Written by: Desberg
Illustrations: Vrancken
Coloring: Mikl
Publisher: Le Lombard
I.R.$. #16 Oorlog in Optie – Comic Book Review
Whoever said that people who work with the I.R.S. are dull, are wrong. Larry Max is a special agent of the tax authorities in the United States, and has everything but a boring desk job. He handles big fraud cases, where there is lots of money to be recuperated for his employer, the government. To achieve his goals he has unlimited resources to get information, but it also means that his investigations are not without danger, as the offenders have a lot to lose. In this issue, his investigation focuses on weapon smugglers in Africa.
Senator Zabriskie has high ambitions, as he might one day even run for president, just like one of his political counterparts General McKenna. Right now, as a senator, he is chairman of a subdivision of the ministry of defense, responsible for budgetary control. He is known for often targeting the weapon industry, as lots of weapons get ‘lost’, to later turn up in armed fights all over the world. In his fight against the corrupt weapon smugglers, he calls in the help of Larry Max. Larry has to investigate their case, and most importantly their cash flow, to hopefully gather enough evidence to get them brought to justice. When a man tries to shoot the senator while he is talking to the press, things get serious real soon.
Meanwhile, Larry Max is in Africa trying to find out more about the smugglers and their network, as this is really paradise when it comes to illegal weapons. While he is conducting his investigation, we also see another man, Roman Kout, who is a smuggler providing weapons to both sides in the conflict in Congo. We also see General McKenna, who is trying to explain in senate why, when he transferred power in Iraq to the Iraqi security services, more than half of all American weapons there disappeared. It’s clear that all of these events are connected. The only question is: how?
The story flows at a fairly quick pace, losing no time for introducing characters. Nonetheless, Desberg did a great job combining both introduction and action, as the story starts off with journalists interviewing the senator. It doesn’t take long before he is shot, but in the meantime, thanks to the journalists’ questions, it gets quite clear already what the senator stands for and what the story will be about. As for the rest of the story, you only see snippets, which you will have to put together yourself.
The subject is -unfortunately- very up to date. Lots of events, such as the genocide in Rwanda or the war in Iraq, as well as people mentioned, such as president Obama, add to the realistic feel of the story.
Vrancken’s illustrations suit the story rather well, as they look very sophisticated. All of the characters have specific features, which makes some of them look as if they have something to hide, adding to the excitement of the story. Mikle often uses harsh colors, which again adds to the mystery.
Conclusion
I.R.$. Oorlog in Optie tells a political, corrupt story about illegal weapons and smuggling. Desberg offers a lot of information, yet scattered throughout the album, leaving you to connect the dots yourself. This is definitely a comic book worth reading if you are into stories about political intrigues, with an obvious link to reality.
I.R.$. #16 Oorlog in Optie - Comic Book Review,
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