Azimut written by Wilfred Lupano and illustrated by Jean-Baptiste Andreae is an absurdist fantasy tale worthy of Terry Gilliam films or Alice in Wonderland. The story follows the seductive adventuress, Manie Ganza, on her quest for eternal life while being pursued by the sinister Time Snatcher.
There have been many fantasy films in recent years that overwhelmed audiences with VFX but failed to leave an impression: A Wrinkle in Time, Valerian, Mortal Engines, Jupiter Ascending, just to name a few. Azimut has more creativity and visual distinction than the four previously mentioned films combined. Lupano and Andreae take readers to a truly unique world with sumptuous visuals where every character is so creative they could exist in a story by themselves.
For those burned out on the fantasy boilerplate of elves, dwarves, and dragons, Azimut is a breath of fresh air. In Azimut, the North Pole has vanished, freaks are hatched from clockwork eggs, a dress becomes a hot air balloon, living sand takes the form of a buxom woman, and an immortal aristocrat subsists on the screams of innocent children. At times satirical, erotic, and thrilling, Azimut is a fairytale for adults without delving into grimdark territory. Every character, environment, and machine lavishly painted by Lupano take the medium of comics to new heights.
Azimut stuns with page after page of gorgeous artwork and imaginative ideas. However, there is no final confrontation between the protagonists and the Time Snatcher, so the final act is disappointingly anti-climactic. Additionally, many of the supporting characters serve duplicate roles. There’s a large chunk of time spent on four quirky adventurers’ separate escapades–who easily could have been composited into a single character. If Azimut had maintained more focus on Manie and given her a definitive character arc and an antagonist to overcome, then it could have been a great story instead of just a good one.
Titan Comics has delivered some truly next level graphic novels with works like Wika and Knights of Heliopolis and fans of those stories will find a worthy addition in Azimut. Lupano and Andreae have created a truly unique fairytale worthy of its inspirations that is sure to dazzle readers warts and all.
Azimut is now available from Titan Comics.
Azimut written by Wilfred Lupano and illustrated by Jean-Baptiste Andreae is an absurdist fantasy tale worthy of Terry Gilliam filmsCOMICONRead More