‘ Diabolical Summer’
Written by Thierry Smolderen.
Art by Alexandre Clérisse.
Letters by Frank Cvetkovic.
Translated in English language by Edward Gauvin.
Originally published by Dargaud as ‘L’Ete Diabolik’.
Published by IDW - £9.74 (Digital ComiXology on Sale).
Full Colour - 17+ rating.
The Story - ‘A groovy spy thriller and coming-of-age tale set in the Go-go days of the 1960s, done in a chic, retro style sure to charm readers. For 15-year-old Antoine, the summer of 1967 will prove to be an unforgettable one full of new discoveries: a secret agent from nowhere, a mysterious troubled girl, and the disappearance of his father—all happening within two days! These events and more conspire to turn his life upside down and into something he could never have imagined.’
The Review - First off is the price.... Er, why so expensive? I’m sure if this was put out digitally by Europe Comics, Humanoids, Soleil or the like this would be at least half the price. It may be that they are pushing people towards the physical copy - which I saw today and is pretty impressive. (For the record the current price is £9.74 for a digital copy that is reduced from £13.99! (The physical purchase price is £22.99 which seems much more reasonable for a hardcover of this length).
This graphic novel in it’s storyline combines two specific genres well, that of the teenage angst of Antione and his realisations of who he is and intertwined with these thoughts are the mystery of what his father is doing and a world of mystery and espionage he gets acquainted with as it progresses. Because of this unusual combination the beginning of the book throws a lot of twists into the mix and adds coming of age awkwardness with suspicious deaths - strange bedfellows at the start but you begin to warm to this book as the electric colours of each panel sweep by. Nothing is explained straightaway and the reader is left to follow the breadcrumbs.
As the story progresses the revelations of the thriller element have similar narrative ground to those of the teenagers. They become embroiled in the mystery. The dark world of post war politics and espionage are used to metaphorically deflower Antoine as he himself experiences his first sexual encounter. All the while the art draws broadly on the illustration and animation hip and trendy styles of the fifties and sixties. As I read I begin to realise how unexpected I find the twists in the story. The jagged attacks between adults and teens verbally become a parallel to the conflicts elsewhere. A story that is at once interesting and confounding. As I hit page sixty-five and nearly half way through the book I’m not sure what I am reading. Both a good thing and a bad thing?
Even beyond the tied up in mental knots of structure I mention above this book takes the format of an autobiography being read to you visually and then the aftermath of these events years later. It is a strangely composed song that you have to seriously consider as it hits each verse. Then there is a significant time jump in the last third of the book that I wont spoil. This is bravely paced and in so doing so it causes me to spend time thinking about the players and the consequences of their actions.
What is real? What is a lie? What is a nefarious plot? What is being hidden? Are these just coincidences or are they conspiracies? This graphic novel is many, many things that you will investigate throughout your read.
The dialogue and narration show some real acrobatic skill in both the original language and the translation. It has a cool and echoing quality that gives it time, place and mood.
‘Her vanities paraded past around the block in an unbroken circuit.’
This is also a love letter to the fumetti that the title gives a hint to if you are paying attention. The appearance of this masked man adds to the mystery that isn’t properly solved until the very last few pages. Just brilliant pacing and with clues that are there in front of you if you spend the time decoding them! Read this!!!
The art is bright and expressive and moves around the page like a jazz song. The characters are huge caricatures and this works just perfectly. If this was a tv series you’d fully expect the ‘Desilu’ sign to pop up at the end. Alexandre kills on layouts and has a constant kinetic dance of action, conversation and landscape. Every single page is a movie poster of chic choices. It’s only been days since I reviewed ‘Bugle Boy’ by the same artist and the differences in tone and storytelling choices are profound. While ‘Bugle Boy’ showed a grumpy character in a present day setting finding his way to a prize he had sought and all the while thinking about his time in the war ‘Diabolical Summer’ is a whole different bag altogether. Just goes to show the skill of Clerisse.
I actually met Alexandre Clerisse at the National Cartoonist Society Festival this weekend and whilst his English isn’t great and my French is worse I did however watch him paint and draw for customers. You have to admire a creator who makes it look so effortless. From pencil to inks to full colours took mere minutes whilst he also chatted to other artists at his table. An absolute joy to watch in action.
Have a go at this complicated but fascinating example of adult long-form comics storytelling. It has played on my mind ever since I read it and I’ll go back and have another look often. Some readers might find it frustrating or a tad over-complicated but not me, nosiree!
Now all the publishers need to do is sort out the digital price!
You can find this for pre-order on ComiXology here https://www.comixology.co.uk/Diabolical-Summer/digital-comic/740604?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvdGFibGV0L2dyaWRMaXN0L1JlY2VudEFkZGl0aW9ucw
Or find a physical copy where you buy your comics or here https://www.idwpublishing.com/product/diabolical-summer/
Many thanks for reading.
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