Samaris (Obscure Cities) Paperback – October 3, 2017

The main character in this tale is the city of Samaris itself. Franz is persuaded to travel to Samaris to investigate it for the city of Xhystos, a mission that no one has ever returned from. François Schuiten's rendering of the two rival cities is something out of a Kafkaesque nightmare. Reading it almost gave me the feeling of déjà vu, springing from out of my own dreams instead of the mind of Benoît Peeters. Definitely a book that I will read again. As a bonus this book includes the equally brilliant and ambitious unfinished "The Mysteries of Pâhry", which is similar to the first with its noir-like atmosphere. IDW does a great job publishing this series with the paperbacks being the best quality imaginable. If you are looking for something different with some breathtaking art, I would recommend this for you.

Firmly positioned withing the patently European experimental high concept tradition, with atendant positive and negative aspects: - on a positive note, it is innovative and beautifully drawn; on the negative side- as anything this innovative, it does not really perform well at repeated readings, as once the twist is known, it cannot be forgot and the story becomes somewhat uninteresting. But do bear in mind that these more conceptual and philosophical stories are far more innovative and mentally stimulating than any usual comic superhero fare. This is not so much for the Batman devotees, more of a Moebius / Metal Hurlant vibe. Cheers!

Very good graphic novel, worth the price for Schuiten's beautiful art alone!

Beautiful art. great story. all that a graphic novel should be.

Amazing art and stories. A fabulous book.

Loved the art in the comic, and the printing is incredible! A gorgeous paperback volume that came in perfect condition--no wrinkles or folds to the covers or pages. The stories themselves were less interesting than I'd hoped, but the illustration was magnificent.

The story-line owes a lot to Kafka (acknowledged, as the hero is called Franz) and is quite interesting in its dreamy, symbolic way. The illustrations are architectural more than free-hand, have a nice art-nouveau/ art deco blending that suits the Jules Verne period imagery and the quasi-science fiction nature of the tale. The hero journeys from one city (Xhystos) to another (Samaris) on a diplomatic mission to find out what happened to some friends who never returned from a previous mission. Samaris is the inner city on a vortical landscape of several cities, and is a peculiar blend of various architectural styles and periods, where many doors are blocked and the streets seem to change in tune with the hero's growing depression. The people are unfriendly, and there are no children. There is a nice looking young woman (Clara... or is it "Carla"... which is either Franz becoming dyslexic or a translator's mistake) who might be the missing sister of Anna, Franz's lover back in Xhystos, but... well, you'll just have to read this intriguing graphic novel to find out. The ending might seem murky (how do you get out of a dream cul de sac anyway?) but all in all, not bad for a couple of young guys! (Peeters & Schuiten were in their early twenties when they created this) LR, Radio Brazil, Outlaw Academic, et. al.