Created by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, Le Transperceneige, or Snowpiercer, is a french post-apocalyptic graphic novel where the last survivors of humanity are locked in a gigantic train that never stops.
Because even when humanity is on its last leg, we can’t get rid of social hierarchy, the train is organized with the rich at the head, in golden wagons going back to the poor at the end of the convoy. Coming from the tail wagons, Proloff is determined to go back up the train in order to understand the situation following some horrible events.
Le Transperceneige has been adapted as a movie in 2013 by Bong Joon-ho and has also inspired a television series (on cable channel TNT). Following the movie’s success, several new albums have been published.
Snowpiercer Reading Order
Snowpiercer: The Original Series
The original graphic novel was first published in 1982 under the title Le Transperceneige and later retitled The Escape. Following Jacques Lob’s death, the series was continued in two volumes by writer Benjamin Legrand, with L’Arpenteur (The Explorers) published in 1999 and La Traversée (The Crossing) in 2000. A fourth volume, Terminus, was written by Olivier Bocquet and published in 2015, as a conclusion to the series.
- Snowpiercer: The Escape
The Original Graphic novel. Written by Jacques Lob and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette. - Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers
Collects two french volumes: The Explorers and The Crossing. Written by Benjamin Legrand and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette. - Snowpiercer 3: Terminus
Written by Olivier Bocquet and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette.
For those who want to read them in french, you can buy an edition collecting the first three volumes (Terminus is not included).
Snowpiercer: The Prequel
A prequel series has followed, written by Matz and exploring the events surrounding the mass extinction, before and after.
- Snowpiercer: Prequel Vol. 1: Extinction
Written by Matz and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette. - Snowpiercer: Prequel Vol. 2: Apocalypse
Written by Matz and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette. - Snowpiercer: Prequel Vol. 3: Annihilation (not released yet).
Written by Matz and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette.
Snowpiercer Chronological Order
Titans Comics, which released the graphic novels in English, has published a timeline containing the graphic novels, the movie and the TV Show. You can revisit the story in chronological order, all media including:
- Snowpiercer The Prequel: Extinction
- Snowpiercer: The Prequel Part 2: Apocalypse
- Snowpiercer: The Prequel Part 3: Annihilation (not released yet).
- Snowpiercer TV Show
- Snowpiercer: The Escape (Original Graphic Novel)
- Snowpiercer Movie
- Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers
- Snowpiercer 3: Terminus