This limited edition reproduces all of Fabrice TARRIN’s original plates. Numbered and signed by Fabrice TARRIN and Fred NEIDHARDT!
Containing the entire album SPIROU CHEZ LES SOVIETS, entirely in facsimile of original plates at their actual size! 20 pages of color graphic notebook THE SOVIETS FILE containing illustrations, research, the first abandoned versions of the story and much more. 25 pages THE PORTFOLIO of Fabrice TARRIN containing the short stories: The Heroic Youth of Fantasio, the tale of Champignap as well as various tributes. A luxurious Offprint made with pigment inks, signed by Fabrice TARRIN, format 14 x 36 cm. A Frontispiece justifying the printing inserted in the binding and signed by the authors and manually stamped by the Politburo.
2 EXCLUSIVE, limited and collector’s BONUSES for buyers of the site will be included in the package.
Hardcover, Round spine with hot stamping of the title in GOLD on the spine, cover and back cover, gold headbands. Printed on Beautiful Munken 170g paper. Sent in armored cardboard packaging.
- Editions Black and White, April 30, 2021
- ISBN 9791094988718
- 30 x 42 cm (12″ x 16.5″), 104 pages, hardcover
- 185,00€
- Order online: Editions Black and White
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
A few years ago I made a bulk purchase from Editions Black and White. I wanted to see how many books I had to get to bring the shipping price within reason, so I went through and added every book that looked good to my cart. It was a bit crazy, but I had just sold some books and the money was sitting in my PayPal account. Plus, a few free items were included when I received my package. Every experience I’ve had with Editions Black and White has been great. Unfortunately, a bulk purchase means lots of books arriving all at once, and they fell by the wayside.
Tarrin’s art brought the best of Franquin and added a wonderfully classic element to this modern work. Plus, the pages were packed with production tidbits, along with heavy inks. It was expressive, detailed, and fun. Roll that into this period appropriate design, 170gsm paper, and a signature plate with both creators’ signatures and a bonus section of additional Tarrin work. Then throw in three prints. This is a standout work.
The full album is presented in its entirety, all original art pages present. The pages appear to be printed at the same size as the originals: there is no border or colour change. At first, I thought they were trimmed at the panels but there is a handwritten page number at the bottom right juts under the panel. Following the album pages is Les Dossier Des Soviets, all the extras from Tarrin. These include cover roughs and finishes, preliminary pages, replacement panels, and an overall wealth of material. Then we have Portfolio Fabrice Tarrin, more work by the artist featured in Spirou. There are original art pages mixed with production pages. I appreciate the original art but not sure how the production pages fit this type of book.
All scans are clear and precise, with nary an issue. There is a lot of blue pencil throughout: lines for the word balloons, layouts of the panels, shading, and more. No margin notes save for the page numbers. No gradients in the inks. I didn’t spot any correction fluid. The pages don’t appear to have aged, and the paper is a slight cream.
The design is wonderfully creative in its willingness to embrace the Soviet era fonts and symbols. Those font choices lean right into the work, as do the stars, hammer and sickle, and even the bold red throughout. Notes about the work in the Dossier and Portfolio sections are immensely helpful. We don’t see the black and gold from the cover and spine in the interior.
Production is excellent: a sewn binding of 170gsm matte paper with a slight finish. The pages lay flat when the center is smoothed. The book comes in a cardboard case that bears a colour sticker with the title, ISBN, and publisher name and URL.
I added “édition limiteé” to the title as it was mentioned this way opposite the title page, and everywhere else it’s just the story title.
