Empress Charlotte 1. The Princess and the Archduke (Review)

Writer: Fabian Nury

Artist: Matthieu Bonhomme

Colourist: Isabelle Merlet

Publisher Europe Comics

Release Date: 17th October 2018

Historical fiction poses a unique problem. Writers who tackle this genre must balance the competing needs of telling the essential moments in a historical figure’s life and writing a story that reads as more than just a checklist of things that happened.

Fabien Nury’s script handles this issue in two ways. Firstly it is made clear in the pages before the book starts that this is a work of fiction, and the creators freely admit that “real incidents, conjecture, and pure invention are all freely interwoven here”. By adding embellishments to the plot the creators give themselves room to work with, and by doing it openly they avoid the usual criticisms of historical inaccuracy. Secondly, Nury’s script ties Charlotte’s character development into the development of the plot. The reader sees her go from being a scared, naive girl to a calculating, determined woman. Successive scenes are framed by what lessons they teach the young Charlotte, and the ways in which she reacts to those lessons. Framing separate events through the ways they change Charlotte stops Empress Charlotte 1. The Princess and the Archduke from feeling disjointed.  

Early on in the book, Charlotte meets the man who she will go on to marry. The two of them quickly develop a strong chemistry, and their conversations are pleasant. They mostly take place in ornate gardens and there is something of a period romance about them.

These interactions perfectly showcase who Charlotte is when the book starts, she is aware of the importance of matters of state, but she does not feel their presence in her life in the way she will as the story progresses.

Even the colouring of their first meeting is different. Isabelle Merlet covers the page in bright blues and pinks which imbue this portion of the book with a relaxed atmosphere that is not found in later pages.

In much the same way that growing up involves learning the realities of the world Charlotte finds out some harsh truths about what married life with the Archduke is actually like. The man who once seemed so charming and considerate gradually shows himself to be short tempered, prideful, and distant. The reality of Charlotte’s life as a whole is similarly disappointing.

This change is matched by Merlet’s colouring. The colours are rich, but the tone is dark, and there is a seediness to them that was not present in the happier parts of the book. Merlet’s work perfectly embodies the idea that Charlotte’s life only looks grand at first glance.

This duality between promise and reality is Matthieu Bonhomme’s art. Bonhomme is adept at utilising perspective to make the same character look sincere and thoughtful, or buffoonish and witless. Much of what a character is going through at any one moment is conveyed through Bonhomme’s work rather than being explicitly stated with words, with facial expressions telling the reader much about particular characters and setting the tone of each scene perfectly.

Anyone coming to Empress Charlotte 1. The Princess and the Archduke for the historical part of the historical fiction may be disappointed. Not knowing much about the era I could not say how faithful it is to the events as they are known.

However, what this book does have going for it is its interpersonal character dynamics, and its story of a young woman coming into her own in an arena where one wrong move could prove to be disastrous. Regardless of whether or not the history is true the fiction part of the equation is still compelling.

Empress Charlotte 1. The Princess and the Archduke is a strong start which a subsequent title in the series can build on. There is a clear arc for the central character, the art is strong, and the plot leaves at a point which serves equally well as an ending as it does as set up for a sequel. Despite the open presence of fictional events this is still a strong examination of what it is like for someone to live in a world where they hold great importance but still have little say over how things are run.