Written by Job, art by Derib

Cinebook

“When the beavers bring Yakari a battered old canoe, the young Sioux and his friends repair it and go for a little trip—and find more adventure than they bargained for, in the person of a father coyote. Fortunately, their new friend is up to his reputation for cunning: When Buffalo Seed is cornered by an angry puma, it will take all of the coyote’s tricks, combined with Yakari’s bravery, to get the young hunter out of his predicament.”

I’d not read any Yakari before, but it’s not tough to  pick up – Yakari’s a young Sioux with the ability to talk to the animals. He hangs around with friends Rainbow and Buffalo Seed and has a loyal horse Little Thunder. Together they get into gentle scrapes and always end up okay.

It’s not deep, it”s not complicated, and it’s probably the youngest of all the books Cinebook publishes. There’s none of the clever humour and knowing themes of books like Iznogoud, Spirou, Cedric, or the Bluecoats, all-ages with that little extra. This is simple and light, innocent fun.

The story is just as simple as it needs to be, characters going from one little scene to another – getting a canoe from the beavers, fixing it up, heading out into the river.

It picks up a lot when they fall foul of father coyote, played as the original trickster character of myth and legend made real, all tied off neatly at the end for the kids with a little Coyote God myth retelling. Father Coyote tricks the gang, then conveniently makes firm friends oveer some moccasins and is on hand when they need him most after Buffalo Seed gets trpped by a determined and nasty (in a very age-appropriate way) Puma.

So yes, it’s almost impossibly gentle, and it’s a read just this side of bland in many ways, but there’s a certain charm in here. And I just have a feeling that it’s somewhat antiquated charm will appeal to those children in the school library currently burning their way through countless animal books. And that’s no bad thing.

The art is bigger in scale and uses fewer panels than other similar Euro comedy albums, really ramping up the cuteness factor nicely, all adding to the feeling that, as long as you realise this is saccharin sweet Disney-fied storytelling, you’ll enjoy it. Or rather you’ll enjoy seeing somebody much, much younger enjoy it.

By Jean Van Hamme and William Vance

Cinebook

“Captured and imprisoned in the Roca Negra fortress, XIII is being tortured by the sinister Colonel Peralta. But, for all his pain and suffering, he’s also in the same building as Maria, the woman who may be his wife. And they have plenty of dedicated, resourceful friends outside… as well as at least one traitor. Still unsure of his past, Jason McLane will have no choice but to become the man known as “El Cascador” to clean up Costa Verde once and for all.”

Here we are, the halfway point of Van Hamme’s ridiculously twisty and turny action thriller, his “what if Jason Bourne’s story just kept going and going and going” thriller, where each new story means new identities, new threats, new conspiracies, new bad girls to throw in XIII’s way, new women to fall at his feet, new places to go, new impossible situations to get out of.

I’ve said some variation of this practically every time I’ve reviewed XIII, and I’ll say it again here with Volume 10, this is ridiculous, an overblown conspiracy thriller action adventure that would be dismissed as frankly over the top for something so prone to over the top as Hollywood.

But dear lord, is it a lot of fun or what? The slight flabbiness of last volume, the inevitable come-down from the conclusion of sorts in Volume 8 is forgotten, and we’re back on familiar, exciting, ridiculous ground here…. and there’s a helicopter chase in the early stages to prove it….

In the last volume “For Maria“ we followed XIII on the increasingly spurious trail of bizarre coincidences and obviously manufactured clues to Costa Verdi and evidence that points not only to XIII being the Irish mercenary/freedom fighter El Cascador, but to his marriage to the deposed President’s daughter Maria.

Who is, of course, languishing in prison, due to be executed, which leads inevitably to XIII trying to rescue her, and just as predictably at the end of Volume 9 XIII ends up in dire straits in famed prison Roca Negra.

But predictably…. not for long….

And that’s where “El Cascador” picks up…….. there are fights, intrigue, manoeuvrings galore, a false ending three quarters of the way through the book leading to a climactic and very nicely drawn out courtroom scene.

Time and again I describe XIII as a thriller, as an action-adventure, yet it’s a continual surprise, a continual pleasure to realise that, yet again, Van Hamme and Vance are more than happy to thill and excite with their characters standing around talking at length. Brilliant storytelling.

Yep, XIII is ridiculous nonsense, but it’s bloody well done, hugely entertaining, absolutely enthralling nonsense….. Van Hamme is intent of sending us twisting and turning right up to Volume 19′s conclusion.

What started out as a fantastically over the top and original (well, apart from the whole Jason Bourne thing) thriller has settled down, in these middle sections as a fantastically fun thriller following a familiar path of identity, action, and thrills leading to the next stage of XIII’s possible true identity.

But the execution more than makes up for the repetition. And as usual, Vance’s artwork is top notch. And as usual, I fear my exuberance for the story rather underplays just how good, how skilful Vance really is. So as way of apology, have a couple of bits of close-up Vance beauty:

But just in case you haven’t time, here’s some of the highlights ….

Largo Winch – The Price Of Money & The Law Of The Dollar by Van Hamme and Francq (February & April 2012):

Van Hamme, especially with Largo Winch and XIII is a guarantee of a great thrill ride, a perfect action movie in comic form.

“A man shoots himself in front of Largo, live on TV. He was a guest on a financial talk show who had lost his company because of a Group W decision. Shocked by the knowledge that he is indirectly responsible, Winch becomes an object of hatred for the nation, and his two best friends abandon him. When suspicions arise that shady dealings led to unnecessary restructurings, he launches an investigation to identify the real culprits.”

XIII by Van Hamme and Vance – The Trial and Top Secret (March and May 2012)

“Called back to the USA by the frantic government, McLane and Jones discover that General Carrington has kidnapped Wally Sheridan, President of the United States! Holed up in a secret base he’s turned into a fortress, Carrington intends to put Sheridan on trial on live TV and expose him as the Number I of the conspiracy. To do that, he’s going to need XIII’s help in bringing in his main witness: the Mongoose!”

Valerian – The Land Without Stars by Mézières & Christin (April 2012)

I wasn’t convinced by the first volume, but by volume 2, I was much more into it, and started to believe it was as good as people were telling me.

“When a rogue planet threatens a new Human colony, Valerian and Laureline are sent to investigate and discover a barren, rocky surface… and a whole world beneath it! The people who live inside Zahir have never seen the stars. Divided along gender lines, torn by a senseless and bloody war, they are unaware that their planet is hurtling towards disaster. To stop it, the two agents of Galaxity will have to infiltrate both sides and force a reconciliation.”

Crusade Volume 4 – The Fire Breaks by Dufaux & Xavier (Feb 2012)

“With the Master of Machines as their new leader, the Crusaders are ready to assault Jerusalem once more. The Sultan must now choose between his love for a Christian princess and his faith. And Gauthier of Flanders, to free his ally Osarias’s Jewish people, will have to confront the last part of his mysterious past, a Jinni. As the final battle is joined, truths will be revealed on the nature of gods and demons and the ambitions of men.“

But if there’s one Cinebook title I’m really excited about in their new catalogue it has to be Spooks Volume 1 – The Fall Of Babylon by Dorison, Nury & Rossi (March 2012)

The reason is simple – Xavier Dorison. His Long John Silver series has been a spectacular read. And if I can’t have Volume 4 quite yet, then something new written by him will just have to do. And this western tale may just be wonderful – I have high hopes:

“1895. Members of the East Coast elite have died under mysterious circumstances. To investigate this delicate problem, Richard Clayton—against the wishes of the President—calls upon a man named Morton Chapel for his unorthodox methods and peculiar associates. As they begin to uncover strange, vanishing marks on people’s bodies, unexplained changes in behaviour and hints of widespread corruption, the team reforms around the name Ulysses S. Grant himself gave it years earlier: his SPecialists in the Odd and the OCcult—his SPOOKS.“

By Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosinski

Cinebook

“Still travelling with Kris of Valnor, Thorgal runs afoul of a local tribe. When a mysterious old woman offers him a chance to escape the hostile villagers, he accepts. But there’s more to the bargain: She says that if he can make his way into the Invisible Fortress, he’ll be able to erase his name from the Stone of the Gods, cancelling his destiny—and finally have a chance at a normal life.”

Again, my ridiculous flip-flopping of opinion with Thorgal continues. I know I keep saying I should stop, keep promising myself, with each new and disappointing volume I read, that this will be my last. Except there’s obviously something beyond a guilt based desire to actually read all the things sent for review, something that does bring me back, something I’m actually getting out of Thorgal.

So here we are again….. and after last volume I wasn’t expecting all that much, here’s what I said then:

“And now, after Volume 10, I just think I might have finally had done with it. If Volume 9 felt like Van Hamme doing Thorgal by the numbers then this is simply Van Hamme phoning it in. The story doesn’t really amount to anything and throughout the volume it reads almost childishly, this happens, then this, then something else, then this again…. over and over, a parade of moments with none of the style or skill Van Hamme has shown himself supremely capable of in other stories and indeed in previous Thorgal volumes.”

And here, at least at the start, we’re on familiar(ish) ground – Thorgal is travelling, sharing a cosy barbarian’s retreat with the Lady Kriss, his sometime enemy, obviously madly infatuated with everyone’s favourite humanist barbarian. And of course, he manages to tick off another set of local barbarians – you can tell they’re barbarians – they’re the ugly ones compared to Thorgal’s manly yet sensitive look and Kriss’ seductive yet occasionally vulnerable look.

So far, so hmmm. I’m beginning to get that feeling again, of really not being all that bothered by what goes on. I know Thorgal sold in excess of 200k each volume, but it’s just not for me I’m afraid. That sort of “why do I read this again?” feel.

BUT, BUT, BUT….. About a third of the way through it sort of does that thing it did back in Volume 7, which had a weird time-travel plot going through it. And I find myself enjoying just that little bit of weirdness, as Thorgal and Kriss find themselves venturing into the blank whiteness of The Invisible Fortress, as seen on that very, very, attractive Rosinski cover. It’s not much, but it takes it out of the entrenched (and frankly, to my reading tastes, dull) realms of by the numbers sword & sorcery just enough to get my attention.

And that puts me in mind of a theory about the series. I’m thinking that I don’t really care that much for the episodes which veer too far into standard sword & sorcery stuff, as it’s just not something I’ve ever really enjoyed. But when it begins to veer a little bit into the weird, even when it’s simple a bit of weird capping off a whole heap of very little going on like it is here in The Invisible Fortress, I grab onto that difference and it’s just enough of a hook to raise the whole thing up.

As usual, the one thing I can’t really criticise at all is the artwork – Rosinski’s stuff is just lovely, really, really lovely. Even when I’m being a little bored by Van Hamme doing the latest twist in the Thorgal saga, he at least gives me something lovely to be looking at and most importantly to keep my attention – because if it wasn’t for Rosinski I’d probably be gone from Thorgal. Like I say, I know it’s beloved, I know so many people read it. But it’s just not me.

By Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Aymond

Cinebook

“Suzan and her father are taking a well-deserved break in the south of France. But their holidays are cut short when several men burst into the house and kidnap James Fitzroy. What Suzie doesn’t know is that the attackers are actually CIA operatives: The Agency is offended by the existence of an unofficial European counterterrorist outfit. But in their attempt to use Lady S. to draw her employers out, it’s the American spooks who may be made the fools…”

The third volume in Van Hamme’s saga of a reluctant female spy takes us in a strange and rather unexpected direction, and gives me the best read so far in the series.

Volume 1 (review) was an enjoyable intro to the life of Suzan Fitzroy, adopted daughter and principal assistant to James Fitzroy, the roving US ambassador in Europe. Her past as a thief has been used against her by the mysterious CATRIG (Centre for Anti-Terrorism Research and Intelligence Gathering), and she’s set to work as a high class spy.

But when I last read her exploits in Volume 2 (review) it proved a real disappointment, and I referred to Van Hamme’s story as “merely a shadow of what he’s done before“, calling it a “thriller by the numbers” and ending with “the inevitable attempted plot twist is sloppy and telegraphed almost from the off“. So, either Van Hamme was having an off day or I was, but I stand by the review. Whenever I open a Van Hamme book, expectations are almost ridiculously high, possibly too high, maybe I just expect too much every time?

And maybe, just maybe, knowing I hadn’t enjoyed Lady S. Volume 2 meant I went into this one not expecting all that much? Which might be why the change around in the story, the unexpected shift from yet another mission seemed fresh and interesting?

Because this is essentially a “what Suzie did on her holiday story“, where that nasty old C.I.A., complete with the nasty old, fat, and bloaty boss, gets wind of the CATRIG organisation and, determined to root them out, arranges for Suzie’s adopted dad to be kidnapped. A big, big mistake on their part.

Suddenly, instead of being in control of the situation, the C.I.A. is on the backfoot at every turn (and there are lots of turns), as they work to protect Suzie, work to thwart the C.I.A. plot, knowing that by doing so, Suzie’s dad will be released. What it becomes is a series of journeys for Suzie, escaping the clutches of the US agents and the French police, who’ve finally made the connection between Suzie now and the thief she used to be, with everyone along Suzie’s journey seemingly proving to be an agent of CATRIG… even the dear old lady on the bus:

So instead of spending all volume on a mission, Suzie spends it being subtly moved around by CATRIG, obviously in complete control of the situation.

Eventually she’ll find herself at their secret HQ, and it’s secret is a lovely twist on the spying game, with elements of classic spy stories thrown in. I’m loath to blow the pleasant surprise of this, but my only regret is that Aymond, whose art is (as before) a gloriously controlled, always perfectly paced and very tight affair, didn’t play with the idea a little more and do what a lot of artists would and filled every scene at CATRIG HQ with old, familiar faces.

So, Lady S. Volume 3 proves to be another top notch Van Hamme thriller, albeit a slow paced, almost tongue in cheek thriller. It surprised and delighted. After the disappointment of Volume 2, it’s a pleasure to get back on track.

By Xavier Dorison and Mathieu Lauffray

Cinebook

There’s a quote on the back of this from me that’s so true….. “practically nailed on to the best of 2011 list already“. And Volume 3 merely reinforces that verdict. This is everything I was hoping it would be, a  perfect continuation of the saga.

Here’s some more from the previous reviews (Volume 1, Volume 2), just to give you an idea of how much fun this is……

“It’s a simply wondrous, hugely enjoyable book. The characters are so effortlessly amoral, so believably real in a deliciously pantomime manner. But beneath the effortless adventure and the plentiful enjoyment to be had in some very strongly crafted characters there’s a real steel, as Dorison delights in revisiting some of the key philosophical themes that Stevenson addressed in the original.”

“And all the way through Lauffray’s art, whether looking Eisner-ish, Adams-ish or simply Lauffray-ish, is a little special. Lauffray pulls off some beautiful, breathtaking scenes and effortlessly captures the spirit of the times and the multifaceted nature of these incredible characters.”

“Long John Silver Volume 2 is a sublime continuation of the series, that takes the oh so perfect setup from Volume 1 and keeps going, fast and furious yet with a refined control. It’s a page turner, but one you also want to linger over. This dichotomy creates something really readable, literate yet pulpy, a potboiler of an adventure with a solid moral edge worthy of Stevenson’s best characters.

Really, I shouldn’t need to say much more really, should I?

Okay then, for you…… Long John Silver has taken over the Neptune but he’s lost the map that will lead him, the devious and desperate Lady Vivian, and the increasingly out of his depth Dr Livesy, to the fabled treasures of Guiana-Capac and the riches beyond their dreams. But everyone of the main cast has some other agenda, and there’s no way of knowing at this stage what any of them are. The thrill is in the finding out.

Speaking of thrills, right at the very start, as Silver navigates the Neptune to land through some seemingly impossible to navigate reefs, there’s a series of pages which end with the line “Everyone was holding his breath“. And dammit I know just how they felt. I was as well. Thrilling? Oh yes:

But once they make it past the reefs, they have no idea what awaits them, no idea what fate befell Lady Vivien’s husband, no idea of the danger they’re sailing into. We’re past paradise here, deep in the Amazonian jungle, with Silver and his fellows in troubles they can’t quite imagine.

Their only real guide at this point is the native Indian sent by Lord Byron Hastings in the first volume to Lady Vivian, and it’s becoming obvious that there’s much more going on with Byron and Lady Vivian, and her fear is unsettling, even to Silver:

Yet again, it’s a superb read. Like I said, it’s been a shoo-in for the best of the year list since I first read Volume 1. This volume merely reinforces my initial reaction. This is absolutely top drawer brilliance, with both Dorison and Lauffray on fire. Perfection? It’s damn close.

Ah, I do love the French, not many nations are civilised enough to recognise comics culture as important enough to involve an investiture of some sort (a shame we don’t have it here, can you imagine Lord Moore of Northampton? Sir John Wagner, KMG?). Delighted to see Olivier receiving this honour, especially as we love the books he and the Cinebook team send our way. Beaucoup de félicitations! There’s more, in French, on Olivier’s blog.

By Daniel Pennac and Tonino Benacquista, illustrated by Achdé

Cinebook

Another couple of months and another volume of Cinebook’s English reprints of Lucky Luke comes out – but this time there’s a big difference. The names on the top aren’t Goscinny and Morris, as this is one of the volumes produced more recently, in fact this is a very recent volume – published in 2010.

After Goscinny’s death in ’77, Morris used various other writers to fill the great writers shoes, and following Morris’ death in 2001, French artist Achdé (Hervé Darmenton) assumed the artistic duties. And just that little line on the cover “in the style of Morris” tells you that these continuing stories are meant to be very much in keeping with all that has gone before.

And artistically, it’s a very, very good match. It does indeed capture every bit of the laid back Cowboy and his world, nearly as well as Morris always did. Occasionally there’s a rougher, more cartoon style edge to the work perhaps, but that really is me picking fault where I have no need to. This certainly looks like a Lucky Luke comic.

(The Daltons find out there’s a new head cowboy cleaning up America… from Lucky Luke Versus The Pinkertons, published by Cinebook)

If I had a fault, it would have to be with the storyline. Or more specifically with the subtext that writers Pennac and Benacquista bring to the story. The basic plot is very simple, very traditionally Lucky Luke:

“It’s the start of the 1860s, and the Old West is changing—a change that comes as a shock to the Daltons when they’re arrested not by Lucky Luke, but by… Allan Pinkerton! The man is determined to turn bandit-hunting into a modern, rational business—even at the cost of the American people’s personal freedom. It’ll be up to Lucky Luke to ensure that the USA is protected against all evil-doers, rascals and lawmen alike…”

But in that summary, there’s the hint of the problem… that mention of Pinkerton’s actions threatening the personal freedoms of the American people. There was just a little too much  of that here for my liking, a desire to be too clever, to make a non too subtle point about modern culture, the ever-increasing role of the state in keeping tabs on its people, where personal freedoms are cast aside for the good of the state. When Pinkerton sets about amassing power, working his way in with President Lincoln, setting up his famous detective agency and beginning his mission to spy on everyone, criminal and honest citizen alike, there’s no subtlety in the execution, it merely screams out that this is allegorical for now.

(Lucky Luke – obselete? From Lucky Luke Vesrus The Pinkertons, published by Cinebook)

But, put that quibble aside and what you’re left with is a very good Lucky Luke tale, with our hero finding himself somewhat retired by the over-jealous Pinkerton.

Plots are set in place to allow Pinkerton to create his a super-detective network, grab the ear of the President and begin cleaning up America. It starts with the Daltons as you’ve seen, but sooon the prisons are overflowing with every misdemenour imaginable, and the Daltons are allowed their freedom on an early release scheme.

But even retired, Lucky Luke is still Lucky Luke, and not only can he not resist pulling down over-jealous Pinkerton agents, he also can’t stand by when he hears that the Daltons are headed to Pinkerton’s HQ for revenge. All points now lead to Pinkerton’s agency headquarters and everything gets resolved in satisfyingly back to square one fashion, just as it should be, and of course, we’re still treated to the final panel of our “poor, lonesome cowboy, a long way from home” heading into the sunset.

All in all, it’s not completely satisfying, but dammit from a first effort by a writing and art team, it’s a pretty great start. The art works far better than the story, but Achdé had done previous Luke volumes and had settled into character by this point. I hope, I trust, the writing team will  settle down as well. If and when they do, this could keep Lucky Luke going for many years.

By Goscinny and Tabary

Cinebook

We’ll start with the sad news, received a few weeks ago, that we’ve lost another great in the comics world. Jean Tabary, co-creator of the Iznogoud series died on August 18 at the age of 81 years. The Comics Reporter has an excellent obituary and overview of the artists career of over 50 years.

But like all great artists, Tabary’s name will live on through his works. And in the English speaking world, thanks to Cinebooks continued publication of the best in European Bandes Dessinee, this means his work on Iznogoud.

Iznogoud has one idea. Just one. But dear lord, it’s a good one, and this is it, with Tabary’s art that starts every Iznogoud volume:

“In Baghdad, the Caliph’s Grand Vizier Iznogoud has one aim in life: to become Caliph instead of the Caliph. The benign ruler, Haroun al Plassid is blind to his vizier’s scheming to get rid of him and generally had rather take a nap. Iznogoud is faithfully seconded by Wa’at Alahf in trying to put his fiendish designs into action. …Here are the adventures of the Grand Vizier Iznogoud!”

So here you go, this volume has 5 bite sized chunks of ridiculous stories, daft situations, dastardly intent, failure after predictable failure. Whether it’s a dodgy mission to the stars, magic talismans, hats that send the wearer crazy, or simply annoying the Sultan – it’s all beautifully, predictably funny stuff, with wonderful wordplay, delicious punning, and magnificent situations.

Best of all in stories such as Dark Designs Iznogoud sees Goscinny and Tabary playing around with comic AND comical ideas, as a magic pencil gives Iznogoud the chance to erase the Caliph from his life for good. Full of great ideas, great gags, and a beautiful line in self-mockery:

The beauty of Iznogoud is how well Goscinny continues to come up with the Grand Vizier’s ridiculous plots, doomed to fail every time, and how hilarious and inventive they are. And as such, there’s little need to break every volume down in a review. To be honest, all you need is one carefully chosen gag, superbly illustrated by Tabary. That tells you everything you need to know.

Do you think that’s funny? Then you’ll love Iznogoud. Go and buy it.

By Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosinski

Cinebook

Oh I do swing too and fro with my enjoyment of Thorgal; Van Hamme and Rosinski’s legendary sword and sorcery saga. Here’s my first take on it – Volumes 1-6:

So Thorgal was enjoyable enough, indeed it was a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be, to the point where I’d quite happily settle down with more volumes in this series, but not exactly my thing. However, for those of you reading this who do enjoy your swords with a little sorcery thrown in, I imagine you’ll be absolutely thrilled by each and everyone of these Thorgal volumes.

But then Volume 7 impressed with it’s weird time travel storyline:

I’m going to tell you that Thorgal really is going out of it’s way to be an excellent book. So something very good has obviously happened with Volume 7, something that’s rather befuddled my expectations of Van Hamme’s sword and sorcery epic.

After Volume 8 I was almost reluctantly admitting I liked it:

Like all previous Thorgal volumes, we get a little sword, a little sorcery, a lot of action and some lovely artwork from Rosinski. At the end, with everything satisfactorily concluded, I found myself closing the book and finally admitting to myself that I actually do enjoy Thorgal, and am looking forward to the next volume.

But then Volume 9 set me against it again:

it’s a fair(ly) enjoyable, if cliched rush, but I couldn’t help thinking that it didn’t have the invention or the enjoyment of the previous two volumes. It felt a little bit like Van Hamme doing a Thorgal story strictly by the numbers.

And now, after Volume 10, I just think I might have finally had done with it. If Volume 9 felt like Van Hamme doing Thorgal by the numbers then this is simply Van Hamme phoning it in.

The story doesn’t really amount to anything and throughout the volume it reads almost childishly, this happens, then this, then something else, then this again…. over and over, a parade of moments with none of the style or skill Van Hamme has shown himself supremely capable of in other stories and indeed in previous Thorgal volumes.

(Thorgal learns of the story he’s about to be dropped into. From Volume 10; The Sun Sword by Van Hamme and Rosinski)

But here, it’s a nothing tale. A wandering Thorgal is captured and enslaved by Orgoff the Invincible, who wields a powerful weapon he calls the Sun Sword, but it’s obviously going to turn out to be something else, something tied into Thorgal’s extra-terrestrial origins.

After this it’s a simple pattern of conflict, escape, capture by the last group of rebels against Orgoff’s reign of power. And the return of an old enemy, conveniently and lazily written into the story with a simple skating over of previous troubles:

(Kriss of Valnor returns. Doesn’t matter how, Van Hamme quickly skate over that one. From Thorgal Volume 10, The Sun Sword)

And from there it’s just a by the numbers Thorgal story of defeating the bad guy. It’s just too slight, too obvious, and just reads poorly. Okay, everyone has a bad day, but this one is enough to put me off Thorgal completely I’m afraid. It’s been up and down throughout, but this really is the volume I have to give up on the story. You may all now get together and tell me I’m wrong, tell me how it really turns into something brilliant and epic after this. Have fun telling me I’m wrong, but I just got nothing from this.

Rosinski’s artwork throughout is as polished and interesting as ever. He’s on fine form here. It’s just a shame Van Hamme didn’t match the efforts of his artist.