Written by: Merho
Illustrations: Jos Vanspauwen, Thomas Du Caju, Merho
Coloring: Ine Merhottein
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
De Kiekeboes #145 Wie A Zegt – Comic Book Review
The Kiekeboes are ready for a new adventure and while often they have to travel far away to solve a crime, this time the story is set in Antwerp. There too, there are criminals that have to be stopped, but Merho doesn’t forget to share the beautiful places of the city, thus making it a very promising title.
Charlotte is following a course to become a city guide in Antwerp and tomorrow is the day of her exam, thus she and Marcel make a tour around the city, so she can practice her lines one more time. When they are at the underpass that leads to the other side of the Schelde river, a man hastily runs past them. They don’t pay too much attention to it, until two other men run past them as well, and they hear a cry for help. Charlotte immediately runs back, but all seems nice and quiet once again, thus they just return home. The following morning, while the Kiekeboes are all getting ready to leave the house, Charlotte watches a missing person’s report on TV, that shows the picture of Otto Maticq, the man they saw running away the night before. He seems to be a successful businessman in Antwerp, but he only recently got sentenced for fraud. Since she has to be in the city anyway for her city guide exam, Charlotte decides to go to the police station first and tell the officers what she saw.
That same day, another man goes missing, namely Walt Sidney, a renowned architect. When Marcel’s boss Firmin Van de Kasseien suddenly asks him to take him to a company named Sheddar Entertainment after he hears about these disappearances, Marcel decides to start an investigation of his own and finds out that all of this has something to do with his boss’ past. Things get even weirder when his boss suddenly seems to like men more than the sexy women who work for him. Also Charlotte takes matters into her own hands when she sees one of the men who were chasing Otto Maticq, and tries to follow him discretely.
It’s fair to say that there is quite a lot of action going on in this story. Scenes from the past are alternated with this period. Even though the story is set in the present, the real intrigue started years ago, thus each time a part of the plot is being unveiled in the present, you see the actual cause by jumping back in time. This constant alternation keeps the story fresh and interesting.
The whole story, present and past, is set in Antwerp, which is depicted in quite a recognizable way. Many tourist attractions are shown, with special attention to the cathedral. Even though lots of places around the city are shown, it never feels like it is superfluous, because it fits perfectly into the storyline of Charlottes city guide exam.
The story itself is a typical Kiekeboe story, with bad guys, clever guys, and the Kiekeboes to save them all from the mess they got themselves into. Also the original and funny names we are used to from Merho, are not left out in this new album.
Illustration wise, not much has changed either. The Kiekeboes look their normal selves, and the backdrops are very detailed when necessary, but can also be very plain and simple when there’s no need for more.
Conclusion
De Kiekeboes #145 Wie A Zegt shows quite some action, both in the past and the present, while also being quite informative about the city of Antwerp itself, though this is beautifully implemented into Charlotte’s initial storyline. This makes it informative, without taking away the excitement from the main story. This main story is definitely one that suits the Kiekeboe family well, thus it won’t disappoint fans. All in all, this album will, thanks to the mix that is presented to you, please both fans of the Kiekeboes, as well as fans of Antwerp.
De Kiekeboes #145 Wie A Zegt - Comic Book Review,
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