Written by: Matz
Illustrations: Christian Rossi
Coloring: Bérengère Marquebreucq
Publisher: Dargaud
XIII Mystery Felicity Brown – Comic Book Review
After having solved the mystery behind Martha Shoebridge’s character in the previous issue of XIII Mystery, it’s time to dig a little deeper into another side character’s life from the original comic book series XIII, Felicity Brown. It’s very clear from the start that she is no ordinary woman: she is rich and she’s got the looks, but it seems her looks are not the only mysterious thing about her.
Before we start, it is good to know that this album forms a link between two albums from the original XIII series, namely ‘Waar de Indiaan Gaat’ and ‘Voor Maria’. In the former, she manages to have XIII, a.k.a. Steve Rowland put away for the murder on her husband. In the latter she emerges again as Felicidad Moreno by the side of President Ortiz of Costa Verde.
When Felicity comes home after an afternoon of shopping, there are two FBI agents waiting for her in the salon. They want to talk to her about Steve Rowland, because he has escaped from prison. Felicity realizes that things aren’t looking good, and flees, leaving the unsuspecting agents alone, thinking that she just needed to freshen up a bit. The plan is to go to Los Angeles, to then get out of the country as soon as possible. There are many obstacles on the way though, and Felicity leaves a bloody trail behind.
The story sets off straight away. Without receiving a ton of information, Felicity just takes off. From there on out, Matz alternately shows us Felicity’s flight and the FBI’s search for her. Although certain things are explained throughout the album, lots of things also remain unsaid, making it difficult to fully understand what’s going on and why she runs when you haven’t read the original series. The story can stand on its own, but lacks vital information from the former issues to keep things interesting.
Linking two albums of the original comic book series to each other is quite an original idea. Nonetheless, this compromises the story value a bit, as the focus is mainly on Felicity’s travel, rather than her past.
The illustrations Christian Rossi made for this issue look fine, but they aren’t very detailed. Some more detail would have fitted the story well. That being said, the illustrations don’t disturb the story either and do just fine, but it feels like a missed opportunity to add some excitement.
Conclusion
XIII Mystery Felicity Brown is another entertaining story in this XIII spin off series. Even though the story does fine on its own, it’s a bit regrettable that it doesn’t provide more background information. It certainly would not be a bad idea to read ‘Waar de Indiaan Gaat’ from the original XIII series first. Illustrations look fine, but will not blow you away. Their lack of detail takes away part of the excitement. If you’re a fan of the original series, this issue is a nice addition to your collection and will give you some more insight into Felicity’s character. If you’re new to the series, the album seems to lack some information to keep things truly interesting.
XIII Mystery Felicity Brown - Comic Book Review,
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