Graphic Novel Review: The Grande Odalisque and Olympia
Posted on February 4, 2020 at 11:27 am by Gene Ambaum
The Grande Odalisque by Florent Ruppert, Bastien Vives, and Jérome Mulot. Europe Comics, 2018. 124pp. http://www.europecomics.com/album/the-grande-odalisque/
The Grande Odalisque: Olympia by Florent Ruppert, Bastien Vives, and Jérome Mulot. Europe Comics, 2018. 135pp. http://www.europecomics.com/album/2-olympia/
Carol and Alex are daring art thieves who bring on a third partner, Sam, to help them pull off their most daring job yet — stealing The Grande Odalisque (a painting) from the Louvre in broad daylight. The action sequences are some of the best you’ll see in comics, and Mulot and Ruppert add absurd touches that made me laugh. On of my favorites is in the opening pages of the first book, when Alex is distracted because she’s getting dumped while she’s supposed to be helping Carol escape from a museum. There’s also a lot of humorous dialogue, mostly about sex and relationships. Fun stuff.
In the sequel, the thieves run into problems with a mafia boss who demands they steal three paintings in one night. He assigns a quiet killer to accompany them in case they don’t pull it off or try to run. The job is spectacular, as is the way they charm their would-be assassin.
Ruppert and Mulot (Barrel of Monkeys, The Perineum Technique) are fast becoming two of my favorite comics creators. These graphic albums have, so far, only been published in English as digital editions, but they’re worth checking out.
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