cover image Niourk

Niourk

Olivier Vatine. Dark Horse, $29.99 (176p) ISBN 978-1-50670-369-5

Vatine (Cixi of Troy) brings a classic of European literature to English readers in this evocative graphic novel adaptation of the 1957 French SF novel by Stefan Wul. Dark Child—a young black boy living in a kind of nouveau primal tribe on a post-apocalyptic Earth—journeys across a landscape reclaimed by wilderness following nuclear disaster. After he and his tribe eat an irradiated squid, they get increased strength and intelligence, but only Dark Child escapes eventual death by radiation poisoning. Alone, Dark Child walks to the mysterious place known as Niourk—New York. An encounter with human survivors, descendants of Earthlings who fled to Mars, accelerates his evolution into a superbeing who can reshape reality. Vatine’s rendering of future Earth is filled with wild and weird organics and dreamlike, alien visions, juxtaposing mundane objects (a shopping cart, the Brooklyn Bridge) against fantastical ones. Rich colors and sharp printing highlight the excellent production value. With visual echoes of Planet of the Apes and Jack Kirby’s Kamandi (although the original source novel predates both), this strange and poignant story imagines humankind’s steps to the brink of annihilation and back again. Fans of the genre will find Vatine’s optimistic twist on standard tropes provocative. ([em]Feb.) [/em]