In the company of the cartoonist Jérémy, the illustrious screenwriter of L'Incal abandons western and science fiction, but not his most cherished themes to publish with Glénat a new adventure story at the crossroads of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries French.
A rereading of French history by Jodorowsky
Like some records that warn the music lover that he is about to acquire a work whose words could shock his sensitive soul and hurt his well-washed ears, it should be noted here that The Knights of Heliopolis is a comic book written by Jodorowsky. This implies that we will find the usual themes of the Argentine, namely, esotericism and mysticism of junk, hermaphroditism, generously nested girls, sex, a lot of outrage … and I forget tons of them. All taking place in a context that is historical, since we meet Louis the sixteenth and his charming wife Marie-Antoinette, his brother Louis XVIII, but also his son Louis XVII as well as the awful Marat or Charlotte Corday. All this seems very cleverly documented, but when you read what the screenwriter does with it, you quickly change your mind. At the first reading, it is frankly grotesque, but at the second, we have fun. We take this album for a kind of iconoclasty in which the authors also have fun with famous historical figures: Louis XVI rapes Charlotte Corday who happens to be the baker of the palace (HA HA HA! That makes you laugh a lot, since she was of minor Norman nobility, raised in a convent. Holy Jodo!)
The story is therefore that of Louis XVII who was saved from the revolutionaries by a kind of Cagliostro, here named Fulcanelli, who was substituted his half-brother, not only bastard, but also taré. There, Jodo – more subtle than ever – shamelessly recovers the story of the iron mask. As it was predicted to the orphaned royal that he would one day rule a great country, the members of the secret brotherhood of Heliopolis (alchemists, of course) will therefore work to fulfill his great destiny, if not better.
That said, we have the choice between taking this story seriously or as a joke. If you choose the first option, the reading will be detestable and you will only see the flaws. History abused, vulgarity and bombast of Jodo that quickly annoy, dialogues overloaded with effects, references too obvious (Louis XVIII even speaks of "toothless" at one point).
An album for fans?
It is therefore better to read this beginning of epic by taking a step back. Again, it's Jodorowsky, so don't look for great finesse. The story is very well paced and sequenced, it is easily readable and we arrive at the end without difficulty. As for Jérémy's drawing, we can only note his ability to create abundant sets of quality (we feel more comfortable to develop the framework in which his characters evolve than the characters themselves). But unfortunately, as usual I would be tempted to say, coloring is often detestable. Only night scenes are valid. Otherwise, as usual, the warm colors remain cold, everything is veiled with the computer gray that is rampant everywhere to match the aesthetics of video games, and some drawings that would surely be excellent in black and white lose all value once switched to the graphic palette.
To conclude, we can only say that the first volume of the Knights of Heliopolis will delight fans of Jodorowsky and readers who appreciate easy entertainment. The sequel should promise them more beautiful adventures. For the most demanding, who wish to read plots respecting the historical context of the Revolution-Restoration period, it is better to look elsewhere.
