The Demon of the Eiffel Tower: The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec [Paperback]

Jacques Tardi (Author), A. Delobel (Illustrator), R. Lofficier (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Adele Blanc-Sec continues her farcical adventures in French cartoonist Tardi's ( Adele and the Beast ) second volume about this no-nonsense mystery-solving heroine. Adele is no angel, and though ostensibly a writer, she's more often hatching a scam of some sort or looking to settle a grudge, in this case against a double-crossing partner who has victimized her. The sleuth now learns that her newest crony, Flageolet, has been hired by other parties to find a small statuette of a Babylonian demon called Pazuzu. She's faced with three apparently unrelated mysteries: Who has possession of the strange little statue? Why are people disappearing from Paris's Pont-Neuf? And what is causing a sudden outbreak of bubonic plague? There are plot twists aplenty, including a murder or two, as well as a parade of mysterious characters and more double-crosses. Adele's search ends with the discovery of an outlandish cult and a fight atop the Eiffel Tower. In crisp drawings with just the right combination of caricature and architectural precision, Tardi wonderfully captures turn-of-the-century Paris.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Nbm Pub Co (December 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561630012
• ISBN-13: 978-1561630011
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,067,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insight into Belle-Epoque France., July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Demon of the Eiffel Tower: The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (Paperback)

Before I begin my review, one thing that needs to be corrected. Anne Delobel is not the illustrator for Adele Blanc-Sec. Tardi drew AND wrote all of the books in the series. Delobel is Tardi's colourist.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec are a wonderful insight into Belle-Epoque France. Most people are only familiar with the high-cultured and very controlled aspects of French society and are therefore unaware of those aspects which are grotesque and cynical. Tardi's simple but effective style portrays this perfectly. It, as well as his dialogue, allows him to depict the Belle Epoque's distrust of authority, obsession with the underworld, and fascination with the occult in a style which is caustic and deliciously witty. Read some Tardi and he will show you a France which is far more complex and gripping than the "ooh-la-la" world that most people have come to expect.

The reviewer before me asked if there were any more books in the series. There are about six others, but they have not been translated to my knowledge. I would certainly rate "Eiffel Tower Demon" five stars, but I would rate the translation lower. Having read the original, there are certain nuances in the French language which are difficult to translate into English. Having seen parts of the translation, I couldn't help but feel that there was something missing.

But that aside, I would still recommend the translation. Tardi's work is virtually unknown in most of North America, and it's about time that its brilliance received the recognition that it deserves.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Comics Series by French Artist Tardi, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Demon of the Eiffel Tower: The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (Paperback)

Tardi's Adele Blanc-Sec series mixes humor, horror and Belle Epoque steampunk with panache and wonderfully drawn characterization. The series includes 5 or 6 more books and is a must for all fantasy fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever comic spoof of 19th century detective thrillers, May 10, 1999

By 

rampageous_cuss (Under Billy Penn's Hat) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Demon of the Eiffel Tower: The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (Paperback)

Another amusing, absurd detective thriller from Tardi and Delobel. Plucky crime reporter (and committer!) Adele Blanc-Sec is still reeling from the murder of her lover in Adele_and_the_Beast when a series of mysterious plague deaths attract her attention. In spite of the incompetent assistance of a Sherlock Holmes wannabe and the clumsy efforts of the police Adele successfully unmasks the conspirators of a sinister Assyrian cult. Talk about surprise endings!