In 2006, multiple award-winning writers Cormac McCarthy published his novel the way. This tragically bleak story of a father and son struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic hellish landscape was a critical and commercial success, with the author (who died in June 2023, aged 89) receiving the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. new york times Known as one of the “best books of the 21st century”. In 2009, a film adaptation directed by John Hillcoat and starring Viggo Mortensen was released, but surprisingly it took nearly two decades to make the film Just released. the way Translated to the comic page. So far – as a French creator Manu LassenetAbrams-published graphic novel adaptation hits bookstores this week.
Manu Larcenet may not be well-known outside of France, but many of his works are available digitally in English through European Comics. The artist, born in 1969, began his career in the mid-1990s with cartoons in French humor monthly flowing glacier Since then, many well-known Franco-Belgian publishing houses and publications have come calling – Larcenet has found a permanent creative base in Dargaud. Not keen on being pigeonholed, he also creates serious, intimate work. While relying heavily on a cartoonish style, Larcenet also flexes its artistic muscles on strongly emotional pieces, including the four-part thunderbolt series (2010-2014) and first literary adaptation brodeck report [Brodeck’s Report] (Dago, 2015-2016), adapted from the novel of the same name by Philippe Claudel. Both show his ability to delve into darker, more desolate depths.
the way However, this is another challenge. This is a difficult novel at the best of times, and Overheard is keen to adapt it. Interestingly, in order to be as true to the source as possible, the dialogue was taken entirely from the original novel, and Larcenet focused entirely on the visual storytelling and the emotions that drive the story.
Ahead of the title’s release on September 17, The Beat’s Dean Simmons Chatted with the artist about the adaptation process, getting approval and more…
Dean Simmons: Cormac McCarthy the way This is a very challenging novel – both linguistically and thematically – what was it about the text that made you want to adapt it?
Manu Rasenette: I was immediately captivated by the atmosphere it created. Most likely because I love painting snow, cold winds, dark clouds, hissing rain, obstacles, rust, and moisture. I paint violence or mercy, wild animals, dirty skin, pits and stagnant water. I love the contrast between the characters and the environment.
I’m also very sensitive to action scenes that are slow and lack Hollywood style. There is no classic narrative arc, but rather a sequence of scenes that are at times very contemplative.
DS: There were a lot of negotiations with McCarthy, did he need a lot of convincing? Did he participate in the creation of this graphic novel before his death in 2023?
Machine learning: In order to present my adaptation project, we contacted McCarthy through his agent. We showed some of my previous work, specifically thunderbolt [released in English with Europe Comics] and an adaptation of another successful novel, brodeck report [by Philippe Claudel].
I think that convinced him, but obviously based on my future work, I thought we would have a conversation. Unfortunately, this is not possible. He died and we only watched half of the album before we could communicate.
All I was told was that he was both delighted and impressed.
This is both too little and too much.
It happens that I have complete freedom. Today, I like to think this is the way McCarthy wanted it, and I’m sure he’ll be happy with the results.
DS: I believe this is the first time you’ve adapted a novel into comic form – how do you feel it compares to your previous creations?
Machine learning: I spent 5 years working on a very personal and demanding project (group therapy3 volumes). I needed to somehow get out of myself and into someone else’s universe.
But this isn’t my first adaptation. I have adapted brodeck report Almost 10 years ago. This is a very successful novel by Philippe Claudel. In addition to its success, it is a very dark novel, full of snow, cold and silence…
(Maybe there is a pattern? 😉)
DS: You are an artist with many different styles. How did you decide on the visual direction of the project? Does it require a lot of trial and error?
Machine learning: The graphic style was imposed from the beginning, a classic drawing style that was far removed from comics. I knew immediately that, if anything, my inspiration might have come from Gustave Doré.
DS: An interesting feature of your adaptation is that you did away with sound effects and subtitles—the dialogue is taken directly from the novel. Can you explain why you chose this route and whether it presented additional challenges?
Machine learning: I think just sticking to the dialogue is the best way to stay true to the novel. No need to rewrite and simply add images. I wanted to get as close to the character as possible and recreate the atmosphere of McCarthy’s imagination.
Obviously, creating a graphic novel from a novel with very little action and very little text is a challenge. When McCarthy describes a landscape in 12 lines, sometimes it might take me three pages to present it.
So I need readers to read through my paintings as they would through text. I wanted them to read my paintings, and I felt like I could paint the silence in the novel.
DS: Your use of color is very interesting, mostly in muted tones with occasional changes or dramatic changes. Where did this idea come from? Have you considered not using color at all?
Machine learning: I also firmly chose black and white, but the result was very violent, too binary, and too radical. Then I thought about my classes when I was an art school student and what I discovered Color gray. This is a way of softening the painting without denaturing it, and is a very economical use of color. I’m my own colorist and I think I used 14 shades of gray (!), and readers have told me that some of the most beautiful pages on the album are attributed to these grays.
DS: Both the original novel and its own pages are very bleak. Is the job mentally challenging? How did you personally deal with it?
Machine learning: For two years I read and read most of the day and some of the evening the wayimmerse yourself in McCarthy’s world and words. Of course, living in such a universe is demanding and somewhat frustrating. Sometimes I suffocate in that coldness, lost in the dark universe I recreate.
DS: You have written an amazing book that is arresting on every page. How much of it is produced through physical media? Are there a lot of digital jobs?
Machine learning: Thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot and my goals have been achieved.
Apart from one or two sketches made directly on my work [sketch-] In the book, everything was drawn on my drawing tablet. I stopped using paper ten years ago and this album is the result of using digital tools.
It’s not easier or faster than traditional painting, but it allows me to create without boundaries.
Drawing is my life, my tablet is just a tool.
And I can still use the pen.
The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Cormac McCarthy, by Manu Larcenet, will be available in all bookstores from Tuesday 17th September
