Under the Third Reich, an expedition is launched in the Fertile Crescent, it aims to prove the appearance of Aryans at the beginning of humanity and corroborate supremacist theories. But they're going to discover something they didn't expect.
The Castle of Millions of Years: A German in the Middle East
Friedrich Saxhaüser, a high-ranking German officer and close to Hitler is sent on an expedition to the Middle East. There, he will help Nazi scientists do research. All this takes place in 1939, against a backdrop of German domination. We follow Friedrich who accompanies some researchers in Iraq. There he meets a strange young man who seems to know a lot of things. But the events on the ground are getting stranger and stranger. Between discovering ancient artifacts and desert landscapes, Friedrich will make a journey strewn with pitfalls. 
Adapted from the eponymous novel by Stéphane Przyblyski , which prefaces this comic, the castle of millions of years plunges us into the pre-war atmosphere and into primary Nazism. Between racist theories and power games, this first volume plunges us into a science fiction universe against the backdrop of Indiana Jones. This comparison is unmistakable, Nazies, ruins, and extraordinary dangers. But it's also all there is in common. Friedrich, the main character, is not an adventurer, he would rather be someone who tries to survive in this world and does what he is told. This first volume hints that he was chosen by an alien race to accomplish something, but what? Nothing is certain in this adventure.
From novel to comic strip
Richard D. Nolane, author of The Great War of the Worlds or Space Reich, signs here an adaptation of the novel by Stéphane Przyblyski. He manages to transcribe the atmosphere of Nazi Germany and uses several German terms, which helps to immerse himself in this period comic. What changes is the science fiction and flying saucer aspect. We discover inthis first volume that contact is not imminent and aliens are more seen as an ancient human race. The plot begins in 1937 and ends in July 1939, so we spend two years following the life of Friedrich Saxhaüser as well as his trip to Iraq. Nolane is a good narrator and even if the story sometimes has some loss of rhythm, he still keeps the reader's attention. 
Zeljko Vladetic is drawing, he has already collaborated with Richard D. Nolane on The Great War of the Worlds and Legendary Cars – The Beetle. Vladetic's trait is in the continuity of the tradition of Franco-Belgian comics, it can be reminiscent of Black and Mortimer or Thorgal. The desert scenery is spectacular, well helped by Facio's colorization. The latter skillfully handles his graphic palette to give birth to colors worthy of Lawrence of Arabia. This duo works very well for landscapes and dark atmospheres. In summary, this first volume of the Castle of Millions of Years is a beautiful work. A fusion between adventure in the Middle East and X-Files, all sprinkled with Lovecraft. A sequel that we are eagerly awaiting at the publisher Soleil to deepen this universe.
