Louca is a clumsy screwup. He's failing classes and can't even make it down a flight of stairs without tripping over his own two feet. Then one day he meets a ghost who motivates him to change his life, helping him train to join the soccer team. Some of this was OK, some of it I had problems with, like the ghost helping him cheat on a test. Louca isn't so much taking control of his life as this is ghost is bailing him out of trouble of his own making. I did like the art though.

When I first read the plot of this book, it seemed very similar to the plot of the movie Lucas... except for the ghost, that is. Rest assured that it was not. I found myself having a delightful time with Louca. I hope you do as well.

Louca, a high school student, seemingly has nothing going for him. He's failing his classes, has no real friends, and can't gain the attention of his long-term crush Julie, who seems to have a thing for jocks instead. His only shining light - a younger brother who worships him - is also a source of guilt and shame for Louca, who feels he could never live up to his kid brother's image of him. With upcoming final exams spelling the potential finale for Louca's school career, Louca suddenly meets a handsome, athletic, intelligent, funny and good-natured jock at school named Nathan, who offers to help Louca get over his awkwardness by turning the gangly, clumsy teen into a soccer legend. The only issue? Nathan is a ghost, and neither he nor Louca know why he's there - why Louca is the only one who can see him - or what happened to Nathan in the first place (though a group photo at school seems to hint at possibilities). Volume 1 of this well-written, energetic and sweetly-drawn comic ends with Louca's first game, and while giving away no spoilers all I can say is that I wish I had known the volume ended when it did because I anxiously turned the pages waiting for more ... when there was no more to come. Bruno Dequier, in Louca, has created a lovable, can't-get-out-of-his-own-way nerd whom anyone with an awkward high school life in their background will identify with, and a plotline that ends, cliffhanger-style, with readers wanting more. A charming debut. 4/5 stars

Note: I received a free eARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

In this short volume of Louca: Kickoff, the graphic novel introduces a young student, Louca, who is easily clumsy and assumes fate is out against him. One day, he decides that he is going to change everything for the better and will not let anything stop him. In one of the attempts to better himself, he runs into Nathan, a soccer player who helps Louca on his self-improvement mission. The only thing is that Nathan is a ghost who doesn't remember how he dies and Louca is the only one who can see him.

I did not find one thing I did not like about the first volume in this graphic novel. Everything was pretty much good and enjoyable. There is likable characters and fun comedy. I really liked the art style and the storyline. Obviously, it was only a volume and not the whole story. If I had the chance to read the entire story, I am pretty sure I would enjoy it a lot since I can't find anything to critique, just in the first volume.

I loved this GN. Louca is the kid at school who isn’t a geek, but isn’t the jock either. He is the klutz of the school. He can’t walk down the steps without tripping, kick a soccer ball with out face planting, etc. At least he’s good at school...as if. Nope he sucks there too, but what I love about Locua is his heart and his willingness to try. He has a thing for this girl in school, and he will do anything to impress her. That includes letting a ghost give him soccer lessons. Yep, a ghost. This book was a lot of fun and I can not wait for the adventure to continue.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this graphic novel.

Louca is about an awkward, unlucky guy with two left feet who is suddenly able to see the ghost of a popular guy. The ghost helps him get popular and get the girl,

This was such a breezy read and I did not want it to end.

Louca is such an enjoyable read. When I arrived at the end, It saddened me because I was enjoying it so much. Louca is awkward, yet the biggest star in his younger brother’s eyes. His ghost of a companion is a delight and just what Louca needs. Great artwork & storyline. I look forward to what Louca will adventure into next, if he can survive soccer. 😊

'Louca Volume 1: Kickoff' by Bruno Dequier is a funny novel about a young man who needs a kick in his ambition and gets it from an unlikely source.

Louca is a clumsy mediocre student. He's bad a soccer and not much better at life. His life changes when he meets Nathan. Nathan wants to help him get better at life, and espeically soccer. Nathan pushes Louca in to being in better shape. When a big game arrives, Louca will need Nathan's help. The only problem is that Nathan is a ghost.

I liked this story of a young man who is unmotivated and the new friend he makes that may (or may not) change things around. I see there are other volumes in the series, so I hope the best for this character.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I thought this would be interesting in the beginning but I quickly lost passion in this book and felt that it would be better for a different reader.

Everyone has something they’re good at. . . except this guy. Unless you count making the girl of his dreams angry and/or injured, he can’t do anything right, not even cheating. I don’t think there can possibly be anyone in real life as much of a butt monkey as this, but then this isn’t real life. This comes more into focus when a friendly ghost—not in a white sheet—shows up to help him with classes and, more importantly, soccer. Unfortunately the ghost is a bit of a jerk too, especially the way he peeks into the girls’ locker room.
Little kid #1: “Is he dead?” Little kid #2: “I don’t think so. He’s still drooling.”
Someone doesn’t seem to know the red card rule, but the diving header was drawn beautifully. . . the first one, anyway.
This volume ends before we find out if he gets together with Julie! Darn.
The cartoonish illustrations fit in perfectly with the story, which is a standard coming-of-age believe-in-yourself thing. Luckily the humor was mostly on the mark.

A pleasant enough diversion. A complete dweeb, whose only success in life is having his baby brother look up to him, wants to get the girl of his dreams, not get held back a year at school, and more than anything just to make a life for himself that isn't abject failure. I didn't know by what means he might start on that journey, so I won't repeat it, but it's nice enough to find out. Just about nice enough, mind, for this isn't the most fascinating read, nor the most intelligent comic. It looks really nice, but you have to wonder why most people have been drawn to look 25 when they're still in school – this isn't an 80s Hollywood film, however much it thinks it might be. Three and a half stars.

I do enjoy sports comics and Louca is about football and at the same time it's about growing up, finding what you're good at and coming into terms what you are and what you want. Louca is a nerdy guy who basically fails at everything he does and the girl of his dreams doesn't even notice him. Instead Louca meets this great guy Nathan, who's amazing at soccer. And very much dead too. It seems that Louca is the only one who can see Nathan and the guy decides to help Louca play and find his own path. The plot isn't all that complicated or even refreshing, but Dequier does his thing well. The comic is well paced and easy to read and follow, so it works for guys especially. There's humor too, although Nathan being a perv feels kind of outdated. We also don't get to know the characters enough, but that kind of comes with the lightness.

The art bugs me slightly. It looks good and the colors work so well and compliment the story. The problem is that all the characters look old and in their thirties instead of being still kids at school. This could turn readers away sadly so, since the contrast is big and it affects the story. The comic is light art-wise too, but it works wonderfully and fits well with the story structure altogether, which is hard to do well. There are not too many pages either and comics like this are very much needed for guys that don't read that much and especially for those that find the medium hard to approach.

A fun graphic novel with a cross over into sports. Our junior audience will really like this graphic novel, I think.

Great comic with really lovable characters.
This was definitely a fun read and i would recommend to all.