Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët's Beautiful Darkness is an incredible graphic novel, filled with grotesque beauty, like something Baudelaire might have dreamed (by way of The Secret World of Arrietty). A little girl dies in the forest, and all the characters from her imagination come spilling out of her corpse and found a colony around it. Aurora, her namesake and nominal avatar, seems the only positive figure, but even she might be drawn into violence and evil as the girl decomposes. Kerascoët's art is cartoonish, bordering on the abstract when working on the toy-like characters, but then adopts a detailed, realistic style when he pulls out to show the macro-world, in all cases applying a gorgeous watercolor treatment on his pages. As to the story, it's more a portrait of a deteriorating society than any kind of straightforward plot, Vehlmann often crafting one-or-two-page "gag" strips (common in the Euro-comics tradition) that show where his tiny monsters are at in their development. Images both beautiful and horrific meant to stay with you forever.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Murder
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Deeply disturbing, beautiful imagery, and forever stuck on the edges of my nightmares.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder
I went in not knowing to expect. Through devouring this graphic novel I kept saying, "what the f*ck". It was was wonderful, but I wish the ending had more to it.
This is a anti-fairytale meets Lord of the Flies. A bunch of insect-sized children start living in and around the dead body of a life-sized seven or eight year old girl.
This story explores the childlike naivety surrounding morals and what is good or bad. It explores children's capacity for sympathy and empathy as well as the theme of insignificance. The children in this act wild and savage but with a childlike innocence and naivety that is difficult to ignore.
Brutal and savage scenes are brushed over with complete lack of consequence. It really drives home that theme of "am I significant enough for people to notice when I am gone?" And this is a huge topic that is divulged into throughout the book.
This story explores the childlike naivety surrounding morals and what is good or bad. It explores children's capacity for sympathy and empathy as well as the theme of insignificance. The children in this act wild and savage but with a childlike innocence and naivety that is difficult to ignore.
Brutal and savage scenes are brushed over with complete lack of consequence. It really drives home that theme of "am I significant enough for people to notice when I am gone?" And this is a huge topic that is divulged into throughout the book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not manage to finish it. Definitely beautiful, definitely unsettling... a bit too much for me. I think it's great, it was just too much for me.
Fabien Vehlman nous plonge dans un univers mystérieux avec A Beautiful Darkness, un roman graphique qui mêle à la fois l'intrigue, la poésie et une pointe de suspense. L'histoire se centre sur des personnages jeunes et fragiles, pris au cœur d'un monde où l'apparence et les vérités cachées s'entrelacent avec une finesse indéniable.
L'auteur réussit à créer une atmosphère envoûtante, presque onirique, grâce à des dessins magnifiquement réalisés. Les couleurs, souvent sombres et saturées, renforcent l'ambiance de l'œuvre, et le style visuel unique de Vehlman soutient à merveille le ton du récit. Il y a une certaine beauté dans la noirceur de ce monde, d'où le titre, mais aussi une vraie tension sous-jacente, une incertitude qui semble se nourrir de chaque page.
Cependant, si l'ambiance est incontestablement réussie, l'intrigue laisse parfois à désirer. Le rythme peut paraître inégal par moments, et certains éléments narratifs, bien que fascinants, ne sont pas toujours assez approfondis, ce qui donne une sensation d'inachevé. Le personnage principal, bien qu'intéressant, n'a pas toujours la profondeur qu'on pourrait attendre, et certains choix de l'auteur restent un peu trop flous.
La belle obscurité se dévoile donc à la fois comme une œuvre visuellement marquante et un récit qui, sans être totalement inoubliable, mérite néanmoins qu'on lui accorde un certain intérêt. C'est une lecture à la fois perturbante et poétique, mais qui peut laisser une impression mitigée, d'où ma note de 3 étoiles.