Selected for official competition at Angoulême, It must be easy to brick Ramirez has finally bowed to the exceptional Me, what I love about it is the monsters . This comics to the French, however, has not done very well. Until the release of volume 2 in 2020, the return on one of the beautiful surprises of 2018.
Jacques Ramirez is the best repairer of vacuum cleaners Robotop, reputable business located in Falcon City, Arizona. And if a cartel of mexico is to its kits, this is not a priori for its skills électroménagères… No, behind this cover may be hiding in fact a deadly assassin! How this quiet man, gentle and loved by his colleagues, could he be a killer in cold blood?
Behind this scenario is a bit wacky hides Nicolas Petrimaux, illustrator and «concept designer» in the video game industry. He has worked in blockbuster French Dishonored 2 (2016), acclaimed by the critics. If he had already signed the drawing of volume 1 of Zombies Néchronologies (2014, Sun), It must be easy to brick Ramirez is his first work as an author, which should allow that worker to the shadow to make a name.
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«Since I was a teenager, I’ve always been fascinated by this ability to embed a person in a story through images. I believe that, at bottom, what attracted me, it was the excitement that could bring certain situations, and the footprint that it would leave us with the time, tells the story of Nicolas Petrimaux in Figaro . Quite quickly and without great surprise, I threw myself into this adventure during recess, and then in high school, and then to the applied arts. During all these years, I ceased not to look with great attention to the work of the authors and artists who inspired me, in trying to understand the mechanics on which were based their stories.»
Fan of the american cinema entertainment of the 1980’s – The Cop of Beverly Hills , die hard , lethal Weapon – the author has naturally chosen to tell a story taking place in this period, inspired by his favorite films. And indeed, Ramirez confusingly similar to an action movie american, with its many flashbacks and scenes of the future, its action very irregular, transitions, cared for between the scenes. Not to mention its phrases shock and his dialogues, particularly in bloom (Nicolas Petrimaux apologized also to his mother).
If the author quotes Tony Scott, director of «True Romance», as the infuence main, the shadow of Quentin Tarantino is still evident
If the author quotes Tony Scott, director of True Romance , as a main influence, the shadow of Quentin Tarantino is still evident, with its playful staging of the violence, its iconisation very thrust of the characters… and his dialogues trivial interspersed between the action scenes. One thinks, for example, the famous discussion around the burgers of Mcdonald’s in Pulp Fiction . As to the run of the Dakota and Chelsea, two girls explosive which will intersect, of course, our friend Ramirez, it can only evoke the classic Thelma and Louise (1991) Ridley Scott, brother of Tony.
«When I launched into the writing of It must be easy to brick Ramirez , I wanted to, before thinking about the object BD, successfully tell a story that held the road. What was already, in itself, a real challenge, as I had at that time succeeded in finalizing a draft of a scenario in which there had been no success with the publishers, » says Nicolas Petrimaux. Having directed a few short films, I naturally place my ideas as a succession of sequences without worrying about the constraints of the medium of COMIC books.»
«we really need to widen the head (…) to keep the reader’s attention and avoid the time so long dreaded from the dastardly…. mark page»
However, the author believes that it is more difficult to keep the attention of a reader than a viewer. «The advantage to the cinema is that it imposes on us a context, a room plunged in the dark, a comfortable seat, a raving lunatic. Even if the film is zero, it follows, one remains in it until the end. As the author of the COMIC, obviously, we cannot decide the place or the time that will choose people to play the album. So, you really have to dig the head, both in the dialogues, in the layout, the cutting and the visual, to keep the reader’s attention and avoid the time so long dreaded from the dastardly…. brand-page.» To keep his readers in suspense, the draughtsman has, therefore, made of strips whole dedicated to the action, with «shoot-outs, tough, chases shaking and scenes from office at the height of danger». Originally intended in 96 pages, this first volume will finally 144.
Made entirely in digital format, It must be easy to brick Ramirez displays a drawing very accurate and beautiful colors, with a great sense of space and movement. «I have a approach of line and masses which considers as much the white as the black, explains the designer. In traditional, it should be that I can draw with a black ink in the right hand, and a white brush in the left hand to reshape the black lines are newly installed. The digital allows me to easily put in place this process, without having to suffer the disadvantages of the media «traditional», which would result in a different texture to manage, time to frequently blow-dried, etc».
it is now focusing fully on writing, volume 2, Nicolas Petrimaux has not finished with the video games. «It seems to me very complicated to have a level of involvement deepened in these two areas at the same time. As often, it is a story of choices and cravings, » he says. But I am certain that, one way or another, I retravaillerai for this industry in the coming years. If only for the passion that I share with some of the actors of this environment!»
The box BD: decryption by Nicolas Petrimaux Glénat
«This page is fairly important in the story, because it is the time when Jacques Ramirez will appear as a savior. In addition to being the best expert in vacuum cleaners, it is he who knows how to manage the moments of crisis and come out his colleagues in the lurch!
I wanted to create this shift in surfing on the effect of Rambo, where we used to see a shot of the lace on a pair of rangers, a knife stowed at the level of the belt, a tightening of headband in her hair in good and due form, Ramirez needs only a screwdriver and pliers to do miracles.
Other reference in this page: die hard (again…)! There is a ten years, one would list with a friend a replica of action films become a little bit “cliché”. We soon came across this absurd situation or a group of characters sees the hero do something unexpected and ask “but… Bobby… but… but what is it he does?”. And Bobby, smarter than the others, understands what is about to be the hero and retorted, “HIS JOB!”. As a result, it us inspired for the rest of the day to deliver this dialogue in contexts completely normal.
To return to the board, and the cutting, I wanted to go on a setting wide enough to understand the piece, the different visual cues, such as the office of Ramirez. Then a succession of close-ups, reinforces the idea that James Ramirez knew how to handle this kind of situation with cold-blooded (like a killer…), that he was panicking, that he took the time to put his bag under his desk (detail important for the continuation of this story), that it is taking the tools he would need. The plan is extremely tight on his eyes, confirms his determination to accomplish his mission. In the Face of so much professionalism, his colleagues remain spectators and enjoy the beauty of the moment!
Another anecdote, act 1 is out for almost nine months, and nobody has yet pointed to what seems to be the only “false connection” of the album. At one point, Ramirez grabbed the screwdriver out of the right hand, and the clamp of the left hand… However, on the following plan, the tools have changed hands. I investigation yet to understand how I could let such an error! This is incomprehensible. I suspect the people at the printer, which would have redrawn the boxes because I don’t see other explanations…»
It must be easy to brick Ramirez act 1 , Nicolas Petrimaux, 144 pages, Glénat, 19,95€.