{"id":32692,"date":"2025-04-25T08:00:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T08:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=32692"},"modified":"2025-04-24T17:04:39","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T17:04:39","slug":"the-marquis-of-anaon-volume-3-the-providence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/04\/25\/the-marquis-of-anaon-volume-3-the-providence\/","title":{"rendered":"The Marquis of Anaon volume 3: The Providence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Vehlmann <\/strong>& Bonhomme<\/strong>, coloured by Delf<\/strong>: translated by Mark Bence <\/strong>(Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-84918-277-5 (PB Album\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

These books include Discriminatory Content<\/strong> included for dramatic effect.<\/em><\/p>\n

In 1972 Fabien Vehlmann entered the world in Mont-de-Marsan. He was raised in Savoie, growing up to study business management before taking a job with a theatre group. His prodigious canon of pro comics work began in 1998 and soon earned him the soubriquet of \u201cGoscinny of the 21st<\/sup> Century\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 1996, after entering a writing contest in Le Journal de<\/em><\/strong> Spirou<\/em><\/strong>, he caught the comics bug and two years later – with illustrative collaborator Denis Bodart – produced mordantly quirky, sophisticated portmanteau period crime comedy Green Manor<\/strong>. From there his triumphs grew to include – amongst many others – C\u00e9lestin Speculoos<\/em><\/strong> for Circus<\/em><\/strong>, Nicotine Goudron<\/em><\/strong> for L\u2019\u00c9cho des Savanes<\/em><\/strong> and a stint on major property Spirou and Fantasio<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

Scion of an artistic family, Matthieu Bonhomme received his degree in Applied Arts in 1992, before learning the comics trade working in the atelier of western & historical strip specialist Christian Rossi. Running from 2002-2008, Le Marquis d\u2019Anaon<\/em><\/strong> was Bonhomme\u2019s first regular series, after which he began writing as well as illustrating a variety of tales, from L\u2019Age de Raison<\/em><\/strong>, Le Voyage d\u2019Esteban<\/em><\/strong>, The Man Who Shot Lucky Luke<\/strong> and so much more.<\/p>\n

Now, where were we?<\/em> Imagine The X-Files<\/strong> set in Age of Enlightenment France (circa 1720), played as a solo piece by a young hero reluctantly growing into and accepting the role of crusading troubleshooter. With potent overtones of Jane Eyre<\/strong>, Wuthering Heights<\/strong>, The Fall of the House of Usher<\/strong> and similar gothic romances, it all began in 2001\u2019s L\u2019Isle de Brac<\/em><\/strong>: first of 5 albums (all available in English-language paperback and digital formats) tracing the development of a true champion against darkness and human venality.<\/p>\n

Under-employed middle class scholar\/pragmatic philosopher Jean-Baptiste Poulain<\/em> is a merchant\u2019s son, ardent disciple of Cartesian logic and former medical student. Well educated but impoverished, he accepted a post to tutor the son of the mysterious Baron of Brac<\/em>. It was a career decision that shaped the rest of his life\u2026<\/p>\n

On the windswept, storm-battered and extremely isolated island off the Brittany Coast, Poulain experienced fear and outrage, superstition and suspicion before ultimately exposing the appalling secret the island overlord his serfs called \u201cthe Ogre\u201d, bringing justice and finality to all concerned. In the aftermath, Poulain left but could never outrun the obnoxious title the islanders bestowed upon him in their Bretagne argot: Le Marquis d\u2019Anaon<\/em><\/strong> – \u201cthe Marquis of Lost Souls\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

Two years later Poulain caught a supposedly demonic but actually faith-based serial killer (The Black Virgin<\/a><\/strong>) and in this third exploit tackles a new kind of horror that we have all become increasingly aware of…<\/p>\n

It begins in Paris, where not so polite society bores a now notorious sage whilst making him a target of bumptious educated fools. At a soiree where Poulain more than holds his own against aristocratic snobs, he is approached by visiting celebrity the Countess of Almed\u00eda, who has a unique problem she needs to consult a truly learned man about…<\/p>\n

Wishing to establish a salon of her own in Andalusia, the Contessa invites Poulain to relocate to Spain for a few months, sweetening the offer with extraordinarily generous remuneration. Despite speaking no Spanish, he is soon a passenger aboard ship, acquainting himself with fellow recruit and poet of renown Fran\u00e7oise de la Sange<\/em>. Their safe passage is abruptly interrupted by a monstrous storm which \u201cthe Marquis\u201d cannot help but revel in. As a consequence, he is the first to spot a derelict galleon tossed in the tumult…
\n\"\"
\nWhen calm waters return, battered hulk La Providence lies before them and he eagerly joins a wary but greedy boarding party. The ship is a floating horror, filled with skeletons and scenes of carnage but according to the recovered Captain\u2019s log, there are far fewer bodies than there should be for a vessel that left the Congo stuffed with ivory and exotic timber and commanded by an extremely entrepreneurial slaver.<\/p>\n

Moreover, a lifeboat is also missing…<\/p>\n

The Contessa\u2019s dutiful captain decides he must tow the wreck to the nearest port – Bordeaux – but the unanticipated four day diversion quickly sours after a string of mysterious events disrupt shipboard routine and panic the crew. Poulain mentally retraces his steps and realises that what he saw aboard the Providence – already impossible for a rational man to accept – might not be the worst of the perils about to visit himself and his companions…<\/p>\n

As men start disappearing, chaos mounts when the captain dies and is replaced by steadfast pragmatic Chief Erwan<\/em>. Sinking the towed hulk does not end the deaths and by the time Poulain divines the true answer the ship has been diverted again for the nearest dry land… a proposition the Marqis of Lost Souls cannot allow to happen at any cost….
\n\"\"
\nAccompanied by cleverly contrived faux broadsheet character precis \u2018Gazette Of the year 1731 – CONCERNING SEVERAL illustrated& authentic tales of the MARQUIS OF ANAON\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

This seagoing terror tale offers another tight, taut authentic compellingly script from Vehlmann, depicted via Bonhomme\u2019s densely informative but never obtrusive illustrated realism delivering a moody, ingenious, utterly enthralling tale of modern horror, imbedded in an(other) era of superstition, class separation, burgeoning natural wonder, reason ascendant and crumbling belief. This is spooky enigma enhancing and testing a troubled, self-doubting quester who barely holds at bay the crippling notion that all his knowledge might be trumped one night by a non-rational ever lurking unknown\u2026<\/p>\n

The exploits of The Marquis of Anaon<\/strong> area minor mystery milestone well-deserving of a greater audience and one no thinking fear fan should miss.
\nOriginal edition \u00a9 Dargaud Paris 2004 by Vehlmann & Bonhomme. All rights reserved. English translations \u00a9 2015 by Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Vehlmann & Bonhomme, coloured by Delf: translated by Mark Bence (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-84918-277-5 (PB Album\/Digital edition) These books include Discriminatory Content included for dramatic effect. In 1972 Fabien Vehlmann entered the world in Mont-de-Marsan. He was raised in Savoie, growing up to study business management before taking a job with a theatre group. His … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Marquis of Anaon volume 3: The Providence”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,239,66,105,225,385],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-drama","category-horror-stories","category-mature-reading","category-mystery","category-sea-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8vi","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32696,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32692\/revisions\/32696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}