Abelard

The charm of Renaud Dillies strikes again: after the mouse of Bubbles and Gondola, here is another dreamer, little chick Abelard. To lure pretty Epily, Abelard sees only one solution: to catch the moon for her! So off he goes to America, the country which invented flying machines. Armed with his banjo and his proverb-sharing hat, he launches out on the country roads, meets Gypsies, then Gaston, a grumpy bear with whom he will share a good bit of his way… As opposed to dreamer Abelard, Gaston has his feet firmly planted on the ground. With this funny animal road-movie where the absurd becomes poetry, Régis Hautière and Renaud Dillies offer us another small jewel. A BEA 2012 HOT GRAPHIC NOVEL Recommended by Unshelved "a great graphic novel to enjoy on your own or in a group; I can imagine great conversations coming out of Abelards journey and realizations. Beautiful. Just beautiful." -No Flying No Tights "Wonderful, thoughtful, and moving. Grade: 9/10" -Sequential Tart "Dillies artwork is quite beautiful, his charming characters almost deliberately at odds with some of the themes and actions of the tale, yet never feeling wrong. His stylised colours perfectly suited to detailing all the wonders, all the misery, all the dreams Abelard finds along his journey." -Forbidden Planet International "Its bittersweet tale of how one life can deeply touch another is meant for burgeoning existentialists and those who wish to see what comics are capable of through the prism of an idiosyncratic philosophy." -Booklist "A Best Graphic Novel of 2012. Achingly beautiful and poetic… a mesmerizing book and a truly powerful one at that." -John Hogan, Graphic Novel Reporter "This stealth graphic novel starts out feeling like a sweet, whimsical pastoral children's graphic novel and slowly morphs into a wonderfully moving adult story that kind of sneaks up on you with its craft, intelligence and interesting themes. I'm going to remember this little bird for a while." -Jason Sacks, Comics Bulletin "A poignant tale echoing the plight of early European immigrants, who abandoned everything they knew in search of a better life and nurtured hope even in the worst of situations. Abelard never loses his sense of optimism, and the world remains an awe-inspiring and whimsical place -awash in Dilliess lush colors and nuanced sensitivity to mood." -Publishers Weekly