Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure

There’s another French comics artist as accomplished as Asterix illustrator Albert Uderzo. Translated into English here for the first time, this 1972 work from Fred (Frédéric Othon Aristidès) offers visual and conceptual fireworks as an enterprising farmer’s son named Philemon dives into a well and washes up on an island. He soon discovers that it is the “A” of the word “Atlantic” in the Atlantic Ocean as seen on every map; among its flora and fauna are bottle-bearing trees, shipwreck-causing lamps, and a mind-boggling house that grows like a plant. “But, the furniture?” asks Philemon. “It grows by itself,” explains his new companion, Bartholomew. “Everything becomes more and more luxurious.” The conversation between Philemon and his companions tends to plod: Bartholomew blusters and repeats himself, and his centaur butler, Friday, comes off less as sardonic than merely grumpy. Yet Fred’s drafting and visual storytelling skills are exceptional (he published 16 Philemon titles before his death in 2013). Working out how to get off the island brings fresh invention, and there’s even a magnificent parody of Géricault’s “The Raft of the Medusa.” Fans of Franco-Belgian comics will be both delighted and inspired. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)■