A world destroyed by a tidal wave, a rise in racism and an increase in violence. No, no, this is not the summary of a diary but the plot of Ylanoon. Discover in this column our opinion on volume 31 of the Elves of the Lands of Arran series.
A great discovery
The Lands of Arran were expanded by the discovery of a second island: the Ogon Lands. Rather than provoking a conquest, it is above all the way for Soleil editions to offer an even richer gallery of new characters. Through the dialogues, the fan finds allusions to characters from previous volumes. We meet humans but also dwarves, elves, magicians … Indeed, Kyko Duarte's images plunge the reader into a fantasy world : blue creatures ride polar bears. However, this universe is not a simple revival of the codes of heroic fantasy but there is an opening towards greater diversity in representation. A fighter loves only men and two former lovers find each other.
As with Marvel, the Lands of Arran is a very large set of comics set in the same place at different times. This volume 31 of the Elves series presents the situation after the apocalypse. A tidal wave ravaged the coasts and the ghoul war caused a significant number of deaths. The cartoonist Kyko Duarte freezes us from the first page by showing the destruction of villages, the bereaved families. Indeed, even if there are different stakeholders, the Lands of Arran have a certain graphic unity. This can be seen through the use of large panoramic huts with very large landscapes and smaller creatures in the middle. Held responsible for these two disasters, the elves are hated by all other communities. This hatred and crisis provokes the gathering of all communities of blue elves under Aamon's leadership. However, like their aging leader, this group is in decline. These community relations of rejection unfortunately seem very contemporary. There is no solidarity between races in the Lands of Arran but a fragile cohabitation sometimes and most often racism. The last page also announces future racial conflicts.
Sherlock and Legolas
However, each volume of The Lands of Arran is a complete character-centered narrative. The reader can therefore start anywhere and each volume often mixes different genres of the imagination. Ylanoon mixes fantasy and police investigation. In this dark period of destruction, several merchants are beheaded in the forest. The blue elf Lanawyn investigates with his young apprentice Ylanoon. Examining the bodies, she understands that these murders are staged and that this is only the beginning. She will have to ask humans for help while her community is hated. A group is formed to discover the killer, giving this volume a choral tone rare in the Lands of Arran. Around Lanawyn, the redhead Ylanoon is an Inquisitor eager for discoveries. A huge barber, the human Konnor, joins them. He has a natural charisma but sad look due to recent dark facts. Together, they discover clues through the words of witnesses, analyze the crime scene and perform an autopsy. The noose tightens around the culprit but the final denouement will totally disorient you.
This new chapter of the Lands of Arran continues to hybridize the genres of the imaginary starting from the very popular universe of fantasy. The screenwriter Jean-Luc Istin offers a well-structured and skilful scenario by mixing investigation and fantasy. The avid reader of this universe witnesses the rise of hatred and discovers a lost city of orcs. But Ylanoon is above all a touching episode about grief.
You can discover other territories of the Lands of Arran by chronicles on Kronan and Kastennroc.
