Written by: Merho
Illustrations: Jos Vanspauwen, Kristof Fagard, Merho
Coloring: Ine Merhottein
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
De Kiekeboes #143 De Truken van Defhoor
A comic book about a video game, that’s about all we lacked here at 3rd-stirke.com. But now even that has changed as we meet Marcel Kiekeboe and his boss, trapped in the virtual world of King Crap, a popular video game amongst the youth, chased by sharks, dragons, octopuses, dinosaurs and other monsters.
Marcel is involved in one of the shady practices of his boss, Firmin Van de Kasseien. Van de Kasseien is a married man, but finds his luck elsewhere. This time his Russian secretary, miss Katinka, is the target of his abundance of love. As his wife usually knows about his affairs, she manages all their bank accounts. Van de Kasseien want to use the money on the accounts for an international investment, but he knows that his wife won’t allow it. That’s why he comes up with a plan to kidnap her, together with Marcel, and ask for a ransom. Unfortunately for him though, she escapes. Firmin and Marcel speed to the bank as fast as they can, but there’s a murky fog, and they get involved in a pile-up on the highway. While unconscious, they get pulled out of their van and are brought to a private hospital owned by Daris Defhoor. Or so they are told. They have to go into a different room to relax, where they suddenly find themselves on a beach, the door they just came through nowhere to be found. But that is not what Van de Kasseien thinks about, as he sees a mermaid appear before him, and he immediately goes after her. It’s only then that the real trouble starts.
The story moves at quite a fast pace, mainly because there is a long preface before the core of the story is reached. The kidnapping of Van de Kasseien’s wife actually has nothing to do with the plot, apart from the fact that that is the reason they were caught up in the traffic accident. When they get stuck in the video game, there is a lot of action, as they have to run from various monsters, but that is actually all they do, making it a bit dull at the same time. Other than that, the idea is nice, but could maybe have been elaborated a bit further.
A funny extra is that Katinka, Van de Kasseien’s secretary has a Russian accent to her Dutch, which is displayed very well in the written text. It does make the flow of the story a bit slower, as you will sometimes have to decipher what she is trying to say, but it does add a nice touch.
Colors are usually quite blunt, except when the fog comes in. This fog is portrayed with colors that are less bright, grey lines instead of black ones, and a white haze.
Conclusion
The story of De Kiekeboes #143 De Truken van Defhoor has a fast pace and a lot of action going on. The only downside is that there is not that much story value, as there is quite a long introduction before the real adventure starts. That being said, the idea for the story is still fairly original and amusing, with a topic that is very 21st century. It is definitely a nice album to read when you just feel like sitting down and having a laugh.
De Kiekeboes #143 De Truken van Defhoor,
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