EDWARD GAUVIN

New from SelfMadeHero:

Based on the real-life voyage of discovery of Admiral Arthur Phillip, who became the first Governor of New South Wales and founder of Sydney, Terra Australis is a dramatic historical account tracing the First Fleet’s epic seven-month journey, from its departure from London in 1787 to the early attempts at establishing a new settlement.

Fifteen hundred men and women were crammed aboard 11 ships sailing to the other side of the planet. Most were convicts, sentenced to transportation for crimes against the crown, and banished to exile. Having travelled over 24,000 km across three oceans, enduring mutiny, disease and perilous weather conditions, they arrived at a country that did not yet exist. For some it was a one-way trip to hell; for others, it proved an unexpected chance of a new life.

Written by LF Bollée, drawn by Philippe Nicloux, and published to coincide with Admiral Phillip’s bicentenary, this is a 500-page cinematic-scale epic that moves from the festering squalor of Newgate prison to the claustrophobic confines of the ships and the natural beauty of Botany Bay. The narrative and illustrations flow with expressionistic drama, highlighting the social climate of the late 18th century, and depicting the characters and landscapes in equal detail.

Bollée has maintained a life-long fascination for Australia and began working on the five-year project in 2007. His research drew on a wealth of reference books and personal accounts from the period, giving added authenticity to the project. Many of Phillip’s officers are featured, including diarist Lieutenant Ralph Clark, Lieutenant-General Watkin Tench, who published accounts of that first settlement, and Major Robert Ross, governor of Norfolk Island. True historical figures such as Bennelong, the first indigenous person to be taught English, and French botanist La Perouse are interwoven into the drama along with stories of real-life convicts including young thief John Hudson and Caribbean-born John Caesar.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

LF Bollée is a journalist who has written over 40 graphic novels. Fascinated by Australia, he began working on Terra Australis in December 2007. He is also the author of XIII Mystery, a spin off from the world-renowned XIII saga. He lives in Versailles, France.

Philippe Nicloux is from Nice, France. He has published three graphic novels – Rashomon, Otomi, and Tropique De L’agneau (published by Les Enfants Rouges).