Elende Helden, published by Edition 52 Verlag, is the adaptation of a novel by the French writer Pierre Pelot. Pelot has written nearly 200 books in almost all genres (sci-fi, westerns, historical novels, and crime stories). His mostly tragic tales have been very successful: Some of his novels have been adapted for the cinema. The most well-known among us is probably “Der Pakt der Wölfe”.
The story has been illustrated and adapted into a comic by Baru (born Hervé Barulea). Baru enjoys focusing on the losers of society and the social and political injustices. In another of his works (Autoroute du soleil), France burns over 400 pages. Baru is one of the successful and talented comic artists in France. His works have been awarded the Prix Alph'Art multiple times at the significant comic festival in Angoulême.
When Baru adapts a novel by Pierre Pelot into images, one can easily imagine that it won't have a happy ending:
The story takes place in a small French village at the end of the eighties. Its characters are all somehow failed individuals: drinkers, lunatics, orphans. There is no shiny hero... the main role is old and ugly. It is Nanase, chronically broke and in debt throughout the village. He is supposed to attach a bar to the door of the outside toilet for his mother, as the schoolchildren always kick it and throw stones at it while she sits on the toilet.
However, he cannot get this at the hardware store because he is first supposed to pay his debts. So he breaks in there at night.
Pelot perfectly combines the individual storylines of the various characters into a complete narrative. In the end, everyone is searching for a child that went missing from the orphanage, and one catastrophe leads to another...
I was captivated by the graphic novel. Two great artists came together in this work - a very good storyteller and a talented illustrator. Everything fits together artistically with Baru. He gives the characters expressive power through their facial expressions and body language. In his images, one can read many things that are not stated in the speech bubbles. What I find a bit unfortunate is that the comic is very short. It is just over 70 pages (the actual comic). Although these are excellent and it never gets boring, I was already done after half to three-quarters of an hour, and for that, I find the comic a bit too expensive at €18.
ISBN 978-3-935229-71-5
