LE COLLECTIONNEUR INTEGRALE

I liked these five stories, but didn't love them, perhaps unfairly for not including a perspective I was hoping for. The main point of it is Toppi's art, which is why this is 4 stars for me, or something under that as I read a couple of his books to get into his style more. He's unique, both detailed and sort of improvisationally sketchy in places, clearly influential on a lot of comics world wide. I knew of him through his work on Corto Maltese, and this story is like that in a way, of a sophisticated guy who is comfortable in Paris as he is the Amazon, and like Doc Savage, Bond, Indiana Jones, he has the uncanny ability you need to have in adventure stories to never get killed, to escape without any credibility whatever, but who cares, with a guy this cool we forgive the artist, etc. That's sorta the point of escapist adventure stories, duh!

So the Collector exists seemingly in an earlier age, a colonial age, where he seeks out items to collect and always gets what he wants. He steals valuable objects from indigenous people the world over, just as western natural history museums and rich people have done forever. I had this idea that Toppi might critique this a little bit. He does sometimes defend people who are being treated cruelly, but he still takes the sacred objects! Just because he can! But this is part of our admiration or gangsters and killers who escape from prison, for successful heist-artists, the Pink Panthers, we suddenly root for them for being so skillfully BAAAAAD…We want to be David Niven, rich and sophisticated, smiling as we pick your pocket just because we can.

Somebody else read this and tell me I am wrong and just PC on this issue, and just then tell me, get over it, it's a genre, it's an adventure comic, get over it. But the art, just black and white, pen and ink, is very elaborate, worth checking out. He makes The Collector cool.

Stripovi italijanskog maestra Serđa Topija (1932-2012) u Jugoslaviji i Srbiji su objavljivani samo sporadično, pa je Darkwood rešio da ispravi ovu nepravdu. I to na kakav način! Kolekcionar je vrhunsko delo devete umetnosti u kojem je, na dvesta i pedeset stranica, sakupljeno pet Topijevih stripova nastalih u periodu od 1984. do 2006. godine. Kolekcionar iz naslova je verovatno najpoznatija Topijeva kreacija i jedini njegov junak koji je dobio vlastiti serijal. Ovaj visoki, brkati džentlmen koji „uvek dobije ono što želi“, putuje svetom u potrazi za predmetima koji za njega imaju poseban značaj. Njegova upornost je legendarna. On ide iz zemlje u zemlju, sa kontinenta na kontinent, iz jedne avanture u drugu. Topijev crno-beli crtež je izuzetan, osećaj za detalj fascinantan. Maestro sa lakoćom oživljava različite lokacije (Divlji zapad, Etiopija, Irska, Australija, Tibet…), stvarajući priče bogate istorijom i magijom, priče koje nastanjuju nezaboravni junaci (pored Kolekcionara, posebno treba izdvojiti njegovu ljutu protivnicu Francisku Elodi, „ženu belog lica“). Darkwoodovo izdanje je zaista domaćinski urađeno, tvrdokoričeno i obogaćeno informativnim predgovorom Milana Jovanovića i obimnom galerijom u kojoj se nalaze skice i naslovnice originalnih izdanja u boji. U tri reči: Kolekcionar za kolekcionare.

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This man had the most profound imagination, knowledge and ability of storytelling. Some short stories with well crafted original historical legends which might did never exist before. I did never see the enrichment of subject with pure art in industry of comics. This might is the best of best comic-books I ever read.
The stories follow adventures of a mysterious gunslinger in end of 19th century, known as The Collector. This guy can travel to every corner of the earth to find what he's looking for. The objects of worth a fortune, not because of their price but their value and rarity. I would explain later that how beautifully Sergio Toppi came with these fictional objects.

The Collector gets what he wants.

1. The first story is the quest of a Red Rock Peace Pipe which apparently was in use of Chief Massasoit of Wampanoag tribe. The Smoking pipe which can show you the future in it's smoke.
2. This adventure takes us into Danakil Desert of Abyssinia where a tall tower of black stone remains. One who touches the stone would turn into Negus, King of Kings of Ethiopia. However whoever went there, never returned to tell the tale.
3. Emir Temur the cruellest man on earth never cried but once at The Battle of Cubuk when He lost His beloved Horse. Legend says the only tear which came out of Emir Temur's eye turned into a Jewel which had image of His lost Horse.
However The Collector must have to fudge tribal savages of New Guinea and their mysterious mask wearing queen to acquire that Jewel which had been hidden in deep waters of nearest bay.
4. The Collector will have to help Maori Tribes to win battle against Irish Colonial Bandits to settle His old score. As we said 'The Collector gets what he wants'. This time it's legendary staff of Irish King Niall Glúndub which could lift mountains like grains.
5. In Rocky and hideous mountains of Tibet, The Collector has to defeat whole rogue battalion of Soldiers and a powerful Buddhist monk to retrieve non descriptive necklace of the great Padmasambhava. The necklace which bears the powers of this great Buddhist mystic.

Desenhos maravilhosos de Toppi! Contrastes entre branco/negro, linhas entrecruzadas, rabiscos que se tornam formas... brilhante.
Quanto aos argumentos, confesso que o meu interesse nunca esteve assim muito elevado... fui avançando lentamente em cada um destes capítulos mais por teimosia de não deixar o livro a meio, do que interesse real sobre o que aconteceria à personagem. Talvez por nos ser dito constantemente que o Coleccionador consegue tudo o que quer, as histórias tornam-se repetitivas e não suficientemente estimulantes.
Mas sem dúvida que vale a pena ler este livro, quanto mais não seja pela arte de Toppi!

I only read the first two stories. I found it a bit too disappointing to continue. I found the stories far too long and without any real meaning or purpose behind the narrative.

I'm not going to refute David's analysis here. Maybe we're both being PC, but it did seem a bit ridiculous. If the story were more interesting I'd be willing to forgive. But The Collector just seems like an invincible cocksure ass who's willing to steal shit from indigenous people for no other reason than that he's a collector.

The art was nice, but I think Toppi did better in Sharaz-De and it wasn't enough to get me to keep reading. (Saying that, I may continue the book at a later date.)

Stories of a collector of rare artifacts who travels wide in search of objects which possess certain magical properties and, in his travels, encounters all kinds of troubles, mostly the perfidy of men and one particular woman. As with most
of Toppi’s work, it is the art that takes center stage, while the stories, as entertaining as they actually are, become simply a means for the superb visuals.

I sada mi je potpuno jasno zbog čega ga zovu "italijanski maestro"! Jako zanimljiv stil, neograničen okvirima stranica, sa nekom sveprisutnom mističnom atmosferom. Kolekcionar je strip koji ne obiluje nekom akcijom, zamršenošću priče i sl., već ga najviše odlikuje ličnost glavnog "junaka" i njegova fanatična rešenost da uvek dobije ono što želi i to ljubomorno čuva od tuđih pogleda. Naravno, predmeti koje on želi u svojoj kolekciji su u skladu sa njegovom ličnošću, mistični i kompleksni. Predmeti kojima se tako davno izgubio svaki trag da mnogi sumnjaju da su ikada postojali. Ali on zna, svašta on zna... Kao takav, Kolekcionar je jedini serijalizovani lik Serđa Topija i jako mi je drago da nije stao na jednoj priči već ih ima ukupno pet, objedinjenih u ovom izdanju. Izdanju koje zaista vredi imati u svojoj KOLEKCIJI.

Sergio Toppi’s art is amazing and that alone makes this worth reading. The stories themselves were a little lacking in detail but not to bad. If the writing had been better this graphic novel could have been five stars.

Great graphics. Five stories about a treasure hunter who will not say no. In all the stories the collector finds a way to get what he wants. The collector always knows how to wiggle out of a bad situation.

Dibujo: 5 estrellas. La maravillosa capacidad de Toppi para dotar de sentido a una miríada de líneas curvas que emergen de cualquier parte se expresa aquí en su máximo nivel: si miras fijamente no ves dónde empiezan las figuras, ni se distinguen fondo y frente, pero a la vez las imágenes están cargadas de detalle y proporcionan un realismo sorprendente. Los rostros en particular, la obra maestra de Toppi, son aquí incluso mejores que en Sharaz-de (y el de El Coleccionista es absolutamente genial). No sé de dónde salen las horrendas portadas, que duelen precisamente por el contraste con el nivel de los verdaderos rostros de Toppi.

Guion: 2 estrellas. En este apartado he salido decepcionado: me he aburrido. Aventurillas que ni fu ni fa, con un toque de realismo mágico que va aumentando hacia la fantasía pero que no se llega a concretar en nada sólido (ni es verosímil: si El Coleccionista tiene acceso a la magia, ¿por qué no la usa más que para causar efecto?). Ambientado en la época colonial, el cómic parece estar en contra del colonialismo pero a la vez hacer apología de la guerra, o al menos, de la batalla épica. El transcurrir de las aventuras es siempre similar, consiste en la búsqueda un objeto que se ve enredada por alguna batalla colonial o imperialista, hasta que El Coleccionista consigue lo que quiere.

Aprecio esse livro mais pelo estilo do desenho, riqueza antropológica e a diversidade de cenários, do que pelo protagonista e o enredo em si.

Absolutely stunning art. I don't know how accurate it is but the visual details of all the different people and cultures the collector crossed paths with are incredible. The stories are repetitious: the cocky collector gets in an impossible to escape jam in a new ethnographic culture-soaked location and always manages to pull something out of his hat in a pretty unsatisfying, magical-feeling way. Repeat, repeat, repeat. For me it's almost all a way to showcase his astounding art and visual character work.

Lubię twórczość Toppiego głównie ze względu na rysunki. Mam wrażenie, że te jego niemal trójwymiarowe kadry z bardzo charakterystycznym szrafowaniem, były bardzo oryginalne i równie dobrze sprawdziłyby się w jakichś futurystycznych historiach. Ale lubię bardziej jako właśnie poszczególne kadry i kompozycje niż fabuły, bo te autor składa z dosyć statycznych elementów, trochę już niedzisiejszych. Bez elementów magicznych byłoby to pewnie nudnawo. Klasyka, którą wypada znać

A arte de Toppi é simplesmente sensacional. Nunca vi nada parecido com o que ele desenha, e foi isso que me atraiu à sua obra.
As histórias que compõe as aventuras do colecionador são muito boas e me surpreenderam com certos elementos surpresa que eu não esperava ver em histórias "de época".
Gostei e espero que sua obra ganhe ainda mais admiradores aqui no Brasil. :)

I had certainly heard of Sergio Toppi as one of the European "masters" of comics but had never read any of his material. So when Archaia published this translation of his series "The Collector" I was provided the chance.

The book is broken down into five medium length and relatively easy-to-read stories about The Collector, a mysterious, well-mannered figure who travels the world seeking out historically significant and mystically powerful relics and artifacts. His travels take him to some very out of the way places and his tactics for obtaining them range from a mix of caginess, persistence, trickery, and simple negotiation. The Collector's travels put him in plenty of life-threatening situations but he seems to have a near supernatural ability to escape and prevail. As the Collector says, "No one can stop me from getting what I want."

Toppi's art is interesting and beautiful but takes some getting used to as it is not at all traditional when compared to American, or even a lot of Euro, comics. The stories themselves are fun albeit a little slow-moving, but once you fall into the style and pace of these stories you can better enjoy the ride. The translation seems good although there are places where it is a little difficult to follow the progression of the story, although I don't know if that is the fault of the translation or if the stories were just born that way. Either way, it's not a major impediment to ultimately understanding what is happening on the page.

The packaging by Archaia is high-quality and well-designed, making this a worthy hardcover collection to keep on the shelf. I caught a glimpse of why Toppi is so highly regarded from reading this collection and recommend it for anybody interested in getting a taste of some classic and eclectic European comics.

First off, the art in this book is phenomenal. Toppi is known for his ink style and it is beautifully on display in this black and white collection, with some of the work just astounding as art, much less as a panels in a graphic novel.
Usually, such impressive art means that the story is going to be less impressive, but that's not the case here. The Collector is an enigmatic man who hunts unique items from around the world. That allows the story to dip into cultures and legends that aren't worn out - no Excaliburs or Holy Grails here - instead we get the tear of Tamerlane, the Scepter of Niall Glundub, and other rare items. I'm not sure if they are even real legends, but the world that the stories are steeped in is very much real and also focused on cultures and people that don't get much coverage.
The stories themselves are globe spanning, and the Collector makes for a mysterious protagonist, but the story revolves around him rather than being focused on him.
If you're looking for a beautiful black and white collection with unfamiliar stories and surprising plots, this is highly recommended.

5 stars for art and 3.5 for story and progression. This is a work of art that happens to have speech bubbles in it. The graphic novel aspect takes a step back and the visually titillating ink work takes center stage. Be prepared to be taken through some beautiful landscapes, war scenes and captivating portraiture of human beings of varying ethnicity, all the while following a very powerful and determined character that is the collector (the collector always gets what he wants and not even death could stop him). If you are into history then this would be all the more impressive, as Toppi touches on real world incidents and people in the telling of this story. The book is divided into chapters, each telling a tale of how the collector goes about acquiring an artifact of his desire. Toppi's style of work doesn't need any getting used to, it's a visual stunner from the get go. But if there is one thing that needs to be criticised above all, it is Toppi's ability to draw hands and bare feet. It is appalling!

Incredible artwork, but disappointing writing. The Collector is a Corto Maltese -esque figure, but nowhere near as cool or likable. In fact, in his cut throat treasure-hunting, swindling or killing everyone who comes in his way, he is kind of a dick. In the Corto comics, Hugo Pratt generally avoids stereotype and caricature, writing his characters with real depth and charm, regardless of where they come from, which was pretty unheard of at the time. Toppi draws his characters with great detail but unfortunately they don't have the personalities to match. The locals The Collector encounters on his travels around the world are either easily outsmarted, outgunned or else desperately in need of a white saviour (cue The Collector) who they're willing to let take their treasures. There is some light commentary on imperialism and greed but this is underminded by the book's celebration of a kind of finders-keepers, pillage-positive mentality towards cultural heritage.

Gorgeous, gorgeous artwork, and a story that's a fun combination of James Bond and Clint Eastwood. I'd have rated it higher, but there was a disturbing lack of criticism of the colonial perspective of the narrative that rubbed me the wrong way. If done right, these kinds of adventure stories can work really well and serve as both a campy celebration of the genre, and a tongue-in-cheek commentary on racism, etc, but I didn't get much of a sense of self-awareness from this one.

Still, absolutely mind-blowing art.

Picasso of comics! Extraordinary style.

I picked this up at Half Price Books because it looked like an interesting read. It ended up being okay but wasn’t really my thing. The illustration was done in an interesting style but was hard to follow at times.

The story has a Wild West/Tomb Raider tone to it and is about a man only known as The Collector who obtains items that are special and/or magical for his own use. The Collector is half gunslinger, half tomb raider and incredibly manipulative in an effort to get what he wants (and he ALWAYS gets what he wants).

It was an okay story but got a bit repetitive. Each chapter is basically a short story about The Collector obtaining an item. There is some carry over between stories but not much; the stories pretty much stand alone.

The illustration is done in a beautiful sketched style of ink. While I enjoyed the style of the illustration I found it very hard to follow at times. Many of the minor characters have a similar look to them and it can be confusing to follow what is actually happening.

Overall this was an okay collection of stories about The Collector. While I enjoyed the idea of the The Collector I found the stories involving him to be a bit repetitive. I was somewhat disappointed that this wasn’t a complete story but rather a collection of stories. I also struggled some with following the illustrations, characters just looked too similar. Personally I would skip this unless you are a huge fan of Toppi’s art style.

Sendo um leitor já introduzido ao universo artístico de Sergio Toppi, sentia a necessidade de conhecer O colecionador, pois é o único trabalho completamente autoral do autor com um personagem recorrente.
Após ter iniciado a leitura, os textos introdutórios são de grande auxílio porque ajudam a entender quando os episódios que compõem essa edição se situam na trajetória do autor. Isso também ajuda a explicar a heterogeneidade da qualidade de imagem entre as histórias, algo que pode ser atribuído até mesmo à qualidade dos arquivos disponíveis.
A ideia de um personagem que viaja por todo o mundo buscando ítens diferentes para a sua coleção parece exibir a essência do trabalho e dos temas do artista, retratando diferentes culturas, momentos, interações e com uma mitologia propositalmente construída para nos mostrar o quanto o momento da narrativa é apenas um pequeno episódio dentro da grandiosidade do passado de diversos povos e objetos pelo mundo.
A história final, desenhada e escrita mais de 20 anos após a primeira é uma bela despedida do personagem, preservando o senso de aventura das primeiras 4 histórias e terminando a história do colecionador com Sergio Toppi com uma bela homenagem ao personagem

Although The Collector offers some decent stories, the quality of art and storytelling is not as bold or captivating as that found within Archaia’s earlier volume, Sharaz-de, where there is a greater sense of mystery and intrigue in the images and words, with better visual style and technique, and a wider variation of layout.

Regardless, there’s still a lot to like here, from the characteristics of the Collector himself, to the various peoples he encounters while seeking his treasures. Toppi’s art enhances each tale with a high level of creativity, however, the final story, The Necklace of Padmasambhava, lacks the visual fidelity of the others as if in an ‘unfinished’ form, and also contains the underlying pencils, which unnecessarily adds lines and shadows that only muddy the normally crisp art.

Las cinco historias están cortadas con el mismo patrón y se repiten descaradamente en el planteamiento, el nudo y el desenlace. Cambiar el objeto buscado por el coleccionista no es suficiente para mantener mi interés en ellas. Por si fuera poco, todos los personajes (incluyendo el protagonista) son planos y carecen de profundidad psicológica o emociones por lo que las historias acaban por perder todo el interés. El protagonista que recorre el mundo buscando objetos míticos e insiste en contarnos que siempre consigue todo lo que quiere (sin que el autor se atreva a desmentirlo) es cansino como figura heroica sin que por ello logre funcionar como anti-héroe. El gran arte de Toppi y su habilidad con la plumilla no son suficientes para salvar esta obra.

Reviewed by Brett Peterson

The Collector by Sergio Toppi is a graphic novel depicting the fictional adventures of a Caucasian aristocrat collecting various items of personal, cultural, and spiritual significance around the world. Drawn in Toppi's unique black-and-white “India-ink” style, the book depicts adventures in the American West, Northern Africa, the Pacific Islands, Turkey, Ireland, and Tibet.

You can read this entire review and others like it at San Diego Book Review.

This was a treat. A masterclass in expressive chiaroscuro comic art, with a charming antihero and twisty, ironic plots to boot. The stories themselves are adventure affairs that won't necessarily stick to your bones, but the execution is top-notch. And in a big bonus with this edition: the final chapter leaves a lot of Toppi’s pencil lines visible under the ink. Dunno if it was intentional, but it allows for an Artists Edition-like look at his process for a fraction of the cost. Highly recommended for students of comic art, and for fans of westerns and 19th century adventure yarns.

This story felt a bit stretched and really had me considering quitting early on, but it came together nicely. The art style was intricate and beautiful, and I love how the story took us all over the globe, but it definitely isn't the most fun or exciting story. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I don't know who I would recommend it to...