Written by: Jean-Claude Bartoll
Illustrations: Bernhard Kölle
Coloring: Vladimir Davidenko
Publisher: Glénat
Antarctica #2 Overwintering – Comic Book Review
Antarctica has probably always tickled people’s imagination. It’s a continent we don’t know much about, which only got properly discovered at the beginning of the twentieth century. In June 1910 two expeditions set off to conquer this terra incognita: an English one and a Norwegian one. Both are hoping for victory and a place in the history books. Based on true events, and quite true to reality, this series of three written by Jean-Claude Bartoll could well be worth reading.
Antarctica #2 Overwintering is the second album in a trilogy. In #1 Bedrog we could read how captain Scott and his English expedition, as well as the Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen left for the South Pole, each trying to be there first. Now, in the second issue, they finally arrive. The English, on board of the Terra Nova, set foot in Cape Evans and start building their camp. They plan to bunker down, but before winter really strikes, they want to undertake several expeditions to the south, to lay out food depots. This way they will be able to survive while trying to conquer the South Pole once winter is over. While unloading the ship, they find out that there is a stowaway on board, a woman called Maureen. She is the girlfriend of the Norwegian Knut Larsson. Maureen and Knut met in Paris, but he had to flee after being wrongfully accused of murder. He boarded the Fram and joined the Norwegian expedition to Antarctica. Now Maureen wants to find her lover again on the South Pole.
Meanwhile the Norwegian expedition has also arrived, some three-hundred kilometers away from the English camp, in the Bay of Whales, without the English knowing. They also build a camp for winter and, just like the English, will try to be the first to conquer the continent.
The main event in this second part of the Antarctica trilogy is the arrival of both expeditions on the South Pole. Other than that, there isn’t that much to report. Nonetheless the story is kept interesting with action scenes, for example when Knut’s dogs break loose. Also the love story between Knut and Maureen is an interesting side note.
It feels like this album is an obvious link between the first and the last one. There are a few things that happened in the past, which are explained a bit more in this issue, and also the plans for the future are laid out. In the third album the two parties will definitely start to try and conquer Antarctica but as for now, they will all just have to wait until winter is over.
Illustrations by Bernard Kölle are very detailed and often focus on facial expressions. Characters are drawn in a lively way, which adds a great deal to the realistic context. The frames are arranged differently on every page. They have many different shapes and overlap now and then. Sometimes there are blank spaces between the frames, and sometimes the frames are arranged on illustrations that take up the whole page. This, together with the overall drawing style and the hardcover finish of the album, make this issue a real treat for the eye.
Conclusion
Antarctica #2 Overwintering is an issue where there are not too many events going on, nonetheless providing information that will be very important in the next issue. Illustrations are very detailed and lively. There is definitely a lot more to come, as a clash between both expeditions can’t be far off now that they have both arrived on the South Pole. We’re absolutely looking forward to the third and last issue of this already very interesting trilogy.
Antarctica #2 Overwintering - Comic Book Review,
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