Written by: Frédéric Bagarry, Corbeyran
Illustrations: Éric Chabert
Coloring: Stambecco
Publisher: Glénat
Shadow Banking #2 Het Radarwerk – Comic Book Review
We have all seen them before, the tall, glass skyscrapers that define the skyline of many big cities. They house offices of banks and other financial institutions, but other than that, what do we really know about what goes on in there? It seems that not all of them are as honest and open as they pretend to be. And they will do anything to keep their secrets inside.
In the previous album of Shadow Banking, Mathieu Dorval, who only just started working at the ECB (European Central Bank), is being set up in a scam by some of the big sharks in the financial world. His friend Victor came too close to the truth and has already been murdered. Mathieu was attacked too, but he got away and now finds shelter with his friend Skull, a computer hacker. That is where this second album picks up the story. Mathieu recovered a USB-stick from Victor, on which he believes he stored some valuable data. Skull tries to recover this data, but even for him, the codes are just too complex to crack. That’s why he advises Mathieu to contact Maureen Lazslo in Barcelona, who used to work for the BRS Bank in Switzerland, but had to flee the country after she found out that the bank helped rich costumers with tax evasion, but was set up herself. She is also a brilliant computer scientist, which makes her the perfect person to help Mathieu. Also, Mathieu realizes it is too dangerous to stay where he is, when he finds out that his fiancée Aurélie is the one who tips off the men who are trying to kill him. This leaves him no choice but to follow Skull’s advice, in the hope that Maureen will be able to help him prove his innocence.
This issue starts off with some kind of introduction that shows us how Mathieu gets ambushed and is about to be beaten up. No words are used in this intro, it’s only the illustrations that already show us a glimpse of what we can expect. Nonetheless, this already makes you wonder from the start. After that, the story truly begins, set a few days back in time. The story doesn’t move particularly fast, which allows you to try and fully understand the extent of the scam, as well as what exactly is going on. That proves to be rather difficult at times, certainly if you’re not familiar with all of the specific terms. Luckily, these terms are explained each time at the bottom of the page, making it somewhat easier. Frédéric Bagarry and Corbeyran also made sure that, even without having read the previous issue, you can still dive in right away, as they inserted some little recaps.
Éric Chabert uses quite a realistic drawing style, including the detailed backdrops. Stambecco did the coloring for this issue, and he did it in an outstanding way. The overall use of colors is very rich, never using harsh colors, but a blend of different color tones.
Conclusion
Shadow Banking #2 Het Radarwerk tries to immerse you in the complex world of banking and economy and to a certain extent, it manages to do so, but because the terms that are used are difficult to explain in just a few words, it is not always fully clear how things work. Luckily the story provides some action too, and you don’t need to understand everything completely to be able to enjoy the story. Still, in the end it might just be the coloring that impressed us the most.
Shadow Banking #2 Het Radarwerk - Comic Book Review,
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