This is my first time reading a book on the “The Obscure Cities” series and I loved it. The art and the story were unique and intriguing.
The authors worked on the book in the mid-eighties and contacted Orson Welles to base the main character likeness on him! This is probably one of the last Welles collaborations in any medium before he passed away in 1985.
But this is just anecdotal, the main appeal of the book is the art, heavily inspired by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a famous Venetian architect from the 18th century who was known by his “Imaginary Prisons" etchings.
I am happy that I discovered these series and I am looking forward to keep reading them.
ah, so you started with the earliest in chronology, even though this was the third in series - sounds like a plan. i’ve only read a few of these so far.
excellent notes, and i never knew the piranesi connection. milo manara did a crazy ‘piranesi prison planet’ book as i recall, but i’ve no idea if there’s any connection.
I was aware it is the authors third book and not the first but choose this one as the previous ones weren’t available in the online store I was buying, it had good reviews and my understanding is that most of these series are stand-alone volumes with almost no connections with the previous ones.
most of these series are stand-alone volumes with almost no connections with the previous ones.
yes, that was my experience from reading the first four or so
Great stuff! I will always admire the outstanding drawing style of Schuiten.
