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Recently, Comixology has begun translating and releasing a line of comics licensed from Delcourt, a major French publishing house. This week’s roster of comics features several returning players from the past including Duarte, the incredible artist behind the fantasy-tinged Elves; Eric Corbeyan, who pens political thriller The Call of the Stryx with great nuance; and Carole Beau, who produces lovely colors […]

Comixology releases Delcourt comics via their Soleil imprint, featuring the finest creators and the best comics this side of the French publishing house. This week see’s a lot of diversity amongst the titles offered including The “Modern” Day, a look at one male’s sex life that is now burned into my memory. As we told you last […]

Comixology has partnered up with Delcourt, a French publishing house to deliver comics from across the pond. The titles contain wonderful art and a sense of intrigue not usually evoked from American comics. We sifted through this week’s releases via Comixology to give readers a taste of what they can expect to see from each title.

Elves #1

Writer: Jean-Luc Istin

Artist: Kyko Duarte

Colorist: Saito

Translation: Christina Cox-De Ravel

The Blue Elves of Ennlya, a small port town of Nordrenn, have been murdered!

Lanawyn, a Blue Elf, and Turin, her human ally, set out to discover who is responsible. The trail they uncover leads back to a clan of Yrlans – Northern men who hate Elves.

At the same time, Vaalann, a young Blue Elf, undergoes a dangerous test, that of the Water of the Senses. Her future, as divined by The Mother Prophetess, is closely linked to the Sacred Crystal… A powerful artifact, which enables the wielder to control the Ocean itself!

Could Vaalann be the messiah that the Blue Elves have been waiting generations for?

Elves #1 takes a high fantasy approach to the elves concept complete with individuals riding polar bears. Pure awesomeness. The comic’s coloring via Saito meshes well with the pencils of Duarte, realizing a complex and imaginative world. The series is a slow burn, as is the case with most of the titles in the genre, but this is a land that seems well realized and worth the time sink. Expect lots of characters, locations, races and more. The translation is easy to follow as well.

The Call of the Stryx #1: Shadows 1/2

Writer: Eric Corbeyran

Artist: Richard Guérineau

Colorist: Isabelle Merlet

Translation: Studio Charon

Southwest United States, in the Mojave Desert on the border of Arizona, the President officially inaugurates a new military complex – a secret base with a warehouse full of weapons and nuclear warheads. But during the visit, a terrorist group attacks and tries to eliminate the President, and a mysterious woman suddenly appears out of the blue…

Stryx is another Delcourt title taking place in Arizona, the series is an espionage comic. The title features an engaging set of pencils from Guérineau and the piece as a whole channels the feel of artists like Marcos Martin– especially in the way that the title is colored by Isabelle Merlet. The way that the story imagines the fictional locales through an outsider’s eyes is made impressive with a lot of really tiny lines crammed into nearly every panel of the comic.

The story has some interesting sci-fi elements and a stunning cliffhanger of an ending to its first issue. This is a great story to really study the colors of, as the palette of each scene changes ever so slightly to match its tone. I would love to see this effect used more in Image, Marvel and DC Comics.

Hauteville House Vol. 1: Zelda 1/2

Writer: Fred Duval

Artist: Thierry Gioux & Christophe Quet

Colors: Carole Beau

Variant Cover: Mahmud Asrar

1864, under an imaginary Second Empire, Napoléon III uses his army and his secret service to study certain phenomena relating to the occult and to popular legends. His goal is quite simple: achieving world supremacy.

I might sound like a broken record at this point, but Hauteville is yet another comic book with stunning lineart. The series has a steampunk vibe, containing lots of ships comprised of stirring technological splendor. The artwork excels when Gioux and Quet are working with the backgrounds and architecture to instill mood into the story. The creative team has made a sprawling and beautiful world larger than those of most Image comics.

I don’t think that readers of interesting comics should pass up these new titles from Delcourt.

Tweet Speaking of the Angoulêeme comics festival, Comixology is there and making news. Earlier in the week it was the announcement of an office opening in France, and plans to offer local European language content throughout the continent. Since foreign sales were already a big part of Comixology’s English-language sales, this was a no-brainer. ComiXology’s [...]