Post by Crom-Cruach on Nov 4, 2010 13:11:51 GMT -5
Welcome to my third comic review my friends! 
After reviewing two comics by Top Cow I thought it might be nice for me to review something from the other side of the Atlantic. With this in mind. I decided to review the first volume of Niklos Koda titled: Behind the Berlins
I hope this might spark some interest in European comics here on the Ledger and hopefully with it some good conversations.
What the fuck is this?
Niklos Koda: behind the Berlins is the first volume of the Niklos Koda series published by the great Belgian Company, Lombard under their third wave imprint. The series is written by Jean Dufeaux and drawn by Olivier Grenson.
This is the first part of a current running series. In the midst of economic negotiations between the french government and a small african nation, department 9, that is the small bureau that handles "off-books" aspects of diplomatic complications, finds one of it's agents investigating the acquaintances of the diplomatic delegationcaught in strange fits of madness. Being an agency not run by fools. They quickly assign Niklos Koda, a man with a complicated past, to investigating the case and make sure nothing interferes with the diplomatic proceedings.
What follows is a strange cat and mouse game where the workings of a dark sorcerer and his strangely spellbound victims open up to a much larger conspiracy that Niklos Koda only begins to unravel.
The Good
The first thing that worth mentioning about this comic is that it's a very subtle story. Don't expect explosions and fireballs, high action in here. It's about intrigue, madness, subtle politics and well done imagery. A distinctive trademark of European comics that is sadly to often missing from American comics and Manga. Time and finesse is put into settling the reader into the mood of the story and presenting the characters while keeping an aura of mystery. This is written by adults, for adults. Despite the occult, mysterious elements. It is very much a realistic setting and it only enhances the appeal.
The art itself is also worth the mention, great detail is given to the scenes, the setting and the drawing of the characters. Grenson has a unique style that's really appropriate for the story.
The Bad
For all the good points I've mentioned above, this is admittedly only a first chapter, and because of this, a lot of elements remain fuzzy because they are still unanswered or undeveloped. This of course is because it's an ongoing, long series and only the first chapter. But it might prove frustrating for some readers. Also, the characters themselves don't get completely grounded yet in this first issue because of deliberate effort to have these elements be tackled in later issues. Something not all readers will have the patience with.
The Score
As a first volume of a story I give this a 3.5 on 5. Mostly this is because of the elements I've tackled above. It's a story that, if it's the kind of thing you enjoy reading, like me, you'll just want to see more off. But it's definitively not the kind of series for everyone I haven't picked up the second volume yet. But honestly I enjoyed this as a first part of a longer story.
Of course, this is a french comic obviously, something that likely won't make it accessible to most who will read this review and I don't know if it has ever been translated in English yet. Some European comics are currently being translated for distribution by Marvel and Dark Horse so readers are advised to check over there and they might get lucky.
Of course, people with no trouble with french like me can order them online without any trouble.
After reviewing two comics by Top Cow I thought it might be nice for me to review something from the other side of the Atlantic. With this in mind. I decided to review the first volume of Niklos Koda titled: Behind the Berlins
I hope this might spark some interest in European comics here on the Ledger and hopefully with it some good conversations.
What the fuck is this?
Niklos Koda: behind the Berlins is the first volume of the Niklos Koda series published by the great Belgian Company, Lombard under their third wave imprint. The series is written by Jean Dufeaux and drawn by Olivier Grenson.
This is the first part of a current running series. In the midst of economic negotiations between the french government and a small african nation, department 9, that is the small bureau that handles "off-books" aspects of diplomatic complications, finds one of it's agents investigating the acquaintances of the diplomatic delegationcaught in strange fits of madness. Being an agency not run by fools. They quickly assign Niklos Koda, a man with a complicated past, to investigating the case and make sure nothing interferes with the diplomatic proceedings.
What follows is a strange cat and mouse game where the workings of a dark sorcerer and his strangely spellbound victims open up to a much larger conspiracy that Niklos Koda only begins to unravel.
The Good
The first thing that worth mentioning about this comic is that it's a very subtle story. Don't expect explosions and fireballs, high action in here. It's about intrigue, madness, subtle politics and well done imagery. A distinctive trademark of European comics that is sadly to often missing from American comics and Manga. Time and finesse is put into settling the reader into the mood of the story and presenting the characters while keeping an aura of mystery. This is written by adults, for adults. Despite the occult, mysterious elements. It is very much a realistic setting and it only enhances the appeal.
The art itself is also worth the mention, great detail is given to the scenes, the setting and the drawing of the characters. Grenson has a unique style that's really appropriate for the story.
The Bad
For all the good points I've mentioned above, this is admittedly only a first chapter, and because of this, a lot of elements remain fuzzy because they are still unanswered or undeveloped. This of course is because it's an ongoing, long series and only the first chapter. But it might prove frustrating for some readers. Also, the characters themselves don't get completely grounded yet in this first issue because of deliberate effort to have these elements be tackled in later issues. Something not all readers will have the patience with.
The Score
As a first volume of a story I give this a 3.5 on 5. Mostly this is because of the elements I've tackled above. It's a story that, if it's the kind of thing you enjoy reading, like me, you'll just want to see more off. But it's definitively not the kind of series for everyone I haven't picked up the second volume yet. But honestly I enjoyed this as a first part of a longer story.
Of course, this is a french comic obviously, something that likely won't make it accessible to most who will read this review and I don't know if it has ever been translated in English yet. Some European comics are currently being translated for distribution by Marvel and Dark Horse so readers are advised to check over there and they might get lucky.
Of course, people with no trouble with french like me can order them online without any trouble.
