Commando colonial - Mobile Edition

European Comics
Commando colonial
By Patrick Bérubé
Sep 9, 2009 - 12:40

Dargaud
Writer(s): Appollo
Penciller(s): Brüno
Inker(s): Brüno
Colourist(s): Laurence Croix
Cover Artist(s): Brüno
ISBN: 978-2-205-06064-5

When we think about World War II we often think about Europe, Northern Africa or Russia but rarely about... Madagascar. It is however where the action take place in Commando Colonial. Everything starts when the the British and French army respectively send one of their men from their Colonial Army (composed of people from their colonies) to the Island. Their mission is to evaluate the situation and see if they can convince the local businessmen to overthrow the government who has rallied Pétain's occupied France and not De Gaule's "France libre" (free France). Their endeavour will soon prove more complex than they thought as nationalist may not want to join either side in order to declare independence.

What I appreciated the most about Appollo's script is a new and very refreshing take on a topic many have written about before. By situating the story in Madagascar, he not only break with was is usually done but he open new possibilities in term of plot twist. I was actually not aware of the event that happen in that corner of the world during WWII (or even today!) so I did not know what to expect in term of resolution for the story. As far as I was concerned, anything could have happen and it would have been new to me. The rhythm of the story is also engaging since the event slowly escalate to reach an unexpected conclusion.

Brüno's art is also as refreshing as the story. Is line is simple, curvy and cartoony which makes it very dynamic and visually compelling. Even bare or minimum background did not deter me from appreciating it. Aside from that, I think that the strongest point to his pencil is that it is suited for almost any time period. After reading Biotope (science-fiction) and Inner City Blues (70's America) his two previous series, I can say that he excel at drawing every genre and I can't wait to see what he will do next.

Bottom line, a very refreshing comic book mainly due to the original setting, a good plot execution and a good artist.

Rating: 8.5/10