Jean-Marc Rochette

Absolute gut punch of a graphic novel. Moody art that is astonishing in its ability to convey both real emotion as well as the awe-inducing sweep of the wild places we’ve utterly decimated. I loved how the panels were broken up in ways that I felt I hadn’t seen before—really incredible how the story and art melt and meld into each other. As for the story—oof in the best possible way. Hopeful, tragic, full of light and dark, despair and renewal. I’m feeling increasingly as if we are show more at the end of things what with the current U.S. administration, whose call to action seems to be only destroy, destroy, destroy. Yet this book shows me that we have always been at the end of things, a constant state of self-annihilation that began with the first person who decided their self-interest trumped another’s life, and that the earth was a resource to be plundered rather than nurtured. Ultimately an ode to those souls who strive to remember and practice the old ways, who try to live amongst society but ultimately flee when cunning triumphs over truth, and who cannot find respite even in exile, because of the darkness called mankind that insists on conquering all who will not yield. show less

Ugh. This is the last time I do something like that.

I bought into the hype on the covers of these books and bought both the first AND the second at the same time. Then, I really didn't like the first, which meant, had I been more intelligent in my decision making, would never have bought the second one. Alas.

So, I sat down and slogged through yet another unenjoyable session with the people of the Snowpiercer.

There's so much wrong with these stories I can't even be bothered to list them all. show more But at the top of the list are, forgettable, undeveloped characters, confusing jumps from plot to subplot, horrible dialogue, and plot holes you could drive a...well, a snowpiercer through.

Honestly, this one made less sense than the first volume. And that was before they invalidated the entire concept by allowing the train off the tracks.

The only good thing I'll say here is, women aren't portrayed quite as badly. Still bad, but not as bad. Faint praise, that.

So, what lessons did we learn today, boys and girls? Do not buy into the hype, and do not buy more than one volume before you know you're going to like it. show less

C'est comme une de ces biographies d'alpiniste que j'adore, juste que c'est illustré en plus. Merveilleux pour qui ressent l'amour de la montagne. Rochette transmet de facon tellement réaliste cette vocation et l'allure de la haute montagne, tout en dessinant sa vie. Il capte tous les bons moments d'une course, d'un événement, pour peindre cette vie avec toutes ses facettes. Génial!

The second installment of Snowpiercer is still sociologically interesting and admirable for the seriousness with which it approaches its, frankly, goofy premise. But the plot meanders and it's hard to develop any lasting feelings for the characters. This is largely due to the art that's fine on the level of a single person, but fails to describe action scenes well, or convey the mood inside the train. Action comics are hard.