Lewis Trondheim is a French comic book author and illustrator who has published dozens of albums and series including Les Trois Chemins, Donjon, Monstroeux…, Petit Père Noël, Les Trois Chemins, Les Cosmonauts du futur, Le Roi Catastrophe as well as Les Formidables Aventures de Lapinot which is available in several series. This was first published in 1992 in an album entitled Rabbit and the Patagonian Carrots.
In this series, Lewis Trondheim features anthropomorphic animals, which allow him to tell in a humorous style a whole bunch of stories around a main character: a rabbit named Lapinot and his group of friends (Richard, Pierrot, Nadia, Thierry known as Titi, Felix, etc.).
A rebirth
As the author recalls, his character was dead and buried in “Life as it Comes”. However, after seven years, he had the idea of resuming the series by creating a parallel universe where Lapinot is not dead.
He therefore published, with Dargaud editions, a new adventure entitled Le Chapeau maudit[1] where he brilliantly dissects the theme of power: more than politics, he says, I have the impression that the main theme of the album is true and false. This is a crucial question for our human society.
OMA
In this album Lapinot and Richard join their friends in the forest to witness an eclipse in a ruined castle. On their way, they meet friendly bikers, Jews and Arabs who gather around a barbecue.
They also come across role-playing game fans on their way, one of whom wears a hat that allows him to make predictions: “I am the OMA, the bird of ill omen, master of the web of time. I announce the misfortunes to come. But I couldn’t weave my hat with spider thread…” (p. 8).
When the man we nicknamed OMA dies suddenly, Richard has the “brilliant” idea of placing the cursed hat on his head. Quickly, he realizes the power of the hat…he must be careful what he says.
This new Lapinot adventure allows Lewis Trondheim to address, in a humorous tone, the absurdity that reigns in our world while propelling Lapinot and his friends into the most improbable situations.
Reda Benkoula
[1] The Adventures of Rabbit – The Cursed Hat | Lewis Trondheim (Screenplay, Drawing) | Dargaud | 2025 | 48 pages
