In this complete story published by La Boîte à Bulles, Jean-Christophe Morandeau describes the torments of a woman trapped between a mysterious past and a present without exit. How can she free herself? There is no point in loving me offers a positive outcome.
A woman enclosed by invisible ropes
On the first page of Rien ne sert de m'aimer Elsa is impatiently waiting for her man but he cancels the appointment at the last moment to find his wife. As a child, Elsa was fearless and impressed her boy friends. This cheerful and funny girl was a small group of friends who proudly embraced their differences. But, as an adult, she has gradually lost this strength and finds herself trapped by society.
In her professional life, she mechanically translates novels with rosewater without any recognition. However, she knows a social ascent because her publisher offers her to direct a collection of soft porn to make housewives fantasize. In her private life, she thinks she is living a beautiful love story with Joshua. But, this married man mocks her and makes her suffer. In front of the others, she keeps face but, when he leaves her to join his wife, she cracks. Elsa is aware that she is at an impasse but she does not find the keys to take control of her life. At night, she has horrible recurring nightmares that she does not understand. Why does she always see a man, a monster and a pelican? These nightmares add a mystical element, unfortunately less successful.
Built around an alternation between crises in the present and a joyful or dark past, Rien ne sert de m'aimer tells the story of Elsa's double quest. She goes back in time to understand her nightmares and, in the present, the young woman faces her fears. Indeed, the explanation for this present problem lies in the past. But we can't help but ask ourselves a question: why doesn't she go to see a shrink? Certainly, Elsa emancipates herself but we can also find it a shame that she can not live without a man. Besides, no character can be single.
Satellites around Elsa
There is no point in loving me beyond the biography by presenting the whole group that revolves around Elsa since childhood. His parents, Jacques and Josy, are still in love despite the weight of the years. However, the grumpy father has a very negative view of Elsa while the mother judges all the relationships of her children. The parents do everything to preserve an old secret even if it means preventing Elsa from growing up. Jim, his brother, peacefully separates from his ex-wife. But, he thinks he is a man without interest does not know how to preserve his daughter.
A free and determined woman, Vanesse is at once Elsa's best friend, confidante and occasional lover. She is one of the most successful characters in Nothing Serves to Love Me. Very open, she is bisexual and surprises everyone by living with a man with a different physique. For her, the physical is much less important than the character.
A story about a woman by a man
Jean-Christophe Morandeau is a self-taught writer and cartoonist who has long worked for young people. We find in Rien ne sert de m'aimer a drawing close to the Franco-Belgian children's comic. This lively and cheerful style provides a counterpoint to the dark subject. At the same time, Jean-Christophe Morandeau pursued a career in graphic novels. He then unleashes his creativity in very different genres. Nothing is the point of loving me fits resolutely into the category of the graphic novel. The drawing is in black and white. The book is a long, complete one-volume narrative on an intimate subject and Nothing Serves to Love Me is structured by chapter. In this last book, he puts himself in the place of a woman which is not really frequent while the creators are more and more numerous and finally recognized.
The author probably also writes about him. Elsa takes stock of her life at a time when she has renounced her dreams. At the same time, his brother sees his marital dream disappear and his retired parents are forced to sell the house of their dreams. Everyone is in a period of transition undergoing the difficult end of something and the beginning of new adventures.
There is no point in loving me is the touching portrait of a woman in crisis but who finds the resources to rise again by exploring the mysteries of her past. Jean-Christophe Morandeau also avoids the pitfall of the navel-gazing novel by writing not only about Elsa but about all of her entourage.
You can find other graphic novels with chronicles on PMA and Americana.
