Florent Ruppert

A love a good caper and I love all things French, so this is a win-win. The Grande Odalisque is a campy, over-the-top, and fun crime caper book featuring a duo of female art thieves who are reckless in their pursuit of classical paintings in the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre. The characterization is a bit thin but you can sense that Carole and Alex have a complex relationship.

Violent, funny, fast-paced, and sexy in that very French way, this comic is a quick read for crime fans. And the art show more is astounding. show less

A campy, over-the-top, and fun crime caper book featuring a duo of female art thieves who are reckless as hell in their pursuit of classical paintings in the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre. Alex is the wild and unreliable one. Carole is the competent one who risks everything again and again to cover for Alex. And for their biggest job yet, they'll need to recruit a new member.

The colorist works overtime to compensate for the scribbly and barely there line work of the trio of artists who write show more and draw. show less

Olympia is the sequel to The Grand Odalisque. Characters Carole and Alex are childhood friends who are partners in art theft crimes. They have been working together for nine years. With just a few days having past after their theft of the famous painting The Grand Odalisque at the Louvre, they are hired by a mobster to steal an ancient mask. With that theft completed they are then given their next assignment: to steal three paintings. Edouard Manet's Olympia is one of them. It is located in show more the Petit Palace in Paris. With the help of their mutual friend Sam the ladies begin planning the heist. Of course, they encounter several complications including the fact the Carole is nine months pregnant. They use modern technology and common theft how-tos to carry off the assignment. The English version of this graphic novel was published on March 1, 2022 by Fantagraphics.

It was easy to get back into the story from February 2021's The Grand Odalisque. The reader doesn't really need to know anything special from the earlier novel in order to follow the story. The ladies were shadowed by the mobster's hit man, Antonio, as they planned and executed the theft. It was amusing to see them sexually harass Antonio and get no response from him. They used the same phrases that men use when they harass women. The howdunit of the theft was enjoyable. There were enough twists and turns to satisfy the mystery reader but the artwork is what made the Parisian setting extraordinary. The architectural line drawings let you know where the setting was located.

All in all, Olympia was a fun read. show less

graphic novel (art museum heists featuring scantily clad 20-something year old women)
If you like nude ladies, this is for you--ok, they are mostly clothed for most of their escapades, but are also frequently not (the men, on the other hand, always are afforded the privelege of having their privates covered). Otherwise the art and storytelling was fine--cinematic even. I would also tag this as queer interest, but since the authors are men don't think they were the intended audience.