Those days that disappear in our comedy review – The Tower

It’s not often that the medium — be it a video game, a movie, or a book — has made me as thought-provoking and emotionally disturbing as the comic in today’s review: I was delighted to recently receive a copy of the comic Those days that go away Written by French comic book author Timothy Le Boucher. In this country, the publisher Cross Cult has taken on this work and after reading it I have to say that this comic is perhaps the highlight of 2023.

But everything is on top, the way it is Those days that go away? You are watching the story of young stuntman Lupine. Although he never has enough money and always has to work hard just to make ends meet, he seems happy, after all, he actually has everything a happy young life needs: a flamboyant relationship, close friends, and a fulfilling hobby. However, one fateful day, Lupine hits his head and something strange happens to him.

When he fell asleep on the day of the strike, he only woke up two days later. He himself does not know this. Only his friend and co-worker brings this to his attention. crazy? Did he sleep all day? Unfortunately no. The pattern repeats itself. Lupine falls asleep and wakes up two days later when he suddenly finds a video message from himself on the computer offering an explanation for these mysterious incidents.

In the video, he himself sits down, groomed, though in reality he’s a mess, and talks about his fear of being a parasite. He has no memory of his past and always wakes up two days later. He doesn’t know what’s going on and he wants an answer. Lupine, looking at this letter from himself, is shocked and the scales now fall from his eyes. He doesn’t sleep all day… Every day, another soul takes over his body and lives on while he remains in a deep, uncontrolled sleep like the “real” Lupine.

Those days that go away In the first half, it tells what happens and how Lupine tries to solve the mystery with his family, friends and acquaintances. It is not clear what disease Lubin suffers from and why this pattern persists. Her alter ego is also rapidly developing her personality and uses her days not only to reflect, but to live. This rupture in the double life causes the original Lupine’s daily life to change dramatically. His girlfriend leaves him, and his unreliability costs him his job and weighs in on his hobby. No one can really predict where this story will go.

What makes this comic book incredibly easy to read are the many ideas about identity and one’s right to life. Again and again, questions are raised through the narrative. As the spiral of despair spins deeper, you, the reader, will also find yourself caught up in a dizzying hurricane of emotions that will make you question whether the end is what you had hoped for. However, it is not only the issue of identity that is revealed – society is also in front of a mirror as to how it (not) deals with illnesses that need psychological clarification. Marginalization causes those affected to isolate and lose themselves. Lupine’s plight shows a sad pattern: the environment tries to help, but the overburden gets too much. Those affected become a burden, relatives cannot stand the pressure and turn away, or the affected person isolates themselves out of self-doubt or shyness until despair wears off from their core.

What makes this comic’s narrative style so special is the perspective that Timothy Le Boucher constantly works on: Lupine’s other-self view is practically unchanged. You are constantly following only (half) the “real” Lupine’s life. You can only tell what happened outside of your waking state from the reports around you – just like the “real” Lubin. The same moments of surprise that the protagonist of this story experiences, so that their feelings—surprise, pain, fear, joy, despair—become part of you in some way. It also automatically establishes the idea that Lupine is the good guy who needs saving, while the other side is a parasite and needs to be wiped out. The central theme of identity and the right to life is thus presented and discussed in a very interesting, if harrowing way.

Timothé Le Boucher’s graphics are as high quality as his story is in depth. The entire volume is printed in color. You can tell that the comic publisher put a lot of effort into the translation, but also into the quality of the material. The paper is thick and tactile, allowing you to completely lose yourself in this oversized book. The panels are mostly evenly arranged and appear to be more functional than stylistically used. However, this is offset by the richness of detail in the individual scenes, which give the story and, above all, the environment an additional authenticity through many hidden details and thus guarantee an overall overall experience.

If you want to get a first impression of the cool illustrations and the beginning of the plot, you can here View sample reading online.

• Color hardcover
• ISBN: 978-3-9866-6027-7
• 21.4 x 28.8 cm, 192 pages
• 35.00 euros

Order The Days That Disappear now at Books.de

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Order “Those Days That Go Away” now on Amazon.de

Our online magazine ntower is a member of the affiliate networks Amazon PartnerNet, Awin, Webgains, Media Markt E-Business GmbH and Saturn online GmbH. If you order via one of our affiliate links, we receive a variable commission from the respective store operator. There are no additional costs for end customers.