Written by: Pierre Boisserie, Philippe Guillaume
Illustrations: Malo Kerfriden
Coloring: Delf
Publisher: Dargaud
De Bank Deel 3 Tweede Generatie: De Haussmannspeculatie – Comic Book Review
A story set in history, with characters that really existed, it could be the recipe for a dull history lesson told in pictures. Add the fact that the story is about the history of banking, and many will probably fall asleep on the spot. Don’t take out your pillow just yet though. De Bank Deel 3: De Haussmannspeculatie proves to be a lot more than just that. Let’s take a step back in time and find out about the intrigues within the Saint-Hubert family. You will be amazed.
In the Paris of 1857, Baron Haussmann plans enormous works to beautify the city. To finance this, he needs money, which creates a lot of speculation on property. Baron Christian de Saint-Hubert, already a rich man, tries to gain even more money in this project, together with his sons. His sister Charlotte, who used to live in Algeria has come back though, and has a cunning plan to earn money by investing in property herself. Charlotte is very ill, and soon she’ll have to leave matters to her son and daughter. Her daughter is very keen to enter the stock exchange, but as expected during this period of time women are not allowed. Thus her brother will have to make sure that they invest their money wisely. Sadly he is not cut out for the job and does what he is told reluctantly. He knows that, without the help of his mother and his sister, he wouldn’t be able to guard their investments. Meanwhile Victor, one of Christian de Saint-Hubert’s sons has his own way of dealing with contrarian people and getting what he wants.
The story holds a steady pace, with lots of intrigues going on. It already starts off rather grim, and that promises to be the further feel of the album. Everything revolves around money, and most characters don’t seem so recoil from getting their hands dirty. Murder and sex are only normal when and if you want to achieve your goal. It’s clear that, although the characters have really existed, history and fiction have been mixed seamlessly, making for an enthralling story.
If you are interested in the facts though, some extra information is provided in the back of the comic book, which is fairly elaborate. This definitely adds to the story, as well as to the overall feel of the comic book, as it is clear that Pierre Boisserie and Philippe Guillaume made their homework properly. At the same time, as the story doesn’t focus that much on the history but rather on the intrigues, it’s a plus for readers who nonetheless would like to know a bit more about the history of banking.
The illustrations focus a lot on the facial expressions of the characters, who usually look rather grim. This adds up perfectly to the overall darker story. Sometimes the characters may look a bit stiff though, which makes them appear less alive.
Conclusion
Although it might not seem like it at first sight, this album proves to be much more than just an account of history. It will keep amazing you, as there are many plot twists you would not expect. While teaching you a little bit about history, this comic book proves that history and fiction can be perfectly mixed together and form a very interesting whole.
No Comments