Written by: Hec Leemans
Illustrations: Swerts & Vanas
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
Vertongen & Co #14 Mark van de Jungle – Comic Book Review
Seeing F.C. De Kampioenen is a hugely popular TV program in Belgium, which even had a second film release last fall, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there is a comic book series about the football team and their entourage as well. And as if one comic book series isn’t enough already, Marc Vertongen, the clumsy keeper of the football team, got his own spinoff called Vertongen en co. We were quite skeptical about this, as it is a spinoff of a comic book based on a TV program and truth be told, we weren’t that wrong in being so.
Bieke is at a congress for work, and thus Mark and their daughter Paulien are home alone. As Bieke will be home in a few days, Mark is worried about her plant, as it is limp and starts to get brown. He tries all kinds of things to make it better, but nothing seems to help. Right at that time, professor Flessentrekker is on TV, a professor in botany whom Mark has met before. Thus Mark decides to head over to the professor with the plant. As luck would have it, professor Flessentrekker is working on an experiment to make plant grow big instantly. He dilutes a potion with lots of water and gives it to the plant, which immediately starts to grow. It seems like Mark’s problem is solved, but the professor wants to keep the plant at his laboratory overnight to see how things evolve. Mark agrees and heads back home, just as the professor, who has quite the cold, accidentally drops the undiluted potion into the flowerpot when taking out his handkerchief.
It is only the next morning that the consequences of this stupid accident are fully noticeable, when the whole town seems to have turned into a jungle overnight. Seeing the professor’s cold has only worsened, he keeps to his bed and doesn’t realize what is going on outside. Mark and Paulien try to reach him through the wilderness, hoping that he has an antidote, but that’s easier said than done given there is a group of savages who like things fine the way they are now and want humanity to go back to basics.
The story is pretty straightforward and doesn’t show many surprises. While it gets better along the way, the beginning is just too absurd, as it revolves around an ordinary plant. Given the series is probably more aimed at children, it will amuse them well enough, but it’s a bit sad to see that Hec Leemans, who did such a nice job on the series Bakelandt, adds so little to this story.
The illustrations are the work of Wim Swerts and Vanas, and show the characters in a very recognizable way. Other than that, they look a bit simple, using quite bold black lines and not showing too much facial expression. The coloring continues in that same style, with bright, solid colors that don’t have much depth to them. Nonetheless the whole looks appealing enough.
Conclusion
Vertongen & Co #14 Mark van de Jungle is a story that is straightforward and a tad silly, but even so, fans of the original F.C. De Kampioenen series might like it, as one of the most popular characters takes the lead here. Nonetheless, children will probably be able to enjoy this album more than grownups, as there is simply not a lot to it, other than bright coloring and the occasional funny note.
Vertongen & Co #14 Mark van de Jungle - Comic Book Review,
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