Written by: Various
Illustrations: Various
Coloring: Various
Publisher: Dupuis
De Blauwbloezen: Een Hommage Door – Comic Book Review
The comic book series De Blauwbloezen has been around since the early seventies, with witty storylines set against the historically correct background of the American civil war. Corporal Blutch and Sergeant Chesterfield, Blue Coats in the 22nd cavalry regiment, take you along on dangerous yet funny adventures throughout the series. To celebrate the sixtieth issue of the series, other illustrators and scenarists decided to pay a tribute, which resulted in De Blauwbloezen: Een Hommage Door.
As stated in the introduction, many different comic book artists pay a tribute to the characters of Salvérius, Lambil and Cauvin in this issue. That means that you’ll be treated to several short stories of about six pages long, rather than one big one. The stories are all very resembling of something Raoul Cauvin could have made up himself, and show that the scenarists did their research, as recurring aspects such as Chesterfield’s love for Mathilde or Blutch’s desire to quit the army are often put to the foreground here. Nonetheless, each writer did his own thing, which results in a mix of comical, adventurous and even moving stories.
The illustrations are what make this issue truly interesting, as each story has a different illustrator, and thus a different drawing style. The characters are all still recognizable, yet the illustrators have given them a twist of their own. While some opted for a more mature looking comic, such as Denis Bodart or Aimée de Jongh, others chose for a more adventurous look, like Munuera and Olivier Schwartz, while Olivier Dutto and Denis Goulet opted for a more cartoon-esk style. Each of these different styles is accompanied by a color palette that suits it perfectly.
Conclusion
De Blauwbloezen: Een Hommage Door is a beautiful tribute to the creators of the well-loved series De Blauwbloezen. Each in their own way, the different scenarists and illustrators manage to present a story that is very resembling of the series, yet still their own. The many different takes on the series make this issue interesting and a definite winner for those who have been a fan of Blutch and Chesterfield all along.
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