Comic Con Express – Bengaluru - 2012

Another year and another Express Event from Comic Con India. Our Pre-show coverage of the event in the Garden City.

Comic Con India – New Delhi - 2011

Get to know, more about India's first ever Comic-Con, how does it rate among the rest.

Chennai Book Fair - 2011

We catch up with the Annual Chennai Book Fair, and see what it has to offer for Comic fans.

Lion Comics Jumbo Special - XIII Collector's Edition

An inside look into a collection, touted as the biggest Comic Book released in India

Showing posts with label CineBook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CineBook. Show all posts

Dec 24, 2010

Cinebook – Backlist Titles | 2010 | Part I

We are almost at the end of the year 2010, and still there are a lot to catch up at Comicology. I am trying to shake those cobwebs, as the new year dawns, and expect to go at them one by one through the eve. First up on the list is our old favourite, Cinebook – The 9th Art Publishers - the publishing house from the other side of the sea, but the one which still does business in India, as if it belongs here.

Cinebook's Offer at Comic ConsWe had covered Cinebook’s last two Indian batch releases in 2008 and 2009. But this time around, we are going to look at it in a different way, talking briefly about each of the series making the line-up. This would also help to better introduce new and old titles, as an exclusive review on them is going to take some time coming (considering the pace at which our blog moves these days :)).

The biggest change in this set from the earlier ones is that, starting from 2010, there are no more double-issues, or 2-in-1 editions, in Cinebook’s line-up. Meaning, they are published as single albums, as they were originally released in Bande-Dessine. Cinebook cites the reason to them, as the way to bring down the higher price attached to double volumes, which generally reflects on the sales, as they are generally, slow to move off-the-shelf.

From my side, even though they were value for money editions, I still missed Cinebook's Olivier Cadic with his Offeringsthe individual covers in their  laminated glory. Moreover, double volumes are more prone to damages at the crimp, due to how they weigh. So overall, I am much satisfied to see them in single volume editions.

There are a total 32 albums which have made their way into India, as part of the batch, and they were available from the mid of this year. We will look at them as per the alphabetical order, as it’s difficult to classify the priorities to the list. The reason, I hardly find them inferior to each other, as they always stand good on their own ways. A credit to the wealth available at Franco-Belgian Genre, which Cinebook is gung-ho to introduce to the English speaking nations.

Due to the size of this batch release, we will preview them over two posts, with the 1st part here, and the follow-up sooner at Comicology.


Betelguese 2 - The CavesBetelguese
Genre: Science-Fiction

01. #2: The Caves 45 pp B5 size INR 195
02. #3: The Other 45 pp B5 size INR 195


A journey which started in the distant planet Aldebran, Betelguese 3 - The Othernears a conclusion in another remote planet Betelguese, as the 10 part saga comes to a close. Aldebran/Betelguese is a masterpiece of Artist/Write Leo, who showcases the wonderfully imagined life on an outer world, and showcases the disaster of how a menacing human kind can bring, much like the one befallen in our homeland. If you had liked Avatar, the recent movie block buster, you would love this venture for sure.

To go with the 2010 model, these two titles are released as single albums, breaking up from its earliest releases, which were 2-in-1 volumes, and covered 8 previous albums into 4 issues. Refer Cinebook 2009 Backlist Titles.


Bellybuttons 2Bellybutton
Genre: Humour

03. #2: It's Ugly Out There 48 pp A4 size INR 195


As the name suggests, Bellybuttons retells the up and happening story of 3 college cuties, Jenny, Vicky, and Karine, while the last one certainly doesn’t fit the description. Karine is indeed a simple, not-so-good looking types, you find in every group, which brings her all the trouble from the dominating peers in the quartet. It’s a humour laced tale, drawn and told in a cartoonish style, sticking to its genre.

Issue 1 of this series was released in India, in 2009, which is now followed up by the second title. Refer Cinebook 2009 Backlist Titles.


Blake and Mortimer 7 - The Affair of the Necklace Blake & Mortimer
Genre: Detective/Thriller/Classic

04. #7: The Affair of the Necklace 72 pp A4 size INR 250


Cinebook’s treasure hunt into Edgar P. JacobsBlake and Mortimer classics, brings us another tale of their adventures, as the seek to find the mystery surrounding a Necklace, which trace its origin to the last French Queen. To make matters worse, they come face to face with the old arch enemy, Olrik. How they bring his current misdeeds to closure, is told in classic pages filled with Jacob’s own style of storytelling, which has its parallel to the much famous Tintin series.

A total of 6 volumes, have been released in India, in the last couple of years. To read more about the Blake & Mortimer series, refer to our preview post on Blake & Mortimer #1 to 3


Bluecoats 3 - The Skyriders Bluecoats
Genre: Humour/Action

05. #3: The Skyriders 48 pp A4 size INR 195


The adventures and misadventures of Sergeant Chesterfield and Blutch, continues in the latest volume, Skyriders, where they become the pilots of the new addition to the US cavalry, an “Observation Balloon”.

We would have read countless stories about American Civil War, but creators Lambil and Cauvin, introduce humorous touch to those blood ridden history, yet staying true to much of the incidents which shaped the war, that was. The dynamic duo of Chesterfield and Blutch, reminds us of the Dog Bull and Kid Ordinn duo from the classic Chick Bill series.

The two earlier issues of the series were both released in India, in 2009, which is now followed up by the third title. Refer  Cinebook 2009 Backlist Titles.


Buck Danny 2 - Secrets of Black Sea Buck Danny
Genre: Action/War

06. #2: The Secrets of Black Sea 48 pp A4 size INR 195


Buck Danny, the celebrated aviation hero, this time enters the mission to unravel the secrets over the Black Sea. Set at the end of the Cold war, this tells the story of how remains of fallen empire, would never cease to tread the righteous path. Francis Bergese’s artistic talent, and his intrinsic detail laced sketch of airliners, add value to the storyline, a department handled by De Douhet for this album.

Cinebook has ably filled up the void left by the cancellation of Biggles titles, by introducing another fictional war hero in the form of Buck Danny. The series is wonderfully enriched by the art of Bergese, whom readers would remember from the same Biggles venture, launched by Euro Books in India, followed by Cinebook’s own short run with the series.

Buck Danny was introduced to India in 2009, with the release of Issue #1, which is now followed up by another classic. To read more about Francis Bergese’s earlier releases in India, refer to our posts on Euro Books Biggles Series & Cinebooks Biggles Recounts Series


Chimpanzee Complex 2 - Sons of AresChimpanzee Complex
Genre: Science-Fiction

07. #2: The Sons of Ares 56 pp A4 size INR 250


Chimpanzee Complex is a 3 issue mini series which received critical and commercial reception when it was released in French heartland. It traverses in two different realms, told from an adventurous space women, and her estranged daughter. Caught between her unblemished love towards her daughter and the ambitions to live up to her career aspirations, Helen Friedman’s adventures to discover the true origin of space flights, are wonderfully told in this intriguing tale.

The dark themed artwork of Jean-Michel Ponzio’s makes a perfect foil, to the adventurous script of Richard Marazano, which makes up for an interesting wait to the concluding issue, expected in the new year.

Chimpanzee Complex Issue 1 was released in India on 2009, which is now followed up by Issue #2. Refer Cinebook 2009 Backlist Titles.


Ducoboo 4 - Class Struggle Ducoboo
Genre: Humour

08. #4: The Class Struggle 48 pp A4 size INR 195


You can never have a dearth of fun and laughter, as long as the world’s biggest dunce, Ducoboo is around. Issue #4 carries over from the previous releases, which are laced with one page slapstick comedy featuring the King of Dunces himself, and his most loved friend and enemy, Leonie, sharing the spoils.

Ducoboo’s Issue #1 and #2 were released in India in 2008, while the Issue #3, founds it way with 2010 batch. To read our review on Ducoboo, refer to the post Cinebook’s Children's Category


Insiders 2 - Missiles for Islamabad Insiders
Genre: Action/Adventure

09. #2: Missiles for Islamabad 48 pp B5 size INR 195


The newest and most deadliest female agent, Najah Cruz, continues her mission of infiltrating the international crime ring, famously known as High Circle. She is a high-profile insider, who directly reports to the US White House, thus her adventures become all the more risky, entangle in a political time-wrap, mixed with conspiracy and betrayal. Her latest adventure brings her close to India, to probe a French missile sales to Pakistan.

Insiders was launched in India with Issue #1 in 2009. It was long touted to be featured, re-titled as Code Name Minnal, in Southern India, by Tamil Comics publishers, Lion Comics. It was also touted be part of the future releases by, now defunct, Sri Lankan Tamil Comics company, Iceberg Comics.  But both projects never saw the daylight, marking the Cinebook’s English versions as Insider’s official entry, for Indian comic fans. Refer Cinebook 2009 Backlist Titles.


IR$ 3 - Silicia Inc IR$
Genre: Action/Adventure

10. #4: Silicia, Inc 48 pp B5 size INR 195
11. #5: The Corrupter 48 pp B5 size INR 195


At the end of the year, and what do you normally hear more about? the Taxman. Cinebook’s line-up has a Taxman of its own, but he isn’t your regular law-enforcer, he is the one who has License to Kill and Thrill, just like 007.

IR$ 4 - The CorrupterWe are talking about the Incredible Larry Max, from the United State’s Secret Service IR$. We had briefed about IR$, in our debut review about the series at Comicology. And I for one had opined that the stories were little off-color, in their rendition, and probably the colouring of the artwork, itself.

But, it needs to be admitted that it has an unique attraction over its fans, credits to its plot-work which decodes the illegal accounts of crime and political syndicates, which has no dearth in the world we live. No wonder Cinebook continues to keep the mercurial agent on their line-up.

In the latest adventure, Larry find his match, in the beautiful and dangerous Silicia. Does the usual Larry’s womanly attractions, make him fall over the huntress, or does he stay true to his national call? The answers are action packed in this two issue release, both of which have been released together (thanks to the batch releases, at least in this count), saving us from pondering over the conclusion.

IR$ was launched originally as part of 2008 batch, with the 2nd issue following along with 2009 batch. Both the issues were double/2-in-1 issues, thus covering 4 of the original albums. As per 2010 Cinebook policy, they have now been released, just like the originals, in single straight volumes. Read more about IR$ in our Review post Cinebook - IR$ #1.


Iznogoud 1 - Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud Iznogoud
Genre: Humour

12. #1: Wicked Wiles of Iznogoud 48 pp A4 size INR 195
13. #2: Caliph's Vacation 48 pp A4 size INR 195
14. #3: Day of Misrule 48 pp A4 size INR 195
15. #4: Magic Computer 48 pp A4 size INR 195
16. #5: A Carrot for Iznogoud 48 pp A4 size INR 195


And now to the biggest surprise of the lot, the Incorrigible Iznogoud, makes it Cinebook debut in India too, finally. It was long anticipated ever since Cinebook added the most famous Grand Vizier of Comic books in their line-up back in 2008.

But, the rights which were held by Euro Books in India, over the brand, by their launch of Iznogoud Titles in 2009, made Cinebook’s entry all the more difficult. I had been pressing over the point with the Cinebook management about the no-compete clauses, as the selection of Cinebook (which depends on Original classics), never compete with Euro Books (who deal with most recent and latest ones from a series). Finally, the decision makers at Westland (Cinebook’s Indian distributors), concluded the right way, and have ordered all the 5 editions of Iznogoud released so far (Iznogoud #6, was released after this consignment).

Now we have the long awaited classics from the pens of René Goscinny and Jean Tabary, in all its glory. If you would have skipped Iznogoud with Euro Books last attempt (which we did recommend, during our last review post), then this lot is the perfect one for you to make a head-start into the legendary series. Don’t miss them, folks.

Iznogoud 2 - The Caliph Vacation Iznogoud 3 - Iznogoud and the Day of Misrule Iznogoud 4 - Iznogoud and the Magic Computer Iznogoud 5 - A Carrot for Iznogoud

Iznogoud was originally launched in India, in Hindi Language by Gowarsons, and was later introduced in Tamil language by Lion Comics. Read more about them and the series as a whole, in our Iznogoud’s debut post on Comicology - Lion Comics #160 – Iznogoud.

Euro Books then launched a total of 12 Albums in India, in 2009. Read about them over at Euro Books and Iznogoud.  The series is now been followed up by the 5 classics from Cinebook.


Thus ends our preview post on Cinebook’s latest offerings, and we will be back shortly with our second and concluding part of it soon at Comicology.  And just for info, these titles are all available in never before offers at Online sites like Indiaplaza, where discounts ranges up to 30% and beyond. Now is a chance to grab them if you haven’t done so, already.

By the way, before we close, here is wishing Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays for all the Comikers. May Santa gets a Visitorthis festive season bring out the best of the world to your households. Here is a different take by an artist on a new visitor to Santa. Groovy isn’t it??

For a random list of Santa and Xmas themed Comics Cover’s refer to these wonderful posts on Once Upon a Geek.

xmas1_action

xmas_marvel94super_friends22

Mar 22, 2009

CineBook - Madame Tussaud | 2007

We are back with yet another CineBook review, which closely follows our last post on CineBook’s 2009 Set.  But, the title on review in this post at Comicology belongs to the original set released in 2008 by CineBook in India.  So without further due, lets get on with it straightaway.

The Fascinating Madame Tussaud | INR 350 | Color | B5 | Single Expresso (2 Volume in 1) | Laminated/Paperback

Tussauds Museum Marie_TussaudWho hasn’t heard about Madame Tussauds, a landmark Wax Museum in London, which immortalizes celebrities around the world in a breathtakingly similar waxed replica in life size.  People around the world consider it as a honour to be part of these waxed line-up, which was a concept originally pioneered by sculptor Marie Tussaud, who established the setup in 1853, after a series of exhibitions in and around Europe as a Nomad.  The life story of Tussaud is well-documented, who rose to fame from being the daughter of a housemaid, to a world renown celebrity.

No wonders Tussaud’s story has been told and re-told in many media over the years, and that is a topic which was taken in graphic novel/comics form by the publishers Dargaud-Lombard in 2002.  It’s a fictional account of Tussaud’s life, which follows her adventures right from her early life, to her exhibitions around the world, and eventual setup of the museum.  It’s a product of writer André Paul Duchâteau and artist René Follet, who joined hands in creating this French Classic.

The Fascinating Madame Tussaud
ISBN: 978-1-905460-36-6
Madame Tussaud c1
Tussaud: BackCover 
Pages: 104 | Published: Dec 2007
Madame Tussaud c2

Madame Tussaud pg1 The story opens up in Paris, 1793, in the midst of the French Revolution. Marie Crossholz, a lesser known sculptor manages a wax museum set up originally by her uncle. It was a time when revolters against the aristocratic government were mercilessly executed under the Guillotine Blade publicly.  Marie manages to bribe some executioners, who in-turn allowed her to mould the faces of those esteemed aristocrats who had their heads cut off. 

One such executioner was Desmarets (a man portrayed always with a flower in his mouth), who tries to take advantage of Marie, who refutes to satisfy any of his indecent intentions.  But, this adventure of hers draws the bitter enmity of Martial Jabot, who accuses her of exhibiting the Traitors, and threatens to arrest her and shut the Museum down. In order to avoid any more problems for herself, Marie decides to hide the controversial sculpts. Later on she helps her old friend Jean, who is now a fugitive, by hiding him inside her museum to avoid a search party.  This gets her into trouble, as she is framed for assisting the traitors, and also being part of the stealth of the crown jewels.  She is eventually sent to prison indefinitely.  She manages to escape from there with the help of fellow inmate Josephine, and Jane, as the first volume concludes.

Vol2 Original Cover (Used as Inside Cover in CineBook edition) The second volume, takes us to 1805, by which the bloody French Revolution has come to an end, and we witness Marie now being known as Madame Tussaud, is travelling in Europe, as part of the nomad exhibition tours of Waxed sculptures.  We come to know that Josephine, was actually the love interest of Napoleon Bonaparte, who now rules France.  The high profile connections thus helped Tussaud to set her museum back, and also provided a chance to move to England, to realize her dreams of exhibiting her works in and around UK.

Before her departure to England, Josephine warns that though most of the stolen jewels were recaptured, one important piece known as Blue Diamond is still missing, and there may be some interested people who may follow her to capture it, as she was originally framed as the thief of crown jewels.

Despite these distractions, Tussaud travels down with his son, on her expedition through Europe in setting up exhibitions.  The man from her past, follower her closely, as the showdown begins.

Does she escape from them? Who are these Diamond Hunters? What role does Jane, Desmarets, Jabot play in this whole scenario? Is she really the one who stole the Blue Diamond? What effects will this had over her dream on setting up a Wax Museum in England, which she eventually managed in 1835 in London?  The answers to these questions forms the corner plot as the Climax of this two volume edition unravels at the end pages.  Overall, it’s a classical fictional piece, woven around real life legends and celebrities, which makes it stand among one of the best told fictional graphic novels of our time.


Let’s now look more in details about the creators of this classic, which will help us better understand their work in these two volume edition.

Andre Paul (c) blog4ever.comAndré Paul Duchâteau (b.1925 in Belgium) is often regarded as one of the best comic scenario writers in Franco-Belgian Genre. He initially started his professional career by writing novels, but soon in 1948 moved to pen comic scenarios for some of the well-know magazines, including Spirou.  But it was not until he met artist Gilbert Gascard (pen-name Tibet), along with whom he forged a great partnership, in the process giving us a couple of wonderful Franco-Belgian Oldies.

Chick Bill Ric Hochet South Indian Comic fans would easily associate themselves to this dynamic duo as they are the creators of Ric Hochet (christened as Reporter Johny – ரிப்போர்ட்டர் ஜானி in Tamil) and Chick Bill (சிக் பில்), who were introduced to us by M/s.Prakash Publishers in their line-up of classic Tamil Comics (Lion / Muthu / Thigil).  It should be noted that both of these legendary comic series were created as early in 1955.  The fact that they are still continuing to be published, says a great deal about the work of Duchâteau & Tibet.

Duchâteau went on to pen and script many series throughout his career, in the process forging tie-ups with some of the greatest players in the comic field like Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosinski, both of whom needs no introductions to Comicologists, as we have covered their work earlier (For those who missed, follow the links to the respective creators information pages laced in at various posts in Comicology).  Duchateau’s last notable effort was in 1990s, when he worked on making comic adaptations on novels by Milk Fondal and John Flanders.

Rene Follet (c) li-an.frOn the other hand, René Follet (b.1931 in Belgium) started his illustration career as early at the age of 14, doing some promotional work.  That experience helped him to land a job at Spirou magazine in 1949, where he drew under the pen-name, Ref, which was followed by his first comic series in form of Les Belles Histoires de l'Oncle Paul, which detailed the stories of fictional character Uncle Paul in over 1000 episodes on Spirou magazine (the series was originally created by Jean-Michel Charlier, of Blueberry fame).

Follet later moved to Tintin magazine in 1953, and started illustrating work for the western comic series Rocky Bill. Not only that, he also worked for a variety of publishers, which includes Dupius, Lombard, Casterman, and also for Dutch publications, like Pep and Eppo. 

Follet's Artwork in TussaudFollet’s artwork stands out from the rest of the artists, as he had an unique knack of using brush strokes rather than the traditional pencil layers, which made his comic arts look like a classic painting in each frame, which spans over 104 pages in this two volume edition.  He is largely helped by Duchâteau’s scenarios, who is shown to have utilized his unique panache of bringing in detective-laced intriguing plot, an area for which Duchâteau is famous for, due to his long found association in police stories and detective novels, which he worked on to bring into comic format.

The character portrayals, could be best example with the character of Desmarets, who is always shown with a flower in his mouth, and forms a central figure by making his presence in different setups, in different roles, in the process setting us to diffuse the central plot which unravels and keeps us enthused right till the end.

It is also said that Follet was once approached by Edgar P Jacobs, to assist him in illustrating the Blake and Mortimer series.  But he refused it since Jacobs denied his request of including his name in the credits page.  What an Irony, that Jacobs originally made a similar request to his long time friend Herge (Read more about this in our exclusive Blake & Mortimer post at Comicology) in his Tintin series, who in-turn denied it.  This eventually made him foray full time to B&M series, in the process propelling him to a cult status.

blake-et-mortimer with follet (c) over-blog.comBut unlike Jacobs, Follet didn’t get the same lady-luck smiling on him with a similar decision, as throughout his career, he is never known for a lengthy or legendary comic series. It also owes lot to his work style, where he often freelanced and worked for different publishers throughout his career, which made his contributions into short pieces of works.  Also, he had an opinion that the Comics restricted his freestyle drawing and found his likes more in drawing for novels.

But that doesn’t hide the fact that he is a master in this type of art-form.  For samples, you can brief through the wonderful art panels embedded throughout this post.  No wonder Follet is often regarded as the “great master of 9th Art, the world has NEVER known”.

Recently, he made a portrait for Blake & Mortimer lead characters, at the start of 2009, with his own style.  I wonder had he got an opportune to work on B&M, what would have happened to the otherwise flat artwork witnessed in them (by saying that I don’t demean Jacob’s incredible work, anyway).  Those are only my wild guesses, so let’s not get much into it :).


There may be section of comicologists who would despise this series, as to have shown some legends in the bad-light or with a commercially motivated wrong portrayal.  Duchâteau had this to say in his foreword, about the topic:

With a lot of truth, I have mixed in a touch of fiction, permitted by the apocryphal autobiography of Marie Tussaud.  I wanted to show, besides the essential events, the tragic and absurd little moments seen through the eyes of a fascinating young woman who had the unusual job of sculpting wax masks. Ingenious and brave, yet terrified at the same time, she was also clever, as were so many women living with this horror on a daily basis.

In short, I have tried to make an alternative history, a mixture of truth and imaginary.  Hard to believe, but true.

On my part, I must conclude that he stayed true to his words, which makes it a definite piece to own in our collection.

Terreur1Terreur2As said earlier, the series was originally released in French by Dargaud-Lombard in a two volume editions, titled:

       - Terreur 1 in 2002, and

       - Terreur 2 in 2004

Thanks to CineBook’s strategy of Expresso series, we are able to witness these two editions in a single volume as The Fascinating Madame Tussaud, trade paperback (TPB), translated into English language by Luke Spear

I must say the translation has been done with utmost care, and Spear has done a commendable effort in retaining the essence of the storyline from its original.  Very few manage to do it, and Spear seems to be having an unique knack in doing so. No wonder CineBook seems to be relying on his work for much of their titles (his contributions to CineBook so far range in a series line-up consisting Lucky Luke, Biggles Recounts, Clifton, Queen Margot, Thorgal, Yoko Tsuno, Ducoboo and Rugger Boys; all of which have been reviewed at Comicology earlier.  Follow the links to know more).

And that brings us to the end of another CineBook review here at Comicology.  Hopefully, you would have found this post useful and fun reading, just like I felt while working on it.  Wish you all a Happy Week ahead.  Have Fun & nJoY, while I will be back with another post shortly. Adios Amigos !

Mar 13, 2009

Cinebook - Backlist Titles | 2009

CinebookGuess what, just when I took a breath thinking that we have reviewed pretty much 90% of the titles released by Cinebook as Backlist in 2008, here we are pounded with another set of classic titles from the Franco-Belgian Genre.  Yeap, Cinebook have launched their much expected second batch of Backlist titles to mark the new year 2009, in India.

WestlandIn our foremost Cinebook debut post, back in 2008, we debated on the topic of whether the deal between Cinebook and Westland will continue, bringing us these wonderful titles, at a bargain price. 

But, subsequent enquiries to Westland didn’t return any favourable response. One of the bigger problems with Indian based companies, is that their zero-response attitude towards readers or fans, unless you have links with a distributor or an inside friend. So, the news of whether or when we will see the next batch of Cinebook, was never known until Oct’08.

On Oct’08, as a desperate act, I logged a request to our dear old friend, Terry of CBO, to check directly with Cinebook’s Olivier Cadic to assess the probability of Indian re-entry.  Guess what, the relentless Terry came back within a couple of a days, with this good news on CBO.  According to which, Westland and Cinebook brokered a return deal at the Frankfurt Book Fair, last year. 

Well, it was sweet news to me, and since then I was expecting to see them hit the stands in India.  My further queries to Westland office on the availability of these titles, were met with a cold shoulder, as always.

Nevertheless, here we are with another set of wonderful issues from Cinebook.  One thing I feared was about the pricing of the titles this time around, with the economic slowdown. But, the good hearts in the biz, seem to have stuck on with their earlier success mantra of bargain prices, tailor made to Indian Comics fan’s budget.

So, without further due, here is the complete list of Cinebook comics available in India, as part of the first batch for 2009:

AldebranAldebran/Betelguese
INR 350 | Leo | 4 Titles  
# 01: The Catastrophe
# 02: The Group
# 03: The Creature 
# 01: The Survivors 

AlphaAlpha
Renard & Jigounov | 2 Titles 
# 01: The Exchange INR 350
# 02: Wolves’ Wages INR 195

Billy and Buddy Billy and Buddy 
INR 195 | Roba | 1 Title
# 01: Remember this, Buddy?

Blake & MortimerBlake & Mortimer
INR 250 | Hamme & Benoit | 3 Titles 
# 04: The Francis Blake Affair
# 05: The Strange Encounter
# 06: S.O.S.Meteors

Buck DannyBuck Danny 
INR 195 | F Bergese | 1 Title
# 01: Night of the Serpent

CedricCedric
INR 195 | Leloup & Cauvin | 1 Title
 
#01: High-Risk Class

CliftonClifton 
INR 195 | Groot & Macherot | 1 Title
# 06: Kidnapping

DucobooDucoboo
INR 195 | Zidrou & Godi | 1 Title  
# 03: Your Answers or Your Life

Green ManorGreen Manor
INR 350 | Vehlmann & Bodart | 1 Title 
# 02: The Inconvenience of Being Dead

IR$IR$
INR 350 | Desberg & Vrancken | 1 Title 
# 02: Blue Ice

Lady SLady S
INR 350 | Hamme & Aymond | 1 Title 
# 01: Here’s to Suzie

Largo WinchLargo Winch
INR 350 | Hamme & Francq | 1 Title
# 03: Dutch Connection

Lucky LukeLucky Luke
INR 195 | Morris & Goscinny | 4 Titles 
# 12: The Rivals of Painful Gulch
# 15: The Daltons in the Blizzard
# 16: The Black Hills
# 17: Apache Canyon

MelusineMelusine
INR 195 | Clarke & Gilson | 1 Title
 
#03: The Vampires’ Ball

Orbital Orbital 
INR 195 | Pelle & Runberg | 1 Title
# 01: Scars

Pandora Box Pandora’s Box 
INR 195 | Pagot & Alcante| 1 Title
# 01: Pride

Papyrus Papyrus 
INR 195 | De Gieter | 1 Title
# 03: The Assassinated Pharaoh

MargotQueen Margot
INR 250 | Cadic & Derenne | 1 Title 
# 03: Endangered Love

Scared to DeathScared to Death
INR 195 | Mauricet & Vanholme | 1 Title
# 02: Malevolence and Mandrake

Belly ButtonsBellybuttons, The
INR 195 | De Gieter | 1 Title
# 01: Who do you think you are?

BluecoatsBluecoats, The 
INR 195 | Lambil & Cauvin | 2 Titles
#01: Robertsonville Prison
#02: The Navy Blues

ScorpionScorpion, The 
INR 350 | Desberg & Marini | 2 Titles 
# 01: The Devil’s Mark
# 02: The Devil in the Vatican

Thorgal Thorgal
INR 350 | Hamme & Rosinski | 2 Titles
# 04: The Archers
# 05: The Land of Qa

Yakari Yakari
INR 195 | Job & Derib | 1 Title 
#06: In the Land of Wolves

Yoko TsunoYoko Tsuno
INR 195 | Leloup | 1 Title
 
 
# 03: The Prey and the Ghost

 

Few notable misses from this set are:

  • Lucky Luke: As expected, #11: Western Circus, #13: The Tenderfoot, #14: The Dashing White Cowboy released by Cinebook in 2008, have been given a miss, since they were published in India by Tara Press, already.   
  • Iznogoud: Cinebook have published 3 issues of Iznogoud up until 2009, but they chose wisely against distributing them in India; The reason is that Euro Books have currently planned to publish 12 issues of Iznogoud in India in 2009.
  • Largo Winch: #2 issue was released back in 2008, but it is missed out in this lot.  I was certainly hoping to see the story unfold in this issue, but it seems we might have to wait for the next batch, and be content with #3 for now.
  • Biggles Recounts: Issue #3 was missed out. No qualms, as I didn’t find the series impressive enough to miss. But #3 was promising enough, since it was to talk about Wright Brothers and their inventions.
  • Biggles: Spitfire Parade was released by Cinebook in 2008, but as Euro Books have already published majority from the Bergese set in India, the miss is understandable.
       
    Note
    : As per the latest news, Cinebook have stopped publishing Biggles titles, due to a legal disagreement between the Original French publisher Le Lombard and the people who represent Biggles copyrights. I hope that the issues are sorted out soon, and we will get to see more Biggles titles under the brand of Cinebook.

Due to the recent change in the distribution cycle of Cinebook in India, we would not have to wait for a year or so for each batch of those wonderful titles. Westland have now started ordering Cinebook titles every month on an incremental basis, which is a good news for me, and most importantly will help to continue the series uninterrupted.

As you might have guessed, we will be looking into each of these series more in detail in the upcoming posts at Comicology.  So Stay Tuned, to know more on these gems from the Franco-Belgian Genre.

Cinebook Collection

EuroBooks Collection

Here is a snapshot (at the left) of my Complete Cinebook collection (from both batches of 2008 & 2009).  Doesn’t it gives a good show :). It certainly looks huge on my shelf, and only back in 2007 I was thinking that Euro Books is the biggest set in recent years (snapshot at right).

No doubts, Cinebook instalments are much better in content than Euro Books. 

Not to forget it is also much heavier on your pockets then the later. But isn’t it worth the money? :)

Talking of Collections, I couldn’t help but talking about about one of my largest buys ever recently.  Couple of years back, when I visited Uncle Sam’s country, I picked up one issue each of Titan Book’s New Modesty & Bond Series Collection.  They were highly priced (when converted to INR, obviously), but I thought I could own it as a one-off showcase piece in my collection.

Bond CollectionModesty CollectionBut, when I recently witnessed Chennai’s Odyssey Bookstore, showcasing the complete Bond & Modesty collection on the stands, I couldn’t stop myself from the tempting offer laying before me to own them, even though they were priced directly at the exchange rate, once again. Dollar seems to have followed me all along :-).

Nevertheless, the classic comic strips of Bond & Modesty deserve their price, and I convinced myself over a month, to lay my hands on the complete set in 2009.

It remains (and I hope it stays) till date my biggest spend on any specific comic series.

At least, the one good thing I did amidst all these buys, is opting for an email Credit Card statement instead of the traditional physical ones.  Well, as all you might know, It saves me from some prying eyes back home, and a lot of trouble thereafter :).

Well, we are in for a long deal of reviews at Comicology, with all these recent buys.  So strap on, and let’s zoom past them for months to come.

Last Updated: 23 December 2010 - with new Cinebook Titles for the year.

 

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