Thank you for providing me with an arc. I found the novel to be overall quite thoughtful and thought-provoking! I wasn’t sure this would be as good as it was and it exceeded my expectations. I am definitely looking forward to what this author is going to put our next! Thank you for providing me with an arc. I found the novel to be overall quite thoughtful and thought-provoking! I wasn’t sure this would be as good as it was and it exceeded my expectations. I am definitely looking forward to what this author is going to put our next!

This novel has a unique art style to it, but it. really complements the story. It's quirky, fun, and the pacing is good. I'd imagine this would be a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Hervé’s awkward, irritating, and maybe a bit obsessive, but in the end, he’s a normal guy. He has a job, his buddies, a girlfriend, and a mother who keeps close tabs on him. One particular day starts out just like any other, but on his way to work, he quickly realizes that things are anything but normal. Every person he crosses paths with not only seems to know him, but sees what he sees, and hears what he hears. And he soon discovers that everyone else on Earth is connected with him too. So begins a day unlike any other, with Hervé cast out of anonymity and into a nightmare of confusion and danger.
An interesting graphic novel.

Omni-Visibilis is somewhat like a strange mish-mash of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor and a Twilight Zone episode minus the big moralistic ending that usually accompany those programs. When we are introduced to Hervé, he is a thoroughly unlikable character. He is neurotic, disingenuous and somewhat conniving (he considers cheating on his girlfriend right from the get-go). His friends are only somewhat better, but act like the stoner tag-alongs in a Seth Rogan film most of the time. Rather than get a day-to-day account of man waxing poetic about his OCD symptoms, or the downside of accidentally urinating on one’s shoes, Hervé is soon “blessed” with the power to which every person on earth can see what he sees, hears what he hears, or many other sensations. It’s all Hervé all the time.

"Hervé’s awkward, irritating, and maybe a bit OCD, but in the end, he’s a normal guy. He has a job, his buddies, a girlfriend, and a mother who keeps close tabs on him. One particular day starts out just like any other, but on his way to work, he quickly realizes that things are anything but normal. Every person he crosses paths with not only seems to know him, but sees what he sees, and hears what he hears. And he soon discovers that everyone else on Earth is connected with him too. So begins a day unlike any other, with Hervé cast out of anonymity and into a nightmare of confusion and danger."

I think one of my issues with this book is that there really isn’t a catalyst for this. Take the film The Parent Trap, wherein a mother and daughter switch bodies because each one feels that the other has it easy, and they come to a mutual understanding that life isn’t always great when it appears to be. Omni-Visibilis doesn’t really do this at all; aside from Hervé having obvious quirks that may impede his social life, there’s no real instance where he says “I wish everyone could see how I live” or something similar. As it is, the switch seems somewhat random, and Hervé doesn’t really come out the other side a better person. Perhaps I am reading too much into this, but usually stories like this have a point – this one just felt random.

That said, the art style in this book is gorgeous. Everything in an old-school monochrome blue/black color scheme with white text boxes. In a world of most comics looking somewhat similar, this one definitely stands out stylistically. The writing, when it comes to dialog, is snappy and full of wit. Everyone’s worldview is very cynical, but the book never really comes off as dark – the whole ordeal has a very humorous tone despite the sheer terror one would be in if a similar situation were to befall literally anyone.

While I feel that the story was a bit lacking, this is all self contained and has a solid ending. The art is awesome, and I can’t really say that I’ve ever seen a premise like this before. I feel that this comic could have been a classic, but did not stick the landing resulting in a merely average story.

A gripping story told with a gorgeous blue and white artwork: What would happen if suddenly everyone were to see what you see, hear what you hear and smell what you smell?

2.5

This graphic novel was pitched as humorous but it really wasn't. Maybe that's because it was "man's" humor? Piss and poop jokes, dirty hands sort of stuff. I'm no saint about my humor but I didn't find this funny. There was no creativity or style to it.

I was really interested in the concept of the whole world being able to see--and it turns out hear, smell, and feel--everything Hervé experiences. In some ways this played out cleverly. People wanting to send messages through him, trying to sell his powers to the government who bids the highest. But, I didn't like that it wasn't explain how this ability developed or why. Then, in the end when it reverses, that isn't explained either. It felt like a potentially funny concept was thought of but the work to make it work wasn't done.

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Herve may genuinely one of the characters I've ever found myself dislike so much. But he has some awesome friends.

This was honestly not super interesting overall. A pretty general Man vs Society / Man vs Society conflict. It felt very surface level and not very interesting overall.

Also while listed as humor I didn't even crack a smile reading this.

This is a high concept if I ever saw one. Omni-Visibilis written by Lewis Trondheim and illustrated by Matthieu Bonhomme is a graphic novel that asks that one question: what would happen if one day everyone saw from the eyes of an ordinary man as soon as they closed their eyelids.

I always love the concept in Trondheim’s work. He is one of my favorite comic artistes with his “Lapinot” series, it just rings so emotionally right and is very funny and absurd. So when I see a work of his, I cannot walk past without itching to read it. Sadly I am less a fan of Bonhomme’s illustrations. There is something very modern/urban/street about them that makes them unpleasant to me. They are not the cheerfully crazy anthropomorphic characters I love in Trondheim’s personal drawing style, and it overshadowed the whole book with a more vulgar and heavy look.

From the beginning the main character is not just a “normal” everyday guy, he’s a very unlikable character which didn’t help make the reading more enjoyable. Truthfully as soon as he thought about cheating on his girlfriend I was rooting against him and hoping the whole thing would finish badly for him. It felt definitely more geared towards the male audience and while I loved the idea I quickly read through without much enthusiasm.

I found the characters a bit too crass and cynical - you kind of get the sense you're reading a Christopher Nolan story, only the people dealing with the weird trans-dimensional stuff are all stoners. That being said, it is a clever concept and the art style is terrific.

Okay, so unfortunately right off the bat I don’t like the man character Harvé. He comes off as a huge jerk, and a bit of a creep.

Anyways, after spying on his friends sister via a webcam, when he wakes up the next day everyone can see what he sees apparently. He starts to lose his mind at some point after being held up in the house, he’s gotten famous unwillingly.

As the day goes on people start sharing more of his senses, they smell what he smells, hears what he hears etc. I won’t ruin the ending for you I’d your truly interested in this story.

Unfortunately I wasn’t too thrilled with this story, I just couldn’t get into it but I tried my best to give it a shot. I do like the art style though so there’s that .

Thank you to NetGalley and the amazing publishers/authors for giving me a chance to read & review such a wonderful story.

The characters were difficult to like, even the main character Hervé was annoying at times. The artwork was bad and maybe if there was some color or clearer drawings I would have given this 3 stars. The plot was interesting enough but there was no real resolution in the end.

The Short Version: A beautifully drawn graphic novel with an intriguing premise but uneven execution

The Long Version: I was really interested in this graphic novel once I read the premise about the whole world being able to see/hear what the main character sees and hears. The concept was very unique, but evoked some nostalgia for The Truman Show and other works of that ilk. I think the offer did a really good job of raising questions about how voyeuristic and opportunistic our society has become with the rise of reality shows, social media, influencer culture, and the like. I felt that the reaction of the world around the main character was pretty accurate to what would happen in real life if this situation arose so in that regard the work was a very interesting think piece.

There were several problems though. The main character was thoroughly unlikable prior to his power (if you want to call it that) being discovered. Because of that, I didn’t really feel all that bad for him even though everyone treated him terribly. I also felt some of the dialogue felt contrived or forced and really jarring which hurt the reading experience. The use female characters in the story was also off putting. They were plot devices, window dressing, or sexual objects, with no attempt to really develop them. Lastly, the resolution doesn’t really resolve or explain anything so there are a lot of questions unanswered and while I think I got the point of the story, I feel a little unsatisfied.

In the end I feel like there is a tremendous story buried somewhere inside Omni-visibilis it just didn’t all come together. Luckily it’s a graphic novel so it’s a quicker read and if you aren’t captivated you didn’t lose hours of your life.

Component Ratings
Concept: 4.5 out of 5
Art: 4.5 out of 5
Characters: 1.5 out of 5
Plot: 2 out of 5

How to summarize this graphic novel? hmmmm.

So, there is an everyday run-of-the-mill guy who works at an office. Then one day he wakes up and the whole world can see through his eyes and hear what he hears, smell what he smells etc. He becomes a center of attention with people seeking him out so they can make an announcement to the whole world or so they can harm him. He goes on the run with the help of friends.

This was a unique read. I like the concept. Kind of like a Being John Malkovich (which I loved) story or something similar. It was an interesting parable to life on the internet where theoretically everyone can see you if they look, but this was completely involuntary voyeurism on the part of the watched and the audience.

I do like Lewis Trondheim's work in general, and this book does not disappoint. The idea of being constantly seen, heard and smelled by the rest of the world, is just the perfect nightmare.

Hervé is a mustachioed dork, somewhere in his twenties. He wants to be cool, he wants girls to think he is cool, but Herve is desperately uncool. Then from one day to the next, everyone can see what he sees, when they close their eyes.

What follows is a claustrophobic story where Hervé desperately tries to hide himself from sudden worldwide infamy, which is a hard thing to accomplish when everyone can literally see where you are, or hear you talking about where to go.

As previously said, it's a nightmare, and it becomes a sort of farce, with genuinely funny moments. The ending feels a bit pat, and is the only disappointment.

This book had a great middle. Unfortunately the beginning was annoying and the ending left me baffled. This is really disappointing as I absolutely loved the art style and really enjoyed reading about the friendships in the book.

I was surprised I got so caught up in the story. Indeed, at first I thought it was not going to be my style as the main character is far from being perfect. However, once the story gets settled, it gets very interesting and I just wanted to keep reading. It’s quite a funny and crazy story. I didn’t get attached or even felt empathy for the main character due to the way he was introduced, which explains my rating.
I guess it could have been more developed but at the same time, I liked that it wasn’t too long. Overall, it’s an entertaining read that I would recommend to people who want a fun and crazy graphic novel.
3.5/5

i HIGHLY recommend reading this. it's so freaking funny & crazy at the same time 😂 imagine all the people around the world could see exactly what u see, hear what u hear, feel what u feel and smell what u smell! NUTS. i've had such a great time reading this!! if u want a quick and laugh out loud graphic novel - this one's for u ;) xx

Herve, a germaphobe with a pretty mundane life, suddenly wakes up one day and no longer has any privacy; everyone in the world is able to see and hear what Herve sees and hears when they close their eyes. The only freedom Herve gets from this is when he closes his eyes or blocks his ears.

Firstly, I love the way this comic is drawn. It sometimes has no text, and the colors and minimal, yet you can still tell what is going on. You can also clearly tell when it is daytime or nighttime, and we can see when Herve closes his eyes, etc. Comics like these truly make me appreciate how much time and effort go into planning each panel.

The story itself was also incredibly intriguing and fast-paced. I have never read any story like this before, so it definitely left an impression on me.

I’m so happy this was translated from French to English so that I could read it.

A fast-paced story with beautiful artwork, exclusively drawn in blue, black and white. We follow a man who suddenly has no privacy - everyone can see what he sees and hear what he hears as soon as they close their eyes or plug their ears. The premise was really interesting to me, a nice change from typical "body-swap" or time travel stories. But this is not science-fiction at all. The panels with views of Paris and its streets and parks are realistic, whilst staying away from the tourist clichés such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. I really appreciated this as a French reader!
I however was slightly put off by certain dialogues. There is a lot of profanity, and the characters are quite caricatural. I really struggled to empathise with the main character due to how he was introduced in the first few pages, and his friends are immature. The only slightly developed female character was annoying and something she did (without including a spoiler) really made no sense to me. The plot was captivating... yet it fell flat by the end for me.
I almost wish this was stretched over a series of 2 or 3 books so as to explore in greater depths the consequences and various possible "adventures" of the protagonist. For instance he is presented as someone obsessed with cleanliness, but this personality trait does not really resurface later.
In a nutshell, this was an entertaining read, and I liked the way the illustrator used shades and a limited range of colours to draw Paris. The story could have been more intricate - or developed with a sequel!
This is worth noting that the story does not mention any social media or modern implications of such a "power" as it was originally published in 2010 in French.
I would like to thank #EuropeComics and #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.