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Terry Hooper-Scharf

Friday 26 September 2014

Cinebook The 9th Art: Buck Danny 4- No-Fly Zone


 



Authors: Francis Bergèse
Age: 10 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Full colour
48 pages
Publication: August 2014

ISBN: 9781849182072
Price: £6.99 inc. VAT
About to be sent to a small country in Central America, Buck, Sonny and Tumb are given a special briefing by two high-ranking US government agents. Under the cover of their official mission – train Managuan Air Force pilots in the use of their brand new F-18s – the three men are to try and overfly a strangely modern airfield suspected of belonging to a drug cartel. Problem: the airfield is in the middle of a no-fly zone…

 It's very odd but ask most people into comics who live outside the UK "Who is Buck Danny?" and they should know.  As I've previously noted, Dan Cooper and Buck Danny are lead pilots in two long running Franco-Belgian series.  In the UK we had Johnny Red, which was, possibly, the longest (?) running air-war comic strip in the UK.  There was Black Max and a couple other strips but none very memorable (believe me, after I've written this I'll probably come up with several others!).  Ask comic folk in the UK who Johnny Red is!!

But back to Buck Danny.  The usual exquisite detail of aircraft that drives me mad with jealousy is here but so is much more.  This book is far from being just about someone flying aircraft...but that cover is neat. There is the international intrigue, drugging of our hero and his companions and so much more. This is one of those books that makes you want to start drawing aircraft. That said, even the characters in this book look good!

The story by Burgese is nicely detailed and plotted and since he also illustrates the book he can take credit for the art.  Again, a wonderful colourist adds a lot to the look -Frederic Bergese...hmm -a relations?  ;-)

It's nice to see non-Cold War story-lines in these books and why not give it to the drug cartels?!  A great read.

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10 comments:

  1. T-aerial10 May 2015 at 10:25

    The Buck Danny albums with scenario's of the late Jean-Michel Charlier are still the best.

    Almost everything about the Buck Danny series you may find at (English language):

    http://www.salimbeti.com/aviation/comics.htm (12 pages)

    ReplyDelete
  2. T-aerial10 May 2015 at 22:26

    This album is part #1 of a dyptich and the adventure is the 2nd time that Buck Danny, Jerry Tumbler and Sonny Tuckson are battling a drug cartel, led by Jane Hamilton aka Lady-X.
    The first time was in the albums #38 - #40: a triptich written bij Jean-Michel Charlier and drawn by Victor Hubinon.
    The location then was near Borneo/Serawak, and the USS Ranger (CV61) of Buck Danny, Jerry Tumbler and Sonny Tuckson was in the South Chinese Sea. Today a disputed region too. A very recommended story/trilogie.
    Hubinon died after finishing album #40 ( "Ghost Queen").

    Jane Hamilton aka Lady-X appeared for the first time in album #16 ("Northern Menace") by-the-way. Part #1 of a dyptich too. Since then the immortal Lady-X re-appeared 8 times in the Buck Danny stories and she always led criminal organisations. and/or was hired by dictatorial regimes.

    Let's hope that "Buck Danny" will be as successful in the UK as in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Holland for instance. Despite competion of series like "Tanguy & Laverdure" and "Dan Cooper".

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  3. Terry Hooper-Scharf11 May 2015 at 02:25

    Ahh. I knew Lady X had appeared before but now I have all the details! That's quite a history she has. Also, I had no idea there were more than 40 albums -I thought maybe 30. And in the UK Dan Cooper is relatively unknown -I've never met anyone who has heard of him! And Tanguy & Laverdure certainly would draw very blank faces. So I think Buck Danny will continue one! THANKS for the info.

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  4. T-aerial11 May 2015 at 04:27

    For the sake of completeness; since 1948 editor Dupuis - Brussels issued 53 "Buck Danny" albums, and since october 2013 two "Buck Danny Classic" spin-off albums.
    Their tradition is that an album issue follows a publication in their weekly comic magazine "Spirou"
    (translated "Tomboy").

    At the moment we (on the continent) are waiting for "Buck Danny" volume #54 and "Buck Danny Classic" vol. # 3 and # 4 (dyptich).

    All the 53 "Buck Danny" albums you may find here: http://tinyurl.com/moa2f32
    The 2 Buck Danny Classic albums (dyptich): http://tinyurl.com/kqnf23l
    More detailed (In English): http://www.salimbeti.com/aviation/comics1.htm

    The Buck Danny albums are re-printed regularly, some saw more than 15 editions.
    Most popular are the stories from the 40s and 50s; that's why Dupuis starten in co-operation with editor Zéphyr -Paris the 'Buck Danny Classic" spin-off. Buck Danny controlling drones in the near future will be boaring.

    Bio/history Jane Hamilton aka Lady-X (in English): http://www.salimbeti.com/aviation/comics6.htm
    (half-way the page)

    Personally I dislike Lady-X because of her (too many) resurrections: I prefer the brave US-Army nurse and spy Susan Holmes and the human and always smoking Jerry "Thumb" Tumbler. Gags with the Texan Sonny Tuckson are often over-the-top.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Terry Hooper-Scharf11 May 2015 at 05:07

    THANKS!

    ReplyDelete
  6. T-aerial11 May 2015 at 10:17

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. T-aerial14 May 2015 at 06:06

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. T-aerial14 May 2015 at 06:12

    << third attemp, hopefully error free this time>>

    OK. At your service!

    Autumn 2013: page 1 from Buck Danny Classic vol. #1 ("Sabres over Korea"): http://tinyurl.com/nelzjvg
    Click twice for full-size; drawing by Jean-Michel Arroyo from France; colours: Ketty Formaggio from Italy.

    Dec. 2014: Buck Danny parody by Arroyo (page 1 out of 4): http://i62.tinypic.com/imnrlx.png

    "Buck Danny" promo (Youtube, 2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikixUccFGjc

    PS
    Maybe off topic, but Jean-Michel Charlier was scenarist of the series 'Tanguy and Laverdure" (aka "T&L") too. I have to admit, I never was a fan of T&L, too France orientated. Mick Tanguy is a mixture of Buck Danny and Jerry Tumbler, Ernest Laverdure is a "Sonny Tuckson 2.0".
    A lot about this series you may find at Youtube (album scans, episodes TV), as T&L was a TV serie also, IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061230/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 ("Knigts of the Sky").

    Pilote comic Top 3 on the continent since the late 40s: 1. Buck Danny, 2. T&L, 3. Dan Cooper.
    ("Dan Cooper" suffers mediocre drawings and scenario's in comparison to "Buck Danny")

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  9. T-aerial16 May 2015 at 02:41

    Click on a Buck Danny album cover and you immediately see which aircrafts are in this album: http://richard.ferriere.free.fr/danny/danny.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. T-aerial27 May 2015 at 22:38

    I don't intent to spam this topic, but on June 7, 2015, there is in Istris, France, a huge only pilote comic book festival: http://aerobd-istres.fr/

    On the poster you may notice a pilote reading a Tanguy & Laverdure comic book, and many sponsers.

    There are many pilote comic scenarists and drawers on this festival. Also on the visitors list, the retired Buck Danny drawer Francis Bergèse. He then will sign Buck Danny albums too.
    Bergèse's bio (use google translate): http://aerobd-istres.fr/auteurs/francis-bergese/

    PS
    Recently the English language Buck Danny website has been updated: with a webpage with all the aircraft carriers in all the 55 Buck Danny albums and short stories: http://www.salimbeti.com/aviation/comics11.htm
    Now 14 pages with detailed Buck Danny info!
    The homepage: http://www.salimbeti.com/aviation/comics.htm

    ReplyDelete

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