Written by: Wauter Mannaert
Illustrations: Max de Radiguès
Publisher: Blloan
Weegee – Comic Book Review
Publisher Blloan came out with another nice looking hardcover publication, this time based on the life of the famous New York photographer Weegee. While the man has undoubtedly made formidable pictures, his life and behavior isn’t sugarcoated in any way in this new release. You will get a good look at what his life was like as a newspaper photographer, before he truly got the praise he gets now.
Weegee is a photographer in the 1940s for New York newspapers. His specialty: crime, misfortune, accidents, you name it. Because he has a shortwave radio, he is always the first one on the scene of a crime. Eager to take the best shot, he doesn’t even shy from moving the body into a more favorable position for his pictures. He is a vulture, but at the same time it’s exactly that which the newspapers want: sensation. Weegee is an admired man in his part of New York, the poorer part where many crimes are committed. Even though his photos sell well and he is respected in the neighborhood, he longs for his photos to be more than just sensational, he wants them to be recognized as art. He wants to get out of this neighborhood he has been living in all his life, and move in higher society.
His friends keep wondering why he can’t simply be content as he is, a fantastic news photographer, but he’ll never rest until he is the most respected photographer not only in New York, but also in Hollywood, where he’ll be friends with Humphrey Bogart and other celebrities, who will all admire his art. But doesn’t he strive for too much?
Weegee runs from one murder scene to the other, often at night, and when he’s not working, he is often with friends. This makes sure that the pace keeps moving constantly. It’s interesting enough to see what he does, but also makes you despise him from the start, as his actions may not be to everyone’s liking. At the same time, the comic book sometimes seems to be about Weegee’s inner self, when he’s trying to figure out what he’s done with his life and how to achieve his goal. It sometimes even feels as if he wants to make up for the life he once had in the slumps of New York, so much that he forgets to be content in the present, always hoping for a better future, even though the present might not be that bad. It’s an interesting thought that makes you wonder what the comic book is really about.
The illustrations are in a very peculiar style and certainly nothing like what we’re used to in comic books. Max de Radiguès’ drawings are all in black and white and are not particularly detailed. Nonetheless, they do create a certain atmosphere that makes the whole look a bit old and melancholic, and tell just as much of the story as Wauter Mannaert’s text does.
Conclusion
Weegee is a graphic novel that is intriguing because of its subject, the famous photographer Weegee, but also because of its black and white illustrations. They might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they do add a lot to the overall feel of the story for sure. If you’re interested in this intriguing character, this might be a good idea, but truth be told, it’ll not be to everyone’s taste.
Weegee - Comic Book Review,
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