Comics : European Comics

Last Updated: Aug 21, 2008 - 3:13:23 PM

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Hero Academy Tome 1: La relève Débarque By Hervé St-Louis Jul 8, 2006 - 5:54:00 AM Soleil Productions Writer(s): François Debois Penciller(s): Carlos Javier Olivares Inker(s): Carlos Javier Olivares Cover Artist(s): Carlos Javier Olivares

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Hero Academy is inspired by Star Academy, an American Idol-like reality television show in France, where contestant learn their craft by leaving in a communal environment and taking classes together. The premise is similar here, as five lucky teens are picked to undergo the treatment that will release their kala, or inner super powers. What the kids don’t know is that the stakes are real, and there are real villains to fight. Can the kids muster enough discipline to make it out of the academy?

This book was created for younger audiences and mixes a few ingredients to create a new sensation. The French are not found of super heroes, but using the Star Academy analogy, they get their point across. The plot is predictable of course, including the ending. The creators were inspired by John Byrne and Chris Claremont. There are lots of homage to older American comics such as The Fantastic Four, The Transformers and Ultra Man. There are too much dialogue which slow down the reading. Yet, this series is a perfect introduction to super heroes.

If you know Gorillaz, you’ll recognize resemblance of the art work right away. It’s angular with round shape and weird poses. There is a lot of stuff happening in every panel, much of which could have been left out as it makes the storytelling incomprehensible. Sure the artist is great, but there’s no need to put so much in so little space. One can tell that the editor pulled no stop to make something that could compete with Mangas. They have taken over France and traditional comics don’t appeal to kids anymore. Hero Academy is trying to fix that, and it gets the job done.

6/10

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