Cinebook the 9th Art: Alone 5: Eye of the Maelstrom

Authors: Fabien Vehlmann; illustrated by Bruno Gazzotti
Age: 10 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Paperback
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: April 2016

ISBN: 9781849182966

Price: £6.99 inc. VAT

It’s a sad day for the Campton kids: they’ve just discovered Dodzi’s lifeless body at the foot of a building, shot once in the chest. Convinced that whoever killed him must have come from the red zone – the no man’s land marked out by the monkeys’ cairns – Leila and Ivan decide to send an expedition there.

But none of the children could possibly imagine what awaits them inside the zone, no more than what will happen back at the camp.

You might think that this would be one of those silly kids comics. High jinks and humour.  You learn pretty quickly that it is not. It's difficult to go into any real detail without spoiling things but there's a big herd of pigs and a rather angry horse. That is the 'lighter' plot.  Not very light hearted but....

A huge monolith and when I got to the last few pages I used a very rude "F" word out loud. Seriously, this is not a kids comic. Oh, and the final page was a very loud "F" and a shiver.  From a series I expected to be a "bit mild" at the outset this has developed into not just a weird series but a deadly one for the characters and I am going to be waiting to see how this all ends!!