A Quick Guide to “Ythaq” in English
A Brief History of “Ythaq” in America
(This is an update version of an article from 2017. The book is not available anymore on Izneo, but more volumes are out now on Comixology. Read on, while I attempt to make sense of it.)
Back in 2009, Marvel had a deal to publish translations of a few Franco-Belgian album series from Soleil. It didn’t last nearly long enough, but they had an interesting mix.
The standout for me was “Ythaq.” Marvel published two hardcover books’ worth of material, each collecting three albums from the series. At the time, that was the entirety of the series. Still, it left the reader hanging on kind of an important plot point.
Interestingly, the first overall story arc for the series ran through volume 9. If the Marvel deal had lasted another couple of years, Marvel would have been able to catch up to the series as it was being printed, and could have then published a third hardcover with volumes 7 – 9 to complete that arc.
‘Twas not to be.
Life Continues After Marvel
“Ythaq” continued past that in France, still by Christophe Arleston and Adrien Floch. Volume 15 hit stands in 2018. (Wikipedia has a publication history of Ythaq.)
It looks like the series has been pulled from Izneo. It was available there in English a couple of years ago, but they’re all gone now. You’ll need to go through Comixology on this one now, but there’s good news there.
The English translations in the series are up to volume 10 on Comixology. This puts the series now four books past what Marvel ever published. It also helps to cap off the intended first cycle of the series. (If you’re new to BD, “cycles” are the equivalent of “Story Arcs” or “Seasons.”)
It’s a fun book with lots of detailed fantasy art in it. I recommend it. I doubt the printed hardcovers are that easy to come by, so this might just be your best chance at picking the books up — and at a steep discount compared to the hardcovers I paid for.
Differences Between Marvel and New Digital Translations
The digital versions of these comics available from Soleil are very different from the ones that Marvel published.
The Marvel editions featured scripts by C.B. Cebulski from translations by Stephanie Logan and Nicolas Meylaender. The new Comixology editions are translated by Christina Cox-De Ravel.
There is a difference in the translations. I’ve gone over the three page samples from the website versus the hardcovers here and I’m not sure if I prefer one over the other. My initial opinion was that Marvel had the better translation, but I started to think maybe I’m biased as I read more. There are differences, but the story is still the same and nothing sounds terribly off in either case. So don’t worry about that.
The one thing I would worry a bit more about is the font and the coloring. Specifically, the scroll colored backgrounds on the caption boxes was a solid orange color at Marvel. With the digital version, it’s patterned a bit more to make the scroll look like it’s waving. That’s distracting and unnecessary.
Joe Caramagna handled the lettering for Marvel. Unlike many Marvel comics in the 2000s, it’s not done in mixed case style, at least. It’s all caps, and rather small. But, then, they had a lot to fit on the standard comic size pages after shrinking the art down. It works. The font is readable, and the lettering stays out of the way.
The Comixology pages are lettered in a much looser and larger font that better resembles hand lettering in the classic Franco-Belgian tradition. I like the way it looks a little better, though I do have to admit that the Marvel lettering might be a little easier to read, as it doesn’t try so hard to look like something else. It’s a little more formal, though not without a personality of its own.
Either Way, Go Get It
I don’t know that I’m going to buy the series again to re-read it now for a review, but I know I reviewed the book positively a few years back. I’m tempted to jump back in just to get to the end of the first cycle. The big stopped right now is that the books are dense. They pack a lot of reading in them. They’re not the kind of books you breeze through. But I think they’re worth it…
Of the 20-odd years he’s been around, I have yet to read something original or even remotely interesting from Arleston. He usually produces run-of-the -mill inconsequential fluff. In France his material is know as the stuff you browse through while doing your business somewhere private and white-walled.
Fun fact, before reverting to his real first name, Christophe, his pen name used to be Scotch. Scotch Arleston, get it? How’s that for credibility and standing…
Hey that’s funny you kept my original comment from 2017… Gosh I must have been in a foul mood that day 😉 Sure it’s not a terribly groundbreaking series, but compared to some of the stuff that comes out these days, it’s fairly readable. See, looks like I’m mellowing with age 😀
That still IS the original post. I just updated a few paragraphs to make it current and changed the publication date to bring it up to the front. The comments come along with it for free that day. You’ve evolved over the years, though. We can see how soft you’re getting. 😉