LOU! - The Graphic Novel Era

Previously, I mentionned that in 2018, Julien Neel have claims that a follow-up of his iconic series LOU! going to get its sequel series. At that time, I complained that most fans weren't asked if additional volumes of this particular series were necessary, especially after three late volumes that shown the series to be out of steam. Regardless, the LOU! - Sonata first volume were first released in Fall 2020, even if he using a little the COVID-19 restrictions to make it done as fast, while people doing up working at home.

Unlike says, the series of old, the youth adult graphic novel series is muchly a reference to the author's passion for music, by be all the most obvious by the past year's book release where a Mortebouse music festival was organized by the character herself. Besides to be a "first" then, to get the collaboration of Carole Neel. That was certainly what the series need to get away of this gripe, to let a man tell the stories of a female character while in all fairness, it must to be the women's job to do this. The inclusion of Carole is more than welcome in this music-fest episode.

Though Carole was uncredited here, the final current book having to be done in 2022, but like other past volumes, the new story was delayed to be set last year for Holidays. One look to the cover that the heroine herself let away her stupid nerdy glasses that make looks like a "Missing Cousin" from another planet/series/land like it was previously says from the Age of Crystal ordeal. One need to be sympathetic with Julien Neel thesedays than we ever were a dozen years ago when the series gets confusing between creativity involvement and corporate product. As a cause, a bunch of Collector's books were made with this character no mention the useless point to release not one, but two issues of the complete first season! (That are declined to eight stand-alone volumes) That beg me a good question: Since when you can justify a series by "season", if it's a meaning that passed up badly on this medium/artform?

LOU! is unlike, past heroines like the very erratic Natacha, (Sure, François Walthéry's artstyle have a sense of edge that weren't seen in the Dupuis past series of before, but most of its writing and pacing make it all the most dubious, no mention that the main female character herself seems to be lots of time like a plot device than an actual person with says, Kim Possible!) worth its status to be cemented like one of the greatest achievements of the comic-dom of the 21th century. One destined to be released to little kids until to be something most teens and heck, grown-ups could be related to their daily routines. It was one of the very firsts series to do that, to made a great, but not without flaws coming-of-age series in which the main character evolved and grow up in same time than her fans and readers. Neel's gamble sure have made it a payoff and that is part why he deserve his claims as author, artist and musician twenty years after he released with little fanfare his first 48-pages book featuring all his little world.

What make it all the more ironical is others series like mine's have followed his paths to make the characters grew in each adventures. Despite some inconsistencies that explain by tried to go with something bold and new, my own Christine series in most part declined to three little serials from 2009 to the current time, where the main long stories were over, but for good. Currently, it's on these little spot-gags stories which the series found its niche. Completely the opposite of Neel: He beginning with such little gags stories to few pages of stories until to embark himself on stand-alone stories in a book. Hopefully that the third and final Sonata will come sooner, and then, get a deserved rest. If by all these meanings, LOU! getting back the horrific memories of the past to seen our art like bland Saturday Morning-lites of contents that exists only for fill air times and sells merchandising like toys and mugs. Or it was the "P'tits Mickey" like it was says by the old-timers French-Belgian cartoonists guys?