Freddy Lombard

By Yves Chaland, Yann Lepennetier, Isabelle Beaumenay Joannet

“Maybe it’s better this way! You might’ve been disappointed if you’d found your friend! He might be a policeman now, or a lawyer…or maybe something worse…”

“An accountant!”

Noooooooo! Say it isn’t so! A job that includes ma…mmm….maaa…..MAAAAAAATH!

Writer Yves Chaland, along with co-writer Yann Lepennertier, sets out to tell the story of Freddy Lombard, a man who is essentially an older version of Tin Tin (without the dog). Freddy, along with his friends Sweep and Dina, goes on a number of adventures throughout this graphic novel. The first of which has them looking for lost treasure due to a chance meeting with a man at a hotel/restaurant. Chaland rolls through the story with a quick pace as he puts all the details in place one after another – some of them feeling awfully convenient.

This series focuses on adventure, and not always as happening in the “real” world. In the first story in the collection we get a medieval adventure via a dream sequence, which completely shifts the story into a new direction. This new direction however, hints at the story towards the end, so it’s clear Chaland has entered into each with a clear idea of where things will lead.

The artwork in this collection is also done by Yves Chaland, along with colors by Isabelle Beaumenay Joannet. The artwork is also reminiscent of Tin, and old-school comics in general. During the medieval scene described above Chaland does a nice job of creating some large action filled panels. One of these panels features “The mighty army” heading off as a prominent figure is shrouded in shadow in the foreground and a legion of lesser detailed characters come barreling in from the background. Joannet in this scene covers the shadowed figure in red and black, as the sky above contains a pink hue (the red resulting from the rising sun). Something Chaland also does well throughout this collection is give is characters a wide of array of facial expressions, which he does while approaching his characters faces in limited detail.

Freddy Lombard and his companions take on many different roles throughout this collection of stories as we’re also given a trip through history. The artwork is consistent throughout as we see these stories flow from one to the next in familiar fashion. Freddy and his companions go on a wide array of adventures and with each turn of the page you’re never really sure where you’re going to end up next.