Is this a comic? Not really. Is it a beautifully illustrated pirate story? Absolutely.

Honestly, the story itself is pretty plain, pretty simple. The artwork, though, is incredible, and I'd give this a high rating even without any words. Worth the buy, even for just the pictures.

'Balbuzar' by Gerard Moncomble with art by Frederic Pillot is an illustrated book telling the outrageous tale of Balbuzar the pirate.

Balbuzar rules the Sarboucane sea, but not if the Commodore has anything to say about it. With his big hat with the 6 seagulls perched atop (or always flying overheard), the Commodore has a plan. Don't count Balbuzar out though.

This is presented like a storybook with lots of prose, and I think older kids might find it fun because the art is so ludicrously great. There are a series of letters at the end of the book that are fun, but felt a bit anti-climactic to me.

I received an eARC copy from Diamond Book Distributors and Ablaze via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL! This fable is absolutely wonderful and stunning, from the story to the impeccable art. And by no means do I think this book is a children's picture book. The artwork is too intricate and exquisite, and I feasted my eyes on it more than I followed the story; it is complicated to stay focused (100% positive comment, and I want more of it).

Balbuzar, the main character, is the pirate who reigns the Sarboucane sea. He is a true pirate; savage, cruel, always ready to attack and ransom, but with a great sense of justice and unmeasurable wit. His constant plundering became a delicate issue for Empress Pepita XIII, so she sent her best officer, the Commodore, to bring law and order to the Sarboucane sea. And here comes the ultimate fight, enlarged by the spectacular illustrations.

Balbuzar is also a story of the confrontation between the royalty and the piracy, wealth and comfort and constant fight and struggles to survive. It is an ode to freedom, resistance, nature, and hope.

I have no regrets. This book is so fun and different from any other graphic novels I read (and I read many of them). If there is any continuation to this story, count me in; I am ready for the new Balbuzar's adventure!

The art is amazing and it looked like something taken out of an animated film. Will be reading any future sequels if any come out.

This had some of the most amazing art I've seen in a long time, and I'm reading a lot of picture books and graphic novels these days! The story was interesting in themes both explicit (who is more dishonest, the sailor who robs you to your face or the courtier who stabs you in the back?) and more hidden (individual freedom versus society, revenge versus ambition, the closing of the frontier). The story takes a bit too romantic a view of the nobility of the pirate (17th and 18th century naval battles were horrifically brutal and bloody, or you can call me Jack Aubrey) and a bit too dim view of society (ask the poor, weak, and powerless how they like anarchic societies). But that said, there is a place to glorify individual choice and rights and call a cautionary note both about the abuses and poor morals that societal rulers can have. And there is always a place for art like this.

Who is Balbuzar? He is a pirate who is ruthless. He attacks, plunders and looks for buried treasure. He also has a sense of justice. Why? He appreciate the seas and animals. Why? When he goes against the Commodore sent by the Empress Pepita XIII, It seems as if Balbuzar will lose to the Commodore. Will Babuzar lose?

The book has colorful illustrations that are detailed and so fantastic, who wants to read? The print appears to be on the small side making the exciting story difficult to read. I loved the illustrations! The illustrations overtook my desire to read. It’s not a true picture book as I somehow thought it was. It’s a good story. The book presentation when open perhaps needs to be change — perhaps larger print? Regardless it’s a book about a pirate and who doesn’t like stories about pirates?

D

Well, it's hard to say what Balbuzar is, since it's not a comic and not a picture book either. For adults perhaps? I don't know if kids would like this, since the book is basically one battle. Balbuzar is a pirate, but one for justice and one that appreciates the sea and the animals. He was feared and had to fight vessels and it was war on water. At the same time he is liked for being true to himself and oddly enough thought of a hero in a sense in the 17th century. I for one wanted more than just pirates fighting, since the story is just a sequence in time without a start or an end. We don't get to know the characters that well and mostly the texts are just a high and mighty pirate babble with lots of yaarrrs.

The cover is beautiful and the art is amazing too. The details and the sense of 1990s is great and oddly fitting too. The font isn't the best though and the text is quite small, which is a hindrance. Also, the diary markings at the back don't fit with the style either. The art is surely the best part of the book, but for me the other style and content choices couldn't bring this to three. Sadly so.

You know those books you picked up as a kid for the sole purpose of looking at the beautiful art, and your parents always told you it was too long for a bedtime story.

That perfectly describes this book for me; I found myself staring awestruck at the art while my eyes skimmed over the text. Even in my 3rd or 4th attempt, I struggled to pull myself away from Frédéric Pillot's gorgeous art truly, and eventually, I had to settle that this was going to be the case. And I can't be upset with that.

Because I can't say, I've come across a children's book in a long time that inspired the same level of awe that I remember having the first time I got to look at Jan Brett's The Mitten up close and personal.

And honestly, it's the type of book that I would buy a young one in my life because these were the types of books that I remember spending so much time looking at the pages and then being so proud when I could come back and read it for myself.

Balbuzar is an enjoyable visual story that is full of creativity and adventure. I’ll likely buy it in print after enjoying this digital copy.

This is the story of an infamous pirate and a pompous Commodore who battle it out on the high seas. It's illustrated with lavish pictures with incredible detail. But there were a few things about the story that rubbed me the wrong way--and all in the writing. The beginning of the story insults the readers by calling them various names, uses profanity not suitable for this age group, and overall the story is bogged down with superfluous details, which in my opinion, slow the story down. And last of all, the font is too small for the book. It's like the artwork works against the prose, the former indicating quick wit and style, the former, a deal of pomposity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a funny story with such an amazing art, I liked it so much! It is about pirates, mainly about the Great Balbuzar, he is feared on the sea, hated by the crown but loved by his people and the sea creatures. He is a ruthless, old school kind of pirate that nothing could scare him with his ship the Mad Osprey and his fearless men not even that arrogant Commodore de Somoza who was sent by the Empress Nugetta XIII in order to capture Balbuzar. Well, we wiill see if this pirate is an easy prey to catch.

This book was so gorgeous with some beautiful illustrations which you can't take your eyes from them, the story is full of actions, adventures and humor with a poetic touch that made it so mesmerizing to read. It is enjoyable and entertaining, also a good book for any lover of pirates' stories like me.

Going into Balbuzar by Geìrard Moncomble, I thought this would be a graphic novel, but it's actually a picture book. I always love a good pirate story and I was intrigued by the premise of this book and how it would be an "ode to nature."

The illustrations are absolutely GORGEOUS!! I loved the choice of color and how realistic each depiction was! The story on the other hand wasn't as captivating and I found the long text tiring at most parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The illustrations in Balbuzar are beautiful and detailed. Almost all, but especially the illustrations of the boats, are tilted, overhwleming, luscious, and playing with angles and shapes. Usually the scenes are shown from a low perspective which makes it look grandiose. There is a wonderful little detail of a pattern of skulls incorporated into a wave on page 10 that I was really fond of when I saw it. You can really stare at the drawings a long time, there is so much to discover.

While the focus is definitely on the illustrations, the story itself is fun and charming, and it's told directly to the reader. It seems like the kind that'd be great to read out loud while doing voices. I felt like it could've been a bit better done, changed a bit (longer, shorter, rephrased) to better suit the tone and story of the each page and to not get completely overtaken by the drawings, but I generally didn't mind much and enjoyed it throughout, especially at the end.

I love the constant presence of birds and the difference in their designs, it's very charming and cute. I also love the ending, it's simplicity and kindness.

I'm glad to have gotten to read this book about cunning but nice pirates and their fight with the crown.

Ablaze Publishing has been doing a great job this year with such titles as Space Pirate Captain Harlock and The Cimmerian. They specialize on localizing both European comics and Japanese manga, which is slightly different than many of the big publishers right now. Now that these big flagship titles are in place, it’s cool to see them branch out with something like Balbuzar by Geìrard Moncomble. On one hand, I’d consider this a graphic novel, on the other it’s designed and presented as a storybook, but I would hesitate to say it’s explicitly a kid’s book by any means. While not bloody or vulgar, the book is somewhat wordy with allusions to non-kid-friendly things such as the slave trade or Poppy smuggling. That said, I’m sure an older kid would enjoy the hell out it.

“In the Sarboucane sea, Balbuzar the pirate reigns supreme. He attacks, plunders, sinks, and ransoms everything that comes within his reach. Savage, cruel, formidable, certainly, Balbuzar is; but also with a certain bonhomie, and a great sense of justice. He is in harmony with the sea, the islands, the wind, the rocks. Around him, birds, always. Men, women, children…they all love him. For he is free as the air. But now the Empress Pepita XIII is worried about her state of affairs, and Balbuzar’s constant plundering. She sends against him her best officer, the Commodore, at the head of an armada. He represents force, order, law. Arrogant, domineering, relentless. And sure to be the one who will clean the Sarboucane sea. Balbuzar and the Commodore clash. Two exceptional sailors, two sharp warriors. The fight begins, shattering, tumultuous.”

The artwork in this book is exquisite, while character designs are vaguely similar to something like The Nightmare Before Christmas, every page is put together like a vibrant Renaissance painting. Half of the time, the story became second fiddle, as I feasted my eyes on the rich colors and crazy backgrounds of the story. I quite enjoyed the increasing absurdity in the story as it moved forward. At one point, The Commodore has to get a new ship commissioned. which ends up being this preposterously large multi-deck galleon that defies every law of physics to simply exists in just about every way. When all seems hopeless, Balbuzar uses his unmeasurable wit to take the ship down in an ingenious way that rivals the destruction of the Death Star as most unlikely take-down ever.

This was a fun book, and especially great if you are into pirate stories in any way. The format of being an “adult picture book” of sorts was interesting, and different than any graphic novel I’ve read in a while. In many ways, it’s basically an illustrated short story, where the author has gone the extra mile to make the illustrations memorable as he possibly can.

This is the illustrated story of Balbuzar the pirate. He is feared as a ruthless brute, pillaging and plundering as he travels the high seas. The reality is that he is an individual who longed for justice and is in unity with the creatures of the oceans and the birds who fly above it.

I was initially drawn to this book due to the gorgeous artwork that adorned the front cover. I was delighted to find that the same vivid and detailed illustrations adorned every single page inside the book. I loved the quirky art style and the colour palette used throughout.

The story itself proved itself just as much of a joy to explore. Balbuzar's life was full of action and adventure, which made the tale featured brim with tension and activity. I will say however that it might feature some phrases too advanced for the young age range it is aimed towards and a number of words might have to be explained to little readers. It was a fun time for this adult, however, who devoured the brief story in one sitting.

ARC Copy...I would firmly put this as "picture book" or "illustrated story" over graphic novel based on the narrative's style and format but hehe the illustrations...it feels like oil paintings from that era stretched/bent to hilarious and abstract proportions!

A book that I wanted to love after just one look. And that's clearly down to the style – exuberant, flamboyant characters and costumes, hugely dramatic seascapes where the sailing ships seem to loom over us like skyscrapers, and goggly-eyed flying fish and other animals looking on in the most cartoonish fashion. The detail in the pictures is completely absorbing, and they deserve to be in a five star book, even if they don't make a five star book just by themselves.

So it's a pity the story here, of an attempt to get rid of the briny's best (ie worst) pirate, is actually quite dry. It really is a case of water, water everywhere, nor any drop to improve this turgid tale of two sailors going at each other on the main. The pages can often be stuffed full of the text, and for a very young reader absorbed by the colours elsewhere, the story will be a grey mess of too much verbiage. And the weak ending will let everyone down, whatever their age. No, this exists purely to showcase the craft in the visuals, which still make this a three and a half star effort – the writing merited so little of that total as to be almost embarrassing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Balbuzar by Geìrard Moncomble is a children's picture book about a pirate battle on the high seas and buried treasure. The story revolves around Balbuzar, a pirate who "attacks, plunders, sinks, and ransoms everything that comes within his reach." I have to say that I was misled by this book when I downloaded it. This book is characterized as a graphic novel, which is one of my favorite genres. Instead, this is a straight-out children's picture book through and through. In the 51 pages, each two-page spread contains one picture and then a wall of text on one side.

Overall, Balbuzar is a children's picture book that will appeal to fans of Jake and the Pirates or Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. I tried to rate this book on its merit as a children's picture book. For one thing, the illustrations, although detailed, seem slightly garish and the characters are drawn in a very exaggerated, strange style. I don't think this style of illustration would appeal to many children who like bright colors and cute images. In addition, there is way too much text for a children's picture book. A child or even a parent would probably lose interest. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're looking for a children's picture book about pirates, you can check out this book when it comes in November!

This book was very interesting. It was formatted more like a picture book than I expected, but that worked well for the kind of illustrations it has. Balbuzar tells the story of a famous pirate and his rivalry with a fleet commodore. I felt that the text was a little much and too dry at times for the type of story being told, but I loved the illustrations. The designs and clothing were very reminiscent of the time period it's set in, and felt like reading a story told through paintings from the era. The art style was interesting and stylistic, the exaggerated figures and boat shapes were really fun and dynamic without being too much. I found it interesting that this is a translation of a French comic, French graphic novels have been increasingly popular and well-known in the states, and this one is a fantastic addition to any library. The illustrations really sell the story, and I particularly loved the full page illustrations.