King of the Flies Volume 1 (KING OF FLIES HC) - Hardcover

Pirus; Mezzo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1606993208 ISBN 13: 9781606993200

Publisher: Fantagraphics Books, 2010

Synopsis

Set in a suburb that is both nowhere and everywhere, King of the Flies combines the intricacy and subtlety of the best European graphic novels with a hyperdetailed, controlled noir style derived from the finest American cartoonists. Mezzo and Pirus, previously best known in Europe for a series of cynical, brutal gangster stories, but for the most part, they've internalized the violence in King of the Flies.

The book first appears to be a series of unrelated short stories, each starring (and narrated by) a different protagonist, but it soon becomes obvious that these seemingly disparate episodes weave together to form a single complex narrative, with events that are only glimpsed (or even referred to) revisited from different perspectives - revolving around Eric, a ne'er-do-well, drug-taking teenager at war with his stepfather and, apparently, the whole world. (He is the titular King.)

The comics-reader's appetite has been whetted for such books by Gipi's acclaimed Notes for a War Story, about teenagers running wild in an Italy as a war shakes loose the social order; David Lapham's Eisner-winning noir opus, Stray Bullets, which has a similar story structure, and, of course, Charles Burns smash hit teenage dystopia, Black Hole.

About this title

About the Author

Michel Pirus was born in Thionville, France, in 1962. He broke into comics (as a writer/artist) with his series “Champagne and Cookies” for Métal Hurlant in 1983. He was the co-writer on the Richard McGuire-designed segment of the French animated horror anthology Fear(s) of the Dark, released in 2008.

Pascal (Mezzo) Mesenburg (artist) was born in Drancy, France, in 1960. His French graphic novels (with Pirus) include Two Killers and Mickey Mickey. He is currently working on the third and final volume of King of the Flies.

Review

“This hardcover features a series of short stories which at first seem completely unrelated but eventually begin to tie together to reveal a larger picture of depravity, lust, drug abuse and other sinister events taking place in a town that is utterly surreal and terrifyingly familiar.”
- Chad Derdowski, Mania

“King of the Flies is a very surreal and unsettling tale. Prius does a wonderful job creating a horror-driven universe that could really happen in real life... [I]t’s definitely worth picking up if you enjoy dark tales of the human psyche.”
- Freddie Young, Fangoria

“[A] darkly compelling, twisted, beautifully illustrated account of the broken souls and self-absorbed nihilism... It’s a stunning piece of fiction, beautifully crafted in its prose, pacing, artistry and crushing understanding of humanity’s ugliness.”
- Michael C. Lorah, Newsarama

“[G]ives us a glimpse of internal mayhem inside a controlled environment, executed with elegance and a touch of mystery. ... This is a weird tale that’s easy to get drawn into.”
- Irina Ivanova, The Indypendent

About this edition

• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1606993208
• ISBN 13: 9781606993200
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 64