From the co-creator of Snowpiercer, Altitude offers an exhilarating, autobiographical account of writer and artist Jean-Marc Rochette’s early life as a mountain climber.
Together with co-writer Olivier Bocquet, they recount Jean-Marc’s passion for mountain climbing as a teenager, from when he discovered how the Alps held an escape for him at a formative time in his life, to the realisation that this frozen playground can also be a place of danger and fatal beauty.
Set against the backdrop of the terrifying but magnificent natural beauty of the French Alps, Altitude is an impassioned tale of how physical endurance can help scale dreams and mountain peaks.
Written by Olivier Bocquet and Jean-Marc Rochette
The Guardian Best Graphic Novels of 2020
Eisner Awards 2021 (nominated) – Best U.S. Edition of International Material
Written by Olivier Bocquet and Jean-Marc Rochette
The Guardian Best Graphic Novels of 2020
Eisner Awards 2021 (nominated) – Best U.S. Edition of International Material
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Jean-Marc Rochette
Jean-Marc Rochette is a French painter and illustrator. He is one half of the creative force behind the best-selling Snowpiercer, which was adapted into a film by Oscar-nominated director Boon Joon-ho (Parasite) starring Chris Evans, and a TNT/Netflix series starring Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs. His graphic autobiography Altitude was named as one of The Guardian's best graphic novels of 2020.
Reviews
"Beautifully produced and illustrated and perhaps more importantly...what a tale!"
— Footless Crow
"It genuinely felt as though I was holding my breath when reading it. I was absolutely invested in Jean-Marc and his climbing partners, sharing the adrenaline with them [...] Spectacularly, beautifully put together."
— Comicon.com
"This is an excellent comic book, gripping and quite literally hair-raising."
— World Comic Book Review
"A bittersweet celebration of youthful limit-testing."
— The Scotsman
"I found lone wolf Jean-Marc’s coming-of-age story inspirational and moving in equal measure."
— Page 45
"Propelled by bravado and undercut by the very real risk of death, Jean-Marc’s story carries serious emotional clout, while its colourful panels capture the stark geometry of cliff faces and dangling ropes."
— The Guardian
"Bravado, humility and bloody mindedness."
— Trebuchet Magazine
"I didn’t enter into Altitude with much of an interest in climbing, but Rochette’s presentation drew me in and gave me a huge appreciation of it."
— The Beat