Papy Plouf - Mobile Edition

European Comics
Papy Plouf
By Hervé St-Louis
June 2, 2009 - 23:33

Albin Michel
Writer(s): Martin Veyron
Penciller(s): Martin Veyron
Cover Artist(s): Martin Veyron
ISBN: 2226132430
$24.99 CAN, 72 pages

Papy Plouf (Grampa Splash) is an absurd comic book series where senior passengers on a cruise ship are dying because of diverse causes. It’s up to the ship’s doctor to try and figure out the mystery of the multiple death. But before he can do so, there is mutinery on the ship as the second in command wants to take over the Captain. But before any of that can happen, the ship, its crew and passengers must deal with the pirates that board the cruise ship. Can anything else go wrong? Oh, yeah, did I mention the tsunami?

The doctor is the only character on the ship that makes any sense. Much of the story is through his perspective. But he isn’t a perfect character either having devised less morally ways to dispose of the mounting amount of dead bodies. The success of a good absurd story, it seems is to take the reader from a relative point where realism and suspend of disbelief can make sense and quickly increase the amount of absurdity to the point where the reader will just go along and start laughing if he hasn’t shut the book. Veyron succeeds in doing just that. Quickly we are introduced to a few weird elements that can be explained somehow, but before we know it, the madness has spread and we are still hoping that the doctor, the straight man of the story will somehow figure out what’s happening. Alas, none of that ever happens. It’s all downhill, from the first page. But it’s not a negative downhill. The story remains entertaining until the end. It’s better than any episode of Love Boat!

Veyron’s work is not for everybody. His inked lines are thick and deform the bodies and facial features of characters, living behind but a caricature. But for this type of stories, nothing else would have worked.

Rating: 8.5/10