Franka - L’oevre d’art - a comic review

In this second Franka album, Franka's neighbour Raphael Reghenboogh disappears. Raphaël is a painter who usually only makes advertising signs. When he gets a commission for a real painting, he lends Franka's car to deliver the painting to the client. Raphael disappears. Franka, obviously, wants her car back and goes out to research for him. Where is he and why has he disappeared? On those questions you will receive an answer after reading this album.

This is the third Franka album I read. Although the end of ‘L’oevre d’art’  made me think of the ending of a Hitchcock movie, I think this is the best Franka album I've read so far. As with all Franka albums, this part is also drawn and written by Henk Kuijpers. He writes an exciting and original story. The drawings are also sublime, he has an eye for detail. Franka lives in Groterdam, but Kuijpers has taken Amsterdam as a model for this city. You can clearly recognize the canals.

It's a very nice album, I can recommend anyone to Franka comics.
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Genre: Detective
Links:
Franka wikipedia
Franka catawiki
Henk Kuijpers wikipedia
Henk Kuijpers comiclopedia

Click! - a comic review

In Manara’s ‘Click!’ a receiver is implanted in the brain of Claudia, a frigid woman, without her knowing it. When a switch on a remote controle is turned on, she becomes horny. The remote controle is in possession of an impotent, voyeuristic man. He turns on the switch at every time he likes. This produces hilarious moments.

This is the second Manara album I read. The first was 'The journey of G. Mastorna’, this is an album in which, especially for Manara, there is little sex. But when reading this album, I learned to appreciate Manara's style of drawing. Still, it took me years before I actually started to collect Manara comics.

Manara provided the story for ‘Click!’ as well as the drawings. Usually the stories of erotic comics are not very good. Often it is a sequelae of sex scenes that are placed in random order. ,Click!’is an exception. It's not just a logical story of a woman who flies for the switch that makes her horny, but it's also a funny story. I really have to laugh at a scene where Claudia, at a party, in a horny mood puts a candle with a 14-piece diamond on it in her ass. The birthday girl, for whom the diamond was intended, doesn't stop calling: ‘My gift! My present!'. A count and other guests at the party try to retrieve the diamond in all sorts of maners. But the horny Claudia does not really gives them any cooperation.

It's a fun album.

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Genre: Erotic / Humor
Links:
Click! on Stripinfo.be
Click! on Wikipedia
Milo Manara official website
Milo Manara on the Comiclopedia
Milo Manara on Wikipedia

Spaghetti et l'emeraude rouge - a comic review

Spaghetti rings unsuspectingly at the house of Mr Strikdas to sell him some household equipment. The miracle happens, Mr. Strikdas wants to buy one on condition that he looks after an emerald for a month. The unsuspecting Spaghetti does not know that the emerald damnes everyone who comes near it. When a bunch of criminals want to make use of this, Spaghetti is in trouble.

This is already the fourteenth Spaghetti album that appeared in 1974, but it's my first acquaintance with the funny little clumsy man. I had bought it because René Goscinny wrote the scenario. Everyone knows his great sense of humor of the Lucky Luke and Asterix comics. His humor is unusually funny and this album does not disappoint. It's funny to see that anyone who comes close to Spaghetti gets an accident or an almost accident. For example, a painter falls from his scaffold and hangs on his brush while saying, "Fortunately, I use paint that dries quickly!”

The cartoon-like drawing are from Dino Attanasio. He is an experienced draughtsman. His first drawing he published in the magazine Tintin in the late 40's. Later he collaborated with Martin Lodewijk on the Johnny Goodbye comics. More realistic drawing of him was Bob Morane.

I think this is a nice album and I'm sure I will collect more Spaghetti albums.
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Humour
Links:
René Goscinny on Wikipedia
René Goscinny on the Comiclopedia
Dino Attanasio on Wikipedia
Dino Attanasio on the Comiclopedia
Spaghetti on Catawiki

Sherlock Holmes & the vampires of London 1 & 2 - a graphic novel review

May 1891. Sherlock Holmes dies at the Reichenbach Falls when he is opposed to his worst enemy, Professor Moriarty. Or that’s what the press tells the people. A made up story, because Holmes is alive and wants to take advantage of his supposed death to travel around the world. But ordinary mortals can easily fool, others will not be convinced. Holmes sees his plans crossed when London vampires find his trail in Paris …

Here starts the adventure of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is hired by vampires to disarm a vampire that has gone out of control. You must have noticed that this is not an ordinary Sherlock Holmes detective. This is my first encounter with Sylvain Cordurié who took care of the scenario. Although I love more of the old Hammer horror than today's bloody horror, I think this is a very good comic. There are some bloody scenes in this comic, but it's not an excess of violence. I call it functional violence. There is also depth in the story, Holmes asks a female vampire whether she did not feel hate for those who took her life away. She answers that she has lost her life to gain eternity, gain a broader view of the world and experience more intense feelings. Unlike Holmes's life, the emptiness of her existence has been transformed to fulfillment and a sense of abundance.

For Watson, Holmes's sidekick, there is no place in this album. On the one hand, I think that is a pity, but on the other hand, I do not have to hear the statement; ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’ either. I have been annoyed by that statement many times in the Sherlock Holmes movies. Especially because Conan Doyle never wrote this. But now I wander off.

The illustrations by Vladimir Krstic, alias Laci, are very realistic. He also has an eye for detail, interiors and buildings are also beautifully drawn. The violent scenes are very intense. There is a lot of dynamism.

However, I have to mention that the cover was drawn by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach. Also beautiful done by the way.
Axel Gonzalbo also deserves a mention for the coloring of this album. He uses shades that show the time of the gas light.

This comic in two parts is from the collection 1800 of Daedalus publishing company. They've put in a lot of effort to give this comic a luxurious look. It is printed on good quality paper (coated paper) and the hard cover is treated with spot protection (partially shiny).

This is my first acquaintance with this new genre that blends detective with horror and it makes me want for more.

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Horror detective

Links:
Sherlock Holmes wikipedia
Arthur Conan Doyle wikipedia
Sherlock Holmes & vampires of London Goodreads
Sherlock Holmes & les vampires de Londres stripinfo.be
Sylvain Cordurié wikipedia
Vladimir Krstic on the comiclopedia
Vladimir Krstic on wikipedia