Incredible! by Zabus was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall the story was very endearing. I found the main character to be odd but you had to love him. The art style was unique and fit the story perfectly. Plat wise it dealt with a very hard subject in an uplifting Way. My only complete is how hard the font could be to read. 

3 out of 5 stars

With a title like Incredible! the authors of this graphic novel have a lot to live up to, but you'd have to say that they largely succeed. And that's obviously no small thing. Not only does the artwork often surprise with some inventive imagery and panel layouts that can quite literally take your breath away, but the story itself is one that sets out to show us something truly incredible. Prepare to be amazed.

From an outside perspective, or from anyone observing the behaviour of 11 year old Jean-Loup Beaugens, he would definitely seem to be a strange boy who acts rather oddly. He has strange little routines and rituals that govern his every move, but there's a reason and a method to his actions that most people wouldn't understand. Jean-Loup consequently doesn't fit in well with the other boys, as you can imagine, but he doesn't mind. He lives in his own little world, gathering useful facts and information about the wonders of the world that he records on little cards in a filing system.

More than just interested in mere facts, Jean-Loup also has a vivid imagination. He converses regularly with the King of Belgium, King Baudouin, who he calls Booboo, in the figure of a toy soldier. But he has a less friendly relationship with another imaginary figure, a picture of his grandfather who died in the war in 1916, a hero from the Beaugens side of the family that Jean-Loup fears he can never measure up to. Clearly with better than average intelligence, despite his social awkwardness, Jean-Loup manages to do well in a presentation at school of one of his favourite subjects; death rituals around the world. He excitedly starts a new project, but to research it he needs to speak to the real King Baudouin. Fortunately Jean-Loup has been corresponding with the King for years.

Initially, it seems like Incredible! is merely an insight into the special needs of a autistic child, but it soon becomes apparent that there is much more to the story than that. The intention is more to take an unusual viewpoint to show us that the things we take for granted, all the wonders of the world and the human imagination, are really something… well… incredible. It takes a whole series of almost impossible interconnected historical events and consequences to bring us to where we are today,and yet they happened and we exist.

Incredible! shows us that this is something that we all really need to bear in mind. It's not just an unusual child who is assailed and almost tormented by doubts about his ability to go on and succeed, but it's something that anyone can relate to - although perhaps not quite as vividly as in Jean-Loup's imagination. That however is a necessary leap, and the artwork has to be capable of making a corresponding leap to spark that reaction. Fortunately, Hippolyte's artwork is up to the task, adopting a style that has a lovely loose and sketchy Sempé storybook quality with impressive layouts and moody splash pages.

Zabus's script perhaps over-emphasises the point when it is perfectly obvious what it is that is incredible about Jean-Loup's story and about what is incredible in our own lives, but there's no denying that the story and artwork match the nature of the imaginative strange world that Jean Loup lives in. Perhaps most importantly, in a story that seeks to inspire the imagination it also manages to continually surprise the reader. You might think you know where it's going, just as Jean-Loup has every move planned out in his head, but there are plenty of unusual and unexpected events that are matched by quirks in the lovely artwork.

Thank you, NetGalley, Europe Comics for an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review. 
To me, this comic has hit all the right spots! looking forward to new releases by this author.

A weird mix of fantasy and reality. While it's ostensibly set in the real world, this kid has elaborate conversations with toys and ghosts and his mother's ashes. He's basically the only character. Everyone else just drifts in and out.

I tried downloading this fiel but it wouldn't work. It has expired now so while I appreciate the opportunity that was given for review but sadly can't complete it for this title. Many thanks.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this one just didn't work for me, though I can see the appeal, and it definitely has its audience. But purely for tastes purposes, this one wasn't for me.

I WANTED to like the art, I really did, and aesthetically I think it really works, but for me, I found it to be a little confusing and difficult to read, such that it detracted from the story rather than added to it. I couldn't find a rhythm with it, so I kept having to re-read sections to understand what was happening.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this one, but don't let that put you off, if this is your thing then totally go for it - my comments are no judgement on the quality here. I hope you love it!

Thank you NetGalley, Europe Comics for an ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review. 

This book hit me in all the feels.  It was a very sweet story regarding a young man learning to deal with grief in his life.  The topics that are covered in this book are important for any middle schooler-high schooler to have experience with.  This book also covers mental diagnoses in such a way that is accessible for younger readers. I absolutely loved the artwork in this graphic novel. Highly recommend!

This was an incredibly sweet and heartfelt story of a boy dealing with grief in his own way. It's not like other grief stricken stories either, which was refreshing and dealt with mental illness and coping mechanisms in a way that was delicate and also blended into the story seamlessly. Jean-Loup is such a sweet soul and his journey was a fun one to accompany him on, as he navigated a world that challenged him. 

I think the only reason why this is not a full five stars is that I felt it to be a bit too long, especially if this is supposed to be geared to younger readers. Which, I can't say for sure it is even though it follows around an 11 year old there is a lot of mature content in my opinion. I also disliked the cursive font for the speech bubbles, it make the reading experience taxing. 

All in all I did enjoy the story and the art was well done.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel about a young man struggling with a tragedy in his life. I plan to order this for my library because I believe that it is important for books to show struggle both internally and externally. Seeing struggle, and seeing how to effectively handle that struggle, is developmentally important. Adults will enjoy this book as well-a surprise is in store!

 Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

I really can relate to the main character as he has OCD and Anxiety. I could really feel how anxious he was in certain situations. He is among those who does not want to be “affected” with the disorder and ends up like someone he loves. This is typical. His needs to follow rules and rituals which most of the time would hinder him for doing what he wants. His uncle is nice to him. He has an imaginary friend like Calvin in Calvin & Hobbes. I really enjoyed this graphic novel!

Whimsical ,sweet art style with a lovely, emotional story. I found the prologue a bit unnecessary, but I loved the rest..

Such a wholesome and beautoiful story that delves into such importsnt topics... I thinkevery mddle-grade kid should be made to read this one. We see such ana amazing character growth in the protagonist - it is inspiring for even a grown up.

I’m so sorry to say I just couldn’t get on with this book. The font style wasn’t as friendly as I would have liked it to be.
The artwork is simple but very effective, and appropriate for the story line.
The story follows a young boy who is dealing with loss, social anxiety and OCD. I’d say it’s suitable for teens plus due to the subject matter.
The story seemed pretty long for an EBook, but i wonder if i felt like that just due to the font used. A simpler font may make it easier to follow and be drawn in, rather than me zooming in every now and again to work out a word.

I trully believed this was going to be a fun and light story, but holy shit I got hit in the face with multiple feelings. For sure I want this book in my library when it's released.

Great story! Loved the illustrations. Loved watching the character's growth through this story. Highlights OCD and growth.

This is a moving story of a young boy with OCD who navigates the world and his personal challenges in his own special way. The rules he imposes on himself enable him to fade into the background but all that changes when he is late for school one day. Suddenly he is popular with his classmates and nominated to attend a speaking competition. He decides to ask the King of Belgium to help him choose a topic to speak on and that's when his adventures truly begin.

The reader is then taken on a journey as the young boy cascades through a competition, relatives, travel and an encounter with a banana skin. Through it all he gathers the courage to face up to personal difficulties and he realises that life is actually incredible even if it is tough.

I really enjoyed this story. It is deeply moving but at the same time funny and entertaining. The artwork was ok, but not a strong favourite of mine. The artwork was three stars for me. Having said this the story itself is very powerful and is definitely five stars. 

I would like to have a hard copy of this story for my bookshelf and then I could read it again and again. I really liked it!

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Not exactly my style but I did love the idea of this graphic novel. The premise was wonderful and heartwarming. Obviously aimed at someone a lot younger than me but I still found it fun! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story recounts a young boy dealing with loss, loneliness and social anxiety, overcoming obstacles on an unlikely journey as he comes to discover the wonder of the universe and his own existence. I found this to be a sufficiently affecting story. Though whimsical, it explores some dark themes, even touching on suicide and insanity.

First of all, the positive part: I liked the art style. I thought it was cute and it reminded me a little of the art in Le Petit Nicolas, which is a childhood favourite of mine.
The font was nice as well, though I suspect some readers might have difficulties with it.

The story itself was plain weird. I was okay with that up until about the last fourth of the book. It just took a huge downturn from there on - the plot twist came out of nowhere and was seriously messed up.
The author was obviously trying to get a message across, but it just didn’t work for me.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book, but to each their own I guess.

Incredible is a pretty heavy book and the illustrations weren't my favourite. Even the choice of font isn't so suitable in my opinion. The story was pretty good but I don't know why but I just couldn't really get into the story. This story is about braving it to everything that life may throw your way. The ending was so unexpected, I genuinely thought the character's mom died but turns out, there's so much more to it.