Written by: Servais
Illustrations: Servais
Coloring: Raives
Publisher: Dupuis
Op Weg naar Compostella #2 De Ankou, de Duivel en de Novice – Comic Book Review
Blanche, Céline, Dominique and Alexandre all decide to go on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, all coming from different directions and different backgrounds. While it might seem like a religious thing to do, in this day and age, they all have their own reasons for doing so, most of all: finding themselves and moving on in life. Céline started her journey in Mont Saint-Michel, where she stayed with her aunt for a while, trying to recover after witnessing a terrible event. Dominique came from a place not far from there, while Blanche and Alexandre’s journeys began in Brussels and Switzerland respectively.
Dominique travels with a group, but is a bit the odd one out, as he never really speaks much, and he never wants to be photographed. This makes him look rather suspicious, certainly when one morning he just left the group, but not without taking their money at night.
Céline finds that all this walking does her good, and she goes sightseeing quite a lot, as there are many beautiful places to be seen along her route. One night at a local party, she meets Angelo, a very talkative young man who convinces her to visit Brocéliande, another beautiful place worth taking a little detour for, together with him. Meanwhile word is out that there is a killer on the loose, who already killed two girls who were camping out on their own. Céline’d better watch out.
At the same time Blanche is following her grandfather’s footsteps, as he once made the pilgrimage too, although he died along the way. He was an alchemist, and now Blanche wants to finish his work. On her way she meets many people who met her grandfather while he was traveling to Compostella, and still show great respect for him.
Also Alexandre is on his way, almost reaching the French border. He began this journey, hoping to find a way to get on with his life after the deaths of his daughter and his girlfriend.
Although Servais tells the stories of four different people, the story moves at a calm pace. The characters don’t get on that far on their journey, even though the comic book is over seventy pages long, yet a lot of attention goes to the landscapes and attractions, as well as encounters with several people.
The comic book feels a bit like a travel journal, as you get a lot of information about the places they visit, either by a narrative or a character explaining in the issue, and this information is beautifully documented by the detailed illustrations. Claire, for example, follows in Rimbaud’s footsteps for some time, while Dominique is being guided around Guimiliau, a small port town with beautiful buildings. Nonetheless, there is also quite some fantasy, as old tales and stories known to the different areas our lead characters travel through, come to life. Thus we see Ankou, servant of Death in Breton legends, and Merlin from the stories of King Arthur, as well as fairies and trolls. This mixture of different styles keeps the story very fresh and original, providing tons of information without it getting tedious.
The illustrations are spot on, matching the story very well. They are very detailed and sometimes even look quite real. The coloring isn’t too vibrant, yet does make everything look very lively.
Conclusion
Op Weg naar Compostella #2 De Ankou, de Duivel en de Novice is something completely different from the comic books we have been reviewing thus far. It is midway between adventure, fantasy and a travel journey, which proves to be a successful combination. The illustrations fit the story very well, and if you are hungry for even more information, there is an extra text included at the back about all the stories mentioned in the comic book.
Op Weg naar Compostella #2 De Ankou, de Duivel en de Novice - Comic Book Review,
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