Already rewarded with the RTL Grand Prix de la BD 2024 and the Landerneau prize for comics, Ulysse & Cyrano, an initiatory and culinary story by Xavier Dorison, Antoine Cristau and Stéphane Servain, continues to leave its mark.
Since its publication in June 2024 by Casterman editions, Ulysse & Cyrano appeals to readers and critics alike. Signed by Xavier Dorison and Antoine Cristau on the screenplay, with illustrations by Stéphane Servain, this comic strip quickly established itself thanks to its clever mix of initiatory story and homage to gastronomy. Already crowned with the RTL Grand Prix de la BD 2024 and the Landerneau comic strip prize, it is now among the finalists for the Fnac France Inter BD prize.
An unexpected encounter in the France of the Trente Glorieuses
The story takes place in the 1950s, in the heart of Burgundy, and features Ulysse Ducerf, a teenager from the Parisian upper middle class. Promised for a brilliant future in the family cement works, Ulysses comes up against his father's rigid ambitions. But when the family business is accused of having collaborated with the Germans during the war, the Ducerf family flees the capital for a small Burgundian village.
It is there that Ulysses meets Cyrano, a gruff and solitary former chef, withdrawn from the world after a gastronomic scandal. Their relationship begins with a cultural shock, but quickly evolves into a complicity marked by respect and admiration. Ulysses, fascinated by the culinary world, discovers a new passion which upsets his certainties. Between tasty recipes and learning about life, the young man finds an unexpected mentor in Cyrano, ready to help him follow his own path.
An initiatory story full of humanity
In Ulysse & CyranoXavier Dorison and Antoine Cristau address universal themes such as emancipation from family expectations, the quest for pleasure and the transmission of knowledge. The story explores a central question: what does it mean to succeed in life?
“I took great pleasure in reading this album supported by a very effective staging serving a strong and moving story”commented the president of the jury, the designer Mathieu Sapin, in a press release. The album has also been called « feel-good book » by RTL, which highlights its ability to combine emotion and reflection.
A captivating aesthetic
Graphically, the album seduces with the remarkable work of Stéphane Servain. Its expressive and flamboyant drawing brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of the 1950s. The details of the cooked dishes, the landscapes of Burgundy and the emotions of the characters were praised.
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As pointed out The Crossthe kitchen here becomes a real “theatre stage where passions, disappointments and success are played out”. The addition of recipes at the end of the album, such as Cyrano's famous terrine, extends the pleasure of reading and anchors the story in an authentic culinary reality. Finally, Christian Missia Dio,Act BDgreets on his side “a human adventure in a setting that is off the beaten track”proof that the album manages to reinvent timeless themes.
