I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

In any narrative journey there are well-trodden routes, and paths not taken. This beautiful graphic novel by Nicolas Debon, translated from the original French by M B Valente, is a bit of both. Marathon, about the unlikely victory of the Algerian runner Ahmed Boughèra El Ouafi in the Olympic Marathon of 1928, is essentially an “underdog” tale we’ve heard before, but it is told with style. The historical detail, such as use of a speech by Pierre de Coubertin to open the novel, sets a place and time within seconds; and the use of a sports commentator as the narrator, whose opinions are very much of his time, is also inspired.

But it’s the art style that really sets this novel apart. The limited colour palette can at times be oppressive and emotionally charged; for example in the confined space of the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam at the start of the race. Elsewhere, there is a confidence in leaving large parts of the frame uncoloured: no lettering, maybe just a broad wash background. Whole textless sequences evoke the freedom of running through the flat landscapes of the Netherlands as the competition thins out, and allow thoughts to race as quickly as the runners. The salmon-tinged base colour reminded us of a sepia photograph, giving a period feel; while bright blues are used effectively to pick out details such as the French team’s shirts, including, of course, El Ouafi himself. As the race intensifies, the light pastel gradually darkens to red swirls and spatters, as the exertion begins to tell.


The stark Futurist verticals and crossbeams of buildings contrasts well with the rougher, sketchy portrayal of landscape and people. The figures are simple and expressive, and the cross-hatching evokes real emotion, movement, and period detail. The fields and rivers seem wide, endless and beautiful, and provide a real sense of continual movement.

At times, the moments of activity – the flap of wings as doves take flight, the starting pistol and hustling of bodies to gain a position – could almost be heard.

We also appreciated the historical notes at the end of the novel. El Ouafi’s biography was unknown to us, but it was such a fascinating read that we were left wondering if the 1928 marathon wasn’t merely one small avenue in a busy network of story-paths that would have made an even more interesting graphic novel.

The story of Marathon is slim and well-trodden: the plucky underdog romping home triumphant. The way it is told is fresh and new and beautiful, and it suits the medium of a graphic novel in a way that made it hard to imagine it being told as well in any other artistic form. However, the story of El Ouafi before and after the marathon of 1928 was where our attention lay: the furore surrounding his success, and his subsequent fall into forgotten poverty when the French state no longer needed him. That is the story we longed to read; the enticing path not taken.

The story of an underdog, slowly overtaking the competition.
It does feel like a slow read overall though and the art doesn't really help to maintain focus.

This is surprisingly gripping. It is short but packs a punch as it tells the story of Boughèra El Ouafi who was an Algerian marathon runner who ran for France in the 1928 Olympics.

El Ouafi’s victory was a surprise. According to Wiki ‘he ran behind the leaders for the first three quarters of the race, overtaking them some 5 km before the end. He was never caught by any of the other runners, and finished first, 26 seconds ahead of second-placed Manuel Plaza from Chile.’ El Ouafi was the only representative of French athletics to win gold at the 1928 Olympics.

He toured the United States but was then disqualified as an amateur. He opened a cafe in Paris but was forgotten until 1956, when another Algerian, Alain Mimoun, also won the Olympic Marathon. At this time El Ouafi was a pauper struggling to get by. He was shot dead some years later during the French/Algerian war. The shooters were never found.

I am not going to say anything about French policing and whether they even bothered to conduct a proper investigation. It is a sad story about a man who came from nowhere and won the gold for a country that seemed less than grateful. At least these days France does seem far more appreciative of its athletes and footballers irrespective of their ethnicity.

I wish I knew more about El Ouafi and his struggles. Even to be entered into the Olympics was a huge challenge during that era of colonialism and just a few years before the outbreak of World War Two. What an amazing man.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. It had a very simple way of telling this emotive story. I don’t think I liked the colouring that much. It was just too drab but it doesn’t take away from the story. I now have to go and find out more about this amazing man. The best stories are always the ones that leave you wanting to know more.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I’m not generally into sports related films, books, or comics, but Marathon by Nicolas Debon is different than your usual overdone inspirational schlock. I’m not sure if it’s the minimalist artwork that captures the feel of watching old historical footage, or the gorgeous panoramic scenes, but this book is a work of art. Taking place during the Ninth Summer Olympiad in Amsterdam, Netherlands, this tells not only the story of a marathon, but a story of the world rebuilding and clinging to peace after a bloody world war that scarred Europe forever. Many men participated in the marathon, all from every corner of the Earth, but none would be prepared for their worst adversary for such a race – incredibly strong wind running head-on.

This graphic novel has dialogue, but the majority of the book is completely wordless, allowing the reader to savor the artwork. We see Amsterdam’s Industrial cityscapes, lush fields, and crowded streets. The majority of the story doesn’t really have a POV character, but it does follow Algerian-born marathon runner Boughera El Ouafi quite a bit in the back half. That’s no surprise as he was the man that won a gold medal for France in this very race. The book tries to get in his mind as he runs, thinking about his relationship to his sponsoring country. Is he upset about the numerous friends and family he had that were lost in the endless meat-grinder that was World War I? Is he upset about the fact that he did not chose to become “civilized” when Frenchmen came into his village as a youth? We don’t really know for sure, but what we do know is that he perseveres and triumphs.

This book contains an afterward full of historical photos and information about the race and Boughera El Ouafi in particular. I enjoyed seeing these pictures to see how closely the artist realized the event.

I really liked this book, despite not generally caring too much about running. I went into this not too sure about how I would feel, but the analysis of post World War I Europe and gorgeous artwork impressed me. This would be a great gift for someone who runs, a history buff, or anyone that likes more subdued comics. I will definitely need to follow Nicolas Debon more in the future!

Great little book showing part of the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, and how a true underdog becomes the winner of the men's marathon. It's a book full of pages of Dutch flat landscape, with corn waving in the wind, and the runners exhausting themselves. We also get to see sports jounalists trying to get their hands on the story, which becomes a race in and of itself, because nobody is really covering the underdog.

I really liked the art, and the soft, reduced sepia-like colouring. It captures a sense of time, and with the Dutch country, a lot of space.

3.5 stars

A graphic novel about the 1928 Olympic (men’s) marathon race. Expressive art combined with an inspiring story.

[What I liked:]

•I really like the art style. Muted colors & a sketchy style are balanced with an astute eye for detail & realistic depictions of the human form in motion.

•The way the panels are arranged, with some large, panoramic views, & some smaller closeups create a sense of time progressing & movement through space. It has a nice forward momentum.

•The notes at the back give great context & background on the race, the characters, & the inspiration for this graphic novel. It’s clearly well researched, & I appreciate the notes & reference materials cited.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I enjoyed this quite a bit, but if you’re not interested in sports/running/history you may not find it interesting. It’s basically a depiction of a particular historical marathon race.

CW: racism/colonialism

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

This is a marvellous that covers the 1928 Olympic marathon and its a true story. That's not to love about a true story comic.  The pictures in this comic are so powerful.  The author was really a genius putting this comic together.  The pictures are rather simple but that is so fitting and adds a brilliant sense of atmosphere and tension this comic holds. What stood out the most was the use of colour throughout. This really created such a wonderful and powerful atmosphere.  The use of brown base was rather brave of the author but it worked brilliantly for the time period of the comic making it feel old. Then the splashes of colour to allow things to stand out perfectly. This comic had me gripping the edge of my seat wanting to shout out who is going to win! All the different elements of this comic really tied in to make a spectacular reading experience.  It's such a powerful and very fitting tribute to the winner of the race. I loved the added section at the end explaining the injustices of race rules in the 1920's for olympians. 

I truly can't recommend this comic enough i know you will love it just as much as I did. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for creating this perfect comic.  I will definitely be looking out for more comics by this author. 

The above review has already been done on goodreads, Google books, kobo, amazon UK and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/marathon-by-nicolas-debon-europe-comics-5-stars under the name ladyreading365

This short and simple graphic novel takes us to the 1928 Olympics and the marathon event. It is visually very simple, often leaving you with a single image for a couple of frames to really let it dwell. The drudgery of keeping on running for such a long distance is captured well, along with the agony of trying to keep pace with your rivals as your body is yelling at you to stop.

It's less of a story and more of a tableau to be admired, especially as most of the characters don't really stand out from one another. I'm assuming this is mostly a deliberate decision as the race's winner clearly stands out anyway. I would love to have gotten a better sense of the eventual victor, though.

An interesting read in the end, which could offer more.

With some significant refinement and clarity, perhaps this can be a compelling and enjoyable story. As it is, Marathon is little more than a fragmented set of pages that don't come together to make a story. There are many comments by outsiders, there is little connection with the characters, and gaps suddenly appear that leave the reader wandering what the author/artist is really trying to say.

This is a graphic novel that tells the story of the Marathon from the 1928 Olympics. It is told from the perspective of a journalist, as they introduce us to the location, and the many competitors. The race starts, and we follow along as we see each one slowly drop out as it becomes too much. In an ending that surprised many, Boughera El Ouafi, a French Algerian, is the winner. The art in this is beautiful, as is the story. I also enjoyed the information at the end of the graphic novel, giving more history about El Ouafi, and what happened to him in the years after his win. There are also some pictures of the real life people, and some short biographies of other people mentioned in the story. I really enjoyed this book!

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I thought this was an excellent example of sequential art. I imagine some of the panels could be made into an effective flip book—in a way it was like watching a documentary of the 1928 Olympic marathon runners. I loved the low-color images, and the contrast of running with scenes of the wind in fields, horses running through a field, scenes of a factory, and cave art were beautiful. The historic record this was based on made a good story, and it was powerfully told.

Marathon retells the Marathon race of the August 1928 Olympics held in Amsterdam.

We're introduced to the setting and the hopeful competitors by a journalist watching from the stands. The rest of this short work covers the race and its victor, Boughera El Ouafi, a French Algerian. Told from the perspective of the journalist we see the runners as they compete and what they might be thinking.

While short in length, this book is full of beautiful art work rendering the city and fields through which the runners pass. It also touches on colonialism, but serves as a fascinating study on the mental motivation and discipline of runners.

Stunning and realistic visuals, a color palette that is eye catching, and some really artistic design. Much to appreciate about this book.

(I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Amsterdam, August 1928. The Olympic Games are taking place and now it's the time for the marathon. Some of the runners are introduced to the reader before the race beginns and then we follow them as they try their best to keep up and get their long-awaited medal.

It was definitely an interesting story, but I did not really enjoy this. I think it is because of the lack of structure and the messiness of it all. It was maybe intentional on the part of the author, but it just wasn't for me. I liked the ending of the story a little more, especially finding out who the winner was and then getting to read more of his story and what happened to him after his victory.

Read in English.

When you consider a graphic novel about a marathon – here, the one for the 1928 Dutch Olympics – has to be frame after frame after frame of people running, this is actually a lot more compelling than you might imagine. Visually, at least. Starting with the immense, bulldozing kind of grandeur of the Amsterdam stadium (or so it looks here, it's actually a squat, one-tier arena now, as it was back then) we see the race play out – leaving the city, stringing out into the countryside, and passing wheat field after wheat field, before turning into what was apparently a rather fierce headwind.

Now, I could mention what the book is really about, but that would kind of spoil the surprise of seeing who won. And the text needs all the help it can get, almost – it starts with one chap yacking on and on from the stands of the stadium to the chap next to him, discussing all the key entrants, and letting us know Japan had a track and field team at the Olympics for the first time ever. That kind of thing. But lo and behold, the guy next to him gets up, and dashes for the press bus, where one wordsmith reporter per country could tag along, bypassing the racers copious times and watching them pass from every check- and relief-point along the course. All of the text, then, is exposition, with very little in the way of dialogue, and even less in the way of realism when it comes to having people monologue the way they do here.

I still think I liked the book, however – the stark lack of colour, with a brick sepia (were such a thing to exist) and some touches of blue wash the only palette used, quite distinctive. Yes, the number of non-diegetic images (river, fields, river, fields, etc) is clearly there to provide visual interest, but it actually works. This is a marathon, after all, not a sprint, and the same applies to the book as the race itself. It can't just concentrate on the runners, not when the boring scenery is there too. It also has the appeal of dipping into what should be quite well-known sports history (this is the Olympics, after all), and reviving an unsung legend of road-racing. Get past the clumsiness of the script, and this is a three and a half stars read – not the full five onion rings, but for sports book fans well worth the investment.

A 'run' down memory lane for the 1928 Olympics marathon where one marathoner surprised all.

This book is well planned out and I appreciated the back story of the marathoner, the book focused on.

Thank you #EuropeComics and #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Marathon by Nicolas Debon is an intense biographical graphic novel about an Olympics marathon winner. The book is set in Amsterdam in August 1928. According to the description, "Few so much as notice the short, slight Algerian runner—a factory worker by day—who wears the French jersey. But that was before a strong wind, cramps, and 42.195 kilometers of ruthless competition combined to produce an astonishing upset…"

Overall, Marathon is a thrilling look into how an unknown underdog manages to win an Olympics marathon. As a former runner myself, this reminded me of days spent running. The story itself is great and is a little-known part of history that deserves more attention. I took off 2 star, because I personally didn't enjoy the art very much. I can appreciate the art style and what the artist was going for, but I wish that depiction of the people, and the star Algerian runner, had been depicted in a more humanizing way. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of sports graphic novels, you can check out this book, which is available now!

A depiction of the 1928 Marathon at the Olympics and its unexpected victor, told from the point of view of the spectators