In 19th century England a bunch of strangers are scooped up and dropped into a secret program working for the Crown. They (and us) are given very little information as they have to figure out puzzles to keep moving on. It has the feel of a video game. The focus is on the story and not the characters who I don't even though if they all were given names yet. It's intriguing and I liked the art quite a bit.

Thanks NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Dynamic art, beautiful coloring, clear depiction that kept good pace with the plot and character development. This is a fun concept, super secret organization, sponsored by the crown during the colonizing of the Americas, recruiting the best of the best, sometimes from their bed, often at knife point, or sword. Very engaging read, can’t wait to read the other volumes!

This was so bad I could not even finish it, and lord knows, I tried to 3 times. It was just incredibly confusing, and the plot (what little there was of it) was SO pointless: random people with NO backstory whatsoever are kidnapped with weird guys and taken to a house where... something... is going on and there are keys and steampunk ships??? WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING HERE?
Also, the art was super ugly.

This comic has an interesting premise, and I like the historical settings of 1800s England. The story is interesting, but there's not much depth yet. I would expect that to come in later volumes. The artwork, while good, doesn't seem to have it's own unique aspect. There are also times the panels aren't conveying what I think the author means for us to see. Overall, though, this seems to be the beginning of an interesting series.

A group of students, some kidnapped, seek to find a way out of a very strange school in a steam-punk Great Britain. When they manage that feat, they found out that they were being recruited into a secret organization that did the Crown's bidding. But they had to fund themselves by treasure seeking. And that was their next task, recover a certain treasure while avoiding smugglers. Will they survive this or fail utterly? Nice artwork, a decent plot, and a cliff-hanger ending.

The Corsairs of Alcibiades promised action and adventure. I’m normally not really intrigued by books that flaunt being set in early-1800’s England, but the combination of the cover art and the promised mystery and intrigue drew me in. I’m glad it did.
Five people from across the spectrum of careers and morals are kidnapped by men in masks and brought to a facility where they are told that they need to pass a test to be accepted further. Surrounded by others who were similarly kidnapped, this group notes that being kidnapped isn’t exactly the start to a happy relationship. They decide that it would be better to escape, and thus begins a complex race through a puzzle-rigged underground facility.
The narrative here makes a big ask of its readers: people will get over being kidnapped if faced with a sufficiently intriguing challenge. If you let yourself suspend your disbelief on this (or perhaps you agree with it), then you will be rewarded with a frenetic adventure with intelligent protagonists. The conclusion sets up the series for an extended run, and I hope that in later volumes we spend more time getting to know the characters and seeing how they interact.
All things considered, this was a really fun start to what promises to be an exciting series. Adventure fans, especially historical adventure fans, should strongly consider picking this one up.

Review will be available at the provided link on 4/11/19

The premise of this graphic novel sounds really good, however I didn't find the plot to be particularly interesting and I didn't care for the characters.

The aspect of a secret school in order to make the idea of adventure become real tends to function on a basis of say “The Skulls” or Captain Nemo. However if it can connect to the texture of the youth and also be global, it takes on a different dynamic. With “The Corsairs Of Albigaides” [Fillippi & Liberge/Europe Comics/58pgs], the alliance of almost pirates and national security blend with the origin story of agents who through a series of tests have to show and exhibit their problem solving abilities as well as stamina. There is a nice cross section of male and female charm and can do even though this is set back at the turn of the 20th century (as in the 1900s). The progression moves on the basis that there is always lost treasure to be discovered and that this will indefinitely fund this secret society that works under the auspices of Her Majesty. While some of the art and creation points gives the graphic novel a illustrious hero boost of sensibility, it feels a tad forced. However there is moments of grandeur especially on the bow of a large ship with young industrialists ready for battle. Alas, it is only a short blink before they are returned to London to be given assignments. Granted the way they both get from their initial university and then get back to Central London Underground is quite neat say on par with the hidden Hall Of Magic in “Harry Potter”. This introduction, however fanciful, doesn’t really move the stakes on with any vengeance or persistance. It is more used as a primer for the next adventure which hopefully delivers on its promise.

C

By Tim Wassberg

The Corsairs of Alcibiades has all the essential ingredients for a thrilling and successful comic-book adventure series. It has a classic 19th century steampunk setting, where there are mysterious secretive societies developing plans to overthrow or at least completely transform the social order. The revelations of how they plan to do this are gradually revealed through a diverse group of individuals who have been recruited, but who first have to pass a series of dangerous tests to prove their abilities. A cursory glance at the detailed fantastical artwork also makes this a very attractive package indeed. The execution of the plotting however, at least in this first volume of the series, suggests that perhaps it's even trying to pack too much into a single opening episode.

When I say recruited, obviously mysterious underground organisations don't advertise in the papers, so it's more a case that the latest potential recruits are abducted and not given much choice in the matter. The situations in which they are apprehended does however give us some idea of the particular skills and qualities that the organisation is looking for. In England, 1825, Curtis is involved in a burglary that is on the point of going wrong when the situation suddenly becomes even more dangerous with the appearance of a group of armed masked men who whisk him away. Mayline seems to be involved with an organisation that is under siege from the authorities when she is also 'recruited'.

Mayline and Curtis find that they are have been gathered along with a large number of petty low-life criminals and anti-establishment revolutionaries wanted by the authorities. What is expected of them isn't made clear, although if they pass the various stages in the selection process and prove to have the necessary skills they are promised that it will grant them admission to "a new university where the elite of English society are to be educated". A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? Well, we're in that same era of high pulp adventure, so The Corsairs of Alcibiades sounds good, sounds sufficiently mysterious and offers plenty of potential.

The remainder of the first volume of the series, Secret Elites, certainly sets about delivering on that potential. Teaming up with Peter and Lydia are a university student and a caretaker's daughter who have solved clues in some mysterious document pointing to hidden treasure, and Mike, another 'recruit' who has obtained a key that will open the necessary doors. The team successfully work their way through a series of secret passages and rooms avoiding great traps and dangers, and along the way they witness some of the incredible mechanical devices and inventions being tested by the Alcibiades.

With secret organisations, hidden treasure in underground caves, symbols and clues to solve and the promises of adventure on the high seas, The Corsairs of Alcibiades: Book 1 - Secret Elites certainly has all the essential ingredients and it's attractively presented with detailed clean artwork from Éric Liberge and strong visual characterisation that makes it easy to follow progress and who is who. The story itself is not so easy to keep up with. It all moves along too rapidly, running from one dangerous adventure and situation to another with not enough downtime to let you get to know the characters, skills and personalities sufficiently. It's hard to see any actual realistic design to the tests either, which seem to operate more on random chance.

More than just being a little confusing there's a feeling that the potential to develop these great situations has been somewhat wasted, but you would expect there to be some initial confusion in the first volume of a series like this, and at the very least the wares that Éric Liberge and Denis-Pierre Filippi lay out in this opening volume of The Corsairs of Alcibiades and where the end of the first book leaves us certainly suggests that the series has a lot more to offer.

DNF
unfortunately this book was not for me at all, i'm not in to the art style ! I always love reading manga so i pick this but it not like manga books !

The Corsairs of Alcibiades is an interesting graphic novel. The art style is fun and engaging as well as the storyline.

Nah, just nah. In a very inaccurate steampunk London, five people who we can never grow to ever like or care for get stuck in a huge establishment designed to test their mettle and ability at derring-do. When they get out they find they're part of a third-rate LXG, and that they'll have no end of missions to raise funds for said League and to protect the Crown. The artwork is fine, although some scenes really don't allow for an easy 'read', it's just the whole script thing that lets the side down. None of the characters are at all likeable, they bicker before they do anything else (because the author seems to think that's entertainment – clearly he's read too many DC comics), and before too long we're most interested in the humongous cleavage on one of the female contenders. None of the five show any interest at first in sticking with the plan and doing what they're told – and you know what? This reader certainly doesn't want to stick around for more after this extended prologue. Considering the artist's talent, this is a huge disappointment.

'The Corsairs of Alcibiade #1: Secret Elites' by Denis-Pierre Filippi with art by Eric Liberge is a graphic novel about a secret society with a really tough entrance exam.

A group of various people in the early 1800s is captured and are taking place in a very strange admission exam to an elite organization. Before long, the large group is whittle down to 5 people with nothing in common. They are forced to run, solve puzzles, and use their wits to try to escape from a very strange ship.

I really liked this kind of smart story. The characters were interesting, and I like how they had to use different talents and each other to get through things. The art by Eric Liberge works well for this story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I saw ‘The Corsairs of Alcibiades: The Secret Elites’ in the ‘Read Now’ section on NetGalley for Historical Fiction and thought that the cover and description sounded interesting. Thank you to Europe Comics for making this available.

It is a quite short graphic novel from Belgium written by Dennis-Pierre Filippi and illustrated by Eric Liberge. It’s the first in a five-part series, translated from the French.

In 1825 five young people have been brought to a secret and exclusive university run under the auspices of the British Crown. Peter, Lydia, Mike, Curtis, and Maryline soon discover that they are there to undergo a selection process for entry.

Even though the names of the characters and the language seemed a bit modern, this was a lot of fun to read. Almost a steampunk ‘Kingsmen’.

Lots of energy in the story and artwork though did notice that Lydia’s broken arm did switch from right to left in one panel. Whoops.

Overall a good introduction to the characters and world and an adventure that left me eager for more.

With a little of mystery here and there, The Corsairs of Alcibiades was a great and easy read!

The time is the nineteenth century England, and for some reason there's a group out there kidnapping strangers and having them take a test to be part of a secret amazing university. There we meet Peter, Lydia, Mike, Curtis, and Maryline who get caught up together in the mystery that is the university and the prize of doing well in there.

For it being the first volume I though it was really great in introducing a bit of the characters as well as letting the mystery of what was happening thrive as they went together and alone looking for clues.

The art by Eric Liberge is great, the lines and colours all fit very well with the century and the mood of it all, and Filippi's script really gets you hooked!

I can't wait for the next volumes to get to know more of that the British Crown is doing and how our 5 main character's are doing along their plans.

Thank's Netgalley and Europe Comics for this chance of reading this marvellous piece!

I was sold on The Corsairs of Alcibiades by Éric Liberge the moment I saw the cover. I barely glanced at the description before requesting a review copy and was caught entirely off-guard by the story within.

Filippi’s narrative hits the ground running, but much like the Arthus Trivium series, the story inspires more questions than it answers. I think a solid foundational installment but admit the story didn’t offer the full satisfaction of a standalone.

That said I will note an appreciation for Filippi’s cast. Peter, Lydia, Mike, Curtis, and Maryline each fills a unique role and boasts a singular expertise. The end result is a well-rounded and balanced composite that successfully celebrates both genders without resorting to hyper-sexual stereotypes.

I didn't realize that this was an ebook when I downloaded it, but I'm hoping that all 5 of the volumes will be published into a hardback omnibus at some point, because this is a delightful steampunk romp. The art is spectacular, though I did noticed that the character Lydia's broken arm switches from her right to her left between just 2 pages, which was a fairly glaring error.

I felt like this was a hard read and confusing to understand. I'm an avid graphic novel reader and this may have just not been my style.

Adventures and mysteries in the XIX. The art style is very colorfull and it helps you enter in the atmosphere of the setting. The story begins in the middle of the action, with a series of mysterious kidnaping and an unconventional school exam. It`s a bit confusing at the beginning and even if there are some explanations throughout the story somethings remain obscure. Five strangers find themselves in an unexpected adventure and will have to join forces to go to the end of the mysteries. I really liked that after the first moments the characters seem already to connect and care for each other. It’s always good having some nice friendship in an adventure.

Set in England during the early 1800s, and promising adventure - what is not to love, right? I was excited about this one.

Absolutely gorgeous art, but the story seemed a bit convoluted. This seems to be a standalone or at least the beginning of a series - but the story hits the ground running and I was never able to really catch up.

That art though - I enjoyed that much more than the story.