Real Monsters

Perhaps the most striking element of the Pterodactyl's presence in the narrative is it's notable lack of impact on the various events that occur within the story. With the exception of the standoff at the Jardin des Plantes, the Pterodactyl's presence rarely overlaps with the actions of Adele Blanc-Sec that drive the story forward. Had Tardi simply desired to introduce a viable reason for Edith to travel to Paris he certainly didn't need to resurrect a prehistoric monster 65 million years after the extinction of it's species to do it. Therefore, if Tardi didn't it include the Pterodactyl for the plot, then perhaps he included it for it's impact on the themes of the narrative.

From it's introduction on the opening pages of the narrative, the Pterodactyl is shown trying to escape. After it breaks free of its egg, it it must then go on to escape the display case, and then, finally, the Museum of Natural History. After that, readers see it continue to try and escape from the control humans. This depicts the Pterodactyl not as a viscious killer of men, but rather as a victim. On the other hand, it is the humans of the story that demonstrate truly evil actions. While the Pterodactyl kills to survive and out of fear, the humans of the story commit partake in deceit, kidnapping, theft, murder, and even betrayal. In this light, the humans appear to be much more like monsters than the Pterodactyl. In conclusion, Tardi introduces the Pterodactyl not to drive the story forward in any notable way, but rather to juxtapose the monstrous nature of humans with