Written by: Servais
Illustrations: Servais
Coloring: Raives
Publisher: Dupuis
Op Weg Naar Compostella #3 Notre-Dame – Comic Book Review
Op Weg Naar Compostella shows the journey of four individuals on their way to Compostella. In the previous issue, the storylines of Dominique and Céline slowly started to come together, and the further down the road, the more they intertwine. Also Alexandre and Blanch will meet along the way, thus adding a new layer to the story. It seems like in this third issue, everything finally starts to fall into place.
Blanche has reached Reims by now, and she visits the cathedral, where a guide tells her all about the building and the history surrounding it. Now that she is in the champagne region, she takes the opportunity of visiting old friends, who own a vineyard. After the joyful reunion, she heads towards Paris, where she hopes to find out more about alchemy, which is something her grandfather introduced her to just before his death.
Meanwhile, Céline and Dominique continue their journey together. Céline, the novice who will take vows after she comes back from Compostella, and Dominique, who is accused of murdering young women, seem like an unlikely pair to be traveling together, but since Céline doesn’t have a clue of who Dominique really is, she feels quite safe with him around, even though he often acts strangely. The nuns at Mont-Saint-Michel aren’t at ease though, and call in the help of the police.
Lastly, there is Alexandre, who only used to climb in the Alps, but is now also into urban climbing. Him and the others of the group have a new objective: climb the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. It’s a risky operation, but Alexandre feels like he needs to do it for his girlfriend and daughter, who both died tragically. By doing this, he wants to honor their memory and move on with his life.
Where the previous issue was still focusing more on the individual characters, this one is slowly putting them together. Céline and Dominique fill most of the pages, which doesn’t bother at all, as the danger that hangs around Dominique is clearly noticeable and makes sure you never know what will happen next. Alexandre and Blanch both still have their separate storylines, but they too will come together soon, thus where the former issues had four storylines, and this one has three, it would only be logical for the fourth issue to have two storylines. Again, the pace isn’t especially fast, yet the comic book leaves room for a bit of culture and history, as well as beautiful landscapes, which makes well up for it.
The illustrations have a realistic touch to them, and are often detailed when it comes to the historical buildings that are portrayed, yet in other panels they might look a bit more vague, as it the flow of the story is also portrayed in the illustrations. Further, the illustrations look quite vibrant, in the sunny backdrops they all have.
At the end of this issue, there is some more information about the Notre-Dame, and especially about the alchemical interpretation of the sculptures of the cathedral. It’s quite a lot of text to plow through, but if Blanche’s quest has gotten you curious about alchemy and the link with the famous cathedral, than this will certainly quench your thirst.
Conclusion
Op Weg Naar Compostella #3 Notre-Dame seems to be the issue in which everything slowly starts to come together. The different storylines all start to make sense, while we get to know the characters better. It’s clear that the story isn’t about getting to Compostella, but about the (mental) journey each of the characters has to make, all while some history and culture are added into the mix. Definitely a good sequel to the previous one.
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