Written by: Paul Geerts, Willy Vandersteen
Illustrations: Paul Geerts, Willy Vandersteen, Marc Verhaegen
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
Suske en Wiske Halloweenspecial – Comic Book Review
Publishers are always looking for ways to republish their books, and any holiday is of course a perfect opportunity to do so. Add in a new touch and you’re good to go. For Halloween, Standaard Uitgeverij decided to bundle five Suske en Wiske albums and some games based on the albums together, in their Suske en Wiske Halloweenspecial which we are about to review.
In ‘De Zwarte Madam’, crazy things are happening in aunt Sidonia’s house. Water is running through the telephone, ink comes out of the water tab, there is electricity on the water pipes etc. Lambik can’t take it anymore and heads out. Outside, he sees streets filled with gold, but what he doesn’t notice is that, while he is picking up as much gold as he can, a black cat is watching him closely. The cat even follows him home, rings the bell and tells him to come to De Zwarte Madam at night. Lambik is scared to death seeing a talking cat and thus, although reluctantly, he decides to do what he is told.
Suske and Wiske want to summon ghosts in this second issue ‘De Hellegathonden’, as they are curious to see if it actually works. Their friends agree to play along, even though Lambik is very skeptical about it. Nonetheless, it appears that our friends did well, as the ghost of professor Barabas’ great grandfather is suddenly among them. Lambik keeps laughing at what is happening, and before he knows it, his chair is lifted in the air and he flies through the sky, only to land at a farm near brickyards, in the early 1900s.
‘De Krachtige Krans’ tells the story of our friends going on holiday in Sussex. Lambik is coming a bit later as he still has some chores to do, but he quickly comes to join the rest. While on his way to the cottage they are renting, he has a flat tire. He stops at a villa to ask for help, but once he passes the gate, a pink cloud takes him back to the 1830s. When he enters the house, a curse is set upon him by the owners, an old couple, who force him to go and collect the eternal light, the only ingredient they lack to make the portrait of Lord Skin-Flint come to life.
The fourth issue ‘De Mysterieuse Mijn’ takes Suske, Wiske and Lambik on a trip to the East of Belgium. While on their way they have an accident because of the heavy rain, but luckily there is a cottage nearby where they can spend the night. It’s a bit creepy there though, as the well near the cottage is making strange noises. Lambik decides to keep guard, and at night, zombielike ghosts are crawling out of the well, followed by one pretty lady, Leyn Wecks. Lambik is charmed by her looks and doesn’t pay attention to the children any more, but when he returns to the cottage in the morning, he is scared to death, as he finds it burnt down to the ground.
‘Volle Maan’ is the last issue in this Halloween special. Suske and Wiske are bored, but upon their aunt’s recommendation, they decide to go backpacking. They take the train to a random destination and jump off whenever they feel like it. Thus they arrive in a small village at dusk. They quickly want to find some food and a place to sleep, but everyone closes the door on them, fear in their eyes. At last, they find shelter with Anjo and her daughter Marieke, but while they are very friendly people, they don’t shed a word on why everybody is so afraid. There is definitely something going on, and our friends won’t rest until they know what it is.
Ghosts and monsters are the common thread in this bundle. While the stories are never truly frightening, they are quite fascinating and exciting. Only the last one, Volle Maan, lacked a bit of story content and was a bit predictable at times, but the rest was definitely fun to read with Halloween just around the corner. Lambik often takes the lead which results in all kinds of awkward situations, forming he ideal base for new adventures. Suske and Wiske, aunt Sidonia and Jerom have to come to the rescue more than once, and this format seems to work pretty well.
De Zwarte Madam is the oldest album of the bunch, which is clearly noticeable in the illustrations. Unlike the other ones, where Suske and Wiske have their well-known drawing style, this album is drawn by Willy Vandersteen himself, resulting in a completely different, yet still recognizable set of illustrations.
Next to the comic books themselves, this special also provides some short games, recipes and DIY ideas, related to the comics. It’s a fun extra for those who have some time to kill during the upcoming holidays and provides a nice mix of things to do.
Conclusion
Suske en Wiske Halloweenspecial bundles a nice selection of ghostly comics, perfect to get in the mood for Halloween. Next to that, you can also enjoy games, recipes and DIY ideas that are added. The two combined make for a nice alteration between reading and thinking and will probably give many a child a fun pastime.
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