Les sept vies de l’épervier, by P. Cothias & A. Juillard
This is a true piece of genius, a labyrinthic plot of many faces, involving history and myth, legend and magic, good and evil, concocted by P. Cothias and deployed for our eyes by A. Juillard.
This story has a direct continuation, by the same authors: Plume aux vents. But in fact this is the central part of a great fresco of France during the XVI-XVII centuries. This bast cycle imagined by Cothias starts somewhat modestly when jointly with Juillard they begin Masquerouge. Later, other artists take their parts: M. Venanzi completes Masquerouge; P. Wachs does Les tentations de Navarre; A. Robet, Le chevalier, la mort et le diable (the title of a symbolic engraving by A. Dürer); B. Goepfert, Le fou du Roy; J.-P. Dethorey and then M. Meral, Coeur brûlé; D. Prudhomme, Ninon secréte; Marc-Renier, Le masque de fer. Almost all of this is finished, but for Le chevalier.
But Juillard…
we meet here a major artist. Of course any story of his is excellent: Arno (written by the great J. Martin), Le cahier bleu, Après la pluie, Le long voyage de Léna,, the new B&M adventures; and his beaux livres: Le dernier chapitre (four books featuring B&M, Barbe-Rouge, Les Pieds- Nickelés, Johan et Pirlouit), 36 vues de la Tour Eiffel, Nation Etoile, New York Tanks… But just his art by itself, that’s it! Admire that overwhelming quality in Entracte, a unique confession of love for drawing.
