François Vigneault’s TITAN is a slim volume, a quick but impactful read. Far in the future, humans have genetically engineered a race of super-strong, super-big people called Titans. When MNGR João da Silva arrives on the planet Titan, things are already tenuous. The relationship between Titans and “Terrans,” what they call humans from Earth, is hostile – one Titan snaps that she’d “rather scrub dreg out the line with my tongue” than work directly with a Terran. The planet is a powder keg, about to explode. That’s when Phoebe, a fiery red-haired Titan, arrives, pulling João deeper into a conflict he can’t escape.
Titan’s art is simple but effective. It’s monochromatic, completely done in white, pink, grey and black. There’s minimal line work, but every line is put to good use- the wrinkles lining MNGR da Silva’s face, the cartoonish bubbles indicating tipsiness when the MNGR and Phoebe share a bottle of alcohol. The art balances well between sci-fi realism and classic, simple comic book art.
The characters in the book are mostly sketched out archetypes but nonetheless they feel like real people. As much as a sci-fi story, this could just as well be any story about a worker’s revolt in harsh, exploitive conditions. The few explicitly sci-fi elements are fun additions, such as MNGR da Silva’s i, an internal piece of technology built into his eye that can control the entire planet’s systems at the speed of thought.
I also feel like I should mention a content warning – there’s a graphic sex scene in the book (and if you were wondering, yes, Titans and Terrans can have sex).
If you’re looking for a fun quick read, pick up a copy of TITAN.
Titan was originally published in French. The English translation was published by Oni Press in November 2020.
The Furious Gazelle received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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