Discover your Comics V: Niklos Koda

[Crom-Cruach]

Hello again my friends. I am back with a fifth installment of my European comic articles. This one here is a special one for my heart and it is with pride that I share a jewel amongst jewels in the European Comics market.

So without further ado:

Niklos Koda


Series Name: Niklos Koda
Type: Occult mystery, espionage, Investigation
Publisher: Le lombard
Writer: Jean Dufaux
Artist: Olivier Grenson

Description: Behind closed doors, the safety of nations become threatened with the disappearance of a single signature. Beautiful women disappear after but a twinkle of a smile and a spark of malice. Behind closed doors intrigue, mystery, illusion and magic dance a deadly waltz. Thought the larger world maybe unaware. Behind closed doors, more things happen then people could ever imagine.

So far the following tomes have been published:
-Tome 1: Behind closed Doors
-Tome 2: the Jackal God
-Tome 3: Inch Allah
-Tome 4: Cursed waltzes
-Tome 5:Hali Mirvic
-Tome 6: Black Magic
-Tome 7: White Magic
-Tome 8: Game of Masters
-Tome 9: Arcane 16
-Tome 10: Three Swords

What makes this a good series: I'm tempted to just write everything and stop there. But obviously I'm not because I want to get people interested. Niklos Koda is a thinker's series. The stories are complex, the characters very human and real. It weaves between espionage, occult mystery, romance and philosophy without faltering ever, seamlessly. Don't come looking for this if you're looking for explosions, corny catch-lines or anything like this. One of the great things about this series is the subtlety. Imagery, symbols and emotion are what makes this good. A lot of everything in the stories is based on perception and ambiguity. Which only makes for a more interesting story. Art wise, Grenson's style is unique and beautiful. Every location is beautifully and accurately rendered, showing attention to research and accuracy. The characters are well drawn, they are normal people. Nothing is exaggerated, nothing is understated. When it comes to colors, they are pleasing to the eye. Really this is just a beautiful comic.

Can I get this in the U.S?: Le lombard ships worldwide. So if you can read french, then you can acquire without any trouble. Technically, Marvel has the distribution and translation rights for Le lombard in the U.S. But they've made it a point not to translate Le lombard's best stuff and they are slower then a crippled snail in publishing new Lombard series.

Final Verdict:
Art: 4.5 out of 5
Story: 5/5

LEDGERITES, GET THIS SERIES! ;D

[Supreme Marvel]

[Crom-Cruach]

@supreme Marvel: This series alone is a good enough excuse to learn french.

[Supreme Marvel]

Not on my to do list. And in the language part of my to do list, French is not near the top.

[Crom-Cruach]

Well then continue to live in darkness, barbarian!

[Supreme Marvel]

It's England, there isn't much sun anyway.

[Crom-Cruach]

Aug 31, 2011 20:10:13 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

It's England, there isn't much sun anyway.

You have even less of an excuse, you live right next to France! You could get this series without waiting months of shipping!

[Supreme Marvel]

But it's France. Why would I want to go there? Unless it's to take it over.

;D

[Crom-Cruach]

Aug 31, 2011 20:20:20 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

But it's France.

France is awesome. Only uneducated Americans should erroneously believe otherwise.

Aug 31, 2011 20:20:20 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

Why would I want to go there? Unless it's to take it over.

France has kicked the ass of England nearly every time they fought.

[Supreme Marvel]

But when it matters, we'll come out on top!

[Crom-Cruach]

Aug 31, 2011 20:23:29 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

But when it matters, we'll come out on top!

Highly unlikely. France's military has historically speaking always been either stronger or at least equal to England's. And at the present beats the UK's by 5 billion dollars, has superior numbers and a greater available military arsenal.

[Supreme Marvel]

I beg to differ...

Money GDP

www.aneki.com/richest.html

Army strength

www.globalfirepower.com/

[Supreme Marvel]

And when Napoleon was defeated, we went a century of almost unchallenged dominance.

[Crom-Cruach]

First site is irrelevant in the data it provides. Regardless of what it entire wealth. France still has a bigger military budget.

Second sight is also wrong, as the French military's own website shows. Thought I'm not surprised they got their numbers wrong what with it being an american site...

nice try

[Supreme Marvel]

You implied that France was richer, and I supplied they were not.

The military spending, We spent more on military than France did in '09. They spent more in '10.

[Crom-Cruach]

Aug 31, 2011 20:46:30 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

We've got a 300 million more budget.

not true, their budget is 64.91 billion. The U.K military budget is 57.4 billion.

therefore you are wrong.

Edit:

Aug 31, 2011 20:49:26 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

Y
We spent more on military than France did in '09. They spent more in '10.

They also spent more on a regular manner in the intervening years before 09.

France has always been militarily speaking very proactive. I'm not dissing England. they are one of the strongest militaries in the world. But this myth that France isn't either is wrong and one that needs to die.

France has always been a military power.

[Supreme Marvel]

There was a recession you know.

[Supreme Marvel]

Aug 31, 2011 20:49:41 GMT -5 Crom-Cruach said:

Aug 31, 2011 20:46:30 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

We've got a 300 million more budget.

not true, their budget is 64.91 billion. The U.K military budget is 57.4 billion.

therefore you are wrong.

France has a budget of 61,285 Billion Dollars
England budget is correct.

That is for 2010.

We had more for 2009.

[Supreme Marvel]

But yet. Just had a look. And they do appear to be spending more than us. We live on an island. Harder to reach. If they want to use the channel tunnel. They're more than welcome to. I'll have my C4 ready.

;D

[Crom-Cruach]

Aug 31, 2011 20:49:57 GMT -5 Supreme Marvel said:

There was a recession you know.

first see my post, edited. Second, yes there was. It hit France pretty hard too, France still pulled a bigger budget by at least 7 billion in 2010 as it had in most years before 09. And they have larger nuclear capabilities, more numbers etc.

Again, I'm not dissing the U.K (and I sincerely apologize if it seemed that way, but once we started talking numbers, I switched off the joking). But France is a military power and statistically bigger then England.

France has also won the majority of it's wars. This reputation that the French can't fight and are pansies is nothing but false and needs to die.