Altaplana, world of Francois Schuiten and Benoit Peeters

the impossible & infinite encyclopedia of the world created by Schuiten & Peeters

User Tools

Site Tools


Echo des Cités (L') (Album)

Echo des Cités cover L'Echo des Cités is a large size album, published by Casterman in 1993. The periodical (A Suivre) had previously published several pages of that work as a folding supplement, but there are several differences between the two prints. It can be considered to be the eight installment of the chronicles.

While it is lavishly illustrated, it is the text that occupies an important part in this album. The entire work was entirely, and very skillfully, hand-lettered by Etienne Schreder. Several photographs by Marie-Françoise Plissart illustrate the later days of the newspaper.

Story

This large size album reproduces select pages from a famous newspaper of the Obscure World, from its first issue to the last one. Covering a period of several years, this collection let us know of major events in the life of the Cities the way its inhabitants learned about them. We discover, for instance, that the Obscure World has its own calendar, that Captain Nemo - or perhaps Jules Verne - has visited a city called Samarobrive, that Robick had people fined or even expelled for making small changes to their houses in Urbicande, that the city of Alta-Plana is devoted entirely to archive keeping, and much much more.

The first issue was published in April 719 AT, with an editorial by Elmar Obstig von Offenstein. The latter was replaced less than two years later by Stanislas Sainclair, originally an assistant draft editor. Sinclair remained at the head of the paper until it folded, in 762 AT. First published only from Trahmer, the Echo soon became extremely popular, and was eventually printed in five languages all over the Continent.

Some interior pages of L'Echo des Cités:

Editions & translations

YearTitleLanguagePublisherPagesHC/SCISBNRemarks
1993De Echo der StedenDutchCasterman60HC903038574XLarge format: 40x30cm
1993L'Echo des CitésFrenchCasterman60HC2203349034Large format: 40x30cm
1994Das StadtechoGermanFeest Comics48HC389343187xLarge format: 40x30cm
2001L'Echo des CitésFrenchCasterman56HC2203343141Without preface of Ardan. The original page 12 with jokes and ads is also missing.
2010De Echo der StedenDutchCasterman56SC9789030364085New illustration on page 6, before released as an additional cover in October 1993 by L'Espace BD, Brussels (numbered and signed 1-350 & EA 1-58).
2010L'Echo des CitésFrenchCasterman56HC9782203029675
2013闇の国々JapaneseShoPro Books-HC4796871462Part of bundle 3
2021Echo der StädteGermanSchreiber & Leser56SC9783965820623
2021El Eco de las CituadesSpanishNorma Editorial56SC9788467946222

See also