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In Review: Stig and Tilde: Vanisher’s Island/ Leader of the Pack

By John Freeman on February 1, 2020

Stig and Tilde: Vanisher’s Island
Max de Radiguès
Published by NoBrow
£9.99 | ISBN: 978-1-910620-64-9 | 279 x 202mm | 64pp | Paperback

Daring escapades abound in the action-packed adventures of plucky twins, Stig & Tilde.

Keeping with a local tradition, Stig and Tilde hop on a dinghy and head to a desert island to survive alone without adult supervision. However, an unexpected detour leads them to the wrong island and it looks like it’s inhabited by something that isn’t too fond of guests…

Stig and Tilde: Leader of the Pack
Max de Radiguès
Published by NoBrow
£9.99 | 64pp | 279 x 202mm | Paperback | ISBN 9781910620656

After a narrow escape the first time round, Stig and Tilde find themselves shipwrecked once more on a mystery island… where they’re immediately greeted by a pack of feral wolves!

With their boat in bad shape, and only each other for back up, will they make it out unscathed? Or end up in the belly of several hungry beasts? Find out in the second instalment of Stig & Tilde…

The Review: NoBrow have further expanded their already impressive and carefully curated catalogue with these two wonderful adventure stories, winners of the Prix Rossel in 2019, by the accomplished Eisner-nominated Belgian comic creator Max de Radiguès, who’s also co-author of titles such as the more adult Hobo Mom and Bastard, published by Fantagraphics.

Initially echoing the set up of a classic adventure story as teenagers Stig and Tilde set out on what they think will be a very diluted version of their community’s coming of age traditions, the pair are quickly plunged into what I’d describe as a quirky fantasy thriller, told over three books. In Vanisher’s Island, they battle a stalker-like ghost on a deserted island in the opening story, published last year, Vanisher’s Island, and face off wolves and solve a family mystery in Leader of the Pack, which has just been released.

I was instantly reminded of Enid Blyton’s early Famous Five adventures as I began reading the first of these award-winning Stig and Tilde books, but soon realised I had been wrong footed. Max de Radiguès is an author more than capable of delivering a thoroughly enjoyable teen-focused adventure strewn with fantasy elements that make both stories entirely beguiling, centring on two capable characters thrown into scrapes that would give Bear Grylls a run for his money.

Just like his stories, Radiguès art is similarly deceptive in its apparent simplicity, belying an extraordinary sense of pace and visual drama, with a carefully chosen and entirely appropriate colour palette that echoes classic children’s tales but is thoroughly modern in delivery.

Early work for a page of “Stig and Tilde: Leader of the Pack” by Max de Radiguès

Needless to say, these delightful stories are well worth your attention and consideration; and there are just a few scant months before the third adventure, The Loser Squad, is available, too.

Coming Soon from NoBrow: Stig and Tilde – The Loser Squad (this is, obviously, the original edition)

If you like your Young Adult graphic novels crammed with adventure, mystery and just a touch of quirky fantasy, then you should check out Stig and Tilde. Recommended to all aspiring ghost-hunting survivalists out there – as well as those perhaps less adventurous!

• Stig and Tilde: Vanisher’s Island and Leader of the Pack are available now from all good bookshops or direct from the NoBrow online shop; and here and here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Links); The Loser Squad is out in July and can be pre-ordered here on AmazonUK

• Max de Radiguès is online at maxderadigues.com

Max de Radigùes, who lives in Belgium and is a co-owner of the publishing house L’Employee du Moi, is a graduate of the Centre for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. His YA book Moose, published by Conundrum Press, was nominated for an Eisner Award.

John Freeman

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.