Written by: Peter Van Gucht
Illustrations: Luc Morjaeu
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
Suske en Wiske # 330 De Fabuleuze Freak – Comic Book Review
In this new album, it’s not Suske and Wiske, but Jerom who takes the lead. What starts off as an ordinary domestic quarrel, ends with Jerom feeling let down by his friends and taking a job in a circus. It’s the beginning of a story about friendship and deception, with lots of unusual supporting characters added to the mix.
Because Jerom and Lambik, who share a house together, can’t agree on who’s turn it is to do the dishes, they decide to hire a housekeeper, Cindy. It doesn’t take long before Lambik is head over heels in love with her. Before he is well aware of what is happening, Lambik is engaged to Cindy, and his cunning wife-to-be forces the gullible Lambik to throw Jerom out of the house. While Jerom decides to drink away his sorrows, he manages to thwart a robbery in the pub. His unusual strength gets noticed by a ne-eyed man who calls himself Freddy. He explains to Jerom that he is a member of the circus group The Freaks”. These so called Freaks are all people with unusual physical characteristics. By performing together as a circus group, they try to keep their heads above water. As Jerom’s strength would be a huge asset to their act, Freddy invites him to perform together with them. In return he offers food, a place to sleep and a share in the profit. Jerom gladly takes the offer, seeing it as a new opportunity.
In the beginning, the story seems to be straightforward and a tad predictable. The way Cindy takes over Lambik’s household, and even more, the speed at which she does it, as well as her whole appearance all suggest that she’s up to no good. Shortly after, the plot changes when Jerom gets kicked out of the house and finds himself a job. After that, there are a few unexpected plot twists to follow. The Freaks turn out to be more than just a circus group, and the cunning Cindy seems to be plotting even more schemes. All of these different items make the story quite interesting, but at the same time, it might seem a bit farfetched now and then.
The pace of the story is quite quick, with a lot of action going on. It’s also fun to see a different character take the lead, with Suske and Wiske more in the background, though still quite important for the story. Definitely near the end, Suske, Wiske and Lambik prove to be more meaningful to the story, but it is mainly Cindy who ends up being a very important character.
The names of the characters, mainly the members of The Freaks, as well as their appearance and the tricks they do at the circus, prove that Peter Van Gucht, as well as Luc Morjaeu both have a very vivid imagination. There is Mollie (Mole-y), who digs holes in the ground with his hands looking like claws. Neuzel (Nose-l)has a gigantic nose and uses it to fly around the circus tent, and then there is Lizzie. She looks very much like a lizard and uses her tongue to do gymnastic tricks.
Conclusion
The story shifts from predictable to quite interesting when things start to get serious. Perhaps some of the plot twists prove to be far-fetched, but this happens to make the story that much more intriguing. Suske & Wiske #330 De Fabuleuze Freak is certainly a fun album to read, with lots of things going on on every page and many different characters to keep the story interesting. Both for young and old ood entertainment for both young and old on a beautiful summer’s day. Let’s go, the circus is back in town!
Suske en Wiske # 330 De Fabuleuze Freak - Comic Book Review,
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