Written by: Philippe Graton, Denis Lapière
Illustrations: Marc Bourgne, Benjamin Benéteau
Publisher: Graton
Michel Vaillant: Nieuw Seizoen #5 Heropstanding – Comic Book Review
In the last issue of Michel Vaillant which we discussed a few months ago, the Vaillante company became property of Ethan Dazs. It was a hostile takeover though, and the Vaillant family is not too happy about it. Nonetheless, nothing can be done to reverse it, but the Vaillants will have a chance to prove themselves in the next Formula-E championship in Paris, but only if Michel, their star racer, feels up to the task.
In order to put themselves back on the map of the racing charts, the Vaillants are building a new race car in the garage of their home, just like in the good old days, at the start of the Vaillante imperium. Nonetheless, for the Formula-E race in the heart of Paris which they will enter, regulations are strict: all cars are identical, only the electric engine, the gear box and the transmission can be developed by the company’s engineers. Thus the outcome of the race will depend on the pilot, as well as the usage of the electric power.
For the race, the Vaillants depend on their star racer Michel, but he is currently in Goma, Congo, trying to get over his brother’s attempted suicide. Jean-Pierre drove off a cliff in front of Michel’s eyes after he heard about Ethan Dazs’ hostile takeover, and there was nothing Michel could do to stop it from happening. Nonetheless, he has a hard time knowing that his brother is in a hospital in Paris, in a coma of which the doctors don’t even know he’ll ever wake up from.
Carole pays Michel a visit, trying to convince him that he is a born racer and shouldn’t give up, and Michel decides to go to his family in Paris, but will he be up for the task at hand? Everybody seems to think he will, but only time will tell, as he has been out of the circuit for some time now and he has to get back in the game.
The story of the last issue of Michel Vaillant, ‘Crash’, was quite a complicated one to fully understand when you’re new to the series and even though ‘Heropstanding’ is a sequel to that album, the story is much more easy-going and accessible. The storyline is quite straightforward: this time the focus seems to be more on the illustrations than on the story, a nice change of pace. Nonetheless, the story is a link between the previous album and the next one, so we are curious what that one will have in store for us.
As said before, the illustrations play an important role in this album. You get treated to lots of race cars in action, sometimes even as if it were a photo report. Bourgne and Benéteau’s illustrations truly come to life, as there is a lot of suggested movement to be seen. The bright colors make the whole look fresh and clean, and the alteration between detailed pictures and illustrations with larger color surfaces gives the whole an interesting touch.
Conclusion
Michel Vaillant: Nieuw Seizoen #5 Heropstanding shows a fluent story, where the illustrations take the lead more than once. The storyline is quite simple, yet there are enough things happening for it to still be fun. We’re excited to see what’s up next.
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