Written by: Marc Legendre
Illustrations: Claus
Coloring: Studio Leonardo
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
De Rode Ridder #245 De Kinderrovers – Comic Book Review
Johan, the famous knight in red, was in Japan in the previous issue but luckily he has found his way back home, in order to roam the land and vanquish evil wherever he goes. Sadly, Johan attracts evildoers wherever he goes and thus he will have no time to let his guard down. It must be tough being a member of the round table.
As usual Johan finds himself wandering through the lands pondering about life. After losing track of time, he needs to find a place to stay at night and when searching for such a roof over his head, he crosses paths with two gypsies. They were quite unkind at first, but Johan’s politeness made them more at ease. After a short chat, the gypsies pointed Johan towards a nearby keep, where he surely would be welcome. A grudge was noticeable after they stated ‘their kind’ was not welcome inside of the walls of the small keep.
As the weary travelling knight enters the keep, he is welcomed graciously by Ludovicus, the master. It’s seems there’s a lot to celebrate about, as Ludovicus is celebrating the birth of his newborn son. Johan is promptly invited in to see the child himself. Oddly enough, upon entry Ludovicus’s wife immediately runs out of sight the newborn child when Johan walks in. Soon after during dinner, Ludovicus asks his wife to show Johan their child but all that can be shown is an empty cradle. A dark figure can still be seen running in the distance and immediately accusations are thrown towards the gypsies that live close by. Some things don’t seem to add up and Johan is eager to find out who is responsible.
Like in every issue of ‘De Rode Ridder’, the flow of the story is a rapid one. Whilst this one has a slower buildup, events start to follow one after another after the introduction. That being said, some events get quite predictable and this hampers the overall plot of the issue. Nonetheless Marc Legendre makes sure the story stays entertaining, albeit somewhat cliché.
The illustrations by Claus prove to be consistent once again, with quite authentic coloring. It’s fun to see a series be so consistent when it comes to the illustrations and the overall neatness of the panels. Once again the panels have been tidily organized, to make sure a lot more can happen per page.
Old school one-liners and catchphrases are still present, which is another consistency the series is trying to uphold. Even with another writer, the difference is not that big when it comes to the overall writing style that is used.
Conclusion
Even though the plots becomes a bit predictable by the end of the volume, you’ll still be able to enjoy the bravery of Johan. Everything remains as qualitative just like the other issues and we are eager to see what trouble the valiant knight in red will find himself into next time.
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