Saturday, 5 April 2025
Friday, 4 April 2025
Cinebook Ltd -Harry Dickson 2 - The Court of Terror
Authors: Luana Vergari and Doug Headline, from a story by Jean Ray; illustrated by Onofrio Catacchio
Age: 12 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 64 colour pages
Publication: February 2025
£11.99 incl VAT
ISBN: 9781800441569
Frederic Hamilton, an aging millionaire and philanthropist, calls upon Harry Dickson to investigate most curious facts. For some time, he has been having strange dreams in which he appears before a mysterious court – eleven masked judges who accuse him of despoiling Humanity.
Now, his latest dreams have included physical torture … and the pain is still present when he wakes up! Dickson and Superintendent Goodfield travel to Hamilton’s residence, but their mission quickly turns into a nightmare …
Harry Dickson is quite an old character and I came across some of his adventures in German in the 1990s when I was looking at old German pulps and other magazines from the early 1900s. In this volume there is an illustrated text section -Disgorged From Hell -Harry Dickson's Foes which is an interesting read.
The art by Onofrio Catacchio is very enjoyable to look at while Hiroyuki Ooshima's colour work enhances the mood of the various scenes. Headline and Vergari have written a nice and moody story based on an original Jean Ray (the character's creator). This series looks like it could be another winner for Cinebook.
Mysterion. The fate of this character left me with mixed feelings about what Dickson did rather like Ben Dilworth with the 1930s The Clock stories questioned whether using a gun to bring justice is wrong -the conclusion was that it was ...a paradox.
Square jawed and pipe smoking Dickson is certainly a character that entertains.
Worth the price of admission!
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Cinebook Ltd -Buck Danny 15 - Air Force One
Authors: Frédéric Zumbiehl; illustrated by Gil Formosa
Age: 10 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: February 2025
£8.99 incl VAT
ISBN: 9781800441552
https://www.cinebook.co.uk/buck-danny-force-p-4569.html?osCsid=417ldlu9dfpaia3le6mm612je6
Project Skyborg, the Air Force’s prototype AI pilot, has turned into a complete disaster. While the system works, it has unfortunately been hijacked by agents of the Circle, a shadowy criminal organisation whose nefarious plans Buck has already thwarted several times.
The terrorists are now in possession of an AI-controlled F-16 with which they intend to strike an important target and start a deadly war. They have also called upon Sato, who’s kidnapped Sonny and plans to use him to lure his sworn enemy Buck into a trap … The conclusion of a two-part story started in volume 14.
ooh. AI being a "bit of a thing" at the moment this was timed well. The art and story flow well with plenty of -well, almost an overload- of action. Sonny has his very own side story and gets the gal in the end to boot. Some of the dialogue seemed a bit odd such as "Heavens!" as an exclamation and "you piece of garbage!" It may seem odd due to my age and watching Wesley Snipes movies again -after all the books have a rating. Shouting "You **** Goddam ***** of a *****!" might be a bit out of place.
I'm old.
I never realised how tough a military pilots life is: flying high tech aircraft and James Bond style action. Maybe they need a pay rise? This would make a great action movie and when a comic album is good enough that you think that then it must be good. Right? Well, it got to volume 15!
Wednesday, 2 April 2025
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
Cinebook Ltd -The Bluecoats 18 - Duel in the Channel
Authors: Lambil & Cauvin
Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: January 2025
£8.99 incl VAT
ISBN: 9781800441521
1864. The USS Kearsarge, a Union warship, puts in at the port of Amsterdam. Its mission in Europe: to stop the predations of the Alabama, a confederate privateer that’s been preying on the transatlantic trade. Aboard are Blutch and Chesterfield, threatened with a firing squad by an irascible general, and sent to lie low in the Navy by their own superiors. Soon, the Alabama is spotted, and the Union ship rushes to intercept it. The confrontation will take place in the English Channel!
Well, what can I say? After (a lot of) years telling people that the Confederate and Union navies had a battle in the English /French Channel Cinebook vindicates me! That our heroes end up in the Union Navy should be no big surprise since they have been in the cavalry and involved in ballooning.
There are some liberties taken in the story for comedic effect and so that our Blue Duo can get involved There is the naval battle and the general carnage of war and the sad aftermath but our two numb-heads keep on going and one of them even tries his hand at surgery while the other...uh...tries his hand at going green and casting out "green comets" -you have to guess which or, perhaps, buy the book and find out?
This series is always fun as well as a tad educational (we'll ignore that last part so as to not put off anyone with an education allergy).
Always fun and always recommended.
Oh, in case you are interested you can learn about The Battle of Cherbourg here: