Cinebook has released several new Franco-Belgian bande dessinée in English, all available now from all good bookshops, with some continuing as ongoing series, the second volumes on sale soon.
Offering titles spanning original release dates from 1943 to 2022, the new series offer classic creators and characters to revivals, sequels and new takes on action and historical genres, translated by Jerome Saincantin and available in paperback.
Before Blake & Mortimer: The U Ray by Edgar P. Jacobs
• Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 978-1800441057
Before Blake & Mortimer, Edgar P. Jacobs had created a first comic that has now attained mythical status – The U Ray. Here it is now, finally translated into English.
The nation of Norlandia is in conflict with its powerful rival Austradia. The eminent Professor Marduk is tasked by the High Council of Norlandia with militarising a major scientific discovery: the U Ray. However, doing so will require finding a deposit of Uradium, the ore needed to power the ray. And the only known deposit is in an unexplored volcanic archipelago. An expedition is quickly put together, but in the shadows, the Austradian intelligence services are waiting for the moment to act…
Born in Belgium in 1904, Edgar P. Jacobs came to art and illustration after a short stint as an opera singer. He drew several pages of Flash Gordon during the war, then created his first comic, The U Ray, along the same narrative lines. Meeting the legendary Hergé was his big break; he helped create magazine Tintin, and was colourist and background artist for seven of Tintin’s adventures, before being offered to create his own series: Blake & Mortimer.
Edgar P. Jacobs ‘The U Ray’ was his first and a one-off to replace Alex Raymond’s ‘Flash Gordon’, when Germany’s wartime occupation of Belgium prohibited American newspaper strips. Jean Van Hamme has just written its sequel, The Fiery Arrow.
“It would have been nice to include some historical context at the back,” notes comics archivist Paul Gravett of this new release, “but there is an introduction by Tintin editor Michel Greg.”
Rin Tin Can Volume 1: The Mascot by Fauche & Jean Léturgie; illustrated by Morris
• Buy Book One from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 9781800441125
He’s the dumbest dog west of the Pecos River, and even when he’s not sharing one of Lucky Luke’s adventures, he’s still a walking disaster!
In a fort on the Frontier, the 7th Cavalry keeps a vigilant watch over the Wild West. It is a time of peace with the local Natives, and all is well, thanks – at least in the colonel’s mind – to the regiment’s lucky mascot. But when that dog mysteriously vanishes and bad luck begins to plague the unit, it becomes necessary to find a replacement. The colonel picks Rin Tin Can for the job… and then the real trouble begins…
Born and raised in Belgium, Morris moved to the United States in 1946 for six years. There, he worked for MAD magazine and met René Goscinny, with whom he collaborated from 1955 until Goscinny’s death in 1977. Jean Léturgie co-created the character of Percevan before he began an enduring cooperation with Xavier Fauche that produced eight Lucky Luke titles, followed by the spin-off series Rin Tin Can and Kid Lucky. Fauche, a well-known figure in French radio, also wrote for the French version of Jim Henson’s show Fraggle Rock and co-created the cartoon Les Tifous.
Michel Vaillant – Legendary Races Volume 1: In the Hell of Indianapolis by Denis Lapière & Vincent Dutreuil – out 24th August 2023
• Buy Book One from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 978-1800441149
Indianapolis, 1966. The Vaillante team is there to prepare for the legendary Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. The competition promises to be fierce, but the two drivers, Michel Vaillant and Steve Warson, are confident. Soon they meet Rhona, a charming young woman who’s being harassed by sleazy individuals. The two men don’t know it yet, but they, too, will become the targets of underhanded manoeuvres … in a race that is about to go down in history as one of the most dramatic ever!
Belgian author Denis Lapière started in the business as a manager of a comic book shop, before moving on to script writing. Notable among the 50 or so series and one-shots in his portfolio are Alice et Leopold, Charly, the new adventures of Tif et Tondu and the new season of Michel Vaillant. A Frenchman born in Greece, Vincent Dutreuil participated in several collective bandes dessinées exhibitions in France and Belgium, and illustrated several series before joining the Michel Vaillant team.
Redbeard by Jean-Charles Kraehn & Stefano Carloni
• Buy Redbeard Book One – A Short Stop and a Sudden Drop from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 978-1800441088
1738, Cap-Français, in the Caribbean. Redbeard, once the terror of the Seven Seas, has partially retired. Now a privateer in the service of the King of France, he chomps at the bit along with his companions, for France is currently at peace. So, when the town’s governor tasks him with catching a mysterious French pirate who terrorises the Carolinas, he jumps at the chance to get back into the fray. But he made many enemies during his pirate years, and danger lurks in wait …
• Buy Redbeard Book Two – The Sea Wolves from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 978-1800441095 – On Sale from 24th August 2023
Redbeard’s mission has turned into a disaster. He and his ship, the Black Hawk, are now in Spanish hands … His son and his lieutenants have been captured by the mysterious Spectre, who turned out to be none other than his nemesis Morgan, eager to get his hands on Redbeard’s treasure … It will take all of the old pirate’s courage and cunning to escape the trap despite the profusion of enemies and the many betrayals surrounding him …
Jean-Charles Kraehn is a seasoned artist behind acclaimed series such as Les Aigles décapitées and Bout d’homme, and also the veteran author of Tramp and Gil St André, among others. Hailing from Saint-Malo, city of corsairs in Brittany, penning the new adventures of the most famous pirate of bandes dessinées came naturally to him. Stefano Carloni is a young Italian artist with several historical volumes and series in his catalogue. He also teaches art at the Comics Academy of Jesi, in Italy.
Outlaws by Sylvain Runberg & Eric Chabbert
• Buy Outlaws Book One – The Cartel of the Peaks from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 9781800441040
Kristina Swany, a rebellious young Human, discovers the hidden side of the Intergalactic Confederation – crime, misery and corruption. She will have to carve a place for herself in the shadows. The first volume of an Orbital spin-off. 2279. A freighter arrives on planet Drenn, with its hidden cargo of illegal immigrants, including young Human Kristina Swany. Like the rest of her travelling companions, she seeks a new life, a new start… but what awaits them is slavery, at the hands of a merciless criminal cartel – the supposed price for the last leg of their journey. Left with no choice, Kristina and the others must do dangerous work in atrocious conditions, and soon begin to suspect there won’t be a last leg…
Sylvain Runberg is a rising star of bandes dessinées. His international career spans over fifty series and one-shots, including adaptations of the Swedish novel series Millennium for both the French and US markets, as well as penning completely new comic-format adventures for Lisbeth Salander. With series such as Uchronie – New Byzance and Nova Genesis under his belt, Eric Chabbert came to BD after studying business and going into advertisement, but the world of comics was undeniably his first love.
Highlands written and drawn by Philippe Aymond
• Buy Highlands Book One of Two from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 978-1800441101
Scotland, 1743. In Blackwater Castle, in the Highlands, the Duke of Plaxton is looking for a new portrait painter. A member of Clan Grant, supporters of the Act of Union with England, the duke has a son, William, whose heart leans towards the Jacobite cause, and a daughter, Amelia, betrothed to an English lord she has never met. It’s there, in this crucible of rebellion and ambitions, that arrives Joseph Callander, local boy back from years spent in Italy, and talented painter…
Highlands Book Two written and drawn by Philippe Aymond – out 17th August 2023
• Buy Book Two of Two from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | ISBN: 978-1800441118
Joseph is in hiding and believed dead. Wrongly accused of seducing Amelia Menmuir, gravely injured by her brother William, he now rests and prepares his revenge. Against Peter, his apprentice, who altered his drawings to frame him, and against William, whom he thinks orchestrated it all. Meanwhile, however, Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Stuart heir, is about to return to Scotland, and the country will soon be engulfed in a bloody rebellion that will end in Culloden …
Philippe Aymond, as both an artist and a colourist, has worked with some of the greatest scriptwriters of contemporary Franco-Belgian comics, including creator of Valerian & Laureline Pierre Christin and the legendary Jean Van Hamme, with who he co-signed spy series Lady S., also translated by Cinebook. Highlands is his first solo writer creation – and a marked success.
Cossacks by Vincent Brugeas, Yoann Guillo and Ronan Toulhoat
• Buy Book One from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Cinebook | ISBN: 978-1800440944
1634, Ukraine. Karlis, a young Winged Hussar of Poland-Lithuania, sickened by the carnage of war, deserts. To wash their honour, the men of his old unit hunt him mercilessly, while two people secretly observe the pursuit. They are Cossacks, from a people of freedom-loving warriors … and it is with them that Karlis will eventually find refuge. But if he left his regiment, it’s also because of the last orders he was given, which he refused to follow: the king of Poland-Lithuania wants the Cossacks disarmed …
• Buy Book Two from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | ISBN: 978-1800441163 – on sale from 21st September 2023
Having defeated his former brothers-in-arms of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania, the Winged Hussars, Karlis accompanies his new companions to the Sich, the Cossack parliament. Before long, he is faced with the harsh reality that not all Cossacks want him to join their people. Indeed, while his exploits have made him a hero to many, they have also made him into a prime target for jealousy, frustration and ambition…
Vincent Brugeas holds both a passion for, and a degree in, History. Several of his series have garnered much interest and praise: Block 109, Le Roy des Ribauds, Nottingham, and especially the superb The Regiment – those last two published by Cinebook. Yoann Guillo has been working as a colourist for over 15 years; Cossacks is his first time working on a series’ art as well. A designer, illustrator and engineer, Ronan Toulhoat is also Vincent Brugeas’ long-time partner in crime (notably on Block 109 and Le Roy des Ribauds).
As the UK has left the European Union, please be aware that if you are a European Union customer, ordering books from the Cinebook website may, unfortunately, result in extra charges that you will have to pay to receive your order. The publisher advises customers to order their books from within the EU, either from your favourite online retailer, or from one of the following bookshops: Smith & Son (Paris) | Shakespeare and Company (Paris) | Waterstones (Brussels)
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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Excellent spotlight John, Cinebook do a great job and I think I spied that they’re returning to Thought Bubble this year – your purses & wallets be warned!