06-24-2008, 01:45 PM
Admittedly, it is impossible to tell the full story of Alexander the Great in a comics album of 48 pages, but Alexandre le Grand by Francois Maingoval and Jean Torton is very, very bad. In fact, it so bad that it becomes funny again.
I'm not complaining about the many historical errors (Siwa was not in the mountains and you can not walk straight from Babylon's Ishtar Gate to the Etemenanki shrine) because an artist has to tell a convincing story, compared to which topographical details are of less importance. Nor am I complaing that certain scenes are too close to that Alexander film - I haven't complained about the references to The Ten Commandments and Liz Taylor in Asterix and Cleopatra either. That the portrayal of Darius as a coward is essentially Greek propaganda - so be it, if Robin Lane Fox manages to ignore 25 years of research, we should not blame cartoonists.
The trouble is that the story, which is in fact exciting and offers all opportunity to add couleur locale, is poorly told, that the central character remains flattish, and that all excitement is missing. The only reason to buy this album, is to be amazed that it is possible to spoil one of the greatest stories ever. Caveat emptor.
I'm not complaining about the many historical errors (Siwa was not in the mountains and you can not walk straight from Babylon's Ishtar Gate to the Etemenanki shrine) because an artist has to tell a convincing story, compared to which topographical details are of less importance. Nor am I complaing that certain scenes are too close to that Alexander film - I haven't complained about the references to The Ten Commandments and Liz Taylor in Asterix and Cleopatra either. That the portrayal of Darius as a coward is essentially Greek propaganda - so be it, if Robin Lane Fox manages to ignore 25 years of research, we should not blame cartoonists.
The trouble is that the story, which is in fact exciting and offers all opportunity to add couleur locale, is poorly told, that the central character remains flattish, and that all excitement is missing. The only reason to buy this album, is to be amazed that it is possible to spoil one of the greatest stories ever. Caveat emptor.
