Comics / European Comics

L'enragé


By Hervé St-Louis
May 19, 2009 - 20:20

Anton Witkowsky lives with his parents in one of France’s suburbs. If the reader knows about French suburbs, it will quickly abandon images of white picket fences and lush parks and understand that French suburbs are really inner city ghettos where the poor and the immigrants are forced to live their entire lives on the margins of French society. Anton’s only way out of this world of misery is to be a boxer, but not any kind, a successful one.

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Baru, the creator of the book tries to cover a topic that has been widely covered in French film, and culture, the French suburb. He follows the mould. It’s a parking lot for the disadvantage who set Paris on fire in the fall of 2005. It’s the world of the poor French resident who after three generations in France is still not an official French citizen. Much like American ghettos, there are three way out of there, violence, education and military service. Anton’s father, considers boxing a form of slavery and not the path he wants for his son. But Anton has skill and quickly climbs up the latter needed to make him a champion. Anton’s quest for money, fame and women sooth the pain and the lack of approval of his father does not allow him to sooth his pain.

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I don’t know under what shell I was living, but I had never heard of Baru before. Apparently, he’s this great French cartoonist that has created many prize-winning graphic novels. Reviewing this book without knowing a thing about the creator is a great thing. I won’t be blinded by expectations. The story is one dimensional but that’s not a bad thing at all. Anton’s energy and verve are clear and on display. There’s no need for second level readings. Anton says it best. He’s a dumbass who can’t get his high school degree. He’s not ashamed of that and not about to change anything. He knows his only skills are his fist and the way he provokes. His life and and his rules about himself and others are simple. He cuts the crap. The only object of failure is his father who will not recognize his talent nor accept his money.

If find the rise to the top of the boxing food chain a bit surprising for a 20 year-old, and this is where the story lacks credibility. Anton has faced no defeats and has not had to wait any time before meeting the fictional doppelganger for Don King. It’s a bit too much to accept and unlike say, Ken Games where the boxing was showed technically here, Baru prefers the backroom deals to the realism that the accomplishments the feats Anton performs, require. This is but the first volume of a two-part story that opens up as a trial, surely someone important has died by the hand of Anton.

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Visually, the kinetic energy of Baru both enlightens and annoys. I don’t like to look at Anton. It annoys me. If he existed in real life, I would not like him. I’m not sure if that’s what Baru was going for but if it was he succeeds. Anton is not ugly, but he’s definitely not someone I would hang out with. The water colour washes covering the artwork is a great technique to add warmth to this comic book and fits with the energy and fury of the protagonist. I’d like to see Baru do a Wolverine image.

Rating: 8.5 /10


Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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