Author: Jean Van Hamme; Illustrated by Christian Cailleaux and Etienne Schréder
Age: 10 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 56 colour pages
£10.99 incl VAT
ISBN: 9781800440951
Publication: November 2023
https://www.cinebook.co.uk/before-blake-mortimer-the-fiery-arrow-p-4535.html
The Marduk expedition has returned victorious to Norlandia, bearing a precious sample of Uradium. Now the professor can test his revolutionary U Ray’s potency when combined with the miracle ore. But Austradia, the old enemy, won’t take this lying down. So the dastardly Captain Dagon didn’t succeed in stopping Marduk from finding the Uradium deposit? No matter! The Imperial Austradian Army will simply take possession of it in a military operation – and who cares if that’s where Prince Nazca’s people live?
Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear I am told. This is pure space opera and the kind that preceded Star Wars by decades and influenced it in so many ways. This new sequel to Jacobs' book is crisp and clean and the colour artwork is as good as you can get it.
If the artist did not have fun drawing the costumes, scenery and action then it does not show. The twists, turns and discoveries are fun and that is what this book is; fun. No super heroes. No extreme graphic violence. It was rather like watching one of the old lost civilisation movies that were so popular in the late 1950s to 1960s -but those usually ended with a giant volcano blowing the island civilisation apart.
Fun and escapism is what we all need even if only for an hour and this book offers that.
No comments:
Post a Comment