They say reading works in translation broadens the mind, but all you'll garner from the script here is that yes, other languages also do generic fantasy narratives in which three kids (the swotty one, the tough one and the girl) are effectively orphaned and then get into magical adventures with a nice magic guardian and nasty magic antagonists. But oh, the art! Whether it's the poor industrial quarters of 1900 Marseille, the idyllic land of Azur, or the ominous dungeon beneath the forbidden castle, it looks amazing. So really, you'd do as well to read this not in translation, and just gawp at the pretty.

(Netgalley ARC)

Aristophania details the struggles of three children as they try to overcome a family tragedy and the struggles of poverty. A world of magic hides on the edges of their reality and one of its most impressive users is Aristophania. This is a character both surprising and incredibly badass. She appears to be in her 70’s but don’t let that fool you. She’s incredibly powerful and can unarm half a dozen men with nothing more than a cane and a flick of the wrist. Her mastery of magic is a sight to behold and provides most of the excitement in this entertaining volume.

The story itself is a great twist on a Victor Hugo-type tale. We see the effects of poverty on families in Paris, struggling to make ends meet as the factory life becomes more dangerous every day. Aristophania is the children’s guardian angel figure, whisking them away to her estate and giving them all they could want. It’s not enough for the three children who only want to confront the villain who killed their father. This is a disgusting dude who likes to eat rats and can throw cars. The artist did a great job giving us someone to revile.

The artwork is especially adept in the landscape and broader city scenes. We see this beauty hiding in the countryside, in stark contrast with the grunginess of the city. The panel sizing is constantly altering to fit the fast moving story, providing many opportunities for unique scenes and styles.

Aristophania is a tale of redemption and hidden power. Pairing fantasy with a spotlight on poverty creates a narrative with a hopeful future, one without the toils we see in the early pages. The strong dialogue and intricate artwork make this a series I look forward to following.

First up, thank you for the opportunity to read this one. It sounded right up my alley. Fantasy + historical fiction + comic books? Perfection. Sadly.... I can't read it further, my eyes are just full of tears and hurt too much. The illustrations (and also the text bubbles) are quite blurry on my copy, at times I have to really strain my eyes to see what is going on clearly. Plus, the story is just dreadfully boring I am yawning and I keep checking how far I am. 10 pages, 12 pages, 15 pages, 20 pages, 24 pages... I give up. The characters don't interest me at all. There was one moment in the story that was very exciting but it ended very anti-climatic and I was just sighing. Maybe things will happen, but I do prefer to keep my eyeballs happy.

I liked this first installment in a French graphic novel series. This volume establishes the setting in 1900 France, and provides us with an origin story for the three protagonists. These are impoverished siblings, Victor, Basile, and Calixte Francoeur, whose father is killed and whose mother has been sent to prison. Enter a mysterious older lady of considerable wealth and power, Aristophania, who takes the children to her estate . After the children witness magic and unexplained events, Aristophania explains that their father was a member of the same magical order as she, and they can choose to join her in it or continue in their mundane lives. I'm a little leery of the rich-person-fixes-it-all trope indicated by this first volume and the somewhat stereotyped and as-yet mostly undeveloped children--the fighter, the scholar, the innocent--but I'd like to read more. The art is gorgeous and evocative.

When the Francoeur children's father dies, a mysterious old woman appears to deliver the news. She then disappears with out a trace only to reappear years later when the children are in trouble. Aristophania had a promising premise. I love it when mystery and magic intermingle and the back promised both.

Unfortunately, the story didn't deliver. I'm not sure if it is because I'm less familiar with comic book arcs-- though the ones I've read always tie up smaller stories in every issue-- but the plot dragged and the writer did not leave enough clues about the mysterious magic to keep me invested and the elements of magic it introduced early (like the timeline of Azur at the beginning) weren't given enough context around them for me to care.

It isn't until Page 48 of 63 we are really thrust into the main plot of the story-- the one that begins answering the mystery of the first pages. Presumably, the earlier pages are meant to allow us to get to know the characters but beyond a few overarching tropes-- the leader, the smart one and the dreaming girl no one thinks can do anything-- we don't learn much about them. Those pages also don't really work up to the main mystery in any appreciable way-- Aristophania alone wasn't really enough to keep the thread going and the children spent most of their time trying to figure out who she was without any success.

That said, there were some pages of beautiful art-- particularly around the spring and in some of the close ups with the characters-- that were nice to look at. The ending also packs a punch, but this book felt less like a story and more like a prologue. I expected more.

(I'm very sorry I didn't like it more and I hope you will find your audience! I'm sure they're out there).

I enjoyed reading this. It is an engaging story about three children who are part of a mystical kingdom. They don't know much about the kingdom or their part in it. All they know is that their father was killed when they were young and that they were scraping by in poverty with their mother.

When their mother is imprisoned they are left to the kindness of a mystical benefactor and as they explore their new home they realise that something is going on and it is something that is much bigger than they can comprehend.

And then the attacker who killed their father comes after the children and their benefactor introduces them to a world of powers and magics and they are caught up in a quest to remove a corrupt and dangerous king.

This is a really good start to what promises to be a great series of comics. The artwork is good and the story is intriguing. I am looking forward to the next volume and hoping that I won't have to wait too long to read book two!

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book has a strong beginning making the reader feel like they are inside a fairytale with delicate and beautiful language.
Sadly for me, that sense of magic was soon lost but I did like the social critic and how well researched the time in which the story was set was researched and how the tone of the drawings seemed to reflect the darkness the characters were living through.

The art in this is amazing!
The way the colouring in the panels slowly altered as the mood changed was magnificent! Unfortunately the characters were detestable and the story itself wasn't very well flushed out.
The cover and description seemed like this would be exciting, but I was bored for most of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for this DRC.

Aristophania has an interesting art style and story line. I enjoyed the historical aspects of it mixed in with the fantasy story line. Interested to see what happens next.

Beautiful artwork, the story is wonderful and the illustrations well matched. Story is intriguing and well written a great read

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Art is powerful and legible. Story is full of action. Characterizations fully imagined and intriguing.