European Graphic Novels+

Cormac McCarthy's classic The Road is set for an English-language release in September, and the question was asked on r/bandedessinee about what our favorite literary adaptations were. Here's five of my favorites:

A Woman's Voice, adapted by Aude Mermilliod - a brilliant, moving, humanistic look at a woman with a sexual birth defect, along with the long-sundered doctor who originally delivered her. There's a good amount of pain and existential angst to work through, but the payoff is spectacular. (handkerchief alert) --Johnny

Jean is a medical student who’s about to start her final residency rotation in gynecology. But she’d much rather practice surgery than listen to simpering women moan about their problems all day. Plus, this department is headed by the notorious Dr. Karma, renowned throughout the hospital for his stubborn mindset and unorthodox practices. However, in her first week, Jean begins to realize that Dr. Karma’s reputation isn’t fully accurate, and, perhaps, the complexities of women’s stories are worth listening to and respecting. A modern classic of a revolution in women’s medical care, adapted from the bestselling novel by Martin Winckler. --EC

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Adios Muchachos, adapted by Bacilieri & Matz - a wild, savage ride involving complex relationships between a street-scamming gal and the corporate scammers she runs in to. --Johnny

Alicia is a pretty drawing student from Havana, very independent and very free of morals, who sometimes lets herself be seduced by men she meets in town while traveling by bike. As she is poor, she feels free to accept gifts, but categorically refuses to be paid for fear of being confused with a prostitute.

As it happens, this facade is completely artificial. Alicia is in reality a jinetera (a “rider”), one of the many Cuban women who occasionally prostitute themselves to Western tourists in the hope of being kept or even married. With the full complicity of her mother Margarita, she strives to ward off the chronic poverty that plagues Cuba.

When this story begins, Alicia has just seduced the handsome Juanito, a Canadian on a long-term assignment for a large Dutch company in the tourism sector. Big house, big money and desperate fascination for Alicia's very... palpable arguments: the jinetera and her mother immediately feel that they have hooked the big fish. They don't imagine for a moment that Juanito's pedigree is also very different from what it shows... --Amazon

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Babylon Berlin, adapted by Arne Jysch - set in the 1920's, this is a tremendously absorbing story of a police detective assigned to a new area, who comes up against the fact that one of his (big) bosses is in fact thoroughly corrupt... which he proceeds to deal with in rather precarious fashion. I liked that there was a noir style and sensibility that was different than the American and French versions I've seen in the past. --Johnny

Following an unfortunate incident of manslaughter and at a moment of radical change in Germany, Detective Inspector Gereon Roth moves from his old position in Cologne to a new appointment in Berlin. He stumbles into an ever-expanding criminal investigation into a pornographic sex ring, discovering that he can trust no one, not even the police. Set at the birth of the Weimar Republic amid great economic and political difficulties, this is a tale of corruption, trafficking, and scandal. --Amazon

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Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet Extraordinaire, adapted by Mathieu Burniat - here's a thoroughly fascinating and hilarious look in to the life of a local culinary genius and his right-hand chef, who unusually happens to be a local village girl. The story is surprisingly touching, and from out of nowhere I was absolutely awed by my impressions of the culinary techniques, end-results, and the amusing, moving reactions of the lucky few who sampled the dishes. Wrapped around these gastronomic pleasures is a simmering plot involving our hero's rival, the regional prince who fancies himself a better chef, and later attempts to abduct Dodin-Bouffant's irreplaceable cook. This is quite frankly one of the most unexpectedly wonderful BD's I've ever read. --Johnny

Dodin-Bouffant is a total food enthusiast. He lives for excellence and spends his time surrounded by a small circle of hand-picked gastronomes. When his beloved cook, Eugénie, dies, it turns Bouffant’s world upside down. After a long, hard search he finally finds what he is looking for in Adèle. Not without some complications, Adèle and Dodin-Bouffant form a strong bond and share many a delicious meal. This novel by Marcel Rouff (1887-1936) is a tribute to the famous French gastronome Brillat-Savarin, on whom the character Dodin-Bouffant is loosely based. --EC

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Tom's Midnight Garden, adapted by Edith - an all-ages classic which leans upon a bit of magical realism to weave a truly lovely tale, beautifully adapted here. --Johnny

When Tom’s brother gets sick, Tom’s shipped off to spend what he’s sure will be a boring summer with his aunt and uncle in the country. But then Tom hears the old grandfather clock in the hall chime thirteen times, and he’s transported back to an old garden where he meets a mysterious girl named Hatty. Tom returns to the garden every night to have adventures with Hatty, who grows a little older with each visit. As the summer comes to an end, Tom realizes he wants to stay in the midnight garden with Hatty forever.

Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Tom’s Midnight Garden is a classic of children’s literature and a deeply satisfying time-travel mystery. This stunning graphic novel adaptation from award-winning French artist Edith transforms Philippa Pearce’s story into an engaging visual adventure. -Amazon