Emile Bravo

Having myself no relationship at all to normal continuity Spirou comics, I find Bravo's reimagining of the character(s) as coming of age during the German occupation of Belgium to be a heartwarming tale of humanity during the mundane horrors of war occupation and the nazi's persecutions of communists and Jews. The humour, particularly of the immature sidekick character, gets grating to me at times, but the story is otherwise both engaging and well told. The cliffhanger ending is extremely show more disquieting, which adds an extra sense of tension and gravity to the already grim world built over the course of the album. Recommended. show less

Powerful and heartwarming. Having no previous relationship to Spirou, I still continue to very much enjoy the human, rich and sprawling reimagining Bravo does of him as a teenager growing up in Nazi-occupied Brussels. This third volume has him getting increasingly (and unwittingly) in deep with the resistance movement, even as he clings to his own internal morals at every point.

Another story about the Seven Squat Bears that also features characters from Puss in Boots, Hansel & Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood. The story featured portions from all the fairy tales and had a really interesting interpretation of who Little Red Riding Hood is. It seeks to explain why the Bears hibernate (they had trouble finding food in the winter). I found it very funny and liked it even more then I thought I would.

Bizarre, cynical and funny, this fractured fairy tales about a bear looking for a prince in order to get the pampered princess to move out of his and his friends' house is entertaining, but its packaging makes it look meant for younger readers. I think those young readers will miss too much - give this to 4th-tweens, as they'll enjoy it more!

Would be fun to compare to 'traditional' tales and to inspire discussion about male/female roles.