Loisel - Lot 147

Loisel RÉGIS LOISEL THE QUEST FOR THE TIME BIRD Le Temple de l'oubli (T.2), Dargaud 1983 Original plate no. 2. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 38 × 50 cm (14.96 × 19.69 in.) This plate from the very beginning of Le Temple de l'oubli features the sequence in which Bragon and Pélisse come to consult the magician Mara before setting off on their journey. The scene, both tender and comic, contrasts the old knight's ardor and the magician's serenity: Bragon, grumpy and worried, shows his paternal jealousy of Pélisse, a now independent young woman whom he still refuses to see as an adult. Mara, gentle and mischievous, teases him - "your daughter!" - and reminds him to trust her. This pivotal page establishes the tender, ambiguous bond between the three characters: Bragon's old love for Mara, the complicity between mother and daughter, and the paternal tension mixed with emotion. Graphically, Loisel plays on the expressive gestures of his characters to convey the tenderness hidden beneath the hero's ruggedness. The final gag - the appearance of Bodias, an old companion - lifts the mood and kick-starts the journey. As La Quête progresses, Loisel's line becomes increasingly sumptuous.