Zidrou

An older academic falls in love with a prostitute, an Ecuadorian woman who works in a brothel owned by the Mafia. After he tries and fails to rescue her, she disappears. Desperate, he decides to kidnap the daughter of the Mafia boss and refuses to release her until his lover is returned to him. What could possibly go wrong?

The Client is written by Belgian comic book writer Zidrou and beautifully illustrated by Manolo Carot. This is a very short graphic novel and tells what, on the surface, show more seems like a fairly simple story but anyone who has read Zidrou knows his stories are never as simple as they appear on the surface. He deals with controversial and difficult issues, in this case sex trafficking, poverty, and choice (or lack thereof), with sensitivity, intelligence, and empathy. It is also about love, family and, in the end, hope. And he wraps all of these complex issues in a cracking good noir(ish) tale.

Thanks to Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

The men of 17th Company are held down in the trenches of WWI by the Germans. They are aware that they serve mainly as cannon fodder for the higher ups but have tried to maintain a sense of humour. In an act both of defiance and irony, they have named their trench the Folies Bergere after the famous Parisian musical cabaret club. Life in the trenches is mainly misery, and death broken occasionally by boredom. As the war proceeds with no discernible movement either forward or back, the men show more are, not surprisingly, descending into hopelessness and even madness. Several men are condemned to death by firing squad including one who attacked his superior officer after being refused a long anticipated leave. But somehow, although riddled with bullet holes, he survives the Firing Squad not once but twice. And then a little girl mysteriously appears on the battlefield…

The graphic novel, Folies Bergere, was beautifully written by Zidrou and exquisitely drawn and coloured by Francis Porcel depicting in grim detail the horrors of war. There is little action and no real heroes. The story about life in the trenches is interspersed with scenes of life before and, interestingly, with a storyline about Monet and his possible inability to draw frogs for his famous lily pads. Both this and the interesting use of colours help to make the contrast between life for those who fought and those who remained behind even more stark. There is one heck of a twist at the end that I will say no more about except that it served as a metaphor to make the story even more gut- and heart-wrenching.

Given its subject matter, Folies Bergere is definitely not meant for a younger audience. It is a beautiful but bleak portrait of war that many might find upsetting. I should say for the sake of honesty that, as a military mom, it may, for me, have produced a more visceral reaction, but it is one of the best books, certainly graphic novels, I have read in a very long time.

Thanks to Netgalley and Europe Comics for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

Ric Hochet - Volume 1 is a fun throwback to the comics of days (years) gone by. An homage to a Belgian comic with which I am unfamiliar it did remind me a bit of my youth and some of the comics I read then.

The story is about revenge, which is always a compelling motivator. The nods to past stories, both the original comic and Ric's own, might make this more appealing to one familiar with the older comic but did not disrupt the story for me.

The artwork would seem to be nothing to go on about show more because it was drawn in the old school style. But just thinking there is nothing to say is actually a bit of a positive, since it means it succeeded in mimicking that style. So the art did help make the work better, even if we might not immediately grasp it.

While I would recommend this I also acknowledge that some readers who either don't remember or don't care for the style might not enjoy it. That said, if you appreciate the past upon which the present has been built, this is a nice tribute to an era and style that is far less common but no less compelling.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

In post-WWII Belgium a strange creature escapes from animal traffickers and is rescued by a boy who is being bullied by his schoolmates.

I've never read a Marsupilami book, but I always had the impression they were bright, lively tales. This new version is dark, drab, and full of cruelty; however, the heroes of the book are still able to act with kindness and mercy. It's a sad story and ends on a cliffhanger, but it's poignant and I very much want to read volume two.

Received via NetGalley.