Skandalon

Maroh returns after the great success of her first graphic novel, Blue Is the Warmest Color, with a tale that follows the career of a fictional French singer/songwriter named Tazane. The book opens with Tazane at the height of his popularity. He is beloved by young men and women alike, and no matter what he sings or how he changes his work or how badly he acts, his fans stick by him. He begins to act out, abusing fans, causing riots, and doing drugs before shows. The story culminates when he sexually assaults a fan, and the book covers the fallout as the world turns against him. Tazane is a very realistic, believable character that readers will love and hate. The book is beautifully drawn, with fluid figures, in Maroh’s signature, rubbery style, with dream sequences and strange moments giving ethereal breaks in the text. The book is fast and engaging—maybe a bit too fast, as the swiftly moving story could have been expanded even more. Agent: Ivanka Hahnenberger. (Oct.)