Written by Zidrou
Art by Frank Pé
Published by Magnetic Press/Oni Press
Created more than 70 years ago, the Belgian comics character Marsupilami has remained popular over the decades, even headlining an animated Disney series for a while.
He’s a long-armed, spotted creature with an insanely long tail described as being more like a garden hose. His normal adventures on-screen or off have been mostly whimsical and comical.
When I saw the new book, The Beast, I questioned the logic and wisdom of taking such a beloved, fanciful character and dropping him in as a pivotal supporting character in a mostly serious post-war story about a bullied young boy and his mother. Having been surprised so many times in these reviews by now, I have however, learned to keep an open mind.
First published in France in 2020, The Beast has surprised me again.
Our story’s main protagonist is the young student François, whose progressive teacher, Mr. Boniface, regularly rankles the school administrators. Mr. Boniface has become infatuated with François’s mother, a young but harried woman whispered about all over town as the boy’s absent father is said to have been a Nazi. This gets François bullied by some of the other boys. He keeps his sanity by keeping a mini-menagerie at home including a piglet, a drunken horse, two horny beavers (named Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall), the only daytime bat in the world, and half a dozen other birds and animals, to which he adds the title character after rescuing him, as he had the others, from cruel fate.
When he takes his new long-tailed friend to show and tell at school, however, its initial popularity wanes quickly as chaos soon ensues. In response, the authorities are sent to his house and they confiscate not just the offending animal but all (except the horse, who wouldn’t fit in their vehicle). Needless to say, François is devastated but he takes matters into his own hands. Then someone discovers just how rare the “beast” really is and the hunt is on.
The story setting is mostly bleak, with numerous utterly stunning full pages of dark, rainy, splintery, smelly backgrounds, with or without characters. The art is quite incredible throughout, really, with a more modern version of the classic, deeply expressive Franco-Belgian style faces, all very differentiated. A problem I’ve noted in several recent reviews of otherwise good graphic novels is that characters are drawn too similarly to tell them apart. Not an issue here at all.
Dedicated to André Franquin, “creator of the Marsupilami,” this new work is credited to Frank Pé and Zidrou, presumably two people, although there are no bios nor any specific indication as to who was responsible for what. The wonderfully named Montana Kane, whose work I’ve encountered before, is credited with the translation.
Other than visually, this is clearly not Franquin’s version of the character, and certainly not Disney’s. The Beast offers a unique take on a well-known character and that often offends purists. Having only a passing familiarity with said character, it’s not a problem for me. The creators make you care about the animal, about François and his lonely mother, about Mr. Boniface, and even about the expressively drawn tipsy steed!
Along with the serious plot, there’s also a lot of humor, mainly from Mr. Boniface and the school principal. In fact, if I have a problem with this Magnetic Press volume at all it’s that it’s a Part One.
The Beast ends on a “To Be Continued.” It looks like it’s only supposed to be in two parts and the second part is already completed and due out in a couple months. Hopefully, I’ll get that volume, too, for review, so I can find out what happens next! Hint! Hint!
Booksteve recommends.
