Written by: Pierre Dubois
Illustrations: Dimitri Armand
Coloring: Dimitri Armand, Sébastien Gérard
Publisher: Le Lombard
Getekend: Sykes – Comic Book Review
It hasn’t been that long since another Western themed comic book appeared on the site, but today we trade in the detective work of Stern, for the coldblooded marshal Sykes, who might come across as a vicious man, while he is all for justice. Murderers roam the land and it seems the local authorities can’t get rid of these vicious men by themselves. This time it won’t be the good, the bad and the ugly, but just Sykes who runs this show.
Marshal Sykes is heading towards an (unnamed) town, as he is required to dispose of a band of thugs that are hiding somewhere in the vicinity, but he will require more information to lure them out. When passing at a local farm, he warns a family of two, a young boy, Jim, and his mother, before continuing his journey. When waiting in town for his partner, O’Malley, who has a dubious reputation, Sykes’ reputation also grabs the attention of a young man, who would rather get rid of Sykes. Right when a duel was bound to happen O’Malley appears on stage disposing of the young annoyance, albeit in a rather bloody fashion. Just when the party of two is about to embark on their mission to liquidate the Clayton gang, the young Jim appears out of the blue, in shock and total distress, as the gang appeared at their farm raping and murdering his mother, while he was able to wound one of the bandits, allowing him to escape.
Sykes and O’Malley don’t want to lose any time and follow the trail while it’s still hot, but Sykes decides he could use a bit of extra help and thus he visits an old friend, Grijze Vos (Grey Fox), who is an expert tracker. When convincing the native American tracker to join their crusade, the party heads on their way once again but the first night something rather unforeseen happens, as once again, out of the blue, Jim appears, wanting to join them. It seems that this gnarly manhunt will not go as smoothly as planned.
The flow of this album is rather steady, as information and action tend to alternate quite evenly. Nonetheless, the pace suits this album, as it’s not only about catching the Clayton gang, but more about not being able to let go of the past, as well as the personal crusade of Sykes, who will do whatever it takes to uphold his title as marshal. At times things might feel a bit cliché, but in reality they aren’t. This shows that Pierre Dubois is able to write a very elaborate plot, wrapped in a very commonly used package.
Dimitri Armand puts down a lot of hefty, detailed, amazing illustrations that are not only realistic, but just draw you in immediately. Not only the overall skill he used is impressive, but also the layout of everything is very enjoyable. The panels are never arranged in the same fashion, making sure there is a lot of variety in the album. The coloring by Armand and also Sébastien Gérard is done with a very elaborate pallet, and they do a great job emphasizing certain scenes, not only by the usage of the colors in the panel, but also of the borders.
Conclusion
Getekend: Sykes is a great addition to the Western genre in which clichés meet with an interesting and original storyline. While the story itself is already rather impressive, the illustrations make this album outstanding. Don’t unholster that weapon, Sykes will put you six feet under if you do.
Getekend: Sykes - Comic Book Review,
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