Because there’s no creation without inspiration…
 
Here’s a short (and non-exhaustive) list of works and references that helped shape my author mindset and made Chronoctis Express what it is today.
 
 
Chronoctis Express is a story I created after a dream I had on April 27, 2009 (it’s definitely worth writing your dreams down :P).
In that dream, the dead would receive a ticket for the train of the dead when they passed away. That was the case for someone close to me, and I spent the whole dream trying to find a way to take their place…
Until the train left, and I was forced to let them go.
 
 
The train of the dead
 
The idea of a “ghost train” is something that pops up quite a lot in our culture — starting with amusement parks, of course 😛
Ghost train – Final Fantasy 6

You can find the idea of a haunted or mysterious train (or subway) — a train that turns people into spirits or carries the dead — in quite a few stories.
But for me, it mostly comes from the Final Fantasy games. Some of them include trains that carry the dead — like in Final Fantasy 6, or in Final Fantasy 8 with a summon called Doomtrain (or Helltrain in the French version)

 
Helltrain – Final Fantasy 8
 
Even though these trains weren’t big parts of the games, the idea really stuck with me — probably because I’ve always loved trains. They’ve fascinated me since I was little.
 
 
 

I also spent several years traveling often by train over long distances.
When I left the South of France to go live in Belgium for a year, I remember thinking that the train felt like a kind of bridge between my past life — which felt safe and familiar — and my future, which was pretty scary at the time ^^
And that’s exactly when I had that dream.

Since I was (and still am) a huge fan of trains, I had told myself one day I’d create a comic that takes place entirely around a steam train (because let’s be honest, steam trains are just super cool :P).
That’s why I wrote the dream down right away when I woke up — and a bit later, I made the first version of Chronoctis Express, as a 32-page one-shot.

 

 
 
Greek Mythology
 

A string instrument, guardian dogs of the underworld… and a young man in love who refuses to let his beloved go… Does that sound familiar? 😛

La douleur d’Orphée – Dagan – 1876

 

Yes — it’s the myth of Orpheus, the famous hero from Greek mythology.

Chronoctis Express is a very loose adaptation of the Orpheus story. I borrowed a few of its symbols and reimagined them in my own way.
Mythological tales never go out of style — they’ve inspired artists all over the world for centuries. I personally started reading them when I was very young. I especially liked the story of Orpheus and his brave actions.

Okay, I kind of erased the ending from my memory (because let’s be honest, it’s pretty depressing ^^’) — but what really interested me was the idea that someone alive could go beyond the rules of death just by using their talent and sensitivity.
And even the people standing against him admired his courage and felt compassion for him.

As for Chronoctis Express… like I said, it’s a very free adaptation. I mostly took the concept and the symbols.
So how the story will go… well, that’s a surprise 😛

 

 
Master Storytellers
 
We all have authors we admire — people who inspire us to improve.
Here are the ones who push me to give my best when it comes to storytelling in Chronoctis Express.
 
First of all:
 
Le Pacte des Yokai
Naoki Urasawa : author of Billy Bat, 20th Century Boys, Pluto, and more.
I admire how he masters storytelling and suspense, how he builds complex plots… and how his page layouts feel just like scenes from the best movies.
 
Yuki Midorikawa : author of Natsume’s Book of Friends.
She has this ability to bring out pure poetry through her pages. Her stories carry powerful emotions — calm, sorrowful, sometimes heavy… and it’s always through the eyes of the main character, Nastume, who grows along the way.
 
 Hiromu Arakawa : author of Fullmetal Alchemist.
For the brilliant, well-crafted plot, the amazing twists… and above all: the way every side character has their own life, their own goals, their own motivations. It makes the whole story feel deep and real.

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