(revised version of my old review)
“He climbs very fast! Makes a steep turn and dives down! Right on us! But that is not a flying saucer! It's a ... RYU!”
A Japanese pilot crashes after seeing a Japanese flying dragon during a flight. Not much later, Professor Satô invites his friend Mortimer to come and see his brand new creation. But arch enemy Olrik is on the prowl to use this new invention for his own dark and sinister plan. But Satô is smart enough to split up the formula and hide it in three different locations. When something goes wrong, Blake and Mortimer are called in to save the day.
I certainly do not think 'Professor Sató’s Three Formulae' is Jacob's most original story and it does not have the speed and suspense of 'The Necklace Affair' and ‘Atlantis Mystery', but the story structure is solid and there is nothing wrong with that. I think 'Professor Sató's
Three Formulae' is certainly not Jacobs' worst story either. In ‘The Time Trap' he receded, to my taste, a bit too much in talking heads, that is definitely not the case with this album.
What I find interesting about this comic is that the first and second part have been drawn by two different artists. It happens more often that a series is taken over by others after the death of the creator, but it is not often that one story is drawn by two different artists. And certainly not only that, in this case every artist drew exactly half. Part one has been drawn entirely by Jacobs and part two has been drawn by Bob de Moor. That makes it extra fun for me to compare the styles of drawing. It will undoubtedly also have been an exciting assignment for Bob de Moor. It is always difficult to follow in the footsteps of someone who is in great esteem.
The first part appeared in the magazine Tintin in 1971 and 1972 and in 1977 it appeared in album form. Jacobs still worked on the second part, but never finished it. He died in 1987. From the second part of 'The 3 Formulas of Professor Sato' he left a complete scenario and a few sketches. Bob de Moor was allowed to finish it and in 1990 comic lovers could finally read how the story ended.
Jacobs spent his entire life trying to perfect his drawing style. As a result this continuing perfectionism he spent more and more time to complete an album. It is a pity, of course, for the Blake and Mortimer enthusiasts, but I still think he has started to draw better and better. I feel that his drawing style has become smoother and more dynamic. Which of course is remarkable since he has worked on it for so long. The lines appear smoother on paper. I would almost want to use the word 'schwung', but that is a bit too exaggerated.
And then we have the second part of Bob de Moor. My first impression was that it was certainly worse than that of Jacobs. I had the feeling that he went back to the style of Jacobs’ early period. But maybe it also has something to do with the fact that I knew in advance that someone else had drawn it and that I therefore unwittingly did not start reading the second part without prejudice. When I started to compare the drawings I noticed that I sometimes had to check the cover to check whose drawing I was looking at. This is surely the sign that De Moor has delivered better work than I initially thought. I do not know exactly how long De Moor has been given the time to make this second album, but it must have been no more than three years. Compared with Jacobs, this should be a botch job, but this is certainly not the case.
With this I have noticed that it is certainly worthwhile to occasionally re-read and revalue the albums that are etched in my memory as not so good. I have certainly come to appreciate ‘Professor Sató’s Three Formulae’.
