Franz Bauer is asked to visit Samaris and research the rumors about this city. Some people have left for Samaris but did not return: Mark and Clara(youngest sister of Anna), and someone called Pierre. Franz leaves for Samaris. After a long journey by Altiplan and Aerophele he reaches Samaris. He stays in the only hotel of the city. He meets Carla in a club. The days pass by all in the same way. In the end Franz tries to break out of the daily routine and finds out that the whole city is build with panels. The whole city is fake. He returns to Xhystos but many years have passed and nobody knows Franz. Eventually he can meet the council, but they deny that they have send him on his quest. Franz leaves Xhystos.
LES MURAILLES DE SAMARIS was published in English by NBM (Nantier, Beall & Minoustchine Publishing, NYC) in 1987 as THE GREAT WALLS OF SAMARIS. This volume contained the original 48 page story. In 2007, Casterman released an enhanced edition of the book, expanded to 96 pages, and including some of the very rare stories from the early days of the Obscure Cities, including The Mystery of Pâhry parts 1-4: I The Great Secret, II Passage to The Louvre, III The Fugitive (revised version), IV The Strange Case of Dr. Abraham. This edition will be published by Alaxis Press through IDW Publishing in 2017.
Casterman editions
Welcome to the Obscure Cities Library. Here you will find the selection of books, portfolios, audios and videos that combine to tell the story of this amazing world.
These titles comprise the canonical OBSCURE CITIES stories.
Les Murailles de Samaris (The Great Walls of Samaris)
La Fièvre d'Urbicande (A Fever in Urbicande)
Eugen Robick, Urbatect of Urbicande has been working on restructuring Urbicande for the Commission of High Instances. The South side of Urbicande has been done and he wants to continu with the Northern part: to make the city symmetrical again. But the Rapporter General is not listening. Even the third bridge over the river is denied.
While thinking on how to convince the Commission of High Instances Eugen Robick receives a cube found by Klaus and Friedrich during ground works of the Von Hardenberg company. The cube starts to grow and turns into a network. Soon the network is too big for his house. Eventually the network connects the South and North side of Urbicande with each other. Together with his neighbor Sophie he visits the North side. The network disturbe the whole structure of Urbicande. After the winter the network starts to grow again and soon becomes so big you can not see it again. Robicks friend Thomas, who has become the new Rapporter General, tries to convince Robick to help him to recreate the network, but Eugen denies and tries his own way.
While thinking on how to convince the Commission of High Instances Eugen Robick receives a cube found by Klaus and Friedrich during ground works of the Von Hardenberg company. The cube starts to grow and turns into a network. Soon the network is too big for his house. Eventually the network connects the South and North side of Urbicande with each other. Together with his neighbor Sophie he visits the North side. The network disturbe the whole structure of Urbicande. After the winter the network starts to grow again and soon becomes so big you can not see it again. Robicks friend Thomas, who has become the new Rapporter General, tries to convince Robick to help him to recreate the network, but Eugen denies and tries his own way.
La Tour (The Tower)
Giovanni Battista is a third class maintainer of the Tower. His section is getting worse by the day and as he has not been in contact with any of his inspectors or colleague maintainers he decided to go to the Base to complain. While using a chute his end up somewhere higher as his level. He meets Ellias Aureolus Palingenius and Milena. Together with Milena he tries to figure out the purpose of the Tower. He finally decides to climb to the top.
Chronologically (by publication date) this is the fourth book in The Obscure Cities series with L'Archiviste being the third, though that book was more of a collection of images than a graphic novel.
Chronologically (by publication date) this is the fourth book in The Obscure Cities series with L'Archiviste being the third, though that book was more of a collection of images than a graphic novel.
La route d'Armilia (The Route to Armilia)
Ferdinand is requested to travel by Dirigible from Mylos to Armilia. He knows the formula that will help Armilia to overcome the very cold period they are facing. During his flight to Armilia he meets Hella. Together they experience the travel over famous Obscure Cities like Brüsel, Bayreuth and København. Meanwhile Rainer and Helmut are investigating a problem in the Dinesen factory of Mylos.
Only the first 19 pages of this story were published in issue 123 of A Suivre in April 1988 AD. The Casterman album became the fifth volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities in the same year. It has not been translated into English.
Only the first 19 pages of this story were published in issue 123 of A Suivre in April 1988 AD. The Casterman album became the fifth volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities in the same year. It has not been translated into English.
Brüsel
Mr. Abeels runs a flower shop about to enter modernity: imagine, through the miracle of plastics, flowers that never fade! His novelty is snatched up by the ambitious city planners of an all-new Brusel. No more lack of hygiene! No more dusty old buildings! All is razed and enormous new skyscrapers are erected at blistering speed! Never mind the disruptions and uprootings of peoples' lives! Who needs to preserve and live in history? Hurrah for modernity! Abeels falls in love with a renegade woman who fights the extensive redesigns and ends up having to play both sides carefully. All these problems are not very good for his health. He ends up in a hospital by Dr. Dersenval. Together with Tina Tonero he escapes the hospital just in time to see the end of Brüsel.
This book is the seventh volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities (but the fifth key story). The story was published in A Suivre: issues 158, 159, 160, 171, 172 and 173; from March 1991 AD to June 1992 AD. Casterman album: 1992 AD. It was also translated into English and published in the US as a hardcover edition by NBM in the USA in 1993.
This book is the seventh volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities (but the fifth key story). The story was published in A Suivre: issues 158, 159, 160, 171, 172 and 173; from March 1991 AD to June 1992 AD. Casterman album: 1992 AD. It was also translated into English and published in the US as a hardcover edition by NBM in the USA in 1993.
L'enfant Penchée (The Leaning Girl)
After a freak accident on the Star Express roller coaster, 13 year-old Mary Von Rathen begins to lean. Doctors can not help her and she is sent to a private school in Sodrovni. Mary escapes and joins the Robertson Circus where she remains for several years, until she hears from newspaper editor, Stanislas Sainclair, that a sicientist, Alex Wappendorf, might be able to help her. Wappendorf is working on a rocket to reach a planet that could hold the secret to Mary’s trouble.
Meanwhile an artist called Augustin Desombres has ran away from the busy world and buys an empty building on the Plains of Aubrac in France. He starts painting murals of strange globes.
Now as a young woman, Mary decides to join Wappendorf in the rocket. On the alien planet, they discover an area with many globes where she has a chance meeting with the artist.
This book is volume ten of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities but the sixth main story. Publication in (A Suivre) started in issue 193 (February 1994), and the album was released by Casterman in 1996. The album contains pictures of Marie-Françoise Plissart. Martin Vaughn-James plays an important role in the album as Augustin Desombres.
Meanwhile an artist called Augustin Desombres has ran away from the busy world and buys an empty building on the Plains of Aubrac in France. He starts painting murals of strange globes.
Now as a young woman, Mary decides to join Wappendorf in the rocket. On the alien planet, they discover an area with many globes where she has a chance meeting with the artist.
This book is volume ten of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities but the sixth main story. Publication in (A Suivre) started in issue 193 (February 1994), and the album was released by Casterman in 1996. The album contains pictures of Marie-Françoise Plissart. Martin Vaughn-James plays an important role in the album as Augustin Desombres.
L'Ombre d'un homme (the Shadow of a Man)
Albert Chamisso has been married to Sarah for just a few weeks when he has a nightmare when he starts having nightmares. Dr. Polydore Vincent helps him to to overcome the nightmares, but his shadow is in color afterwards. He is struggling with this. He loses his wife and his job. He lives for some time in the outskirts of Blossfeldtstad until he gets in contact with Minna. Together they start a light show that becomes very popular.
The Shadow of a Man is officially the eleventh volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities though it is the seventh complete story in the series. The work in progress was available for months as webisodes on the Obscure Cities Internet site.
The Shadow of a Man is officially the eleventh volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities though it is the seventh complete story in the series. The work in progress was available for months as webisodes on the Obscure Cities Internet site.
La Frontière invisible (The Invisible Frontier)
An epic in every way, this is the story of young Roland de Cremer who is assigned to the Center for Cartography. He works for the department of Paul Ciceri. But the very lax environment changes with the announcement that Marshal Radisic, will be visiting the secluded Center. The Obscure world has changed a lot: Urbicande is swept from the maps, Brüsel is partly drowned, Calvani is destroyed by storms and even Pȃhry is struggling after the fiasco of the last Inter-City Exhibit and so is Mylos after the death of Klaus von Rathen and the resignation of his daughter Mary. According to Marshal Radisic it is time for Sodrovno-Voldachia to take the lead. To show the world the greatness of Sodrovno-Voldachia some changes are necessary in the Center. After his holiday Roland de Cremer is promoted to head of the department. The Center has a hard time to keep up with all the changes. The borders are moving so fast that they became invisible. Roland can't forget the map with different borders tattooed on her back he has seen on the back of his lover Shkodrã. His desire to save her could ultimately get them both killed.
La Frontiére Invisible was released in two parts two years apart but later collected into one larger volume. Chronologically considered the twelfth and thirteenth volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities, it is actually the eighth major story in the series. The Invisible Frontier was published as two separate volumes in the US by NBM.
La Frontiére Invisible was released in two parts two years apart but later collected into one larger volume. Chronologically considered the twelfth and thirteenth volume of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities, it is actually the eighth major story in the series. The Invisible Frontier was published as two separate volumes in the US by NBM.
La Théorie du Grain de Sable (Grain of Sand Theory)
Gholam Mortiza Khan comes to Brüsel to sell some jewelry to Elsa Autrique. Before the sell can be closed, Khan dies in an accident. This is the start of some events that are investigated by Mary von Rathen: accumulation of sand in the apartment of Kristin Antipova, accumulation of stones in the house of Constant Abeels and Maurice who is loosing weight by the day. The events have a catastrophic effect on Brüsel. Time is of the essence. This is an important story as it reintroduces Mary Von Rathen, the leaning girl, now an adult.
Chronologically these two parts are considered the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities but they make up the 9th complete story in the series. Together they make up one story. The books are printed as a two-color, making the whites pop out as much as the blacks. The books are in oblong format.
Chronologically these two parts are considered the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of the Chronicles of the Obscure Cities but they make up the 9th complete story in the series. Together they make up one story. The books are printed as a two-color, making the whites pop out as much as the blacks. The books are in oblong format.