Written by: See respective series
Illustrations: See respective series
Coloring: See respective series
Publisher: Dupuis
De Durvers – Comic Book Review
Dupuis is the home of many grand comic book series and sometimes it’s hard to pick the right one for you. Not only is it hard to choose between many series, it’s often impractical if the first number is out of stock, preventing you from trying out one that suits your fancy, without having to order it. This time we had the chance to browse through ‘De Durvers’ a bundle of three exciting first albums of different series, although one felt a bit out of place.
Note: We have already discussed a few later issues of two of the series mentioned in this review, namely Mooie Navels and De Campbells, which can be viewed by clicking their respective names here. Whilst it is not advised to immediately skip to these later reviews, we will keep the descriptions of the series rather short in this one.
The bundle starts off with perhaps the most exciting tale of the bunch, namely the first issue of Alleen. Alleen is a tale about a few young children who have totally different personalities, yet are connected by faith. Well, faith might not be the correct term, rather circumstances. When all of a sudden all adults and almost all other children vanish into thin air, the young party gets formed as they come across one another while drifting around the city, hoping to find someone else. When they do, they decide to stick together and find out what’s causing this, but foremost they will have to survive in this world where all they have is each other. Nonetheless, when suddenly a raging tiger and a couple of rhinoceroses appear, it seems they aren’t that alone after all.
Even though Alleen uses a rather well-behaved style, it does have a few more explicit scenes and even in combination with the very serious topic, these things go together excellently. The story and illustrations are perfectly in harmony.
Mooie Navels’ first issue is the oddball of the trio of tales, but offers a small break from the somewhat heavy topic that’s being handled in Alleen. Mooie Navels is a collection of short gags, with one thread that runs through the entire issue, about three girls who hang out all the time. Vicky and Jenny are the typical mean high school girls that don’t care about anyone’s feelings, whilst they keep Karin around, as the ugly duckling of the group. Nonetheless, even when Karin gets approached by Dan, a boy Vicky and Jenny don’t care much about, they still prevent Karin from dating him, and even go further. Nonetheless, even though Karin puts up with pretty much anything, it seems some things are simply not done.
The appearance of Mooie Navels is rather fitting for a comic book that revolves around gags and the rudeness of the girls. Whilst the writing is rather predictable most of the time, this first album has a lot of character evolution. Other than that, even though you will not burst in tears from laughing, there are a few witty scenes to be found.
Last but not least, we dive into the open seas with De Campbells, where we get to meet Campbell, a retired pirate, who is trying to manage as best as he can in raising his two daughters, the timid Itaca and the small hyperactive Genova. Even though this family tries to leave their past behind, especially since Campbell doesn’t want to lose any more family members after he lost his wife, it seems their past still follows them, even now. When one of the most brutal pirates ever, Inferno, starts focusing on Campbell, it seems things will get quite rowdy again.
The comical appearances of the characters, as well as the amusing situations they often find themselves in, don’t interfere with the serious and adventurous undertone of the series. You’ll be presented with detailed illustrations and a captivating story to end this collection of exciting tales.
Conclusion
De Durvers is a fun collection of exciting tales, with an oddball in the middle. Whilst you’ll have the chance to get to know two exciting new series, you’ll also have the time to come to your senses with a more witty approach of Mooie Navels. Nonetheless, to a certain degree, the latter does not really fit into this collection and it might have been better if another suspenseful tale would have taken its place. Nonetheless, this bundle is still very much worth it, and Alleen and De Campbells will introduce you to two epic adventures. Try this one out, if you dare.
De Durvers - Comic Book Review,
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