Of Humanoids, Hidden Gems and In A Better World this Would Have Won An Ignatz!
Aah Humanoids, my eternal darling of excellent European speculative fiction. You are the keeper of the wonderful stories of Jodorowski, Bilal and Moebius, and the purveyor of such fine tomes as Metal Hurlant, The Metabarons, The Incal and Exo. Why then do I find this misfit true story travel diary about a French artist expat going through culture shock in a destabilized Afghanistan circa 2005 deep within your fine over-the-top in-your-face catalog? It’s a straightforward, intimate tale, told clearly and backed by cartoonish, fine line black and white artwork that is slaved directly to the tale as opposed to your usual bombastic distraction that may or may not serve the story (assuming Moebius isn’t involved of course.) I actually had to check and make sure Humanoids Inc. hadn’t suddenly eaten Top Shelf. (They hadn’t.)
Nicolas Wild spins out a great story. Broke and about to be homeless, he answers a cartoonist wanted ad online and ends up with a job in Kabul Afghanistan. He starts out drawing instructional comics explaining to the average Afghani how their new government works, and the job soon mutates into making recruitment propaganda for the newly minted Afghanistan National Army. It’s a wild ride full of weird food, a running gag that gets beaten to death by nearly everyone he meets, and a few close shaves as he brushes up against the violence inherent in a destabilized country..
Nicolas has a knack for rendering complex concepts clearly and simply which is probably a direct result of his time in the Afghanistan job. After all, if you can explain the complex idea of a parliament to a nation with a populace that had an 85% illiteracy rate at the time, you can probably convey most anything short of a direct translation of the Voynich Manuscript. His tale moves along at a brisk travelogue style pace and doesn’t get bogged down in the endless wool gathering that often hampers a lot of similar slice of life stories.
The best thing about Nicolas’ writing style is the way he takes the mickey out of the insular world of ambassadorial expatriates. He strikes a comfortable conversational tone with the reader that allows his ultra dry wit room to skewer himself and his fellow expats without ever becoming insulting to either them or his hosts. It’s a fine narrative tightrope act and Nicolas walks it like a professional.
The story is funny and poignant and well worth the $19.95 price tag. Humanoids makes a great package anyway, but this one is particularly packed with all sorts of extras including a bunch of excerpts from the comics Nicolas was working on while he was in Afghanistan. Try this graphic novel. You will not be disappointed.