'Alas' by Herve Bourhis with art by Rudy Spiessert is a graphic novel about sentient animals and the discovery of a young human, who are thought to be almost extinct.

When a young girl is captured in the forest, it sparks all manner of interest because humans are viewed as curiosities by their animal captors. The interest varies from scientific to hunger to being owned as a pet. When the girl escapes and a flood happens, all manner of chaos ensues.

I liked the story and the characters. It is really a strange one, but perhaps not as original as it could have been. I did really like the art by Rudy Spiessert.

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

I was intrigued by the idea of this book, a world where animals evolved ahead of humans. It's fun to consider even if the science doesn't really work. The plot is clearly allegorical, exploring what it means to be human versus animal, the power of our darker nature, and the things that drive us.

This was a pretty interesting look at the way humans treat animals through switching things so that animals are the ones all dressed up and "civilised" while humans are naked and hunted and killed to provide food, entertainment or decoration for the animals. It was pretty horrifying but I think that's how it was meant to be, because the way animals are treated IS horrifying. All of the horrible things that happen to the humans in this comic happen to animals regularly but we're so used to it that it's barely news anymore. I don't know if the way the humans and animals were switched worked in every way but it worked well enough to show how disgusting the way animals are treated is. Obviously everyone has a different idea about what an animals life is "worth" compared to a human life, for some people I'm sure they could read this and be disgusted by the way the humans in the comic are treated, but decide in their mind that humans and animals are different enough that you can't compare the two in this way.

There was also a somewhat interesting story line which can be viewed separately from the themes above, but it wasn't totally compelling. Most of the characters weren't very interesting, and it was a bit much for me to see the humans being treated the way they were in this comic, it would be a bit too much if it was animals too, but I've gotten used to seeing animals being treated like this at least. Seeing it reversed is a bit much.

This comic probably isn't something I'd recommend unless what I've written above sounds like something you'd like to read. I think if I recommended this to most people they wouldn't thank me for that, but the ideas in it are ones that I think we should all think about and we all need to make a personal decision about how we want to treat animals.

This was a really excellent graphic novel - a world where animals are members of civilized society and man is thought to be either extinct - or, if not extinct, at least incapable of becoming civilized. This commonly held belief makes it rather alarming when a human child appears just before a disastrous flood. A kind-hearted pig takes pity on the human child and sets about to discover where she came from, and whether she might be reunited with her brother -- only to discover that there exists a dark and seedy underbelly of human trafficking closer to her than she ever thought possible.

Ooh! Twist ending I did not see coming!
Alas is set in a fantastical past where animals rule the earth and humans are an endangered species. Of course there is a thriving black market in humans as pets and slaves, but Leopoldine (a pig scientist) and her dad just want to study them and learn whether or not humans are capable of intelligent thought.
When a little girl named Leaf comes into their lives, they must protect her from all the people hunting her down and try to reunite her with her brother. But in a world where all those in charge are corrupt and working on their own agenda, this becomes a matter of life and death for Leopoldine, Leaf and their reporter friend Fulgence.

When a young girl is captured in the forest and brought to the city, only to escape shortley afterwards, all manner of individuals and organizations try to get their hands on her, no matter the cost. In a chilling and clever tour de force, the authors use the backdrop of the 1910 Great Flood Of Paris to depict a world where animals rule and humans are viewed as curiosities, scientific guinea pigs, hunting trophies, and the occasional snack.

I udon't know, I usually like stories with animals instead of humans as characters. But this? It was just a switch for a switch; good concept maybe, but not at all interesting story. I understand it was meant like something to think about, especially about impact of humanity on this world, but meh. Artwork was simple, nice, but nothing that could take my breath away.

Alas is an interesting graphic novel set in a parallel universe where animals and humans have their roles reversed. I was hooked right away. As a graphic novel newbie, I found the story easy to follow. The art and colours are beautiful. I enjoyed the minor characters stories immensely. I also enjoyed the historical setting!

Thank you to #Netgalley and #EuropeComics for the eARC of #Alas.

Anytime I encounter a story with animals dominating the world in an aggressive stance against primitive humans, I can’t help but compare it to the two gold standards of my childhood, Planet of the Apes and Kamandi the Last Boy on Earth. The former, at least the first movie in the series, was thoughtful and philosophical within the framework of a science fiction adventure. That along with its insistence on portraying the apes as real characters is, I think, what has kept it in the public imagination beyond the more obvious reasons.

Kamandi, which Kirby was obviously inspired to create because of his fascination with Planet of the Apes, was a little more pulp-y, with broader and often more absurd satire delivered within the same framework, but a lot more over-the-top. It was actually perfect for the era and the age I was, offering social critique that was easily digestible to a simpler time with more complicated implications to its unfolding.

These two were obviously on my mind as I read Alas, a new digital release from Europe Comics. Originally rendered by French creative team writer Hervé Bourhis and artist Rudy Spiessert for the Belgian publisher Dupuis, I came to it with a lot of nostalgic baggage, and I wondered what possible hope it could have. As it turned out, a lot.



Alas might tread similar territory as those two favorites of mine, but its sensibility is fresh and the insights it offers are thankfully modern. Whereas the previous two works are from another era where human dominance is accepted as the norm even if it criticizes human society, Alas comes to the trope from a more enlightened place of animal rights and compassion, one that acknowledges that there is nothing inherently wrong with humans not being at the top of the food chain, but also uses its topsy-turvy reversal of actual circumstances to reveal a larger truth about empathy, either cross-species or from human-to-human.

Taking place in 1910-era Paris dominated by multiple types of animals, Alas centers around the capture of two human children and their distribution through illegal poaching. A wild chase between various factions erupts, all trying to find the children for their own purposes, but the ones we are rooting for are two pigs — Leopoldine, the daughter of a researcher in humans, and her would-be suitor Fulgence, a reporter investigating the human poaching.

It’s Leopoldine and Fulgence who bring us closer to the human girl, who we find out is named Leaf, and revelations about the current state of humans, but that’s during a flurry of activity made more frantic by the fact that Paris has flooded and any hopes of escape, any manifestation of chases, only happen in boats. The story unfolds in a semi-post-apocalyptic Parisian landscape, as we get to know our well-depicted pig protagonists along with the sorry humans of 1910.



But rather than just remain a madcap adventure with an interesting subtext, Alas goes into some dark territory that mixes well with the good-natured energy of the suspense section. In explaining how we got to this point in the story, there’s lots of intriguing backtracking over the history of humans and animals, mixing parallel historical details into something more powerful than conspiratorial terms, and eventually, in the grand finale, taking us someplace very dark indeed that has similarities to our own current relationship with animals.

Bourhis’ dialogue is alternately hilarious and mesmerizing, depending upon which is most required at that moment, and Spiessert’s art is charming and energetic, with great work on the animals and cityscapes amidst the flood.

The adventure ends here, but there’s a hint that there is more to come. Certainly, the history laid out, the implications of that history, and the engaging characters who traverse the adventure have offered an intriguing mix. I can certainly say that there is no reason this story shouldn’t continue, and I would be disappointed if it doesn’t.

This is a story of a parallel universe where animals are the dominant species set in 1910 Great Flood of Paris—I was hooked right from the start!

The unique art and color scheme (the use of colors to differentiate spaces) is exceptional and also helped me to understand what was happening. The setting of flooded Paris is something new to me. I didn’t know at all that this happened before. This is why I love historical fiction, it brings information as well as stories.

The role switching is done expertly and there is real discomfort of seeing humans treated as animals. It reminds us that no type of species will ever deserve cruelty and abuse of entities in positions of power. All creatures are worthy of kindness.

I love the political stance of the novel against all forms of oppression. It questions to what extent can we justify violence or force in the name of science and pursuit of knowledge. It also reminds us how history may just be a combination of fact and fabrication made by people (or animals in this scenario).

Definitely a lot of really morbid, disturbing scenes but also the right amount of humor inserted where appropriate. After reading, it leaves you with a lot of things to think about humanity and history.

In a world were animals are the dominant species, humans are hunt down and sold as a rare species. When a young girl is brought to Paris, she immediately becomes the object of everyone's curiosity; and maybe she is much more valuable than anyone had expected.

Alas is a genius story of a reverse world. Painfully honest, eye-opening and attention-grasping, Alas captures the reader's interest from page one. A wonderful artwork, both in terms of storytelling and visuals, this is a graphic novel that will appeal to many readers.

What an interesting concept. Lots of different layers, love story, political corruption, human trafficking, sexism! All the makings of a great story, A happy combination of Crime/Thriller, Historic Fiction, and Sci- Fi. I really enjoyed this story; pretty good character development, I look forward to seeing what else Herve Bourhis has to offer.

I enjoyed this book, the story isquirky and the drawings are really impressive, but the all humans vs. animals secret society felt a bit confused.
There were some plot details that were trully amazing, like the moments were they refer to animal instinct. No spoilers, so I say no more.

Disappointingly, this book offers little beyond a flooded Paris. Animals as humans and vice versa? Done that. Rewritten history for metaphor sake? Seen it. Wild child acting as saviour? Got the T-shirt. It's not unpleasant, but it's so old-hat it's bordering on the unfortunate – therefore it's at least appropriately named. One and a half stars.

Another interesting graphic novel. The artwork is rich in color and detail. The story itself was alright overall.

The artwork style creates a sense of justified unease as soon as one is dropped into this story, making it clear that this is a setting of dark secrets hiding somewhere just beneath the surface. Between that and the rapid world-building that only needs the first few pages to establish things, one is quickly drawn into "Alas," and if you're like me, you wont be able to put this back down until you've reached the very end.

I read the English edition of this graphic novel which is called 'Alas'.

It is set in a world where animals rule and humans are hunted and trafficked on the black market. In this world humans live as curiosities and they are to be hunted down and eaten, or traded for high prices, or even preserved as museum pieces.

A young human girl and boy see their parents killed by hunters and they are then captured and sold. The children are separated and the girl eventually ends up in the care of a scientist. The scientific community is amazed and scandalised when it seems that one of the children can speak but then the child is kidnapped and sold off like illegal contraband. The scientist who was researching humans manages to find the human girl and together they start to hunt for the little girl's brother. Alas, when they find him they have to overcome floods and animal foes in order to survive.

This is an interesting story. I thought the graphics were great but I didn't really like the colouring which was a bit unimaginative. Having said that the world building was excellent and the story was fascinating. I thought the reverse world with animals in power and humans as subservient was really interesting and kept me hooked until the end.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

An English translation, Alas is comic genius.
In an alternative history, the animal kingdom have learned with notable excetions to become civilised, don clothes and walk as bi-peds.
In part, this is possible because humankind have been hunted almost to extinction; more likely now to be seen in zoos or a taxidermists window few animals have any memory of what these sedious creatures who wanted to have dominion over the planet were truely like.
Set in early 20th Century Paris, it is the story of how Parisian society is thrown into chaos by the Siene flooding and how 2 small human children, recently captured by hunters and sold into capitivity could undermine the scientific community.
The drawing of a beautiful city is the glorious backdrop to this story. Cleverly interwoven are the various animals who work together in an egalitarian society. However, different political aims are brought into focus when the scientific research into a small human child reveals language. Asthe girl speaks? Or did she just echo a word spoken, like a bird.
Do humans have inteligence?; research has been limited and previously compromised. A young pig is unable to challenge her eminent Father's scientific findings but then a secret government agency impounds the girl. Meanwhile, more basic animalistic tendencies have been arosed by the presence of the human beings - a number of players are active to satisfy their own ends.
With the flood waters rising, no-one appears safe, but the young scientist is determined to rescue the human child.
I loved the drawings, the brief comments of humour in this crazy alternative reality. It through ups aspects of upbringing, genetics, predetermination of behaviour and definition of species. Almost 'can a leopard change its spots?' - Although the only big cat I think is a majestic tiger. Diet and food choices, not everyone can be a vegitarian, can they?
A story which will give many hours of pleasure, with new things seen and read on repeat viewings and plenty to think about. Especially humanity's footprint on our world.