Akutezoïde – Ludovic Lalliat

Akutezoïde — A Sci-Fi Graphic Novel on Collective Intelligence and the Erosion of Individual Will

Set in a distant future where Earth has absorbed and commodified peoples from other galaxies, Akutezoïde is a space opera that functions as political critique. Ludovic Lalliat's debut graphic novel draws on the spirit of 1970s science fiction to interrogate the promises of ultra-communication and the violence that underlies social consensus.

Narrative

Jérémy and Gabriel have adopted an Akutezoid child without understanding the psychic network that structures the child's species — a system of thought communication that binds individuals from birth. Those whose telepathic capacity is diminished are cast out. Orace is one of these exiles: volatile, feared, and defined by the rage of exclusion. It is Orace who will uncover the reasons behind the sudden forced repatriation of the Akutezoids to their home planet.

Themes

The book uses collective intelligence as both premise and target. Where the psychic network promises connection, it produces conformity; where ultra-communication is presented as democratic, it operates as control. Akutezoïde asks what remains of free will and personal identity in a society where the individual mind is permanently networked — and whether the outcast, stripped of that network, might be the only one capable of seeing clearly. The political critique extends outward: the space opera frame becomes a vehicle for examining Western societies that invoke democratic necessity while sustaining structural inequality and an absurd pursuit of profit.

Published by Éditions Cornélius in August 2024, the book arrives from a Paris-based house known for its rigorous selection of authored comics and bande dessinée at the edge of the form.

Akutezoïde is part of Lokator100's catalogue of surreal and experimental comics — titles selected for their formal ambition and critical substance.