Line #15 ComicBook/LeRoiCyclope


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/leroicyclope.jpg]]
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3	''Le roi cyclope'' (The cyclopean king) is an epic fantasy [[FrancoBelgianComics Franco Belgian Comic]] written, drawn and colored by Isabelle Dethan.
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5	Othemar is the old king of Lycènes. He orders his advisor, Marquess Desiderat de Mornemont ("the Marquess"), to make him immortal. With the king's agreement, the Marquess mutilates the seven princes, then tries to kill them and turn them into obedient ghosts. Only the youngest one, Thalès, escapes this fate. When he is mortally wounded by the king's guards, the guards dump him into the "well of the dead". He is saved by Antimée, who brings him to the garden of Pareïza. The magical garden heals him and makes him a seer.
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7	The Marquess detects through sorcery that the prince is alive and finds the garden. He absorbes all magical powers of this place but since Thalès defeats him during a swordfight, the Marquess lets Thalès and Antimée fly away. Several years later, the Marquess is at the head of the kingdom, and Thalès tries to find a way to defeat him. Thalès' seer power allows him to understand the Marquis' only weakness: his love for a gipsy girl, Griselda.
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9	One of the many interests of this graphic novel is the antagonist, Marquess Desiderat de Mornemont, nicknammed ''le marquis délicieux'' (the delicious marquess). He is an EvilSorcerer. He is the BigBad. He becomes so powerful that nobody can defeat him. But at the end, you feel sorry for him.
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11	Other main characters are:
12	* [[TheHero Thalès]], nicknamed ''le roi cyclope'' is the youngest son of the king.
13	* [[GreenThumb Antimée]], the guardian of the Garden of Pareïza, Thalès' love interest
14	* [[HotGypsyWoman Griselda]], a gypsy storyteller, the Marquess' love interest
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16	----
17	!!Tropes:
18	'''These books provide examples of:'''
19	* AbsurdlySharpClaws: the Marquess. His hands are a lethal weapon, along with his LivingShadow’s.
20	* ActionGirl: subverted. Griselda has a sword, she never uses it, but [[spoiler: she is the one who causes the BigBad's defeat at the end.]]
21	* AlasPoorVillain: When the Marquess [[spoiler: lets himself be killed by Thalès. You can't help but feel sorry for him, although he's a monster.]] A marker of Isabelle Dethan's skill at creating a repulsive, yet deeply fascinating character, whom you "love to hate".
22	* AlasPoorYorick: When Griselda holds a child’s skull in the castle's charnel house during her stay, and questions the Marquess’ cruelty. Angst follows.
23	* AristocratsAreEvil: Guess who? The Marquess. Although he “once used to be a man of honour”, he is the epitome of the EvilChancellor winning the king's trust to thwart him all the more, and ending up ruling by fear and force.
24	* BittersweetEnding: The sweet part? [[spoiler: The Marquess dies.]] The bitter part? [[spoiler: The Marquess dies.]]
25	* BlackMagic: Everything the Marquess does is twisted and evil. And creepy, like his [[CastingAShadow shadow magic]].
26	* BlindSeer: Thalès has lost an eye when he becomes a seer. He can see past and present events, but not future ones.
27	* CharacterTitle: Thalès, TheHero, whose nickname is ''le roi cyclope''.
28	* DuelToTheDeath: [[spoiler: Subverted. When Thalès and the Marquis fight at the end, the Marquess already lost his will to live, and lets Thalès kill him.]]
29	* EyepatchOfPower: Averted. Thalès is a capable fighter, he has an eyepatch, but he is not really badass.
30	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Everybody calls Desiderat de Mornemont ''the Marquess''. Also, the captain of the royal guard.
31	* EvilSorcerer: The Marquess is blatantly the master of TheDarkArts and the RankScalesWithAsskicking type. He took over the kingdom by force and rules with an iron fist, spreading fear and desolation over the land. He can kill from a distance, with his bare hands or shadow, cast the rain, perform divination to find a way, open doors via telekinesis... He's also a skilled Necromancer who turns Thalès' brothers into obedient ghosts.
32	* GhostlyGlide: How the Marquess sometimes gets around. The character design is deliberately sharp, making all the more a stricking contrast with the other characters. Plus, you never get to see his feet.
33	* GreenThumb: Antimée. Even after the loss of her garden, she continues to make things grow.
34	* HeroicFantasy, with some elements of HighFantasy: Victory is not directly achieved through the force of arms, the BigBad is strong enough to destroy the GardenOfEden and to conquer several kingdoms,...
35	* HotGypsyWoman: Although Griselda attracts men while NOT being overt in her sexuality.
36	* ImmortalityImmorality: The king allows the Marquess to kill his 7 sons while he tries to be immortal. Averted in the case of Antimée, the guardian of the Garden of Pareïza, who may be immortal and is the nicest character.
37	* LeanAndMean: Desiderat de Mornemont is tall, dark, and skeletally thin, most certainly inspired by Nosferatu, with a few streaks of Disney’s Maleficent and Judge Claude Frollo.
38	* LoveIsAWeakness: For the all-powerful Marquess, who lets his feelings for Griselda lead him to [[spoiler: his downfall]].
39	* LoveTranscendsSpacetime: At the very moment when Thalès falls in the clutches of the Marquess and is about to be severely tortured, Antimée has a sudden panic attack, wakes up, and goes to retrieve him from a certain death.
40	* OnlyMostlyDead: Thalès is "hard to kill", according to the Marquess. The young prince narrowly escapes death twice in the story, and owes his victory to [[spoiler: Griselda's impact on the BigBad]].
41	* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: Averted, the Ghouls are nice creatures who refuse to eat the livings.
42	* MookChivalry: Averted in the first pages of the story, when Thalès almost dies because of them.
43	* MostWritersAreMale: Averted, Isabelle Dethan is maybe the first female to write HeroicFantasy comics.
44	* RightfulKingReturns: Thalès, who is the only surviving heir to the kingdom of Beldaran. He lives for five years as a fugitive and ends up confronting the Marquess as soon as he finds his opponent’s weakness.
45	* SpurnedIntoSuicide: [[spoiler: The Marquess, after he lets Griselda leave the castle. He never gets over her and loses both his power thirst and will to live.]]
46	* SwordFight: Thalès and the Marquess fight twice, using swords. But the fate of the world does not depend on those duels.
47	* TurnCoat: The captain of the royal guard of Lycènes who, after stabbing and leaving Thalès for dead, switches sides as soon as he learns the Marquess’ take over the kingdom. He then creates a mercenary army and gets in appropriate terms with the prince he nearly slained.
48	* VillainousCrush: The Marquess literally falls in love at first sight with Griselda and secretly obsesses over her for five years, retaining her sword and blue scarf as keepsakes.
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Context ComicBook / LeRoiCyclope