By Van Hamme & Benoit
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 978-1-905460-75-5
This fifth Blake & Mortimer offering from Cinebook is a much more recent creation than Edgar P Jacobs' original tales, but still manages to maintain all the charm and character of the original series, for which the creators deserve huge praise for pulling off. Not only have they maintained the style and voice of the original, but have set the story convincingly in 50s' America with all its period detail.
This particular story features lights from the sky and what appears to be some sort of extra-terrestrial abduction scenario. Mortimer has been asked to fly to the US to investigate the appearance of a soldier's body who had vanished 177 years ago but the body looks as if it died the day before. Joining him on the flight is Blake who has a meeting in Washington, so the friends discuss the mystery and the revelation that the missing soldier is a distant relative of Mortimers.
They part at the airport but it soon becomes apparent that somebody is keeping an eye on them, and they are equipped with a technology beyond what that what exists in this decade. The reader is perfectly set up to draw assumptions and conclusions of their own, something Van Hamme masterfully manipulates in his writings, so I'll say no more so I don't spoil anything.
Each Blake & Mortimer volume is a little work of art, packed with clever writing, gripping adventure and a respectful approach to the period and its history, in both the story and the illustration. The Strange Encounter is no exception.
Finally, and frustratingly, we're constantly referred to a tale called 'The Secret Of The Swordfish', but this hasn't yet seen an English translation, so hopefully this is something that will be rectified soon.
And if you liked that: I'll be reviewing SOS Meteors soon.
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