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Snowpiercer, Vol. 1: The Escape Hardcover – January 28, 2014
| Jacques Lob (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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In a harsh, uncompromisingly cold future where Earth has succumbed to treacherously low temperatures, the last remaining members of humanity travel on a train while the outside world remains encased in ice.
The surviving community are not without a social hierarchy; those that travel at the front of the train live in relative luxury whilst those unfortunate enough to be at the rear remain clustered like cattle in claustrophobic darkness. Yet, things are about to change aboard the train as passengers become disgruntled...
- Print length112 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTitan Comics
- Publication dateJanuary 28, 2014
- Dimensions8.36 x 0.55 x 11.13 inches
- ISBN-101782761330
- ISBN-13978-1782761334
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"It's a great science fiction read that will keep you thinking for days." - Examiner
"I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories, so this one's right up my alley." - Quint's SUMMER GEEK GUIDE (Aint It Cool News)
"Looks fantastic, with a design that's almost timeless." - Kotaku
"One of the most celebrated sociopolitical tales in comics." - IGN
"Snowpiercer is a great read and a great looking release. If nothing else it’ll look super classy sitting on your bookshelf" - Nerdophiles
"Rises above the clichés" - Miami Herald
"I was enthralled." - Geek Twins
"Paired with an incredibly skilled artist, this first installment, in what will be a trilogy of graphic novels, is one that should not be passed up." - Another Castle
"Lob’s script is fierce and sharply characterized." - Blogcritics
"Stunning black and white art, full of shades of grey, makes fantastic use of the setting." - Giant Freakin
"Snowpiercer was worth the wait." - Basement Rejects
"A triumph of the medium." - Silver Emulsion
"The artwork in the book is once again first rate." - Geek Hard
"After more than 30 years, it’s about time this thought-provoking story got an English language release." - Nerdcore Movement
"From its commentary on inequality, to the mysterious and intriguing characters, to the dystopian future it presents, Snowpiercer hits high marks across the board. Part noir, part gritty science fiction, this series takes a unique perspective on the end of the world." - Destroy The Cyborg
"From an artistic standpoint, the book is marvelous." - Comic Attack
"It’s cerebral, it’s entertaining, and it’s brutally honest, making it a powerful and damning message about our modern society when all hope is lost." - Leviathyn
"Hard To Put Down." - Destroy the Brain
"Rochette’s work is evocative of American classics of the eighties, such as Dave Gibbons’ work on Watchmen, David Lloyd’s work on V for Vendetta, and Frank Miller’s work on Sin City...Snowpiercer is a page turner that comic and science fiction fans alike will find to be an engrossing read." - SF Signal
"Four Out of Five Stars." - SciFi Mafia
"A modern classic." - Pop Culture Leftovers
"An extremely fantastic and timeless read." - Galactic News One
"Snowpiercer would be a welcome addition to any comic collection." - Comic Hype
"A good apocalyptic read and a well-executed translation." - Knowshi
"The story is solid, tightly paced, with layers that grow more nuanced and complex as you read deeper through to the end. Like the never-ending, seemingly futile journey of the train itself, the plot comes at you like a steamroller." - Girls Like Comics
"An unusually clever and simple tragedy of class warfare and the arrogance and resilience of humanity that manages to be relevant and fresh 30 years after its original publication." - Fanboy Comics
"Not the kind of book you want to miss out on. Jaqcues Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette craft a claustrophobic tale of social structures, violence, and sex, all in stunning detail." - IGN
"A science fiction tale that certainly stands the test of time." - Film Pulse
"Those of you who might want to skip these enthralling and thought provoking pages for the silver screen adaptation would be missing out on a remarkable read." - Forces of Geek
"An engaging and clever take on the usual tropes of the apocalypse/survivalist genre." - The Playlist
"Snowpiercer is unlike anything I’ve read. The premise alone is enough to attract readers and the themes and issues are still relevant. It’s a great, compelling look at humanity and its treatment of class difference." - Major Spoilers
"Powerful." - The Dissolve
"Titan went out on a limb to bring this great story to life for English readers." - Nerd Gasms
"Titan's volume is their usual gorgeous book, and it's well worth buying." - Uproxx
"It may have taken a decade for this creative French comic to get some of the spotlight, but great comics like this are often timeless." - Examiner
"An outstanding human tale about the struggles of class in a very unfortunate situation." - We The Nerdy
"This collection is presented in a beautiful hardcover edition which presents Jean-Marc Rochette’s clean, propulsive art to its best advantage." - Project Fandom
"An entertaining action thriller that’s much deeper than you’d expect. I absolutely recommend checking it out." - Graphic Policy
"Titan gives this first volume of “Snowpiercer” the respect it deserves. The translation is solid and the hardcover printing is beautiful. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s well worth the wait." - Bloody Disgusting
"Fantastic writing and gritty art, and though it debuted in 1982, it still feels fresh some 30 years later." - The Verge
"Essential reading for any fans of the sequential arts...and a book I can’t recommend highly enough. 5/5" - Big Comic Page
"If you’re into cool stories about futures that suck, this one is worth your time." - Geek Hard
"One of the best science fiction stories I’ve read in the comic/graphic novel medium." - Nerds Unchained
"Left me breathless...Jean-Marc Rochette’s illustrations are flawless. 5/5" - Den of Geek
"Highly recommended." - Twitch
"Dystopian scifi at its best...a marvellous entry into the genre, and one of Europe's finest comics works." - io9
"A great read and a very entertaining book." - 411 Mania
"A tightly presented, compelling story that considers the plight of one man caught inside a class struggle that has implications for the very survival of the human race. And don’t get me wrong, it may be a dark tale, but it is a well-crafted and exciting one. I’ll be the first one to buy a boarding pass when they release Snowpiercer Volume 2: Explorers." - Pop Mythology
"A wonderful graphic novel" - Nerd Span
"Packed with great storytelling (written and artistically), it is great to have this story finally translated into English. Moreover, this is a story that thirty years on, is still just as engaging and compelling as it was way back in 1984." - The MacGuffin
"Pretty much the definition of a page-turner, this comic book has not aged at all, and deserves to be on the shelf of any comic book fan. I honestly can’t say how impressed I am that Titan has managed to finally get this volume translated." - Population Go
"This is a thrilling post-apocalyptic tale that draws you in and never lets go. We highly recommend "SNOWPIERCER"!" - TM Stash
"Nothing short of awesome." - Horror Movies
"Lob’s tale is both frightening and very real...Rochette’s illustrations are equally as enthralling and superbly capture the essence of the script itself. While the book predominantly paints a dark picture, it does offer rare moments that masterfully encapsulate emotions such as joy, pain and anger, something that speaks volumes to the work’s ability to captivate." - The Nerd Machine
"Similar in tone and setting to Alan Moore's V for Vendetta." - Super Punch
"It’s easy to lose yourself in Snowpiercer because the world feels real." - Hyper Geeky
"Like WALKING DEAD, this is apocalypse
done right!" - Ain't It Cool
"One of the greatest sci-fi comics ever written!"
- Comics Beat
"An absolutely fascinating read from cover to cover, "Snowpiercer: The Escape" is one of those dystopian science fiction stories that is all too plausible given today's political polarization, increasingly rapid climate change, and humanities undeniable contribution to the increasing extinction rates of flora and fauna species globally. " -Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Jacques Lob, winner of the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême award, was a Franco-Belgian comic book author, best known for his Superdupont series. He began his career as an editorial cartoonist, before an editor suggested he focused on his writing, which bore rich fruit across a number of genres. He passed away in 1990.
Jean-Marc Rochette is a painter, illustrator and cartoonist. He has worked across a variety of projects and genres, from science fiction comics to children's cartoons - including adaptations of Voltaire's Candide and Homer's Odyssey - but Snowpiercer remains the work by which he is most popularly known.
Product details
- Publisher : Titan Comics; Illustrated edition (January 28, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 112 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1782761330
- ISBN-13 : 978-1782761334
- Item Weight : 1.5 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.36 x 0.55 x 11.13 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #787,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #243 in Dystopian Graphic Novels
- #3,546 in Media Tie-In Graphic Novels
- #3,588 in Science Fiction Graphic Novels (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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SNOWPIERCER is a graphic novel that was first published over thirty years ago in France. It’s amazing how relevant many of the issues the book raises still are. In some ways the story is even more relevant today as society wrestles with climate change and our impact upon the environment. There are moments that the story drags, but not so much that it distracts from the overall story. Personally, I really enjoyed reading SNOWPIERCER, VOL. 1 THE ESCAPE and I look forward to reading the other three volumes in the trilogy.
Where the story (arguably) flounders a little is in the execution. The pace of the story is so incredibly rapid that no ideas are explored or discussed in any real depth - social injustices are apparently presented "as-is" at face value, and any depth of consideration is left to the reader. This would probably not have been problematic if it did not result in characters that seemed very flat (with the exception of the two main characters); even the conflicts and negotiations between the various role players seem wooden and unconvincing. There seem to be no real obstacles for the protagonists; everything just happens to work out smoothly and the story, like the train it happens on, just chugs along. I also get the impression that the dialogue suffered in the process of being translated from French into English and would rather read it in the original language.
Jean-Marc Rochette's artwork is striking and appropriate, but is also inconsistent in treatment. Lack of attention to keeping the features of key characters recognisable throughout the narrative was especially distracting (they simply look like different people at various points in the story, even accounting for changes in hairstyles, the length of the timeline etc). Having said this, his treatment of facial features is often incredibly engaging and beautiful.
I appreciated being able to benefit from the lower cost of procuring this comic in the paperback edition. The hardcover edition is clearly a nicer product, but I would have felt cheated if I had paid more for this story.
The plot offers a potential that was better executed on-screen and failed to fully come to life within the pages of this first volume. The blurb is pretty definitive and there is no need to explore the concept in-depth. Perhaps the biggest barrier standing between myself and possible love for this post apocalyptic story would be dialog. It leaned heavily towards dry and flat. There seemed to be a lack of real depth within the story, yet so much was happening.
The artwork was the one element that actually carried me through to the end. Had it not been for the bold, grey-scale illustrations offering a simplistic yet fitting representation of this bleak and dismal situation, I may have shelved this one. I struggle to imagine this story unfolding in full colour. Even the film was visually drab in the best of ways.
The characters play their part but offer little in terms of interest. Again, I have to blame dialog. I found myself disappointed with the portrayal of women within this container like society, viewed more as sexual objects and contributing little of value. To be fair, that could be the result of the current societal structure in such confined spaces, but I could not get into or support the idea.
While this was certainly not a terrible read, it failed to be an impactful one. I do feel that the GN places more emphasis on the political aspect of the story and manages to convey this successfully which was appreciated. But there were a lot of lack luster moments that struggled to capture just how dire the situation has become. I have read that there are some translation issues that might be at fault, but I honestly cannot offer any insight into the truth of those comments.
The end result for myself was “okay”. I don’t believe I will pick up the second volume right now. This is a series that boasts a fascinating story-line but is moving at a very leisurely rate. If you don’t mind the pacing, perhaps test the waters. For now however, I recommend the film which happens to be a favorite of mine.
Top reviews from other countries
The graphic novel is excellent.
Just as the film is different from the series,expanded and detailed the graphic novel is totally different from both.
And, I admit all the better for that.
It is a lot grimmer, short and the detail of the claustrophobic natue of mankind being limited to just 1001 rail cars pulled by a perceptual motion railway engine endlessly circling the globe.
The world is an icy wasteland of endless ice and snow.
The book is in black and white which really mimics the outer world of black and white and the harsh nature of life aboard the train is enhanced to the full.
De humanised, brutal yet totally believable guards ' police the train' like the 'best' run Soviet Gulags.
Two central characters as taken from the rear of the train on a long and incident filled trek to the Engine at the head.
This treatment really emphasises the world on the train and although shorter trumps both the TV series in explaining the true horror of a warm world now lost to Mankind.
A totally brilliant Graphic Novel.
A few years ago a live-action Adele Blanc-Sec was released, which wasn't fantastic but did make me aware of the classic comic series, so I bought a few. Now I find myself in a similar boat as the live-action movie of "Transperceneige" (the original French title) comes out this year and we have the series translated in English for the first-time, just to plug the movie a little more!
I basically read through this in a single afternoon/evening. I couldn't put it down. I don't want to give away any spoilers (and therefore ruin the novel and the movie), but it's a slightly crazy idea of the last if the human-race being stuck on a forever-travelling 1001-carriage train. When reading it, I never "felt" that the train was that long, but maybe that just me! The entire setting is depressing and the political/social aspects of the book relate directly to real-life... even though it's 30 years old it still makes a good point about todays world (rich/poor, etc). The artwork, although somewhat dated, suits the tone completely with its stark colouring.
I bought both Vol1 and Vol2 at the same time. If you're a collector you'll want both. But with hindsight, Vol2 really wasn't necessary - it's almost a rehash of the first volume, and doesn't really add anything in it's own right. (If you read the notes inside, you find out it came out about 10/15 years the original with a different artist.) I don't know if the new movie will pull material from both sources, but I hope it just sticks with Vol 1.
Vol1 - 5/5
Vol2 - 3/5
I was certainly not disappointed and am now definitely looking forward to the film adaptation starring Jamie Bell, Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton. The 'blurb'/concept is very interesting and different and this inspired me to buy it without having much prior knowledge or awareness of it. A glimpse into a future where the planet is covered in Ice/snow and the only remnants of civilization are on board a thousand carriage long train, constantly traveling around the world. Not only that, but naturally this train has class defined areas, that ultimately lead to difficulties and lead to questions about morality, human nature and survival.
I prefer not to include spoilers in any reviews, so I won't go into any more detail on the story front. After reading it, I certainly enjoyed the 'simplicity' of the narrative, yet the complexity of the underlying themes and questions added enough depth to the book to cater for Adult reading. And it certainly is an adult novel, don't buy it for children, even if the concept, simplicity of the story and classic-ness of it would interest them. Warning, scenes of a sexual nature!
The reason I gave it 4/5 and not 5/5 is mainly due to the French to English Translation, sometimes leading to grammatical irregularities that make sequences a bit flat or uneasy to read. Having not read it in its original print, I can't tell wether that is down to writing style or wether it is as i say the translation issue, but either way one can certainly look past this and thoroughly enjoy this book with a moral.
Ive already received Volume 2: The Explorers and will read that in due course and the onto the Film later on in the year. Can't Wait!!
Its a great dystopian story, forewarning about the dangers of classism.
It describes the troubles of the only known people left in the world who are riding on a super train ( Snow Piercer ) that has to keep moving, if it stops then everyone will freeze onboard.
I don't want to say much more about it but personally I love these and the other 2 graphic novels in the Snow Piercer series.
I prefer the Movie to the Graphic Novel, but I don't read them often.








