Written by: Raoul Cauvin
Illustrations: Willy Lambil
Coloring: Leonardo
Publisher: Dupuis
De Blauwbloezen #59 De Vier Evangelisten – Comic Book Review
After our review on the series ‘Turn’, which was set during the American Revolutionary War, we now jump about a hundred years in time to another American war, namely the American Civil War, where Sergeant Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch are sent on a special mission in their fight against the South. In this fifty-ninth album they have to get behind enemy lines, to try and eliminate their artillery.
For a while now, the North have been attacked by the Confederates (the South) with heavy artillery, killing almost half of their troops. Something needs to be done, before there is no hope left, so the officers debate what will be the best strategy. They know that the South occupy the flank of the hill, making it easy for them to target the North with their canons. Their leader is a vicar, William N. Pendleton, who has named his four canons Luke, John, Marc and Matthew, after the four evangelists. The only option left for the North to win, is to eliminate these canons by sending some undercover soldiers there. Sergeant Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch are the chosen ones to go up the hill, Chesterfield dressed up as a vicar, hoping that this way Pendleton is more likely to let them into their camp, while Blutch plays a village idiot that Chesterfield took pity on. They manage to get behind enemy lines, and even into the camp of the South, but then the real difficulty begins: they have to find a way to eliminate the artillery without being caught.
De Blauwbloezen, and in particular Sergeant Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch, have always been adventurous, whether succeeding in their missions or not, and they don’t make an exception in this album. The story moves at a steady pace, not too fast, and not too slow. It isn’t difficult to guess from the beginning who will be the ‘lucky ones’ to complete this dangerous mission, but the way they do it is rather original. The story itself is quite straightforward, but by adding funny quarrels between Chesterfield and Blutch, as well as some misunderstandings, Raoul Cauvin makes the album interesting and fun to read.
One thing worth mentioning is that William N. Pendleton really fought during the Civil War as a captain for the Confederates, and also the names of his canons are historically correct. Although this doesn’t add much to the story itself, it is a nice touch that shows that this comic book is more than mere adventure.
Willy Lambil’s illustrations look simple, yet funny and very pleasing for the eye. He uses very obvious black lines for the characters, while the backgrounds are drawn using shorter strokes, making them look less detailed and strong. Nonetheless this drawing style suits the story very well. The coloring was done by Leonardo, who uses bold colors, without shadow added for some depth, which again suits the story rather well.
Conclusion
De Blauwbloezen #59 De Vier Evangelisten tells an interesting story of the North trying to conquer the South in the American Civil War. Sergeant Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch are the heroes once again and treat you to a fun adventure that isn’t without danger. This is a nice album to read if you are looking for something not too complicated, yet fun and adventurous, situated in an interesting historical setting.
De Blauwbloezen #59 De Vier Evangelisten - Comic Book Review,
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