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Les Derniers corsaires

By Hervé St-Louis
September 23, 2006 - 20:14

Les Derniers corsaires is a historical graphic novel about some of the British captains who led submarines during the Second World War. In particular, the story looks at Captain Woolf who went from a bumbling and incompetent sailor to a celebrated war hero. Learning the ropes from Captain Wallis and Captain Fielding, Woolf would rise up to the challenge and inherit the famed submarine who sank many Axis ships (and trucks) during the Second World War. This book is published in French.

Les Derniers corsaires presents the captains as the last pirates of their age cruising the seas and sinking enemy ships. Although based on facts, this story was written for romantics and military conflicts afficionados. Probably based on the memoirs of the captains, Houde and Richard recreate tense moments in their lives. This story is based on ideals of camaraderie and military morals. It briefly hints at the class conflicts and backroom politics, when Woolf comments that as Wallis is the son of an admiral, he obtained his commission through favoured means.

Something I liked about this story, is that it wasn’t bugged down in military details that non experts could not decipher. I would have loved to see more development of secondary cast members, such as the other officers and sailors s on the ship or some of the soldiers in the headquarters of the Royal Navy. More link to other pirates of the seas to ground the title of the book with the past of both corsairs and the British navy would have improved the story.

The artwork is a mix of Blain and Milton Caniff from Terry and the Pirates. The line work clearly dates the work in earlier days and suits the story.

8/10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12