AT LAST these classic works of speculative fiction in comics form by the trailblazing female comics creator, Chantal Montellier – who created these works in the 1970s – are finally appearing in English translation here in the United States, with Geoffrey Brock's translation from the original French doing the original text full justice (this volume also includes a short interview of Montellier by Brock, appended at the conclusion). Kudos to New York Review Comics for bringing these works to the attention of North American readers; it was long overdue. The second wave feminist outrage that animates many key moments in these works resonates loudly today.
As the collection's title indicates, it features works focused on the issues that arise from humans living together in situations projected to arise from her observations of 1970s France. Montellier's artwork is a pleasure to peruse, and each of the three graphic novellas in the collection – Wonder City, Shelter and 1996 – show her to have developed a specific stylistic approach to match the theme of the narrative (with Shelter evidencing a strong sympathies with the style of her peer, Jaques Tardi who began his career at roughly the same time).
To take a deeper dive into this work and see some preview pages, take a moment to check out Helen Chazan's insightful review at TCJ.