Verdun, 1918, at the beginning of spring. The soldiers of the 17th infantry company prefer to call themselves the 'Folies Bergère'. Because they have sworn that when everything is over, they go there, to the 'Folies Bergère' in Paris. But their frivolous nickname can not be a sharper contrast to the misery they find themselves in.
This is an album by scriptwriter Zidrou and draftsman Porcel. It is my first acquaintance with both gentlemen. I do know the series 'De Blauwbloezen', of course, but I stopped collecting it before Zidrou took over (had nothing to do with the fact that he took it over). I then certainly tell you that this story is totally different from the humorous series that takes place in the American Civil War.
'Folies Bergère' is a grim and somewhat bizarre story about the ups and downs in the French trenches during the First World War. It is certainly not like all other stories about this terrible war.
The story begins with a soldier who has survived as by a miracle his execution. It would be a bit of a vague story were not that the drawings had been so grim. Porcel's illustrations are almost always in black with sepia. Occasionally he uses red to emphasize the horrors of the battlefield or pink for a dream, then cruelly disturbing the dreaming soldier from that dream by letting him show the harsh reality.
The story that takes place in the trenches alternates with scenes with Monet who is painting his famous water lily paintings. Porcel uses cheerful colors for Monet's paintings and his palette. Maybe I put too much into it, but I see a glimmer of hope in this ruthless drama. An 'annoying' boy is constantly bothering the impressionist, but in his simplicity he makes some remarks that are worth considering. I see in him the hope for the post-war generation. The Great War, a war so gruesome that it had to be the war to end all wars. Wishful thinking, we know now. The people who are in power and make the decision to start a war are not the people who go and die on the field of honor.
Half way through the story comes a moment when I think this would have been a good ending of this graphic novel. But as so many soldiers who fought in this 'War to end all wars' must have thought so many times after every horror they experienced; 'This is too terrible, now the generals have to realize that this must come to an end'. Unfortunately the generals only saw more reason to continue and the realization that it was enough came much too late for far too many soldiers and civilians. Similarly in this story, the story does not only go on, but it gets even more grim.
This graphic novella is difficult to place among all other World War One comics and graphic novels. The album is certainly an indictment of the injustices that occur in a war. It raises the question whether a war is justified. A hard judgment is passed on about the reasons why most of the wars that started in the past were justified.
In short; this is a special album for people with a strong stomach and is a worth while edition to the graphic novel collectors and World War One collectors collection.
