is held up as an American hero to some; he was also a liar and defamer, I would have liked a deeper examination of what compelled Chris not only to go to Iraq but also do what he did to Jesse Ventura. Similarly with Eddie if felt like a series of things that happened. It never managed to get under the skin of either victim or the killer.

Sometimes it is fine not to take an angle and let the reader make up their own mind. Here it didn’t work. The book is neither salacious nor exploitative, nor is it revelatory or particularly illuminating.

I don’t know, the book didn’t work me, I wasn’t bored exactly, but unless you have an interest in the Chris Kyle story, I would be difficult for me to recommend this. I didn’t emotionally connect with it.

Pistouvi by Merwan, Bertrand Gatignol
Diamond Book Distributors & Magnetic Press
Pub Date 10 Nov 2020 |

Description
Childhood should last forever…

Jeanne is a little girl who lies with a mischievous young fox named Pistouvi. They share a charming little treehouse surrounded by a magical prairie tended by a giant ‘tractor-man’ and the wind-spirit he loves. Together, Jeanne and Pistouvie spend frolicking days without a care, but soon, the birds arrive and everything changes…

A beautiful, lyrical fable about the inevitable transition from childhood freedom to adult responsibility, replete with laughs, nostalgia and heartache.

Review:
Sometimes a book gets you right in the feels. The art is breathtakingly good, and it is in service of a story and characters that immediately capture your heart.
It is a story about growing up, friendship, and, how eventually everything changes. Pistouvi is a rascal given to fits of tempers and acts of general cheekiness that are, for the most part utterly charming. Jeanne, his best friend and who I think the story is really about, is brave, kind, and, because of her curiosity is often impatient. They bring out the best in each other and I fell in love with them both.

Pistouvi is told in vignettes of almost self-contained stories. Some are eerie; others are wholesome. If I were to describe the tone and feel of the book, it would be somewhere between the melancholy weirdness of the Moomins and the eccentric fun of Adventure Time. A friend of mine once said Tove Jansen’s books taught her how to be human to other human beings. Relationships, especially the friendships we have as children are difficult things to maintain; people grow up, move away and change. Nothing lasts. Everything hurts more when you’re a kid. This book brought back a lot of emotions and memories I had growing up. I’m not saying I cried, but I’m not saying I didn’t.

This is a wonderful book. It does that Pixar thing of giving something substantial for both children and adults to enjoy. I loved this. I’ll be purchasing a copy for the little ones in my life, and I would recommend you do the same.

The Zolas by Méliane Marcaggi & Alice Chemama
Europe Comics
Pub Date 17 Jun 2020

Description
We know the brilliant writer of the Rougon-Macquart series and the committed author of the open letter “J’accuse…!” but what do we know about his private life?

Who were the women in his life? How did they help him to accomplish his work? At what sacrifice?

A remarkable fresco that takes us back to the end of the 19th century, to the heart of an ever-changing France and the city of Paris, full of artists and workers.

Review

really enjoyed this. It tells the story of Émile Zola and Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley. What begins as a rather tender love story unfolds into something more complex and nuanced. The Zolas’ are a charismatic couple who had an enormous cultural impact on French literature and they led an interesting life. The marriage between Émile and Alexandrine forms the bedrock of the story, it is a relationship filled with grief, heartbreak, betrayal, as well as bliss, contentment, and, comfort.

Chemama’s artwork is gorgeous. It is painterly with a watercolour-like aesthetic. At points it is exquisite, of special note is her ability to show the emotions in the faces of the characters. For me, there was a real air of authenticity through the book. Marcaggi’s script is superb. It manages to balance the flaws and strengths of each character without turning them into monsters.

I think parts of the book assume that you have knowledge of French culture and history. As a result, I felt that a lot of cultural references went over my head and I think I missed some aspects of the story because of this. There is a trial section where I didn’t really understand what was happening or why.

All in all, though this book is a very pleasant read with some of the best art I’ve seen this year and a memorable story that lingers long in the memory after you have put it down.