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A review by neilrcoulter
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec: Pterror Over Paris / The Eiffel Tower Demon by Jacques Tardi
2.0
As Kronk says, "By all accounts, it doesn't make sense." The time period and general tone of Adèle Blanc-Sec are intriguing, but the story is confusing and most of the characters look identical. The plot, which feels like it started before this first volume, is full of double- and triple-crossings, but because I don't know the characters and can't tell them apart, it feels meaningless to me. My experience of volume one of Adèle Blanc-Sec is similar to how I've felt about other popular European series such as Tintin and Asterix. I have this feeling like I'm missing some kind of cultural background that would make all of this make sense, as it does for so many other people in the world.
Adèle herself is uninterestingly enigmatic. She constantly scowls and usually seems to have her eyes closed. Her adventures are extraordinarily wordy, if not particularly extraordinary. I don't know if I've ever seen panels so clogged with expositional speeches—and I still have almost no idea what's going on!
What I do like about this book is the artwork. Jacques Tardi has a great eye for architectural detail and framing of panels. I enjoy the color palette, which conveys a sense of time and place so clearly.
Adèle herself is uninterestingly enigmatic. She constantly scowls and usually seems to have her eyes closed. Her adventures are extraordinarily wordy, if not particularly extraordinary. I don't know if I've ever seen panels so clogged with expositional speeches—and I still have almost no idea what's going on!
What I do like about this book is the artwork. Jacques Tardi has a great eye for architectural detail and framing of panels. I enjoy the color palette, which conveys a sense of time and place so clearly.