Secularism is omnipresent in debates while rarely has faith been so little discussed. That's what God has to do with all this? where Olivier Oltramare, Hervé Loiselet and Violette Vaïsse meet a gallery of people to discuss faith.
Three authors in search of spirituality
On the occasion of the mass to remember the death of his elder brother, Hervé Loiselet exchanges with his friend Olivier Oltramare on the different ways to believe. From this discussion emerges this question: What about God in all this? To make this complex subject understood, the two friends have the vague project of creating a book. A year later, Hervé is ready to start research. And God in all this? is a comic book demonstrating the open-mindedness of the authors from the first pages. The mass for Hervé Loiselet's brother takes place in a large Parisian church but Freemasons are in the audience. It is not a book to convert but to understand spirituality or rather spiritualities. And God in all this? is not simply a timeless reflection on death and the divine but a reflection oftwenty-first century society. The two screenwriters are not satisfied with religious authorities but choose to find a large number of believers from very different religions and currents of thought. The book is therefore presented as a series of exchanges with them. Five questions were asked that were identical to all speakers. Hervé Loiselet are more anthropologists than preachers. The reader then understands the differences and connections between each. These people show a very wide variety of situations. Some were converted from childhood by family education, others very young after a meeting and still others much later by a revelation. There is no desire for exhaustiveness but the choice of speakers is made by network like a marabout of string. The writers put churches and paranormal movements on an equal footing. The author of J'ai vu les soucoupes, from the same publisher, would expose a different point of view…
Three artists around a project
This entry into religion is facilitated by authors who are not specialists. Olivier Oltramare is a journalist, an editor specializing in manga and video games and a creator of board games. Hervé Loiselet works in advertising and comic book publishing. Violette Vaïsse divides her time between illustration, comics and children's books. We don't even know their religion. To guide the reader, And God in all this? is organized into several thematic chapters related to the questions asked: the definition of spirituality, their awakening to faith, the choice of a narrative illustrating their conception of the sacred, the place of religion in today's world, the place of death and the separation between the profane and the sacred. However, the plan is flexible as there are a lot of flashbacks. Oltramare and Loiselet choose to reproduce the vocabulary of the speakers to fully understand their thoughts. We see them exchanging on the beautiful reflections collected. It is not just a book but a journey in thought. However, some lyrics are cryptic. However, the rich vocabulary and density of the text put at a distance. And God in all this? is also the story of the construction of this comic. The first pages show the birth of the project and then the reader sees how the two screenwriters end up with this book. They explain how they found all the stakeholders. One could also think that there are sometimes too many people forcing authors to keep only one quote. Subsequently, we witness the recruitment of the designer. Violette Vaïsse has a very simple and falsely childish drawing with a very thick inking. And God in all this? edited by La Boîte à bulles presents a beautiful multicultural gallery of spirituality. In the midst of this mosaic, the two authors demonstrate that the most spiritual men and women are also the most human. You can find other comics close to journalism with Mon rond-point dans ta gueule and Garder le lien.
