Altaplana, world of Francois Schuiten and Benoit Peeters

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

User Tools

Site Tools


Les Cités Obscures integrals

Les Cités Obscures integrals is a serie of books with the integral publication of all Obscure Cities stories until today. Casterman has published four big volumes (around 350 pages each) in the style of the earlier Japanese translation (253 mm x 193 mm), but with a different organisation of the stories.

For now only a French publication is planned.

Les Cités obscures - Livre 1 was published on December 6, 2017. Livre 2 was published on March 28, 2018, Livre 3 was published on November 21, 2018 and Livre 4 on March 27, 2019.

The order of the stories is mostly chronological. Elements of Le Guide des Cités are used in connection with the different albums. For example in the first book the pages about Xhystos are just after Les Murailles de Samaris.

The price of each volume is around 47 euros.

This new integral edition will show the unity of the books and it will be like a travel through the obscure world, with a lot of connections Benoît Peeters

Editions & translations

YearTitleLanguagePublisherPagesHC/SCISBNRemarks
2017Les Cités obscures Intégrale - Livre 1FrenchCasterman328HC9782203101685
2017Les Cités obscures Intégrale - Livre 1FrenchCasterman328HC9782203101685Special edition by Brüsel with additional bookplate
2018Les Cités obscures Intégrale - Livre 2FrenchCasterman386HC9782203153745
2018Les Cités obscures Intégrale - Livre 3FrenchCasterman408HC9782203153752
2019Les Cités obscures Intégrale - Livre 4FrenchCasterman400HC9782203186422
New artwork by François Schuiten for the first book


Livre 1

Les Cités obscures - Livre 1 was published on December 6, 2017. This volume starts with Les Murailles de Samaris and Les Mysterères de Pȃhry. It continues with a story that has not been published before in an album: Dans les faubourgs de Pȃhry.

The book continues with La Fièvre d'Urbicande and another unpublished story: Urbicande opéra. The integral ends with L'Archiviste. Parts of Le Guide des Cités are added throughout the book.

The cover of the first book was revealed in August 2017. It is made of gray cardboard with the one cut out so you can see the following page. This first book has 328 pages.

Les Cités obscures Livre 1 by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters

A special version of the first book was made for Comic shop Brüsel. This version is limited to 600 copies and 40 copies for the authors. It has an embeded special print, printed on Modigliani 285 gram paper, signed by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters 1).

Some images of the first books arriving at the comic shop Brüsel. Due to a signing session with Benoît Peeters and François Schuiten, the album was sold on November 23, 2017 before general availability.

Some example pages of the first volume.

Livre 2

Les Cités Obscures - Livre 2 was published on March 28, 2018. The album starts with the story of La Tour followed with its two side stories Rêves de Pierre and La Dernier rôle d'Orson Welles.

Next is La Route d'Armilia, the only album that was not as first published in French, but in Danish. Followed by L'encyclopédie des transports présents et à venir, that has only been published in a a small edition before. The next album is Brüsel and the screenplay of the movie “Le Dossier B”.

The book ends with the two short stories Les Chevaux de Lune and La Perle. Parts of Le Guide des Cités are also used in this book.

The cover of the second book was revealed in February 2018. It is again made of gray cardboard with the one cut out so you can see the following page. This page features an unreleased image. The second book will have 384 pages and will be the same size as the first book (23.8 x 29.6 cm).

Comicshop Brüsel will again release a special edition of this second album, This time they will included an exclusive poster. The poster is limited to 600 copies. The poster is a variant of the screen print that is released by Atlantic 12 for the occasion. The album will also be stamped with a special stamp for this occasion.

Gallery

Some example pages of the second volume.

Livre 3

Les Cités Obscures - Livre 3 was published on November 21, 2018. It has 408 pages and hold the following stories:

  • L'Enfant Penchée
  • Mary La Penchée
  • L'Affaire Desombres
  • L'Echo des Cités
  • L'Ombre d'un Homme

The cover image is a special image by François Schuiten.

Comic shop Brüsel sold an edition with a special stamp for the occasion. The stamp was signed by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters. This edition is limited to 150 copies 2).

Atlantic12 made a small video of François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters signing the 150 albums.

Gallery

Some example pages of the third integral album.

Livre 4

Les Cités Obscures - Livre 4 was published at March 27, 2019. It is 400 pages and it holds the following stories:

  • La Frontière Invisible
  • La Théorie du Grain de Sable
  • Souvenirs de l'Éternel Présent

Besides a timeline there is also be a chapter about some important people of the Obscures Cities.

Atlantic12 has published a new print by Schuiten with the release of this album. Laurent Durieux was again responsible for the graphics of the print. See: Les Obscure Cities - La Théorie du Grain de Sable.

For the release of this fourth album, comic shop Brüsel made a box to hold the four albums. This “leaning box” is designed by Jack Durieux in close collaboration with the authors and produced exclusively for Brüsel. The box is offered including Livre 4 and a signed print. The box is limited to 300 copies 3).

The print that Brüsel included with the box. The print is signed by François Schuiten

Gallery

Some example pages of this fourth volume.

See also