Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Franq

Cinebook

Okay… here’s the blurb… The Price Of Money:

“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.”

…. and The Law Of The Dollar:

“Accused of murder and hated by an entire nation, Largo is hiding in Canada and feeling very much alone. But his friendships are stronger than his circumstances, and soon he’s able to counterattack against the various factions that are trying to bring him down. Greedy lawyers, crooked CEOs, murderous accountants, all pitted against the orphan turned billionaire… In the end, only the smartest and strongest will prevail—for such is the Law of the Dollar.”

Okay, now I know that two parts is the way it was originally planned and published, and Cinebook are doing it right, but I’m always pleased when I get these in pairs – start and finish all in one glorious read.

It’s wonderful watching Van Hamme and Vance get the pacing just right, building everything up, layering the business intricacies and the action until the cliffhanger, usually involving Largo in trouble up to his neck, all to be resolved in the action-packed, and plot heavy finale.

But having both books at once, it’s ever so satisfying being able to finish part 1, take a breather, and then reach out and plunge straight into part 2. And just to be clear, reading The Law Of The Dollar without first having read The Price Of Money is a really, really, really dumb idea. Don’t be silly, get them both.

Because make no mistake about it, Largo Winch is a magnificent action thriller with a difference. The difference being it’s not really an action thriller at all – in reality it’s a wonderfully thought out, ridiculously over the top, densely plotted action thriller where more often than not, Largo Winch (“anti-establishment, womanizer, wanderer, iconoclast, and fighter“, head of the W Group, worth $10 billion) spends most of his time like this….

… or like this:

And it’s the sitting around talking business, or the standing around talking business, or the walking about talking business that really is the standout here. It’s the thing I really love the series for.

Sure, Van Hamme throws the occasional car chase, scuffle, or other modicum of action in every few pages to fulfill some contractual obligation or keep Francq happy or something, but the real thrill of this brilliant thriller is watching Largo Winch work his way through a business problem, using James Bond like charm and a bit of Jason Bourne style action.

When there is action, it’s just as beautifully done, your pulse already racing thanks to the meticulous manner writer and artist have upped the ante throughout, the ongoing plots and manoeuvrings of the financial world to thoroughly stitch Largo up accelerating until having a bit of a car chase is almost a release to the thrilling tension.

And then Franc really lets loose, delivering some beautiful, beautiful stuff. Here’s page 3 of the climactic car chase in The Price Of Money, with Winch on the run from the police, trying to get to the airport where his new pilot is waiting to fly him to relative safety. It’s so well composed; the long shots to start with, the cars racing through panel, the way ahead blocked, the smashing through the fence, and into the path of his plane… ooooohh….

This one is all about stock options, so much so that there’s half a page of explanatory text on the first page of The Law Of The Dollar along with the publishing details. It’s completely unecessary, as it’s all been beautifully, clearly, and thrillingly explained in the first book with Van Hamme’s text heavy plot carried along beautifully by Franq’s sumptuous artwork. There are books where this much text would merely slow it all down too much, make it practically unreadable, but those are books written by people who dream of being able to do it as well as Van Hamme.

The only issue I had trouble with regarding Largo Winch is whether I like it slightly more or slightly less than Van Hamme’s other magnificent thriller; XIII. I think, now we’re into double figures with each, that I’m coming down (just) on the side of Largo Winch. That wonderful mix of financial machinations, thoughts being just as important as deeds, and the action stuff just wins out over XIII. But luckily, I can have both. And so can we. Life is good.

By Jean Van Hamme and William Vance

Cinebook

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!

Chapter 12 of 19. There’s about as much point me reviewing this now as there is you picking it up and expecting to get the full effect of the XIII series thus far. You wouldn’t wander into a film halfway through, wouldn’t pick up a book and flick to the middle part, so why on earth are you expecting me to encourage you to start XIII with Volume 12?

Alright, fair enough, there is something to be said for picking this up instead of previous volumes, as the whole trial nature leads to a neat summary of some of what has gone before, and in conjunction with Volume 13 “The Investigation” which will fill you in on the other side of the XIII storyline, it could do a good job of giving you a story so far before we plunge into the final third. But then again I could go on the first week of your holiday for you and send you a dvd – just the same, all the facts, none of the experience.

What I will say is that this is the series that simply keeps on going. The situations may change, but the characters, the motivations, the basic DNA of the series – all pretty much the same now as it was back in Volume 1. And oh boy, I loved Volume 1.

We may know (or at least Van Hamme assures us we may know) the identity of XIII by now, but that doesn’t necessarily stop him throwing another adventure our way, alternating as always between tight plotting, full of dialogue and exposition, and the over the top and explosive action scenes.

Like this…..

And this….

This is, as you’ll no doubt be aware, like reading Bond on the comic page. In fact it’s Bond, it’s Bourne, it’s Mission Impossible, and every other big budget franchise. Except Van Hamme writes so well, and Vance draws so well, that this is the very best of all of those franchises, especially Bond; all the glorious sense of smart fun, all the action, all the locations, all the tech, all about getting the perfect mix of story, plot, character, action, and thrills.

Sure, there are moments where you may find yourself pondering how he can twist it and turn it all over again, moments even where the incredulity gets a little too much, but overall it just wins you over. It does me anyway. And to be quite honest I imagine it will keep winning me over, no matter what small doubts I have, right up until that final page of Volume 19.

By Jean Van Hamme and William Vance

Cinebook

“XIII has freed a country, exposed a traitor, reunited with his wife… and found his father. As he deals—somewhat against his will—with the aftermath of the revolution in Costa Verde, Sean Mullway recounts for him his family’s history: Irish immigrants, remorseless Mafiosi, Mexican gold, and three silver watches. New answers will also bring new questions and a whole new set of potential enemies just as old ones come back to the fore.”

Eleven volumes in and I’m beginning to run out of ways to tell you how great the XIII experience is.

Each episode gives us a little more of the story of Van Hamme and Vance’s mysterious amnesiac with more identities in his troubled past than you can easily keep count of. And every episode also throws up new mysteries, one step forwards, a couple back, a few to the side. This is no straightforward tale, it’s more a case of Jean Van Hamme dancing with his plotlines till the end. And eleven volumes down, eight to go, those of us who love the series are with it to the end, whilst those of you who’ve yet to delve into the world of XIII have our envy.

This time we’re looking back on XIII’s earlier life, following the revelations of his visit to Costa Verde in For Maria and El Cascador.

The whole volume is a self contained thing, dealing equally with XIII’s past and his present; mopping up the problems of Costa Verde, with XIII being El Cascador one last time, in a suitably action packed mission to blow up a bridge.

It’s a mix of exposition and action that Van Hamme excels at, and here we finally, 11 volumes into the tale, learn what I really believe is the true identity of XIII, the tragic tale of his birth, his mother’s death, and unusual upbringing.

But even here, Van Hamme is setting up for the future, establishing new enemies, familiar faces from his espionage past cropping up unexpectedly, new vendettas to pursue, all designed to draw him back into the murky, dangerous politics of the USA. There’s a long way still to go after all….

This volume does everything I wanted it to, Van Hamme’s saga hadn’t exactly become flabby, but there was a pattern developing, that the continual red herrings of XIII’s identities were becoming perhaps a little too predicatable. Here, having finally (I think) revealed the mystery off who XIII truly is, we’ve new momentum to the series, a momentum that should see us through, excited, full of anticipation, for the climax.

And as usual, Vance brings his best game to XIII, excelling at pretty much everything, whether it’s the scene setting talking heads sequences of XIII’s unfolding ancestory or the action scenes, it’s all good. How good… oh, how about this good?

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 Jean Van Hamme and William Vance

Cinebook

The return of Van Hamme’s amnesiac super-agent for the ninth volume (of nineteen). And the second volume in a row where I’ve felt a little pang of disappointment with the storyline so far.

Last volume there was a conclusion of sorts, the initial plot resolved, and XIII made one huge enemy for the future. My problems with that volume could have been put down to simply the almost inevitable sense of anti-climax after such a fantastic set-up.

But now we’re in the post conclusion come down, and it’s the first moment in XIII where it seems just a little flabby, a little too repetitious. We’ve uncovered the true identity of XIII – as far as we know, but let’s face it Van Hamme is bund to throw spanners in that particular works before we get to the 19th and final volume. And now we’re wondering where we’re going. The answer… at least at first, appears to be down the same old route of new identity, new adventure.

There’s even a moment right at the start of this latest volume of XIII where Van Hamme appears to be reveling in the increasingly preposterous storylines of XIII, and is possibly having a little joke with his readers, as he sends his amnesiac super-agent on yet another mission, with yet another clue to his identity:

(Jones rather hits the nail on the whole multiple identity head here. From XIII: For Maria by Van Hamme and Vance, published by Cinebook)

Now, in Volume 9, XIII finds himself quickly immersed into both this new adventure and new identity, one concerning the 6 missing years he has absolutely no recollection of. He and Major Jones find themselves in search of a woman who may, or may not be the woman he married during those missing years.

But true to form, she couldn’t just be (in Jones’ words) “some fat mujer, half-a-dozen brats hanging onto her skirts”. No, this woman happens to be the leader of the democratic guerrillas in the Central American country of Costa Verde. And right now she’s awaiting execution in a maximum security fortress. Time for XIII to plunge head-first into trouble again.

There’s a big possibility that XIII has been here before, with several references to “El Cascador”, fabled Irish freedom fighter. Was XIII the Irishman? It’s possible, particularly as we know the penultimate volume (the one illustrated by Moebius) has the title The Irish Version.

(Dangerous and pretty – just XIII’s type. From For Maria by Van Hamme and Vance, published by Cinebook)

The sense of Van Hamme simply treading water at this stage, stringing it all out a little too much, is strong. But once the surprising revelation of the missing wife hits, along with the surprising feeling in this reader that maybe Van Hamme needs to move things on a little, the action kicks in and we’re back in familiar territory.

Yes, it may be Van Hamme treading a little water, but it’s certainly the usual fun filled adrenaline rush with XIII doing his action thing whilst Van Hamme paddles for a while. And that’s just about enough to get me over my problems with XIII at this stage.

No-one does this sort of action as well as Van Hamme. And even here, at the flabby mid-point, the action is still action-packed, the thrills are still ever so thrilling and the fun of the book sees me through to the end.

I imagine we’ve a few more of these middle bit stories to come before we hit the point where Van hamme begins the long wind-up to the real conclusion of the story. But thankfully, just as it is here, I imagine the sheer fun of the read will see me through to what I’m hoping, trusting, will be a spectacular and worthy conclusion.

By Jean Van Hamme, art by Grzegorz Rosinski

Cinebook

“Wyoming, 1868. Ambrosius Van Deer has come to Fort Laramie to meet Jess Chisum, a young man who claims he’s found Van Deer’s nephew Eddie. Ten years before, Edwyn Van Deer disappeared after his family was killed in a Lakota raid. Proof of his identity: a silver watch with a portrait of his parents. But fate has other plans than a happy family reunion, and the events of that day will set in motion a tragedy 15 years in the making.”

Well, the odds were fairly high that I’d enjoy this one, after all, Van Hamme is responsible for two absolutely beloved series of mine from Cinebook; Largo Winch and XIII. And, yes, it’s a hugely enjoyable, complete in 64 pages Western tale.

As you’d expect from Van Hamme, there’s tight plotting, twists and turns, great action sequences, but more than that it’s just great to see a Western comic – a rare thing, especially one this well done.

(The opening page to Western, as Ambrosius Van Deer pulls up in Fort Laramie. From Western by Van Hamme and Rosinski, published by Cinebook)

It all opens with successful rancher Ambrosius Van Deer and his daughter rolling into Fort Laramie, following up a lead of his nephew, long ago feared lost in a murderous Lakota raid. But in actual fact it’s all a con, a con that goes disasterously wrong for all involved. The only survivors are young 14 year-old Nate Chisum (or Nate Colton as he becomes known) and Van Deer’s daughter.

Van Hamme successfully cuts then to later in young Nate’s life, where, even with only one arm, he manages to eek out a living until he rolls up in Wichita, gets a job as a bank security guard and finds himself embroiled in the devious politics and betrayals all around him.

(A beautiful page, taking Nate from 14 to 25, losing an arm and letting Rosinski loose on the big sky of the old west. From Western by Van Hamme and Rosinski, published by Cinebook)

Rosinski’s artwork, from that beautifully composed, portrait like cover onwards is simply a delightful, lush mix of incredibly tight work, all delivered in moody, atmospheric sepia tones and muted colours, perfectly capturing what we like to think of as the old Wild West.

Every so often he even slips in a double page full colour painting, something you’ll want to stop and observe a while, although it does break the flow of the pages, sometimes quite naturally, acting as a perfect break in the narrative, but at other moments seeingly just inserted without thought, depending on what Rosinski fancied drawing.

(And of course, being Van Hamme, the action sequence in Western is practically perfect – from Western by Van Hamme and Rosinski, published by Cinebook)

Van Hamme manages to do a lot in Western, getting in a beautifully choreographed action sequence, treachery, betrayal, a vendetta, and a lot more – all in just 64 pages. But with Van Hamme, you’d really expect nothing less than a perfectly plotted, perfectly paced, thoroughly enjoyable tale. There’s little in Western that’s original, but that’s not the real point. This is meant, I’m sure, to feel like a good, old fashioned, classic Western. And it does that just perfectly.

By Jean Van Hamme and William Vance

Cinebook

Right, here we are again, another volume of Van Hamme and Vance’s amnesiac mystery man adventure. If you’re new to the series, it’s definitely not too late to be jumping on, so please, if you haven’t already picked it up, don’t bother reading any further – just click here for the review of the first couple, where I said this:

“I absolutely burned through these two volumes, a look of absolute joy on my face as each page seemed to give me new and increasingly ridiculous situations for XIII to get himself out of.”

“There’s almost no point in even discussing the plot, essentially it’s XIII trying to trace his fractured memory back through every little clue Van Hamme drops in his path. Is he some hired killer, presidential assassin, military specialist, a son, a husband? Each new clue leads him to some new conflict. The resolution to each conflict to a new identity, a new clue and even more violence. The body count rises, the stakes grow higher. The silliness of the situations is immaterial, since the fun and the enjoyment is in the sheer thrills to be had along the way.”

And that still applies with Volume 7. Indeed, unless Van Hamme completely messes it up, I imagine it will apply to every volume up until Cinebook’s planned July 2013 finale. Just go and buy it. If you like your thrillers action packed, intelligent and beautifully drawn, you really can’t do much better than XIII.

Right, now to talk to those of you up to speed with the series. At this point we know for definite (or at least as definite as we know anything – Van Hamme may completely change the rules next volume) that XIII is the man known as Jason Fly. And as Jason Fly, XIII feels free from the conspiracy theory that he was embroiled in since waking up as an amnesiac casualty on a foreign shore, with nothing but a bullet wound, the XIII tattoo on his collar bone and an amazing ability to adapt and survive to his name.

(Thank goodness for these summary pages…. useful for readers old and new. From XIII Volume 7, by Van Hamme and Vance, published by Cinebook.)

But even though the conspiracy is meant to be over, XIII still has the task of uncovering his identity, his real identity. So as Fly, XIII is in Green Falls, his supposed childhood home where he’s finding that the spectre of that number still looms large. The mystery assassin known only as the mongoose is in town, attempting to prevent XIII from remembering the truth behind number I, a truth that is lodged somewhere in that amnesiac brain.

We’re in very familiar territory here. And the adventures themselves rest very comfortably within a strict pattern – XIII is thrust into some new scenario, with a tantalising chance for him (and us readers) to discover some aspect of his past. There’s a twist, there’s danger lurking somewhere (I can’t imagine XIII will ever follow a lead that doesn’t have some element of violent death), and eventually we reach the end, a few clues revealed, a few more mysteries uncovered, and a few more questions posed.

This volume is rather more revealing than most, with a large portion of the first half of the book being a series of flashbacks. But even though these exposition filled pages are wordy, Vance keeps everything moving beautifully until we burst through into the inevitable, climactic action sequences;

(The Mongoose finally catches up with XIII, for a second time it seems. But is this the end? Oh really, surely by now you should know it’s not the end until Van Hamme tells us it’s the end. From XIII Volume 7 by Van Hamme and Vance, published by Cinebook)

The skill, and the enjoyment we get from XIII, is both in the tremendous enjoyment of the overall idea – of one man’s desperate search for his past, and the smaller scale invention and excitement thrown our way every volume with the super tight writing of Van Hamme and the equally tight and perfectly matched artwork of Vance. That’s why it just doesn’t get tired, even though it’s settled into a familiarity by this stage.

It’s truly a marvellous thriller of a series, it’s so well put together that the familiarity is actually more comforting and reassuring by now. I’m enjoying it every bit as much as I did when I first picked it up and imagine I’ll be saying the same thing, every couple of months until volume 19 reveals all in July 2013.

By Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq

Cinebook

Okay, I’m on rather a Van Hamme high at the moment. In the last couple of days I’ve polished off the 6th volume of XIII and then, straight after, underneath that rather brilliant cover – this 8th Cinebook volume (12th part) of the Largo Winch saga.

And I can honestly say that I can’t really choose between XIII and Largo Winch as my favourite series right now.

Both are thrilling genre pieces, both feature some perfectly realised artwork, and they both provide some fantastic escapism from an absolute master – there really is no one who writes a better thriller than Van Hamme.

But where XIII is the continuing quest style drama and super-serious with it, Largo Winch is more James Bond like, with Winch (and Van Hamme) allowed a little fun here and there. And it’s this fun that marks Largo Winch out from the serious thriller of XIII.

Shadow is the conclusion of the story begun in Volume 7; Golden Gate. This is how every Largo Winch story works – first volume sets it all up, establishes the threat and usually drops Largo and his friends into some dire jeopardy by the cliffhanger ending. The second volume is the explosive finale, packed with action.

I could recap what’s gone before, but instead I’ll make use of this single page summary included at the front of Shadow (click through for a bigger image):

There you go. Enough to allow you to jump right in and follow the review, but promise me you’ll not attempt to read Shadow with just this as a set-up – that would just be spoiling it for yourself.

Because missing out on Golden Gate would mean missing the careful political and financial maneuverering of Winch’s opponents, that puts him and his chief administrator Dwight Cochrane in prison and his friends in danger. It’s very much a story made far more enjoyable when the two parts are read together.

Of course, this being Largo Winch, it’s not all action in this concluding part, and there’s still time for some more of that political and financial maneuvering that I do really enjoy:

So, as usual with Van Hamme’s Largo Winch we have a perfectly constructed, perfectly paced, thrilling page turner of a story. But it’s too easy to put all of this down to Van Hamme and neglect the role of Philippe Francq.

His figure work is gorgeous, his locales exotic yet real, his beautiful people (male and female) are drop dead stunning, his architecture, his layouts, his action sequences – everything is pitch perfect.

(Van Hamme may write them, but it’s Francq who makes those action sequences really come alive for the reader. From Largo Winch: Shadow, published by Cinebook)

By this stage, my enjoyment of Largo Winch (or XIII) doesn’t really come from the thrills I find in the pages, since they’re thrills I’ve come to expect. No, the plentiful enjoyment I have when reading Largo Winch (and XIII) is knowing what is to come but enjoying how well the authors deliver.

I know Winch, our billionaire businessman who always lives up to his back-cover billing of “womanizer, wanderer, iconoclast and fighter” is always going to be the hero, always going to be the target of financial and physical threats. And, just as I know they’re coming,  also know that the resolution will be thrilling, fun and predictably exciting.

As good as Van Hamme is (and he’s very, very good), the work by Francq is every bit as good. Largo Winch becomes, at the hands of these two equal partners, something truly exceptional.

By Jean Van Hamme and William Vance

Cinebook

Okay; the quick version…. XIII is an amnesiac who washes up on the East coast of the US, with no memory of his past or his identity. For some reason there’s a roman numeral XIII tattooed on his collar bone and he’s in possession of a vast variety of physical and combat techniques, all of which points towards some specialist, covert role.

This 19 volume series takes a few initial ideas from Jason Bourne and then goes batshit crazy with Van Hamme filling the series with every possible twist and turn he can – every volume puts XIII in some new situation, with some possible clue to his own identity dangled in front of him, the whole thing usually going spectacularly wrong to the sound of gunfire, explosions, running and breaking things.

Now go back and read those two paragraphs without pause for breath and as fast as you can.

That’s the XIII experience. And I’m a big, big fan:

“.. I’m still grinning from ear to ear with childish joy after reading it, swept along by the sheer exuberance of van Hamme’s writing as he puts his protagonist through every brilliant thriller hoop he can think of.” Volumes 1 & 2.

“If my other favourite Van Hamme series Largo Winch cranks the excitement up to 10, then XIII just did a Spinal Tap and set everything to 11.” Volume 3.

“I know Van Hamme will continue to throw complication and tortuous twists and turns in my way until that very final volume 19. And it’s something I’ll look forward to happening each volume as I sit there relishing every insane twist, every complex turn.” Volume 4.

“But even though the ending was, in my humble opinion, rushed and flawed, having just read Volumes 1-5 all over again for writing this review, I’m still convinced that … XIII is a classy and classic piece of intriguing thriller.” Volume 5.

Volumes 1-5 put XIII right in the middle of a very high profile political conspiracy supported by beautiful Major Jones and rugged, knows a lot more than he’s letting on Lee Marvin-a-like General Carrington. XIII is pretty much bang to rights as the assassin of a Kennedy-esque US President, and consequently spends a lot of the time on a desperate run from all manner of people with asssorted weapons and plans for causing harm. And I did think the ending seemed rushed and a bit of a let-down. But I’m putting that down as a blip.

Well, this volume is the come down from XIII’s post conspiracy plot climax. A perfect time to plunge into XIII, unafraid of getting too confused. This is a simple one – XIII is off to pursue another lead to his identity – the Jason Fly persona.

(A relaxing trip to the psych, trying to investigate the mystery of his past life/lives – all beautifully rendered by Vance, and notice the subtle, much used this volume, shift between present and flash-back – all in the panel corners. Quite simple, yet Vance and Van Hamme tell the story so well, it’s completely natural. XIII Volume 6: The Jason Fly Case by Van Hamme and Vance, published by Cinebook)

But the post climactic comedown lasts a whole 5 pages before we’re back on track. This is, after all, Jean Van Hamme’s XIII, and if you really thought he was going to let up the pace so early on, you really haven’t been paying attention.

No, XIII gets right back on the action thriller horse, investigating this Jason Fly identity in the sleepy town of Green Falls in a story that introduces a lot of new characters, and surprise surprise, there’s some old mystery and conspiracy that threatens to blow up the minute XIII walks (back?) into town.

Very quickly XIII is back doing what Van Hamme gets him doing so well, Major Jones heads back with important information and we spend a great deal of the book in flashback, filling in the moments between the end of the presidential conspiracy and now, where XIII, Jones, Carrington and XIII’s psychiatrist attempt to fill in the past and help XIII put together his possible life as Jason Fly.

(Oh dear – that’s the psychiatrist done in. Being around XIII and not being one of the major characters does tend to have that result. From XIII Volume 6: The Jason Fly Case, by Van Hamme and Vance, published by Cinebook)

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone with a passing interest in XIII that Jason Fly probably isn’t going to be the final, revealed in Volume 19, identity of XIII. It also shouldn’t come as a surprise that the journey to get there, is everything that makes XIII so much fun. This volume reads slightly differently, mostly due to the structural elements – mixing so many flashback sequences into the action really alters the feel of it.

And in lesser hands it may have ruined the volume. But Van Hamme and Vance pull the thing off so spectacularly well. There’s nothing to point out the extensive flashbacks aside from a subtle shift in the shape of the panel corners. But the storytelling of both men is so strong, so good, that it just naturally flows.

XIII Volume 6 is simply another volume in a fantastic series. And that’s a horrible, damning with faint praise way to describe it. But 6 volumes in of the 19 and I’m still looking forward to every new volume more than most things that cross my desk right now. It’s classy, exciting, wonderful fun. Couldn’t really ask for more.