“The earth is ravaged by an evil that seems incurable: humanity. These are harsh words that open the second part of Extinctions, the prequel planned in three volumes of the fascinating cult saga Le Transperceneige, published in 1982 .
In this chiaroscuro graphic novel imagined by Jacques Lob, the passengers of a train (all that remains of humanity in fact) called the Transperceneige lead for decades an aimless journey through the frozen expanses of land ravaged by a climatic cataclysm. In a caste system imposed by the powerful, the struggle for survival is ruthless and revolt rumbles.
A brilliant idea that has not aged for nearly forty years later. Bong Joon-ho, the brilliant director of Parasite , made a film of it in 2013 and the giant Netflix has been broadcasting since May 25 its declination in television series with Jennifer Connelly.
Extinctions , the first volume of which was published in 2019 under the leadership of the historical designer of the series Jean-Marc Rochette and the screenwriter Matz, explores the origins of the drama that shook humanity forced into decades of wandering confined to a train. Faced with the radicalism of a group of eco-terrorists ready to accelerate the extinction of Humanity, a man struggles for the survival of his species, the Chinese billionaire Zheng, the designer of the Transperceneige, an ark of Noah ultra- technological capable of defying the slightest obstacle. At the end of the first part, the train of a thousand and one wagons embarked on the race "in search of its passengers, its cargo of survivors" .
In this second volume, the events do not go completely as planned and the reader is witnessing the end of Mr. Zheng's philanthropic dream. ". The story of the train is just a story of disillusionment, explains Jean-Marc Rochette. The Transperceneige is an illustration of social and human drift. ”
Radicality of the ecologists, furious mad guru, bestial behavior or cannibalism punctuate this nightmarish journey. If in the 1980s the series was a matter of anticipation, it now takes on a new dimension: "In the 1980s, the bad dream belonged to the future, at the moment I feel like I'm in full of it. There are people who have a life close to that of the Transperceneige: without future, trapped in a compartment. Some live in a closet. ”
It is not surprising that the Transperceneige, a science fiction comic strip turned towards the social and the political, questions the reader about his condition. Jean-Marc Rochette, for forty years at the helm of drawing and script, has always worked to bring up to date the problems of the time.
"In Extinctions , I once again hang up the wagon with the real, between the climate crisis, the increasingly radical ecologists, the generalized anxiety due to the pandemic." A darkness brilliantly enhanced by the pictorial and expressionist line of the designer. A graphic design with multiple influences, from Goya to Rembrandt, via comics and manga which has largely contributed to making Transperceneige a legend, a train that will brave time.
The BD box: decryption of Jean-Marc Rochette
The billionaire philanthropist faced with the disillusionment of his utopia. Rochette / Matz / Casterman
“These four panoramic huts speak volumes about the tragedy that the population is going through. I chose this composition for its cinematographic dimension and its reading comfort. I worked in particular on the position of the bubbles where the text is placed in the most readable way.
The white of the text is enhanced to attract the reader to the story. I do not favor the drawing that I want as background music. This process is very effective in illustrating the purpose of the album, which is quite dense. All my composition is made according to the story.
The dead man in the first two boxes, with the killer turning his heels towards the horizon, shows the primary violence that has taken hold of Humanity. The sequence of the two boxes shows how the man continues to move forward with disconcerting ease, leaving the body abandoned without hesitation.
The crowd like a dehumanized block
The image of the center highlights Mr. Zheng and Lakshmi, a wealthy Hindu who got on the train and who very quickly seconded the billionaire. They are the decision makers and they monopolize the board by their presence as well as by the scope of their exchange. The reader is witness to the disillusionment of the outdated philanthropist, who realizes that he will not be able to save everyone. There is not enough room on the train and his humanism is tested.
Like a cutaway image in the cinema, the last box illustrates their words. Outside, in contrast to the two clearly drawn protagonists, the crowd forms a dehumanized block, an indefinable mass. People behave like animals in a panic, presenting Humanity in all that is most beastly.
My work on color also reflects my attachment to storytelling. The warm colors of the central box are without excess to reproduce the pallid lights of a night train. They enhance the grim situation in which the characters find themselves. In general, the colors all have the same value. None stands out from the others. Finally, like a huge fan of Rembrandt's faces in printmaking, I used the process of small lines to accentuate the shadows and contrasts. ”