The French Riviera, Grasse. An illustrious family of perfumers, turf wars and scandals. In the first two volumes of Scents of powerpublished in Robinson editions (56 pages, 14.99€), Dallas and its “ruthless universe” are transposed to Provence. Less oil. Centifolia roses and jasmine too.
Written by Corbeyran (The Song of the Stryges, Chateau Bordeaux, etc.), the comic book puts into images the texts of an expert in the field, Christophe Mot, who “has worked for thirty years in the world of perfume and cosmetics”. Including almost twenty within the Puig group, for the brands Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci or Jean-Paul Gaultier.
The world of perfume in a sulphurous setting
“Between two missions, I built a synopsis. I wanted to tell and describe this still fairly private world,” he explains to 20 minutes. And the choice of support imposed itself on this enthusiast of the 9th art: “To create a perfume, we work each time on what is called the olfactory brief, a search for association between words and pictures. Comics were the best option to deliver his stories”.
The search for raw materials around the world that Christophe Mot wanted to make “magical, by taking the reader on a journey”, the construction of fragrances with the “noses”, marketing, product launches… All the stages of the creation of “juice” until their commercialization are detailed.
By following the adventures of the Capella house, a large (and fictitious) leading company in the sector “as there are currently about ten internationally”, explains the specialist. All this in a particularly sulphurous setting.
Escort girl and succession war
The Indonesian Trap, the first volume, lays the foundations. Claude Capella, the patriarch, the boss of the company (who bears a certain resemblance to the actor Anthony Hopkins), suffers a heart attack while he is in the company of an escort girl… Embarrassing, and above all explosive. While he remains in a coma, a succession war erupts between siblings. All shots are allowed.
And the creators are already ready to come back with other volumes. “We already have in mind the framework of the next developments of the intrigue at the Capella which promise many twists”, develops Corbeyran.
“The next two are already almost ready. We could release one every twelve to eighteen months,” adds Christophe Mot. Always with Grasse in the background, insists the author. Seen as the cradle of perfumery, the Côte d’Azur city was recently listed as an intangible heritage by Unesco for its know-how related to this industry.