The Mary Celeste… Here is a story that makes the hair stand on end. A boat found in 1872 sailing without a crew with no signs of life on board despite sails still hoisted and 1700 barrels of raw alcohol. It is one of the biggest mysteries of maritime history and even today, we still don’t know what happened. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has also, by arranging the truth a little, wrote a book on this ship. We’ve talked about everything: sea monsters, extraterrestrials, the Bermuda Triangle, pirates… withoutno theory is validated.
The magnificent cartoon “Adlivun” is dedicated to Mary Celeste. But it is revisited. It all started in 1847 in England at Dover where the Mary Celeste was moored. The British authorities are looking for men brave enough to find “Erebus” and “Terror”, two exploration vessels that disappeared a year ago in the Arctic. They’re driven by the reward, so Captain Briggs and his crew go undertake the rescue mission.
It is when they arrive in Inuit land that they will come across a ghost ship but too small to be the ones sought. The trip will then take an unexpected turn. By the way Adlivun in Inuit is a place that looks like a frozen wasteland where would be the spirits of the deceased who reside in the underworld, under the land and the sea. Remember this well and tremble…
Vincenzo Balzanoi, the author, is an Italian cartoonist who has regularly worked for American studios. He has a traditional watercolor style that gives his boards a stunning dreamlike style. We feel the cold in the pages, the blues and grays are extremely well worked. We are gripped by the suspense and by the characters with extremely meticulous attention to detail, it’s artistic. Balzano’s style is truly bewitching. I learned and for my part I chose to embark on the Mary Celeste. And will you accept the mission?