La Femme Piège (published in English as The Woman Trap) is a science fiction graphic novel written and illustrated by Yugoslavian-born cartoonist Enki Bilal. First published in 1986, it is the second volume of the Nikopol Trilogy, following La Foire aux immortels (The Carnival of Immortals) from 1980 and preceding Froid Équateur (Equator Cold) in 1992. The trilogy is known for its complex narrative and striking artwork, blending dystopian themes with deep philosophical questions about society, humanity, and the role of the gods.
Plot
La Femme Piège takes place two years after the fall of the fascist regime and the departure of the gods, as depicted in the first volume of the trilogy. The story focuses on Alcide Nicopole, who is recovering his sanity after the chaotic events surrounding the downfall of the gods. He senses the return of Horus, the Egyptian god, to Earth.
Meanwhile, in London, Jill Bioskop, a young journalist, experiences a traumatic event when she witnesses the assassination of her extraterrestrial lover, John, over the phone. In her grief, she takes John's medication, which allows her to forget her pain and their relationship. However, this leads her into a coma from which she awakens two days later. Afterward, Jill decides to travel to Berlin to cover the return of a space mission that left decades earlier. Upon her arrival, she kills her friend Jeff, who had tried to seduce her.
In Paris, Alcide’s son learns that his father has regained his mental clarity. As the story progresses, Jill arrives in Berlin, where she continues to take the medication in an attempt to numb herself from her growing guilt. After witnessing violent martial contests in the city, Jill transcribes the events onto a device that sends her report back in time, faxed to a French newspaper 25 years earlier.
In Berlin, the scientists studying the space mission discover that everyone on board is dead except for a young woman. This woman, however, harbors Horus, who had hidden within her body. Horus kills the scientists and sets out to find Alcide. Meanwhile, Alcide, who is increasingly aware of Horus’ return, struggles to adapt to the new world and the changes in society since his disappearance. He is also aware that, with Horus’ return, his life will never be the same.
Horus, using the body of a man named Ivan, seeks Jill, believing that her connection with Alcide is vital. After Ivan succumbs to Jill's charms, she kills him in self-defense. Alcide and Horus eventually meet, and Alcide offers a deal: he proposes that they join forces, as both man and god seem lost in the world. Alcide offers Horus shelter away from Anubis’ research in exchange for an intense and surprising life. Alcide also asks to be introduced to Jill, with whom Horus has become infatuated through nightmares. Horus agrees to the deal.
The two find Jill in the company of John, who has survived the earlier assassination attempt. John corrects the errors Jill made in the medication, which had thrown off his chemical balance, and decides that his relationship with her is over. After her recovery, Jill realizes that she has never actually killed anyone, and the killings were only a product of her hallucinations. She begins a new relationship with Alcide.
Publication History
La Femme Piège was originally published by Dargaud in 1986 and was reissued by Les Humanoïdes Associés in 1990. The English translation was first published by Catalan Communications in 1988, but the most recent translation was released by Humanoids Publishing in 1999, which included all three volumes of the Nikopol Trilogy.
Special edition issues of La Femme Piège also included four newspaper pages written by Jill Bioskop. These pages were designed to provide extra background information, including reports from the future, for newspapers Libération (in the French edition) and De Morgen (in the Belgian edition). These newspaper articles further elaborate on aspects of the story that remain obscure within the graphic novel itself.
Legacy
La Femme Piège is a critical part of Enki Bilal’s Nikopol Trilogy, known for its deep philosophical undertones, dystopian setting, and unique art style. The trilogy as a whole has become a seminal work in European comics and is celebrated for its exploration of themes such as power, human nature, and the intersection of mythology with modern society. La Femme Piège, in particular, is praised for its complex characters and its portrayal of a world on the brink of transformation, both socially and existentially.
Sources
- Nikopol publications Bedetheque
External links
- Nikopol Trilogy English translation on Humanoids Publishing