By Veys & Puerta
Publisher: Cinebooks
ISBN: 9781849182034
The Red Baron is the tale of the infamous World War I pilot with a string of successful combat missions – his success was so spectacular that his name has passed into popular culture (to the point where even Snoopy regularly comes across him) and something of a myth has grown up around his exploits. Well, adding to that myth is this fictionalised account of his assent from student to fearsome pilot, and the means in which he’s able to accomplish his feats. It is a work of fiction, and the storytelling device the creators employ may, to some, seem to diminish his real-life skills, but as long as it’s understood that this is the case it’s well within the realms of just about every other Red Baron tale you’ve come across.
Manfred von Richthofen is an exemplary student, staying abreast of his contemporaries at the Military Academy and even striding ahead in gymnastics class. It’s the latter that brings him into a confrontation with Prince Friedrich and his cronies, angry to have been bettered by Richthofen’s gymnastic prowess. But the confrontation doesn’t go as the Prince plans because of an inexplicable ability that surfaces within Richthofen – from the moment he realised he was in danger Richthofen has become aware of his adversaries feelings and as the situation intensifies he realises he can pre-judge their moves, meaning he’s able to better all of them on his own.
The feeling of power, not to mention the violence, are a thrill Richthofen wants to relive, so he wanders into the slums of Berlin and makes himself a target for the poor but desperate. He’s surrounded by three men and a woman intent on seeing Richthofen’s blood, but once again the scenario brings on a premonition as to how they’ll act. The result is bloody, violent, and very one-sided, and not even the woman, who is left stood agape at the fallen men she knows around her, escapes Richthofen’s bloodbath. We’re left in no doubt that this is a man who thrives on violence and has no qualms about taking a life.
After the academy Richthofen serves in the cavalry before the encroaching war gets him re-assigned to the fledgling air force. It’s such new technology that it’s very uncommon to even see an enemy plane. The question is, will Richthofen’s abilities be an asset in the sky as he enters his first aerial battle?
I had mixed emotions about this book when I started it, not so much because of the abilities the creators bestow on Richthofen, but more because the artwork employs an extravagant amount of what looks like Photoshop-manipulated images, run through filters to give them stylised painted effects. It jarred a lot on the opening pages, but once I settled into the story it began to grow on me. After all, many artists trace buildings and vehicles, even people, so to use a photograph in a different manner, to manipulate it and paint over it, isn’t that much of a stretch. The outcome, particularly in the dogfights and in setting the period scene, is a vivid one. I think if all comic pages were put together this way I’d tire of it quickly, but in this context it makes for an active and vibrant book and certainly gives the aerial scenes something extra. It’s an intriguing tale told in a daring manner and all credit to the creators for bringing it to life.
And if you liked that: You may also enjoy Berlin – The Seven Dwarves, also published by Cinebook
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