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juniperusxx's review
2.25
I like crime stories as well as cartoons, but unfortunately this wasn't my cup of tea. Although this was a disappointment, it was nice to get to know Gil Jordan :)
rosseroo's review
3.0
This reprint contains the 3rd and 4th "Gil Jordan" albums by the Belgian writer/artist Tillieux, which were originally serialized in the Spirou magazine from 1958-60. In addition to the titular adventure, there's another one called "Catch as Catch Can." (I'm not sure why these reprints didn't start with the 1st and 2nd stories, but perhaps there were rights issues or something like that.)
The hero is a young Parisian private detective who dresses in the same natty blue suit and has fun mid-century modern furnishings in his office/home. He is assisted by his wisecracking sidekick Crackerjack (it's not explained in these two stories, but he's actually an ex-con whom Gil befriended in the first book in the series), and the clumsy police inspector Crouton. Rounding out the group is a sophisticated no-nonsense secretary.
The two adventures are very similar in many ways -- in both, the antagonists are middle-aged men who've cooked up incredibly elaborate insurance fraud schemes that require a ton of exposition at the end to explain. Both have a nice balance of action and intrigue, with the hero getting outwitted multiple times along the way and almost killed. They are perhaps too densely wordy and complicated on the whole, but the artwork tilts the balance in their favor.
Using the traditional layout of the era (9-12 rectangular panels per page), the world feels fully real and alive, with no shortcuts taken in backgrounds or details. Architecture, clothing, decor, textures, cars, shop windows, etc. all pop with detail, light, shadow, and motion are all masterfully handled. Definitely worth checking out by anyone interested in European comics.
The hero is a young Parisian private detective who dresses in the same natty blue suit and has fun mid-century modern furnishings in his office/home. He is assisted by his wisecracking sidekick Crackerjack (it's not explained in these two stories, but he's actually an ex-con whom Gil befriended in the first book in the series), and the clumsy police inspector Crouton. Rounding out the group is a sophisticated no-nonsense secretary.
The two adventures are very similar in many ways -- in both, the antagonists are middle-aged men who've cooked up incredibly elaborate insurance fraud schemes that require a ton of exposition at the end to explain. Both have a nice balance of action and intrigue, with the hero getting outwitted multiple times along the way and almost killed. They are perhaps too densely wordy and complicated on the whole, but the artwork tilts the balance in their favor.
Using the traditional layout of the era (9-12 rectangular panels per page), the world feels fully real and alive, with no shortcuts taken in backgrounds or details. Architecture, clothing, decor, textures, cars, shop windows, etc. all pop with detail, light, shadow, and motion are all masterfully handled. Definitely worth checking out by anyone interested in European comics.
littleredhat's review
5.0
This is another double volume of adventures starring the Parisian private detective, and the second of only two English-language versions currently available. Having enjoyed the first, I bought this right away and was excited to read it, but also reluctant, as I knew no more stories would be forthcoming... unless I muddle through the originals with my sub-par French skills!
The titular story concerns an art dealer who is drowned, along with his car, on Devil's Strait – a beach road where bad timing can lead to the tides dragging you to your doom. But was it a tragic accident, or a murder? This is followed by "Catch As Catch Can", wherein a dangerous convict mysteriously escapes from prison by seemingly just jumping right over an eight-foot wall. During his trial, he swore to kill the lawyer who had him put away: will he follow through on his threat?
Inspector Crouton has a greater presence in this book – his benign bumbling complimenting both Crackerjack's (I still prefer "Dragonfly"!) corny jokes and Jordan's serious straight-laced devotion to his sleuthing, creating a very entertaining trio of characters. Even Miss Midge gets a few extra scenes here and there!
There are some incredible action moments in this album – particularly our heroes' own perilous experience at Devil's Strait in the former story, and Jordan's many scrapes with death as he becomes a target in the latter. You can even tell where the original strips stopped on a cliffhanger, and despite the next page being right there, some of them still make you draw in breath and get the pulse racing.
Humour remains very present, however. Whilst it never detracts from the tension, it creates lighter moments in between the action scenes that counter them very well, and they flesh out the characters in an amusing yet believable manner. On a final note, Tillieux's artwork is truly beautiful, and all of these factors combined makes this one of the best bande dessinée albums I've ever read.
The titular story concerns an art dealer who is drowned, along with his car, on Devil's Strait – a beach road where bad timing can lead to the tides dragging you to your doom. But was it a tragic accident, or a murder? This is followed by "Catch As Catch Can", wherein a dangerous convict mysteriously escapes from prison by seemingly just jumping right over an eight-foot wall. During his trial, he swore to kill the lawyer who had him put away: will he follow through on his threat?
Inspector Crouton has a greater presence in this book – his benign bumbling complimenting both Crackerjack's (I still prefer "Dragonfly"!) corny jokes and Jordan's serious straight-laced devotion to his sleuthing, creating a very entertaining trio of characters. Even Miss Midge gets a few extra scenes here and there!
There are some incredible action moments in this album – particularly our heroes' own perilous experience at Devil's Strait in the former story, and Jordan's many scrapes with death as he becomes a target in the latter. You can even tell where the original strips stopped on a cliffhanger, and despite the next page being right there, some of them still make you draw in breath and get the pulse racing.
Humour remains very present, however. Whilst it never detracts from the tension, it creates lighter moments in between the action scenes that counter them very well, and they flesh out the characters in an amusing yet believable manner. On a final note, Tillieux's artwork is truly beautiful, and all of these factors combined makes this one of the best bande dessinée albums I've ever read.
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