La Foire aux immortels

Lore & Background

One renegade god, Horus, meets up with the disillusioned Nikopol in the Metro, and Nikopol agrees to allow Horus control of his body. Together they go on a journey to oppose the corrupt and megalomaniacal powers of the 21st century. The graphic novel was followed by La Femme piège (The Woman Trap) in 1986 and ended with Froid Équateur (Equator Cold) in 1992.

Reader's Guide

La Foire aux immortels is regarded as one of the most original science fiction comics which have revolutionised the conventions of comic art. Its blend of Egyptian mythology, dystopian politics, and surreal imagery marked a significant departure from traditional comic storytelling. The work established Enki Bilal as a major figure in European comics and laid the foundation for the Nikopol Trilogy. In 2004, Bilal directed the film adaptation Immortel (Ad Vitam), although many plot elements were changed from the comic book. The graphic novel's influence is seen in its lasting reputation as a pioneering work that expanded the thematic and visual possibilities of the medium.

Did You Know?

• The graphic novel was originally published in French as La Foire aux immortels.
• It is the first part of the Nikopol Trilogy, followed by La Femme piège (1986) and Froid Équateur (1992).
• The story is set in the year 2023 and features Egyptian gods inhabiting a flying pyramid.
• In 2004, Enki Bilal directed a film adaptation titled Immortel (Ad Vitam) with many plot changes.

Birth of a Trilogy

La Foire aux immortels emerged in 1980 as the opening chapter of what would become one of the most ambitious science fiction comic sagas in the medium's history. Created by Enki Bilal—a cartoonist and storyteller born in Yugoslavia who built his career in France—the work established the world and protagonist that would carry readers through three volumes over more than a decade. The second installment, La Femme piège, arrived in 1986, and the trilogy concluded with Froid Équateur in 1992. English-speaking audiences encountered the story under two alternate titles, Gods in Chaos and A Bedlam of Immortals, both of which capture the volatile blend of mythic spectacle and political satire at the heart of Bilal's vision. As the foundational volume, the first book sets the tone, introduces the central characters, and lays the speculative groundwork that the subsequent two parts would expand upon, cementing the Nikopol saga as a landmark in European comics.

A Dystopian Paris and the Gods in the Sky

The story unfolds in the year 2023, a future in which Paris has been swallowed by authoritarian rule and cosmic disorder. Alcide Nikopol, a man who spent three decades frozen in the void of space as punishment for evading military conscription, finally returns to a city he barely recognises. The capital now groans under the heel of fascist dictator J. F. Choublanc, its streets teeming with extraterrestrial visitors, its infrastructure crumbling into anarchy. Hovering above this broken metropolis is a vast pyramid-shaped spacecraft, home to a pantheon of Egyptian deities whose vessel has run dry on fuel. Choublanc seizes the opportunity, demanding immortality from the gods in exchange for refuelling their craft. Into this volatile mix steps Horus, a renegade deity who tracks down the weary Nikopol in the Metro. In a striking pact, Nikopol consents to let Horus take control of his body, and together the unlikely pair set out to challenge the corrupt, megalomaniacal forces that have seized the twenty-first century.

Revolutionising the Language of Comics

La Foire aux immortels is widely regarded as one of the most original science fiction comics ever produced, a work that fundamentally reshaped what readers expected from the medium. Bilal's dual role as both writer and illustrator gave him complete authorship over every panel, allowing him to push visual storytelling into territory that had previously been uncharted in European comics. The book's dense, painterly compositions, its blending of hard science fiction with ancient mythology, and its unflinching political allegory collectively broke open the conventions of comic art. Rather than following the straightforward panel-to-panel logic familiar to mainstream comics, Bilal constructed a visual language that demanded active interpretation from the reader. This approach, combined with the narrative's willingness to interrogate power, technology, and dehumanisation, elevated the graphic novel form and demonstrated that sequential art could carry the thematic weight of literary science fiction. The work's influence rippled outward, inspiring a generation of creators to treat the comic page as a canvas for radical experimentation.

From Page to Screen

Nearly a quarter-century after its initial publication, the story returned to Bilal's own hands for a cinematic reinterpretation. In 2004, he directed the film adaptation titled Immortel (Ad Vitam), stepping from the role of graphic novelist into that of filmmaker. The project represented a rare instance of a comic's creator personally steering its translation to the screen, ensuring his artistic sensibility shaped the final product. However, the adaptation was not a faithful, frame-by-frame transcription of the original pages. Many plot elements were altered, restructured, or reimagined to suit the demands of live-action cinema and a broader theatrical audience. This divergence between the printed narrative and its filmic counterpart has made the two versions a point of interest for fans and scholars alike, offering a window into how Bilal's storytelling evolved when he moved from the controlled, static panel to the fluid, temporal medium of film. The 2004 adaptation thus stands as both an homage to and a departure from the 1980 original.