Cinebook Ltd - Black Mary 1 - The Departed / Black Mary 2 - Passage to the Hereafter

 

Authors: Rodolphe; illustrated by Florence Magnin
Age: 15 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages

£8.99 INCL vat

ISBN: 9781800441378
Publication: July 2024

The peace of Mordwick, a small coastal village, is shattered by the news that mysterious individuals have come ashore to dig up the recently departed. They looked like pirates, and rumours swell that the infamous captain Black Mary, a legendary, freedom-loving marauder desperately wanted by the Royal Navy, is involved. Could she be the cause of a wave of spectral apparitions sweeping through the kingdom – including that of the ghost of the recently departed king himself?

Authors: Rodolphe; illustrated by Florence Magnin
Age: 15 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages

£8.99 INCL vat

ISBN: 9781800441385
Publication: July 2024

Rescued at sea by Black Mary, Lord James, the libertine aristocrat who longed for adventure, is utterly enthralled by the fierce pirate captain – enough so that when she boards a royal warship, he chooses to fight at her side. With her ship badly damaged, though, Mary must return to her hidden base, an island not on any map. For good reason: the inhabitants of the island are … the men and women who died at sea, and remain there until it is time to move on to the afterlife … 

I have to say that I wish I could remember all I wrote in the first draft!

We have here what appears to be just another pirate story but throughout -odd though it may sound- there is a strange atmosphere to the story. I think that "atmosphere" would be lost if this was a "wait for part two" type  series.  What Cinebook has done is publish both volumes in one go and that helps.

The story is interesting and the ending had the feeling of one of those 1940s Hollywood movies -and I can't tell you why or it spoils  the end. It is a good read and I did read both in one go.

I have no idea what it is about the art but it really works and catches the eye and Magnin does an excellent job. Not sure what technique is used but I gave up questioning why I liked a certain style of art long ag because trying to explain why is difficult.

If you like your pirate action with a ghostly twist then you'll enjoy this. If you like ghost comics you will enjoy this. Highl;y recommended.

Cinebook Ltd: Rin Tin Can 2 - The Godfather

 

Authors: X. Fauche & J. Léturgie; illustrated by Morris
Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages

£8.99 INCL vat

ISBN: 9781800441330
Publication: May 2024

After inadvertently thwarting a convict’s escape attempt, Rin Tin Can flees the penitentiary and ends up with two sheep herders who are being targeted by wool thieves. The robbers, Giuseppe and Aldo, are actually looking for a specific sheep skin tattooed with a treasure map, in order to post their father’s bail. 

Unwittingly – as usual – Rin Tin Can becomes first the accomplice of the two not-too-bright brothers, then their ‘godfather’ …  

The review of the first album is here https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2023/09/cinebook-ltd-rin-tin-can-1-mascot.html

How does a dog become a "god father"? Look, if you are looking for a straight forward and rational story with no slap-stick comedy or visual gags then I am guessing you nevber read the first album?

We have a dog that thinks dollar bills are pastry and consumes quite a few... and as those dollars are the troopers wages you can imagine they are not that happy.  Anything Rin Tin Can does correctly is purely accidental!  

The visual gags are there and the story , which might seem chaotic at times, delivers a good read and ending. The art is nice and the colour work does add more to it but some of the characters can be called "comical grotesques" -it is a style used for a very long time in European comics and it works.

None of this answers the question of how Rin Tin Can becomes a "god father" or what that exactly entails. Do you want to know?   Buy the book!  It's fun.