Colere Noire GN (2003 Humanoids) comic books

1st printing. Written by Thierry Smolderen. Art and cover by Philippe Marcele. This European Thelma & Louise begins with a supermarket robbery in which Marielle's son and Stella's husband are killed. Afterwards, Marielle isn't recovering the way she's supposed to because she hasn't followed the path laid out by her psychologist and her ex-husband. She has to find her own way to live with the results of the trauma, both physical and psychological. When she sees the gunman again and no one, not even the police, believes her, she and Stella, who's been hiding a violent secret of her own, decide to handle their own surveillance and revenge. Along the way, they become lovers as well as compatriots. The title means "Black Rage," the kind of emotion that sweeps over and carries one away, excusing actions that would otherwise be unbelievable. Grey tones fill out pages and add the depth that the unvarying thin line art takes away. The setting is a fully realized world with detailed backgrounds, fleshed-out cameo characters and well-rounded leads. Marcel‚ punctuates standard panels with slivers of head shots to emphasize strong emotions, and he makes dramatic events more realistic through prosaic, direct art with a minimum of flashy techniques. The story is a comfortably paced unwinding of the aftermath of horrendous, life-changing events. After such a finely detailed story, the ending comes surprisingly abruptly, with lots of twists and turns in the last few pages that may require re-reading. It's a riveting story about the way unexpected violence can change one's life. Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 144 pages, B&W. Mature Readers Cover price $14.95.