Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 16, 2016

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

JAN161737     A&A #1 CVR A LAFUENTE     $3.99
JAN161738     A&A #1 CVR B KANO     $3.99
JAN161739     A&A #1 CVR C HAIRSINE     $3.99
JAN161740     A&A #1 CVR D CGC REPLICA HENRY     $3.99
JAN161741     A&A #1 CVR E BLANK SKETCH CVR     $3.99
JAN161246     ADVENTURE TIME ICE KING #3     $3.99
DEC151131     ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 08     $14.99
JAN161290     ALL NEW CLASSIC CAPTAIN CANUCK #1 CVR B ROOTH     $4.99
DEC151006     ARCHIE TP VOL 01     $19.99
JAN161660     ASSASSINS CREED #6 CVR A POPE     $3.99
JAN161661     ASSASSINS CREED #6 CVR B WILDGOOSE     $3.99
JAN161662     ASSASSINS CREED #6 CVR C WITTER     $3.99
JAN161177     BART SIMPSON TP MASTER OF DISASTER     $15.99
JAN161235     BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #22     $3.99
JAN161559     BLACK BAG #5     $3.99
JAN161383     BOBS BURGERS ONGOING #9 RARE HEALY VIRGIN ART ED     $50.00
OCT151290     CAPTAIN CANUCK 2015 ONGOING #7     $3.99
FEB161325     CAPTAIN CANUCK TP VOL 01 ALEPH     $19.95
SEP151089     CLANDESTINO #2     $3.99
JAN161030     CLOVER HONEY 20TH ANNIVERSARY ED GN (MR)     $14.95
JAN161560     COPS FOR CRIMINALS #5     $3.99
JAN161124     CROSSED PLUS 100 HC VOL 02 (MR)     $27.99
DEC150910     CRYPT OF HORROR #28     $29.95
JAN161448     DAN CLOWES PATIENCE HC     $29.99
JAN161384     DEJAH THORIS #2 RARE NEN VIRGIN ART ED     $50.00
JAN161360     DEVOLUTION #3 CVR A LEE (MR)     $3.99
OCT151417     DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW VOWS #5 PONSOR SGN     PI
JUL151310     DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #1 DF MIDTOWN EXC     $29.99
APR151452     DF PRINCESS LEIA #1 DF EXC TRILOGY SET PONSOR SGN     PI
MAR151317     DF SECRET WARS #1 GOLD ELITE HICKMAN SGN     $89.99
MAR151316     DF SECRET WARS #1 HICKMAN SGN     PI
JUL151305     DF SECRET WARS #2 MIDTOWN EXC BRADSHAW CVR     PI
JUL151306     DF SECRET WARS #3 MIDTOWN EXC KEOWN CVR     PI
APR151449     DF STAR WARS #1 DF EXC PONSOR SGN     PI
APR151450     DF STAR WARS #1 DF EXC TRILOGY SET PONSOR SGN     PI
MAR151321     DF UNCANNY INHUMANS #0 GOLD ELITE SOULE SGN     $89.99
DEC141475     DF WOLVERINES #1 SOULE SGN     PI
JAN161822     DIMENSION W GN VOL 01     $13.00
DEC158602     DISNEY WINNIE POOH CINESTORY SC COLL ED     $29.99
DEC151581     DOCTOR WHO 10TH ARCHIVES OMNIBUS TP VOL 01     $24.99
DEC151578     DOCTOR WHO 8TH #5 CVR A STOTT     $3.99
DEC151579     DOCTOR WHO 8TH #5 CVR B PHOTO     $3.99
DEC151580     DOCTOR WHO 8TH #5 CVR C EDWARDS     $3.99
JAN161525     DOORMAN #1     $3.50
JAN161643     DUSU PATH OF THE ANCIENT #2     $3.99
JAN161625     ELASTICATOR #1     $3.99
AUG151372     EVEN SO I WILL LOVE YOU TENDERLY GN     $13.95
JAN161545     FORGET ME NOT GN VOL 01     $10.99
JAN161175     FUTURE PROOF #10     $3.99
DEC151755     GFT ESCAPE FROM MONSTER ISLAND #2 A CVR BURNS (MR)     $3.99
DEC151756     GFT ESCAPE FROM MONSTER ISLAND #2 B CVR RIVEIRO (MR)     $3.99
DEC151757     GFT ESCAPE FROM MONSTER ISLAND #2 C CVR MILLER (MR)     $3.99
DEC151758     GFT ESCAPE FROM MONSTER ISLAND #2 D CVR REYES (MR)     $3.99
JAN161866     GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #120 A CVR CHEN (MR)     $3.99
JAN161867     GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #120 B CVR SANAPO (MR)     $3.99
JAN161868     GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #120 C CVR LUIS (MR)     $3.99
JAN161365     GRUMPY CAT & POKEY #2 CVR A UY     $3.99
JAN161366     GRUMPY CAT & POKEY #2 CVR B FLEECS     $3.99
JAN161367     GRUMPY CAT & POKEY #2 CVR C HAESER     $3.99
DEC151109     HELP US GREAT WARRIOR TP VOL 01     $19.99
JAN161626     HENCHGIRL #5     $3.99
JAN161676     HEROES GODSEND #1 CVR B PHOTO     $3.99
DEC151113     HIT TP VOL 02 1957 (MR)     $19.99
DEC150997     HUMAN RESOURCES GN     $14.95
JAN161494     HUMBUG #4     $3.99
JAN161766     IMPERIUM #14 CVR A CAMUNCOLI     $3.99
JAN161767     IMPERIUM #14 CVR B CAFU     $3.99
JAN161041     IRWIN ALLEN LOST IN SPACE #1 CVR A STANLEY     $3.99
JAN161042     IRWIN ALLEN LOST IN SPACE #1 CVR B PHOTO     $3.99
JAN161368     JAMES BOND #5     $3.99
JAN161236     JIM HENSONS STORYTELLER DRAGONS #4     $3.99
JAN161240     JONESY #2     $3.99
JAN160996     KINGDOM BUM #4 (MR)     $3.99
NOV151677     KODOJA #4     $3.99
JAN161546     LIVINGSTONE GN VOL 02     $10.99
JAN161369     LOOKING FOR GROUP #12     $4.99
JAN161344     LORDS OF THE JUNGLE #1 CVR A ROSS     $3.99
JAN161345     LORDS OF THE JUNGLE #1 CVR B CASTRO     $3.99
JAN161346     LORDS OF THE JUNGLE #1 CVR C BLANK AUTHENTIX     $10.00
JAN161238     LUMBERJANES #24     $3.99
JAN161689     MAN PLUS #3 CVR A ARAUJO (MR)     $3.99
JAN161812     MY NEIGHBOR SEKI GN VOL 07     $10.95
JAN161813     MYSTERIOUS GIRLFRIEND X GN VOL 01     $15.95
NOV151656     NIKOPOL TRILOGY VOL 01 (MR)     $34.99
JAN161788     NISEKOI FALSE LOVE GN VOL 14     $9.99
JAN161805     ONE PIECE 3IN1 TP VOL 15     $14.99
JAN161778     ONE PUNCH MAN GN VOL 05     $9.99
JAN161190     PAKNADEL & TRAKHANOV TURNCOAT #1     $3.99
JAN161549     PARADISE RESIDENCE GN VOL 01     $13.99
NOV151230     PITIFUL HUMAN LIZARD #5     $2.99
JAN161029     POWER BUTTON #0 (MR)     $4.95
AUG151670     PRE CODE CLASSICS WEB OF EVIL SLIPCASE ED VOL 03     $69.99
OCT151022     PRINCELESS RAVEN PIRATE PRINCESS #6 MAIN CVR     $3.99
DEC150973     PROJECT NEMESIS #4 REG CVR FRANK     $3.99
JAN161349     PROJECT SUPERPOWERS BLACKCROSS TP     $19.99
JAN161001     PUPPET MASTER #13 CVR A DA SACCO (MR)     $3.99
JAN161002     PUPPET MASTER #13 CVR B KILL COVER (MR)     $4.99
JAN161003     PUPPET MASTER #13 CVR C SKETCH KILL (MR)     $4.99
JAN161352     RED SONJA VOL 3 #3 CVR A SAUVAGE     $3.99
JAN161809     RIN-NE GN VOL 20     $9.99
JAN161691     RIVERS OF LONDON NIGHT WITCH #1 CVR A MCCAFFREY (MR)     $3.99
JAN161692     RIVERS OF LONDON NIGHT WITCH #1 CVR B RONALD (MR)     $3.99
JAN161693     RIVERS OF LONDON NIGHT WITCH #1 CVR C SULLIVAN (MR)     $3.99
JAN161694     RIVERS OF LONDON NIGHT WITCH #1 CVR D BLANK SKETCH (MR)     $3.99
SEP151552     ROY THOMAS PRESENTS PLANET COMICS SLIPCASE ED VOL 12     $69.99
JAN161561     SABER RIDER & THE STAR SHERIFFS #1     $2.99
JAN161106     SANTERIA THE GODDESS KISS #1 CVR A CAFARO     $3.99
JAN161107     SANTERIA THE GODDESS KISS #1 CVR B LORENZANA     $3.99
JAN161022     SECOND SIGHT #2     $3.99
JAN161517     SHIKARI FORCE HUNTERS #2     $2.99
JAN161793     SHURIKEN & PLEATS GN VOL 01     $9.99
JAN161178     SIMPSONS COMICS #227     $3.99
DEC151103     STEVEN UNIVERSE & CRYSTAL GEMS #1     $3.99
JAN161806     TERRA FORMARS GN VOL 11 (MR)     $12.99
JAN161004     TOMBOY DIVINE INTERVENTION TP     $14.99
JAN161202     UNCLE GRANDPA ORIGINAL GN VOL 01 TIME CASSEROLE     $14.99
JAN161618     US JUDGE DREDD COMP CASE FILES TP VOL 11     $19.99
JAN161382     VAMPIRELLA VOL 3 #1 RARE ANACLETO VIRGIN CONNECT ED     $50.00
JAN161232     WELCOME BACK #6     $3.99
JAN161378     WILL EISNER SPIRIT #9 CVR A POWELL     $3.99
JAN160975     WOODY GUTHRIE & DUST BOWL BALLADS     $24.95
JAN161099     WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #57     $4.99
JAN161746     WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #5 CVR A JIMENEZ (NEW ARC)     $3.99
JAN161747     WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #5 CVR B RYP (NEW ARC)     $3.99
JAN161748     WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #5 CVR C CGC REPLICA HENRY (NEW ARC)     $3.99
JAN161780     YU GI OH ZEXAL GN VOL 08     $9.99

MAGAZINES
JAN161943     BACK ISSUE #87     $8.95
JAN161965     BATMAN VS SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE MAGAZINE     $9.99
JAN161948     COMIC SHOP NEWS #1500     PI
JAN161951     COMIC SHOP NEWS SPRING 2016 PREVIEW     PI
JAN161674     EVER AFTER HIGH #3     $4.99
NOV151899     HOBBIT MOTION PICTURE FIG MAG #10 ALFRID OF LAKETOWN     $16.50
DEC151832     HOBBIT MOTION PICTURE FIG MAG #11 DWALIN THE DWARF     $16.50
DEC151833     HOBBIT MOTION PICTURE FIG MAG #12 DORI THE DWARF     $16.50
NOV151898     HOBBIT MOTION PICTURE FIG MAG #9 BARD THE BOWMAN     $16.50
JAN161970     LOCUS #662     $7.50
AUG152021     MARVEL FACT FILES #100 SUPERHEROES COVER     $6.00
AUG152022     MARVEL FACT FILES #101 MOONSTAR COVER     $6.00
SEP151884     MARVEL FACT FILES #103 FEMALE THOR COVER     $6.00
SEP151885     MARVEL FACT FILES #104 IRON MAN BLEEDING EDGE COVER     $6.00
SEP151886     MARVEL FACT FILES #105 SPIDER-MAN VS DOCTOR OCTOPUS COVER     $6.00
OCT151931     MARVEL FACT FILES #107 ABOMINATION COVER     $6.00
OCT151933     MARVEL FACT FILES #109 CAPTAIN AMERICA VS HYDRA COVER     $6.00
NOV151897     MARVEL FACT FILES #113     $6.00
DEC151837     MARVEL FACT FILES #114     $6.50
JUN151759     MARVEL FACT FILES #90 UNCANNY X-MEN TEAM COVER     $6.00
JUL151897     MARVEL FACT FILES #94 IKARIS COVER     $6.00
JUL151900     MARVEL FACT FILES #97 CAPTAIN BRITAIN COVER     $6.00
SEP151877     MARVEL FACT FILES COSMIC SPECIAL #2 STAR-LORD     $32.95
OCT151927     MARVEL FACT FILES COSMIC SPECIAL #3 THANOS     $32.95
NOV151889     MARVEL FACT FILES COSMIC SPECIAL #4 GAMORA     $32.95
DEC151834     MARVEL FACT FILES COSMIC SPECIAL #5 GROOT     $32.95
NOV151920     MEGAMI FEB 2016     $18.00
NOV151921     NEWTYPE FEB 2016     $18.00
JAN161971     STAR WARS INSIDER MAG #164 NEWSSTAND ED     $7.99
JAN161972     STAR WARS INSIDER MAG #164 PX ED     $7.99
JAN161700     STAR WARS JEDI MASTER MAG #3     $4.99

BOOKS
AUG151563     ALEX RAYMOND ARTISTIC JOURNEY ADV INTRIGUE & ROMANCE HC     $75.00
JAN161905     DOCTOR WHO 365 DAYS MEMORABLE MOMENTS IMPOSSIBLE THINGS     $19.99
DEC151805     DOCTOR WHO ADIPOSE COLLECTIBLE FIGURINE & BOOK KIT     $12.95
JAN161802     LEGEND OF GALACTIC HEROES SC NOVEL     $15.99
JAN161542     MARVEL THOR DUELING WITH GIANTS PROSE NOVEL VOL 01     $9.99
JAN161888     MEMORIES LOST COLLECTIONS S&N SLIPCASE MINI POSTER ED     $35.00
JAN161899     MY LITTLE PONY GLORY & ILLUSTRATED BOOK     $9.95
DEC151743     NO GAME NO LIFE LIGHT NOVEL VOL 04     $14.00

Toriko Vs Heracles!!

I read Toriko, Vol. 32: Vs. Heracles

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: THE WORLD'S GREATEST FIRST LOVE Volume 4

THE WORLD'S GREATEST FIRST LOVE, VOL. 4
SUBLIME MANGA – @SuBLimeManga

MANGAKA: Shungiku Nakamura
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERS: NRP Studios
EDITOR: Jennifer LeBlanc
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8869-8; paperback (March 2016); Rated “M” for “Mature”
180pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

The World's Greatest First Love is a yaoi manga from creator Shungiku Nakamura (Junjo Romantica).  According to SuBLime Manga, it is one of the titles that their readers have most requested for an English release.  Yaoi manga is a subset of boys' love (or BL) manga, which depicts amorous situations between male romantic leads.  Yaoi features explicit depictions of sex between those leads.

Looking for a fresh start, 25-year-old Ritsu Onodera changes jobs and lands at Marukawa Publishing.  He becomes an editor for the shojo manga magazine, “Emerald” (which is also an actual manga magazine).  Things should be looking up, but Ritsu's new boss is Masamune Takano.  When he was 15, Ritsu was madly in love with Takano, but now he wants to leave that all in the past, although Takano seems determined that they have a future.

As The World's Greatest First Love: The Case of Ritsu Onodera, Vol. 4 (Chapter 6 to 7.5) opens, the editorial staff of Emerald races to finish the next issue.  The looming Christmas holidays have pushed up the normal deadlines, and Ritsu is having trouble with a tardy mangaka.  Ritsu also cannot wait to get away from his boss and former lover, Takano, to whom he recently gave up the booty.  It just so happens that Takano's birthday is soon, and Ritsu frets over whether or not he should acknowledge it.  Takano however has plans for a romantic drive... with Ritsu.

[This volume includes Chapter 7.5 and “The Case of Shota Kisa.”]

I have to admit that The World's Greatest First Love manga has an advantage with me.  I automatically give at least a little favor to manga that are about making manga or are set in the world of manga publishing.  The World's Greatest First Love has one more advantage, and that is the fact that its workplace setting is a shojo manga editorial office.  I do like my shojo manga (comics for teen girls).

The World's Greatest First Love: The Case of Ritsu Onodera Volume 4 is the first volume of this series that I have read (thanks to a review copy from SuBLime).  That was not a problem for me, as I did not have trouble figuring out the rather straight-forward central plot and obvious obstacle facing the leads.  This is not one of those moody romantic drama yaoi manga .

This is a romantic comedy in which the lead (Ritsu Onodera) is a screwy blonde, and the pursuer (Masamune Takano) is tall, dark, and handsome.  Takano is the seme (top) who is determined to get what he wants, which is Ritsu, the uke (bottom) who eventually submits to his lover.  I don't know where this series is going; the star couple does have some issues to resolve.  Creator Shungiku Nakamura makes you want to keep reading.

B+

www.SuBLimeManga.com
facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Book Review: FORGOTTEN: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes

FORGOTTEN: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War
HARPERCOLLINS – @HarperCollins

AUTHOR: Linda Hervieux – @lindahervieux
ISBN: 978-0-06-231379-9; hardcover (October 27, 2015)
368pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S.

Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War is a 2015 non-fiction book from author Linda Hervieux.  This World War II-era history book tells the story of an all-black battalion whose crucial contributions on D-Day have gone unrecognized to this day.

What is forgotten is what Forgotten remembers for us.  You did not see it in Steven Spielberg's 1998 Oscar-winning film, Saving Private Ryan, but African-American service men did participate in the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II.  In the early hours of June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African-American soldiers, landed on the beaches of France (primarily Omaha Beach and Utah Beach).  Their orders were to man a curtain of armed balloons meant to deter enemy aircraft.

Although little was expected of these black man, their bravery and valor in not only maintaining the balloons, but also in rescuing fellow soldiers and in fighting the enemy earned praise from U. S. and Allied military officers and officials – from high to low rank.  They also earned the respect of some of the very White soldiers with whom they could not serve because the U.S. armed forces were segregated even during World War II.

However, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, their exploits and service, were forgotten.  One member of the 320th, Waverly Woodson, would be nominated for the Medal of Honor, but it was an award he would never receive.  Over one million African-Americans served during World War II, but the nation’s highest decoration was not given to black soldiers in World War II, although many were recommended for the award.

Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War remembers them.  Author Linda Hervieux also chronicles the injustices of Jim Crow America, especially during the 1940s.  The past is brought to life in an extraordinary blend of military and social history.  Forgotten is the book that finally pays tribute to the valor of this all-black battalion; its crucial contributions at D-Day have gone unrecognized to this day, but no longer...  The recognition begins with Forgotten

When I saw director Oliver Stone's 1986 film, Platoon (which won the Oscar as “Best Picture” of 1986), it was the first time I saw a movie that depicted African-American soldiers serving during the Vietnam War as more than just background players.  The only reason I knew that Black soldiers served in Korea was because the assistant principal of my high school was a veteran of Korea.  Occasionally, I saw a Black actor playing a serviceman on the television series, “M.A.S.H.”  Popular media and pop culture and the arts to which I was exposed, especially as child, said very little about Black men serving in Korea.

These slights of Black soldiers during Korea and Vietnam were nothing compared to the uncountable slights against Black servicemen and servicewomen during World War II.  It seems that history practically erased African-Americans from the history of WWII.  In high school, we did not cover WWII – believe it or not.  I did not know that there were African-American pilots during WWII until I first learned that Star Wars creator, George Lucas, had been trying to get a film about those pilots, the “Red Tails” made, as early as the 1990s.  Lucas eventually financed the production, marketing, and distribution of the film himself.

I saw Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima films, Flags of My Father and Letters from Iwo Jima, but it was afterwards that I learned that Black marines had participated in that battle.  However, Flags of My Father, which focuses on the American side of the battle of Iwo Jima, did not depict African-Americans in the fight.  Director Spike Lee was critical of Eastwood for this omission, but that earned him ire for saying this, but none for Eastwood.

When I read the email in which HarperCollins' marketing department offered review copies of Forgotten, it was the first time I had ever heard of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion.  That's my fault.  As an African-American, I should be reading more books about the history of Black folks in America.  I read a lot of journalism, articles, essays, etc. about Black History, but I think I have only read three or four books about Black History or African-American historical figures during the last decade.  For an African-American who calls himself a writer, that is sad.

Well, luckily we have the pluck, skill, talent, and perseverance of Linda Hervieux.  Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War is an essential book about a pivotal time in the history of the United States:  militarily, politically, socially, and culturally.  It is a fantastic read, and Hervieux should probably write more non-fiction books... on any topic.

This brilliant book will often make you burning angry, but it will also make you proud of a group of men you never knew.  Black servicemen like those in the 320th made an awful, racist country that thought too much of itself look better than it should.  Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War is an assault on the kind of memory that is nothing more than a column of support for Jim Crow America.  This book is the restoration, not of history, but of America's story.  Now, it is up to us to make sure that neither Forgotten nor the men of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion are ever relegated to the remainder bin of history.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

So Cute It Hurts: It Hurts to Be a Matchmaker

I read So Cute It Hurts!!, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: In Search of Lost Time: SWANN'S WAY

IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME: SWANN'S WAY
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY/Liveright – @wwnorton and @LiverightPub

ORIGINAL STORY: Marcel Proust (novel)
CARTOONIST: Stéphane Heuet
TRANSLATION: Arthur Goldhammer
ISBN: 978-1-63149-035-4; hardcover (July 13, 2015)
240pp, Color, $26.95 U.S., $32.00 CAN

Stéphane Heuet is a French comics artist, who is known for his work in Franco-Belgian comics, which are called bandes dessinées (or “BD”).  Two decades ago, Heuet made a big leap in his career, which was also a huge risk, and this career-changing decision was connected to Marcel Proust.

Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust, best known as Marcel Proust (1871-1922), was a  French novelist, critic, and essayist.  He is considered one of the greatest authors of all time, and his prominent work is À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time).  This monumental novel was published in seven parts between 1913 and 1927.

The novel first gained fame in English under the title, Remembrance of Things Past.  This lengthy work has a theme of involuntary memory, and it follows the narrator, a middle-aged writer, as he recalls his past, the people he knew, and the places his visited.

In the early 1990s, Stéphane Heuet, decided to adapt In Search of Lost Time into comics form.  In 1998, he published Combray (Editions Delcourt), what he hoped would be the first of about a dozen large-sized, hardcover comic books (graphic novels?), the number it would take for him to adapt In Search of Lost Time into comics.  As of this writing, Heuet has published five books in this series.  In 2003, NBM Publishing released an English edition of Combray in North America.

The original prose Swann's Way is the first of the seven books that comprises Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time.  Last year, in July, Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton and Company, published the large-size, full-color hardcover, In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way.  This book collects Heuet's comics adaptation of Swann's Way.  Liveright's In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way is also an English-language edition of the French comics hardcover, Du cote de chez Swann: Edition Integral (Editions Delcourt), which also collects Heuet's comics adaptation of Swann's Way.

In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way opens with “Combray,” in which the narrator, an aspiring writer, evokes the village in which he grew up, Combray.  This opening section includes the famous “episode of the madeleine.”  While visiting his mother, the narrator has tea with her and eats a madeleine, a small pastry in the shape of a cockle shell.  The taste of the pastry causes the narrator’s memories to return to his boyhood (the “involuntary memory”).

The second part, “Swann in Love,” tells the story of the romance between the aristocratic Charles Swann and Odette de Crecy, a prostitute.  Swann's infatuation with Odette causes him much torment, especially once he comes to believe that she cannot stand his presence and is also having an affair with the Comte de Forcheville.  Although he comes to believe that Odette is beneath his station, Swann cannot stop thinking about her and wanting her.

The third part, “Place Names: The Name,” details the narrator’s idealized boyhood love for Charles and Mme (Odette) Swann's daughter, Gilberte.  This part also deals with the narrator's preference for the manner of women's fashion, make-up, and hair as it was when he was a boy in the past, as he compares it to the way things are in the present, now that he is an adult.

While researching Marcel Proust, Stephane Heuet, and this graphic novel, I found a New York Times article from 1998 about the controversy that ensued in France after the release of Heuet's first In Search of Lost Time graphic novel, Combray.  I don't know why I found myself surprised by the controversy, as the French are so open-minded...

Anyway, it took me a long time to read this (in addition to the fact that, at one point, I misplaced my reader's copy).  I am assuming that all the dialogue (word balloons) and exposition (caption boxes) that Heuet uses in his comics adaptation come directly from Proust's original text.  Proust's winding prose reads as if someone took Shakespeare and stuck every line together to form one incredibly long run-on sentence with little to no punctuation.  Yet Proust, at least in this comic book, is not abstract.  The language is meant to be evocative, and I found that certain words go together to form phrases which in turn are meant to evoke involuntary memories in my mind.  It is as if I were remembering something that not only did I not experience, but may also not even be real.

And I like that.  I think Heuet's adaptation works best if the reader can unravel the layers of the text.  Some words are mere flights of fantasy, while others are metaphorical.  Some deal with memory and are, therefore, highly descriptive.  In “Swann in Love” I found myself having to reread portions of the text to discover when the story was focusing on the matter at hand:  character, personality, relationship, conflict, and narrative.  I think the translation of Heuet's original French text into English by Arthur Goldhammer is likely the best a translation of this can be.  It is reader-friendly, but emphasizes the beauty of the prose.

It is also easy to get lost in Stephane Heuet's beautiful art.  His “clean line” (or “clear line”) style recalls the work of Tintin creator, Hergé, and it gives the story a sense of wonder and of adventure.  That makes this journey into the narrator's memory a joyful trip.  I was never bored; I was always curious about where this story was taking me.  Honestly, In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way is not the easiest read, but it is a remarkable book, and the map of Paris and illustrated Proust family tree that comes with this version of the book helps.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 9, 2016

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JAN160231     ACTION COMICS #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
NOV150287     AZRAEL TP VOL 01 FALLEN ANGEL     $19.99
JAN160284     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #23     $2.99
DEC150341     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL TP VOL 01     $29.99
DEC150317     BATMAN BEYOND TP VOL 01 BRAVE NEW WORLDS     $14.99
SEP150292     BATMAN BY NEAL ADAMS OMNIBUS HC     $99.99
DEC150342     BATMAN CONTAGION TP     $34.99
JAN160277     BATMAN SUPERMAN #30     $3.99
OCT150249     BATMAN SUPERMAN SILVER AGE OMNIBUS HC VOL 01     $75.00
JAN160303     BATMAN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #4     $3.99
JAN160237     CATWOMAN #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
JAN160253     CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #10     $2.99
JAN160348     DARK AND BLOODY #2 (MR)     $3.99
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JAN160238     DETECTIVE COMICS #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
JAN160258     EARTH 2 SOCIETY #10     $2.99
DEC150321     EARTH 2 SOCIETY TP VOL 01 PLANETFALL     $14.99
JAN160351     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #15 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160296     GOTHAM ACADEMY #16     $2.99
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JAN160358     NEW ROMANCER #4 (MR)     $3.99
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