To start, I really liked the art in this. I felt it was a nice mix of traditional comic book art with a new and fun style.

I found the story to be a little predictable but overall I really enjoyed the direction. The characters saved this one for me, as did the art.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me this eARC to review.

The art isn't bad but the story didn't keep me engaged even though it should have considering it is was packed full of adventure. I ended up DNF'ing this at around 50% and I wasn't too sure on how the mental health was handled.

I am always looking for books that work for readers who struggle with 'boring' chapter books, usually in the form of graphic novels and picture-heavy books, so I thought this would be the one for me. HOWEVER, nope. I honestly didn't even finish it because the depictions of PTSD were just so... over the top? (Yes, there are people who are probably similar and would resonate with Max, but it was just more of the 'I guess that could be PTSD, maybe, but not my first diagnosis' type - though that could be my background and knowledge coming through. ANYWAY...) I plowed through and did finish, but it wasn't worth it.

Thanks to #NetGalley and publisher for the ARC of #Babylon in exchange for an honest review.

Strong and detailed artwork complements an action-packed adventure storyline. A visual treat for older readers.

Really disappointing because I couldn't read it. The file type wouldn't download. The cover looks amazing though.

The story wasnt so great. The artwork was ok. A former soldier travels to Africa to rescue a young woman who wa forced into marriage. Once he is there he finds hmself coerced into rescuing the former president of the country. This one wasnt for me.

NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

Another day, another book by one of my new “companies to look out for”, Europe Comics. Babylon is another French comic, translated into English. I’ve recently come across a handful of their comics, and have really enjoyed them. Comics from western Europe have an entirely different feel to them than either the United States or Japan, focusing more on mature stories vs superheroes and the like, and for that I love them.

“If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him, Max Ferlane is your man: a good man with skills a bad past has left him. Now he’s trying to leave that bad life behind, put those skills to good use. He’s in the Congo rescuing a young girl from an arranged marriage when an old employer turns up: the Babylon Agency, specializing in high-profile political exfiltrations. Max is forced into a different, far more dangerous mission that will take him deep into warring jungles and his own past mistakes. For Max’s PTSD hallucinations are only getting worse…” -- book description

At first glance, and in the initial few pages, I figured this was going to be a bog-standard run-of-the-mill mercenary for hire story, but was surprisingly wrong when things took a weird turn. There are times in the book, where you are led to believe that things have suddenly gone VERY science fiction VERY fast, but its not what you think. Having the book take place somewhere in Eastern Africa, was also interesting, and gave the setting a bit of a political edge that I really enjoy in European Comics. That said, In many ways, Max Ferlane is somewhat of a cliché character in comics, one part Snake Pliskin, another Max Payne (if anyone else remembers that game), but this doesn’t detract from the story in any way.

This is the first part of a multi-part story, and I will eagerly be waiting for the next chapter. With my quibbles aside regarding some clichés, The setting, plot, and characters are cool enough to keep me reading. Yeah, it’s basically “Escape from Congo”, but that’s honestly better than most of the actual sequels to that franchise.

To start, I really liked the art in this. I felt it was a nice mix of traditional comic book art with a new and fun style.

I found the story to be a little predictable but overall I really enjoyed the direction. The characters saved this one for me, as did the art.

DNF @ 50%

I didn't click with this one unfortunately. The art style is clear and well done but didn't really work for me personally. I didn't feel like I formed a connection to the characters and therefore struggled to get invested in the plot. I think lots of people will like this graphic novel a lot, but it wasn't for me.

Three stars for the sub-Forsyth, sub-le Carre adventure, as a bloke who bizarrely gets his kicks out of going to African war zones to 'rescue' local women finds he's bitten off much more than he chew. Minus three stars for the inference that all people with bipolar disorders are psychotic wastrels who can't possible be relied upon – such badly bigoted junk can do one.

This story presents an interesting conundrum: what do you do with a hero who will be there to do what no one else can... but he may not be able to trust himself? The result is a snarky, somewhat foul-mouthed but exciting action story in the black ops/international spy tradition, a bit like Luc Besson's early action films (Nikita, The Professional).

This was a solid production. Very middle of the road and a comfort read where you basically put all themes of reality to one side and just enjoy what's going on.
I'm not 100% sure on the PTSD. It feels like this was shoe-horned in and is a little trite. It doesn't seem to be dealt with with any sensitivity, which is a shame. It could be used as a good eye-opener if it had been written into the story with a little more care.
I did read the first review and feel that I agree - white saviour in a predominantly black continent screams of unconscious white bias and lacks any cultural sensitivity - perhaps get a sensitivity reader/reviewer in on this and with some sharpening it could be great fun

Max Ferlane is a mercenary with a heart (I think), who works for a French organisation called Babylon, that does mercenary stuff - you know, drop into another country, to get someone out.

Max has a military background, and seems to suffer from a psychosis-inducing PTSD or he is bipolar - Max gets shaky hands sometimes, and also hallucinates monstrous things, now and then.

So Max has to drop into an African country, to get a young woman out. Actually, it turns out he's supposed to get a political leader out too, a man who has some dirt on the French government.

It's all very gung ho, with grenades, and Desert Eagles, and Max is white and seeing as he's in Africa with an all black cast, it gives me a weird feeling.. are we in white saviour country here, I'm not sure.

The art is pretty good, very European. The book ends on a big cliffhanger, "End of book one", that kind of thing, which is quite deflating and unsatisfying.

2.5 stars