A dastardly group of Cornish independents fighting immigration and searching for the legendary sword of King Arthur have come under investigation by a famous sleuth duo.
In the latest adventures of comic book heroes Blake and Mortimer, a new group known as the Free Cornwall Group in the fictitious small town of St Corineus have come under scrutiny from Captain Francis Blake, of MI5, and his friend Philip Mortimer, a leading British scientist, who suspect their arch nemesis Colonel Olrik to be behind it all.
The story, set after the Second World War, will see the two heroes travel to Cornwall to investigate who is behind the man calling himself the Grand Druid and why the Free Cornwall Group are digging into the county’s rich Arthurian past and legends.
The story – the 30th instalment – is the latest in The Adventures of Blake and Mortimer series, a Belgian comic almost as famous as Tintin which was created by writer and comic artist Edgar P. Jacobs.
This volume was written by Yves Sente and drawn by the late artist André Juillard who died in July this year just as the final touches were being put to the book. On the publisher’s website Sente said that after many adventures in the tropics or India, and a few visits to London, Liverpool or Oxford, it was time Blake and Mortimer had some adventures in a part of the world they had never been to before.
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Writer Sente said: “André told me he didn’t want any more exotic decors and wanted to feature England instead. After London, Liverpool and Oxford we need to find an original location.
“I looked into Arthurian legends and thought there was a potential there so long as we avoided the usual clichés. André wasn’t one to impose a theme that he liked. He only ever suggested in an elegant way.”
About the theme of immigration that the latest book touches on, Sente added: “During the Second World War many young British men lost their lives so to compensate the lack of workers in Cornwall’s mines we thought immigrants from India, Pakistan or South Africa would have to be brought in to replace them. This in turns leads to tensions with the local people.
“Immigration is a global issue that is not new. The situation in the book links us to what is happening in the world today. Our story looks at a major societal issue. “
The comic book set in Cornwall and called Signé Olrik (Signed Olrik) is out now on Amazon but you might have to brush up on your French or wait for the English translation to read it.
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