After the success of the first cycle of 5 Earths, Delcourt offers an ape-like sequel. This second volume , which has just been released, makes us discover a feminine and adventurous Asia.
A zoo near the Iron Throne
Les 5 Terres is a creation in 2019 of three screenwriters (David Chauvel, Andoryss and Patrick Wong) under the pseudonym of Lewelyn and cartoonist Jérôme Lereculey in the register of heroic fantasy. It all started with an idea by David Chauvel and then the writers imagined a world divided into five kingdoms: Angleon, Arnor, Erinal, Ithara and Lys. We find everything that pleases in these adventure stories of political conspiracies and many action scenes. However, the characters are all anthropomorphic animals. Planned in five cycles of six volumes, each, the 5 Earths are already beginning the second cycle. Indeed, the pace of publication, a new title every four months, is very accelerated. This speed is closer to comics or manga than to Franco-Belgian comics.
No monkeypox in the 5 Earths
In the first cycle, we discovered the felines of Angleon by struggles for this throne dominating the 5 Lands of its central geographical position as shown in the map at the end of the volume. The reader followed the difficult succession between the daughters of the dying king Cyrus Magleon and the nephew. The new narrative incorporating the Lily cycle follows monkeys in the kingdom of Lily through a choral narrative. We are both in the suite of Angleon but in Alysandra, the capital of Lys. We discover the whole city: a library, ruined houses, the shopping district, the vast warehouses, the palace …
The multiple characters allow you to visit the city and its surroundings. The reader follows a fisherman, two archaeology students, several Triad groups and a princess. Indeed, Keona, the queen's daughter, is back home after being held hostage by the felines for years. It seeks to completely change the monarchy. It wants to have a greater place and change the relationship with other kingdoms. Otsue and Teruo are lost in the jungle. Karuri is locked in a cage. Commissioner Examiner Shin Taku continues his investigation. Alissa, a fearsome primate who leads the Sistre mafia clan, gets out of prison and is reunited with her family. However, the festive return is quickly broken by the Clan du Coucal who attacks its competitor with violence. Following a festive evening, Alissa was violently assaulted by these competitors. This weakness, if it becomes public, could call into question the power of the clan. These double attacks provoke a war with the Coucal clan.
A very feminine kingdom
If the characters are very numerous, you will never be lost because a double page behind the cover presents them all. In the same way, a detailed summary at the beginning of the volume allows you to remember everything that happened in the first volume. Present since the beginning of the 5 Earths, the designer Jérôme Lereculey has a classic style but always precise despite the intense rhythm. He is supported in the artistic direction by Didier Poli. The faces of the monkeys are very successful. By dedicating a page to each place of action, he creates a very lively rhythm.
If the general themes (political struggles, a gang war, the search for a lost civilization) are familiar to fans of heroic fantasy, this series is however fully in modernity. In this new cycle of the 5 Earths, women occupy decisive places. Princess Keona stepped out of her representational role and pushed the councillors to accept her presence at every meeting. Women dominate gangs numerically and in the hierarchy. One slayer is even shocked that a male can lead the Coucal clan. Thirion, a veteran and cook, is looking for work to pay for her son's medical expenses. Otsuè leads the expedition out of the forest. A woman has a lesbian relationship without it shocking her loved ones. In addition, everything happens in Asia and so we leave European medievalism for a more diversified vision of the world.
This new cycle of the 5 Earths is largely revealed at the level of the first and we can hope that it will have the same success. Jérôme Lereculey's drawings are as effective in action as they are precise in expressing the feelings of these animals. The scenario is punctuated by regular and dense twists with many characters. If this cycle is about a new realm, it is just as breathtaking. Eagerly the sequel.
You can find other long-term series on our site with Elves and Orcs of the Lands of Arran.
