Investigators like no other
After solving a mysterious kidnapping case in the middle of maternity leave, Rebecca and little Lucie, who must now be around 3 years old, return to service in Rebecca’s native Saskatchewan. This time, it’s a case of disappearance in the forest which occurred around twenty years ago, and for which we find that the police closed the file a little too quickly, which will fascinate our duo. volunteer investigators came to visit family. Indeed, why not combine business with pleasure? We really liked the first volume of the adventures of Rebecca and Lucie, and it is with great pleasure that we find them here; the author Pascal Girard still handling the good-natured tone specific to a genre inspired by Belgian comics from the golden years. And if the waffle iron cutting does not necessarily serve the great Saskatchewan spaces, we can say that it instills a certain rhythm to a tightly woven story.
François Lemay
Mystery in Saskatchewan. Rebecca and Lucie lead the investigation, t.2
★★★ 1/2
Pascal Girard, La Pastèque, Montreal, 2023, 52 pages
The least worst of the worst moments
The podcast The worst moments in history, in which comedian Charles Beauchesne enjoys recounting with enthusiasm, and a big touch of black humor, historical moments that are not always glorious, finds a second life in this comic book adaptation. Embellished by the pencil strokes of Xavier Cadieux (Pitoune and poutine), Beauchesne’s often meta humor comes across very well as he tells us, among other things, how we ended up finding the Northwest Passage or how we learned to manage our waste. On the other hand, the adaptation has the fault of what makes the quality of the podcast, that is to say a mountain of text which sometimes and even often drowns out the drawing and makes reading a little difficult. The album would have benefited from being presented in a larger format, just to let the reader breathe a little. But, once the effort is made, it is a very enjoyable (and informative) read.
François Lemay
The worst moments in history
★★★
Charles Beauchesne and Xavier Cadieux, Cold Front, Montreal, 192 pages
One for all, all for one
Stéphane Fert, self-taught artist known for having imagined the French covers of the novels in the saga Harry Potterarrives in force in our bookstores with the first volume of a caustic series entitled The mist walk. Watch out for the fog that engulfs everything in its path! In a few strokes of the pencil that play with the codes of fantasy, everything is there, post-apocalyptic world, breathtaking rhythm, nicely old-fashioned atmosphere and magical adventure. While the story focuses on Temperance, half-woman, half-ogress, a larger-than-life figure raised by witches with strong characters, the 38-year-old illustrator and screenwriter achieves the feat of creating a universe crazy, both fabulous and familiar. We dilate our spleen and quickly become attached to this collection of heterogeneous characters, united by a flawless sorority. Carried by funny and lively dialogues, the work is far from being as light as it seems. It addresses strong and contemporary themes.
Ismaël Houdassine
The mist walk
★★★1/2
Stéphane Fert, Dargaud, France, 2023, 136 pages
¡ Viva la Revolution!
Direction Cuba in 1956. The population is roaring with anger as dictator Fulgencio Batista has sold Havana to the highest bidders, notably to the American underworld. At the heart of the political and social upheavals soon announcing the takeover of power by a certain Fidel Castro, a Quebec drug trafficker named Lucien Rivard settled in the tropical capital until 1959. Does the name Lucien Rivard mean anything to you? The man is in fact known for his incredible escape from Bordeaux prison. Hired by the New York mafia, the new arrival on Cuban soil has the mission of managing a cabaret with shady activities. But over the course of his meetings, he found himself supplying Castro’s Barbudos with weapons and ammunition. Carried by the ample and descriptive drawings of Djibril Morissette-Phan, screenwriter Michel Viau reveals an overlooked and fascinating piece of life of the famous Quebec kingpin in this ambitious comic strip which wonderfully recreates the post-war era on an island overheating Caribbean.
Ismaël Houdassine
Havana Connection
★★★
Michel Viau and Djibril Morissette-Phan, Glénat, Montreal, 2023, 248 pages