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The Collected Fantasies of Jean Giraud #5
The Collected Fantasies, Vol. 5: The Gardens of Aedena
This out-of-print English translation collects The Gardens of Aedena, The Unfaithful Body and Hit Man by Jean "Moebius" Giraud
66 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Mœbius
483 books856 followersJean Henri Gaston Giraud (pen-name: Mœbius) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer, who worked in the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées tradition.
Also published as Jean Giraud.
Also published as Jean Giraud.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 20, 2009
The art is amazing as always, but these stories show some of Moebius' weaknesses as an author. Sci fi writers often fall into the trap of trying to have their characters explain things that the author, himself does not understand. Of course, no author can presume to know precisely how a warp drive will be used, if we ever do. Yet, authors still behave as if they did.
It's one thing to have a writer with a scientific background, such as Asimov or Niven writing complex explanations, but such speculation from a lay person is only going to distract any reasonably-informed reader. Even 'Hard Sci Fi' authors tend to be content to let their technology stand on its own, recognizing that any attempt to explicate the unknown is doomed to failure.
And what's more, Moebius is not content to explain only scientific unknowns, but must also give us an earful of his spiritual expertise, which usually boils down to 'use the force', except with more unnecessary profundity.
This obsession with a moralizing message often undermines the simple joy and drive of his art and stories. One story becomes a pamphlet for eating a raw food diet, a message which seems unimportant and unrelated to the grander questions the story explores.
Moebius also simplifies and overstates his case (admitting as much in the introduction), which should make any author recall the adage that 'if you cannot explain something without resorting to oversimplification and hyperbole, then you don't really understand it'.
I have no problem with Moebius writing a myth that explores the human condition, but when it is portrayed as authoritative or as an advert, I feel the author is insulting my intelligence. Every author should have the humility to recognize their boundaries and to remain within them. Knowing your boundaries does require constantly pushing and testing them, but the most errant faltering steps should be excised from a finished work.
This over-stepping often shows itself in sci fi through the character dialogue about their future world. The characters constantly marvel at everyday things, explaining them to everyone in ear shot:
"I will enter the search term into the web search engine, Google.com, which will then comb through millions of entries to find the article we need"
"Oh, look! It has already finished, and in only 2-3 seconds time!"
"What an age we live in."
And so on. This is a sign that the author doesn't understand the world or the technologies they are writing about, and hence, cannot figure out how to tell us how they work without pure, unnatural exposition.
A good sci fi story should allow the technologies to seem natural to the characters, but still make the general effects clear to us. Hell, most people nowadays couldn't explain how Google works.
The less serious stories don't always fare better, either, as they often have no point at all. Moebius rarely escapes the extremes of absurd nonsense and grandiose allegory, but one can at least find interesting human stories between his wild vacillations (most of the time).
My Suggested Reading In Comics
It's one thing to have a writer with a scientific background, such as Asimov or Niven writing complex explanations, but such speculation from a lay person is only going to distract any reasonably-informed reader. Even 'Hard Sci Fi' authors tend to be content to let their technology stand on its own, recognizing that any attempt to explicate the unknown is doomed to failure.
And what's more, Moebius is not content to explain only scientific unknowns, but must also give us an earful of his spiritual expertise, which usually boils down to 'use the force', except with more unnecessary profundity.
This obsession with a moralizing message often undermines the simple joy and drive of his art and stories. One story becomes a pamphlet for eating a raw food diet, a message which seems unimportant and unrelated to the grander questions the story explores.
Moebius also simplifies and overstates his case (admitting as much in the introduction), which should make any author recall the adage that 'if you cannot explain something without resorting to oversimplification and hyperbole, then you don't really understand it'.
I have no problem with Moebius writing a myth that explores the human condition, but when it is portrayed as authoritative or as an advert, I feel the author is insulting my intelligence. Every author should have the humility to recognize their boundaries and to remain within them. Knowing your boundaries does require constantly pushing and testing them, but the most errant faltering steps should be excised from a finished work.
This over-stepping often shows itself in sci fi through the character dialogue about their future world. The characters constantly marvel at everyday things, explaining them to everyone in ear shot:
"I will enter the search term into the web search engine, Google.com, which will then comb through millions of entries to find the article we need"
"Oh, look! It has already finished, and in only 2-3 seconds time!"
"What an age we live in."
And so on. This is a sign that the author doesn't understand the world or the technologies they are writing about, and hence, cannot figure out how to tell us how they work without pure, unnatural exposition.
A good sci fi story should allow the technologies to seem natural to the characters, but still make the general effects clear to us. Hell, most people nowadays couldn't explain how Google works.
The less serious stories don't always fare better, either, as they often have no point at all. Moebius rarely escapes the extremes of absurd nonsense and grandiose allegory, but one can at least find interesting human stories between his wild vacillations (most of the time).
My Suggested Reading In Comics
May 10, 2020
“The Gardens of Aedena” is lovely, but suffers from being the middle volume of a series. Or maybe not exactly in the middle, but it's definitely neither the beginning nor the end of the story. It does a fair job of recapping the necessary-to-know portions of “Upon A Star” without being too exposition-y about it. But, while it does end at a natural chapter break, it's clearly a To Be Continued moment.
The volume is rounded out by a couple of shorter pieces. “Hit Man” is inspired nonsense. “Unfaithful Body” is, basically, Moebius playing with an idea. In his notes about the stories, he talks about fleshing out the idea in a future--unpublished in 1988 when this book was first published--volume of the Aedena stories.
The volume is rounded out by a couple of shorter pieces. “Hit Man” is inspired nonsense. “Unfaithful Body” is, basically, Moebius playing with an idea. In his notes about the stories, he talks about fleshing out the idea in a future--unpublished in 1988 when this book was first published--volume of the Aedena stories.
October 3, 2019
[Comics Canon Review]
More than its preceding tale, this Aedena story is a fully realized expression of Moebius’s spiritual beliefs, absurdist humor, and wild imagination at the height of his career. “The Gardens of Aedena” is as if Samuel Beckett had written a sequel to Waiting for Godot based on the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. Sublime artwork and a funny, haunting, beautiful script.
More than its preceding tale, this Aedena story is a fully realized expression of Moebius’s spiritual beliefs, absurdist humor, and wild imagination at the height of his career. “The Gardens of Aedena” is as if Samuel Beckett had written a sequel to Waiting for Godot based on the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. Sublime artwork and a funny, haunting, beautiful script.
December 12, 2023
This continues the story from Volume 1 Upon a Star. The story about some crazy pyramid that attracted all the intelligent species in the universe (like Noah's Arc) and then took them... somewhere. Moebius decided after the success of that story to continue it. Aedena was written for a car company (a car was featured as a transportation vehicle in the comic).
It becomes pretty clear that this story wasn't very well planned out. Things just seem to happen. Moebius isn't as much a sci-fi writer, in that he doesn't focus on technology, as he is a spiritual writer. He enjoys writing about crazy, new-age mumbo gumbo. This leads to some pretty cool scenes but erodes the drama of the narrative (where anything can just happen, you know, just 'because', the emotional impact is damaged).
However, I found myself enjoying the strange ride and I wanted to see what happened next, even if I was detached from the narrative and the characters.
It becomes pretty clear that this story wasn't very well planned out. Things just seem to happen. Moebius isn't as much a sci-fi writer, in that he doesn't focus on technology, as he is a spiritual writer. He enjoys writing about crazy, new-age mumbo gumbo. This leads to some pretty cool scenes but erodes the drama of the narrative (where anything can just happen, you know, just 'because', the emotional impact is damaged).
However, I found myself enjoying the strange ride and I wanted to see what happened next, even if I was detached from the narrative and the characters.
October 29, 2021
Volume 2 - c'est du Moebius, les dessins sont superbes. Le scenario lui aussi devient plus riche dans ses intrigues et les allusions philosophiques soulevées.
October 22, 2019
Strangely, The Gardens of Aedena was published in English at Epic / Marvel even before appearing in French at Casterman. The English edition contains the usual (and very useful) explanatory preface and afterword by the couple Lofficier (Jean-Marc & Randy) and Moebius. It also includes two short additional stories: "Journey to the Center of an Unfaithful Body" (2 pages) and "Hit Man" (12 pages).
In "Unfaithful Body", written in 1986, the Major (accompanied by the Professor and his Second) explores (like the Fantastic Voyage) the interior of the body of his beloved Malvina to discover ... a letter where she leaves him, because having waited too long she fell in love with Lieutenant B (Blueberry?). There are theme precursors to the Aedena Cycle, related to the relationship between the disease and the human body.
"Hit Man" is a crazy narrative (an absurd and slightly incoherent humour) that pays a stylistic tribute to Tardi. Once again, we can find a theme precursor to Aedena: two characters imprisoned by the conditioning of their roles (the thief and the policeman) end up escaping, through an initiatory experience, thanks love and freedom! I had already read this black and white story in The Major's Holiday ...
The Gardens of Aedena is an excellent album, probably the best in the series. I love this aspect of the story where the characters discover themselves, enter into conflict, and also the dreamlike aspect (which evokes the different levels of realities of the Hermetic Garage). And, of course, it has the superb graphic style of Moebius that makes reading even more enjoyable ... To read absolutely!
I like the format in soft cover of this edition, although, it is the same story than the French edition but in English ... Always as pleasant to read (or re-read).
Read my complete comment (on both French and English editions) on https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/10/21/l...
In "Unfaithful Body", written in 1986, the Major (accompanied by the Professor and his Second) explores (like the Fantastic Voyage) the interior of the body of his beloved Malvina to discover ... a letter where she leaves him, because having waited too long she fell in love with Lieutenant B (Blueberry?). There are theme precursors to the Aedena Cycle, related to the relationship between the disease and the human body.
"Hit Man" is a crazy narrative (an absurd and slightly incoherent humour) that pays a stylistic tribute to Tardi. Once again, we can find a theme precursor to Aedena: two characters imprisoned by the conditioning of their roles (the thief and the policeman) end up escaping, through an initiatory experience, thanks love and freedom! I had already read this black and white story in The Major's Holiday ...
The Gardens of Aedena is an excellent album, probably the best in the series. I love this aspect of the story where the characters discover themselves, enter into conflict, and also the dreamlike aspect (which evokes the different levels of realities of the Hermetic Garage). And, of course, it has the superb graphic style of Moebius that makes reading even more enjoyable ... To read absolutely!
I like the format in soft cover of this edition, although, it is the same story than the French edition but in English ... Always as pleasant to read (or re-read).
Read my complete comment (on both French and English editions) on https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/10/21/l...
April 23, 2019
(*) Reseña para "El mundo de Edena" en conjunto.
El cómic está basado en uno anterior de el mismo autor, en el que dos personajes recorrían un planeta completamente llano en un antiguo Citroën. Al final del cómic son invitados a entrar en una nave espacial, dejando el final completamente abierto. El interés de Moebius en especular acerca de qué podría haber ocurrido después es el origen del presente cómic.
El cómic comienza con una nave con dos tripulantes (Stel y Atan) acercándose a una estación espacial para encontrarla abandonada. La estación se encuentra en una órbita inestable y termina colisionando con el planeta que orbita. La nave de Stel y Atan ha resultado dañada y deciden recorrer en planeta en un antiguo Citroën que han encontrado en la bodega de la estación.
De esta forma, terminan junto a una extraña pirámide rodeada de miles de seres extraterrestres de distintas razas. Todos ellos llevan miles de años esperando sin envejecer ni, en realidad, saber qué están esperando. Estel entra en trance, se introduce en la pirámide (algo que nadie había logrado) y ésta se pone en marcha abduciendo a todos los extraterrestres y transformándose en dos elegantes deltas que vuelan hacia las estrellas.
El cómic es, simplemente, impecable.
Dibujado con la técnica de la línea clara, huye deliberadamente de trazos confusos o dibujos innecesariamente abigarrados para, sin embargo, representar un mundo de una riqueza de detalles inimiaginable en unos dibujos tan sencillos que son minimalistas.
La belleza de los paisajes y de los seres que los pueblan, la simplicidad de unas líneas y trazos que esconden en su dibujo un exquisito nivel de detalle, la desbordante imaginación de la trama, el dominio que el autor muestra del lenguaje narrativo no sólo en el ritmo de los acontecimientos, el cambio de escenas o el uso de elipsis, sino en la organización y distribución de dicha narración en viñetas, jugando con su distribución en la página, hacen de El mundo de Edena una de las mejores obras de un autor ya de por sí brillante.
[+] Reseña completa de "El mundo de Edena" en Alt+64 wiki: http://alt64.org/wiki/index.php?title...
El cómic está basado en uno anterior de el mismo autor, en el que dos personajes recorrían un planeta completamente llano en un antiguo Citroën. Al final del cómic son invitados a entrar en una nave espacial, dejando el final completamente abierto. El interés de Moebius en especular acerca de qué podría haber ocurrido después es el origen del presente cómic.
El cómic comienza con una nave con dos tripulantes (Stel y Atan) acercándose a una estación espacial para encontrarla abandonada. La estación se encuentra en una órbita inestable y termina colisionando con el planeta que orbita. La nave de Stel y Atan ha resultado dañada y deciden recorrer en planeta en un antiguo Citroën que han encontrado en la bodega de la estación.
De esta forma, terminan junto a una extraña pirámide rodeada de miles de seres extraterrestres de distintas razas. Todos ellos llevan miles de años esperando sin envejecer ni, en realidad, saber qué están esperando. Estel entra en trance, se introduce en la pirámide (algo que nadie había logrado) y ésta se pone en marcha abduciendo a todos los extraterrestres y transformándose en dos elegantes deltas que vuelan hacia las estrellas.
El cómic es, simplemente, impecable.
Dibujado con la técnica de la línea clara, huye deliberadamente de trazos confusos o dibujos innecesariamente abigarrados para, sin embargo, representar un mundo de una riqueza de detalles inimiaginable en unos dibujos tan sencillos que son minimalistas.
La belleza de los paisajes y de los seres que los pueblan, la simplicidad de unas líneas y trazos que esconden en su dibujo un exquisito nivel de detalle, la desbordante imaginación de la trama, el dominio que el autor muestra del lenguaje narrativo no sólo en el ritmo de los acontecimientos, el cambio de escenas o el uso de elipsis, sino en la organización y distribución de dicha narración en viñetas, jugando con su distribución en la página, hacen de El mundo de Edena una de las mejores obras de un autor ya de por sí brillante.
[+] Reseña completa de "El mundo de Edena" en Alt+64 wiki: http://alt64.org/wiki/index.php?title...
April 24, 2019
The second volume of the Edena series is weaker than the first.
The story continues with the protagonists’ arrival at their destination, which appears to be a simulated Eden aimed at tutoring them into spirituality, overseen by possibly robotic advanced entities and afflicted with a form of conscious evil.
The author’s interests in environmentalism and instinctive nutrition, and his scepticism of the food and medical industries dominate the first half of the story. There’s a lot of good sci-fi themes there.
However, the description of the protagonists’ rediscovery of sexuality, which may have been an attempt at self-deprecation from a male perspective, shows an ingrained chauvinism, as only the male protagonist responds to the urge whereas the female protagonist remains virginal. Why can’t a female have a healthy sexual urge?
The second half, following the male protagonist’s solo progress, falls into stereotypes. We have a dream sequence with a suddenly sexually available female, and then a male protector / female in distress scenario, which is supposed to awaken the male protagonist spiritually. Hum ... no.
The artwork changes from the simplified form of the first book to a more realist style with detailed landscapes, reflecting the integration of the protagonists into the reality of the Eden they have been placed in. This is a nice touch, but overall, the artwork seems a little hasty and uninspired in this volume.
The story continues with the protagonists’ arrival at their destination, which appears to be a simulated Eden aimed at tutoring them into spirituality, overseen by possibly robotic advanced entities and afflicted with a form of conscious evil.
The author’s interests in environmentalism and instinctive nutrition, and his scepticism of the food and medical industries dominate the first half of the story. There’s a lot of good sci-fi themes there.
However, the description of the protagonists’ rediscovery of sexuality, which may have been an attempt at self-deprecation from a male perspective, shows an ingrained chauvinism, as only the male protagonist responds to the urge whereas the female protagonist remains virginal. Why can’t a female have a healthy sexual urge?
The second half, following the male protagonist’s solo progress, falls into stereotypes. We have a dream sequence with a suddenly sexually available female, and then a male protector / female in distress scenario, which is supposed to awaken the male protagonist spiritually. Hum ... no.
The artwork changes from the simplified form of the first book to a more realist style with detailed landscapes, reflecting the integration of the protagonists into the reality of the Eden they have been placed in. This is a nice touch, but overall, the artwork seems a little hasty and uninspired in this volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2017
Aedenan puutarhat jatkaa Jean Giraudin sarjakuvatrilogiaa, jossa Stel ja Atana ovat haaksirikkoutuneet oudolle planeetalle, jonne ovat kertyneet kaikki galaksin elämänmuodot. Planeetalta löytyy omituinen pyramidi, joka päästää sisuksiina vain Stelin. Selviää, että pyramidi on itse asiassa avaruusalus, joka on vuosituhannet vain odottanut ohjaajaansa. Ja sehän on tietenkin Stel.
Tästä ensimmäisessä albumissa rakentuneesta tilanteesta Jean Giraud ottaa kuitenkin totaalisen irtioton ja lähettääkin Stelin ja Atanin pyramidistä löytyneillä "lentotuoleilla" tyystiin toiseen todellisuuteen. Kaverukset laskeutuvat hyvin paljon maata muistuttavalle planeetalle ja heidän on selviydyttävä siellä ilman ravintosyntetisaattoreita tai robomediciä.
Luonnosta täysin vieraantunut parivaljakko kuitenkin selviää ja ilman kemiallisia lääkkeitään he alkavat pikku hiljaa muuttua... noh... ihmisiksi.
Juoni toimii yllättävän hyvin ja Giraud taivasti muuttaa piirrosjälkeään tapahtumien edetessä. Erittäin pelkistetty tyyli alkaa albumin loppua kohden kasvaa runsaammaksi tapahtumien muuttuessa. Samaten lapsenomainen tunnelma vaihtuu sävyä synkemmäksi ja pohdiskelevammaksi.
Aedenan puutarhat on tyyliltään ja kerronnaltaankin huomattavan erilainen kuin trilogian avannut sarjakuva. Suunta on toki oikea, ensimmäinen oli turhankin lapsellinen.
Tästä ensimmäisessä albumissa rakentuneesta tilanteesta Jean Giraud ottaa kuitenkin totaalisen irtioton ja lähettääkin Stelin ja Atanin pyramidistä löytyneillä "lentotuoleilla" tyystiin toiseen todellisuuteen. Kaverukset laskeutuvat hyvin paljon maata muistuttavalle planeetalle ja heidän on selviydyttävä siellä ilman ravintosyntetisaattoreita tai robomediciä.
Luonnosta täysin vieraantunut parivaljakko kuitenkin selviää ja ilman kemiallisia lääkkeitään he alkavat pikku hiljaa muuttua... noh... ihmisiksi.
Juoni toimii yllättävän hyvin ja Giraud taivasti muuttaa piirrosjälkeään tapahtumien edetessä. Erittäin pelkistetty tyyli alkaa albumin loppua kohden kasvaa runsaammaksi tapahtumien muuttuessa. Samaten lapsenomainen tunnelma vaihtuu sävyä synkemmäksi ja pohdiskelevammaksi.
Aedenan puutarhat on tyyliltään ja kerronnaltaankin huomattavan erilainen kuin trilogian avannut sarjakuva. Suunta on toki oikea, ensimmäinen oli turhankin lapsellinen.
October 21, 2019
Les jardins d’Edena (édition française chez Casterman) est un excellent album, sans doute le meilleurs de la série. J’adore cet aspect du récit où les personnages se découvrent eux-même, entrent en conflits, et aussi l’aspect onirique (qui évoque les différents niveaux de réalités du Garage Hermétique). Et, bien sûr, il a le superbe style graphique de Moebius qui rend la lecture encore plus agréable… À lire absolument!
Étrangement, Les jardins d’Édena est paru en version anglaise chez Epic/Marvel avant même de paraître en français chez Casterman. L’édition anglaise comporte les habituelles (et fort utiles) préface et postface explicatives par le couple Lofficier (Jean-Marc & Randy) et Moebius. Elle inclus également deux courts récits additionnels: “Journey to the Center of an Unfaithful Body” (2 pages) et “Hit Man” (12 pages).
Dans “Unfaithful Body”, écrit en 1986, le Major (accompagné du Professeur et de son Second) explore (à la Fantastic Voyage) l’intérieur du corps de sa bien-aimée Malvina pour y découvrir… une lettre où elle le quitte, car l’ayant attendu trop longtemps elle est tombée amoureuse du lieutenant B (Blueberry?). On y retrouve des thèmes précurseurs au Cycle d’Edena, liés à la relation entre la maladie et le corps humain.
“Hit Man” est un récit déjanté (un humour absurde et un peu incohérent) qui rend un hommage stylistique à Tardi. Encore une fois, on y retrouve un thème précurseur à Edena: deux personnages prisonniers par le conditionnement de leur rôles (le voleur et le policier) finissent, au travers d’une expérience initiatique, par y échapper grâce à l’amour et à la liberté! J’avais déjà lu cette histoire en noir et blanc dans Les Vacances du Major…
J’aime bien le format en couverture souple de cette édition, quoique bon, c’est la même histoire mais en anglais… Toujours aussi agréable à lire (ou relire).
Voir mon commentaire complet (sur les versions française ET anglaise) sur https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/10/21/l...
Étrangement, Les jardins d’Édena est paru en version anglaise chez Epic/Marvel avant même de paraître en français chez Casterman. L’édition anglaise comporte les habituelles (et fort utiles) préface et postface explicatives par le couple Lofficier (Jean-Marc & Randy) et Moebius. Elle inclus également deux courts récits additionnels: “Journey to the Center of an Unfaithful Body” (2 pages) et “Hit Man” (12 pages).
Dans “Unfaithful Body”, écrit en 1986, le Major (accompagné du Professeur et de son Second) explore (à la Fantastic Voyage) l’intérieur du corps de sa bien-aimée Malvina pour y découvrir… une lettre où elle le quitte, car l’ayant attendu trop longtemps elle est tombée amoureuse du lieutenant B (Blueberry?). On y retrouve des thèmes précurseurs au Cycle d’Edena, liés à la relation entre la maladie et le corps humain.
“Hit Man” est un récit déjanté (un humour absurde et un peu incohérent) qui rend un hommage stylistique à Tardi. Encore une fois, on y retrouve un thème précurseur à Edena: deux personnages prisonniers par le conditionnement de leur rôles (le voleur et le policier) finissent, au travers d’une expérience initiatique, par y échapper grâce à l’amour et à la liberté! J’avais déjà lu cette histoire en noir et blanc dans Les Vacances du Major…
J’aime bien le format en couverture souple de cette édition, quoique bon, c’est la même histoire mais en anglais… Toujours aussi agréable à lire (ou relire).
Voir mon commentaire complet (sur les versions française ET anglaise) sur https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/10/21/l...
September 17, 2020
This fifth volume in an excellent series continues the Aedena cycle begun with the first volume (Upon a Star), and also includes a couple of shorter pieces by the amazingly talented Jean Giraud.
All of the included stories are great, without necessarily qualifying among the artist's very best works. For me, the standout is "Hit Man", a short work inspired by the comics of Jacques Tardi. This somewhat noir tale of a contract man is infused with Moebius' trademark flights of science fantasy and metaphysical transformation, all delivered with a rapid-fire pacing and wonderful comic timing that is rare for Moebius.
All of the included stories are great, without necessarily qualifying among the artist's very best works. For me, the standout is "Hit Man", a short work inspired by the comics of Jacques Tardi. This somewhat noir tale of a contract man is infused with Moebius' trademark flights of science fantasy and metaphysical transformation, all delivered with a rapid-fire pacing and wonderful comic timing that is rare for Moebius.
May 15, 2024
After loving the first Edena graphic novel, I was really quite disappointed with this one and realised that maybe I hadn't found a new favourite writer/artist after all.
I found the introduction in which Moebius explains his thinking to be quite pretentious and unnecessary, since the work should be able to speak for itself. I also found the art far less striking than in the first volume. Lastly, I've never been a fan of elaborate dream sequences or cryptic dream messages being a large part of a story, so this one just didn't work for me. Overall, I just felt a bit bored throughout.
Still, it wasn't without its merits and wasn't enough to put me off the series.
I found the introduction in which Moebius explains his thinking to be quite pretentious and unnecessary, since the work should be able to speak for itself. I also found the art far less striking than in the first volume. Lastly, I've never been a fan of elaborate dream sequences or cryptic dream messages being a large part of a story, so this one just didn't work for me. Overall, I just felt a bit bored throughout.
Still, it wasn't without its merits and wasn't enough to put me off the series.
March 23, 2019
Moebius delivers an interesting story in this comic book. A little sci-fi tale, where two Humans, taste for the first time real nature. Reminiscent to the Adam and Eve story with Fantasy elements, "The Gardens of Eden" provides a spiritual journey about Human condition. Nevertheless, I sensed that the author was not very accurate with scientific details (Technology arrangements and so on). Despite not having a solid plot, the artwork is quite appealing.
Overall, a bizarre trip with earthly animals, strange creatures/aliens, and dreams within dreams.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Overall, a bizarre trip with earthly animals, strange creatures/aliens, and dreams within dreams.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
May 20, 2018
Näitisti Moebius kyllä piirtää, mutta ei näissä miehen tarinoissa oikein ole tolkkua. Tai jos tolkku on, niin ei se koko albumia kanna vaan jossain välissä se tolkun lanka katkeaa ja lopputuloksena.... niin. Tämä.
May 18, 2019
Uma revisão sobre a história de Adão e Eva? Uma novela gráfica incrível, a lembrar-me de como adoro ficção científica. Os desenhos soberbos e fico com pena de não conseguir continuar a saga, pois não a encontro por Lisboa.
October 18, 2020
Revisiting the Edena storyline, this series of stories narrate the transformation of Stel and Atan into a twisted Adam and Eve duo for the fantastical world they inhabit. Major Grubert also join for a one off adventure.
May 4, 2019
Moebius' art is perfect. For my taste anyway. His stories are very good, not up to the level of his art, but still excellent.
August 17, 2019
Genial como siempre Moebius, pero menuda ida de olla el final. Voy a tener que volver a leer el final para asimilarlo
February 9, 2023
Already read this in "The World of Edena". I liked it. The bonus story was also good.
July 26, 2023
Puuduttava ja tyypillinenkin raiskauskohtaus pilasi tämän kertomuksen, jota edes kaunis sarjakuvataide ei pelasta. Tuntui että hahmot typistyivät stereotyypeiksi tarinan edetessä.
March 13, 2017
Estranho mas interessante e com um desenho agradável, aconselho
December 7, 2017
Продолжение цикла Le Monde d'Edena (The World of Edena), который начался с Upon a Star (1983), рекламного заказа "Ситроэна", и превратился в нечто удивительное.
В 80-е Мёбиус связался с адской сектой и начал свою физическую и духовную трансформацию (см. Jean-Paul Appel-Guery). Удивительно, но нигде, кроме комментариев самого Жана Жиро, проскальзывающих то тут, то там по всему циклу Epic Graphic Novel, нет никакой информации об этой явно важной для автора стороне его жизни - а ведь духовный гуру даже указан как (со)автор ряда работ Мёбиуса.
В общем, в 1988 история Upon a Star, наконец, вышла во Франции обычным тиражом, автор перечитал её и обнаружил, что финал приглашает к продолжению. "И тут, как во вспышке, передо мной пронёсся весь будущий цикл Эдены" - говорит он в примечаниях. Здесь мы имеем вторую главу цикла, финал которой автор, поразмыслив, вынес отдельно, из него получилась третья глава, The Goddess.
Со своей стороны могу сказать, что именно такой Мёбиус, с чистыми линиями и светлыми, простыми, и в то же время довольно смелыми, оригинальными идеями мне лично нравится больше всего. В отличие от абсурдных сюрреалистичных пертурбаций "Арзака" и "Гаража", внятный сюжет захватывает и поражает по-настоящему. Впрочем, разумеется, your mileage may vary.
P.S. Третья часть.
В 80-е Мёбиус связался с адской сектой и начал свою физическую и духовную трансформацию (см. Jean-Paul Appel-Guery). Удивительно, но нигде, кроме комментариев самого Жана Жиро, проскальзывающих то тут, то там по всему циклу Epic Graphic Novel, нет никакой информации об этой явно важной для автора стороне его жизни - а ведь духовный гуру даже указан как (со)автор ряда работ Мёбиуса.
В общем, в 1988 история Upon a Star, наконец, вышла во Франции обычным тиражом, автор перечитал её и обнаружил, что финал приглашает к продолжению. "И тут, как во вспышке, передо мной пронёсся весь будущий цикл Эдены" - говорит он в примечаниях. Здесь мы имеем вторую главу цикла, финал которой автор, поразмыслив, вынес отдельно, из него получилась третья глава, The Goddess.
Со своей стороны могу сказать, что именно такой Мёбиус, с чистыми линиями и светлыми, простыми, и в то же время довольно смелыми, оригинальными идеями мне лично нравится больше всего. В отличие от абсурдных сюрреалистичных пертурбаций "Арзака" и "Гаража", внятный сюжет захватывает и поражает по-настоящему. Впрочем, разумеется, your mileage may vary.
P.S. Третья часть.
September 15, 2022
"The Gardens of Aedena" is definitely on the top end of the list of the Moebius collections for me, as it includes a gorgeous chapter in the overarching, titular storyline, where Moebius lets the character design too shine bright (something, which I remember having found fascinating: the gradual transformation of our previously genderless heroes - as seen in the very first volume - into their new forms).
The art in this chapter is again some of the best of Moebius, imo.
The art in this chapter is again some of the best of Moebius, imo.
November 2, 2012
I am loving The Aedena Cycle way more than I was loving The Incal.
March 12, 2013
TODO:
++ art
+ cryptic story
- loose or no plot
- gratuitously obscene
++ art
+ cryptic story
- loose or no plot
- gratuitously obscene
May 6, 2015
I just really don't like Moebius's writing, or his translator's, or both.
July 8, 2016
mostly for the artwork but the main story also had some weird garden of Eden/sexual identity stuff goin on
August 20, 2016
Je préfère ce deuxième tome au première, ici on trouve des commentaires pour une style de vie naturel, sans le besoin de la technologie.
May 31, 2017
J'ai bien aimé le dessin, mais l'histoire n'est pas assez puissante pour mes goûts.
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