BRUSEL

By: Andy Hershberger
Date: Thursday, November 08, 2001

Constant Abeels is a florist who believes in progress! This is why he's turned his back on natural plants - pesky things tend to die, you know - and filled his shop up instead with the plastic variety they last forever. On the day before he opens his newly stocked shop, he runs into one of his idols from all his readings of scientific journals and such - Professor Dersenval. The two become fast friends and all seems well, except the water in the house won't work and damnit if the phone doesn't go dead. Oh, not a problem that can't be fixed by a little trip to the palace, or so it would seem. It is here that Mr. Abeels has his first dealings with disinterested officials, with the exception of the lovely Tina Tonero, who never does anything halfway, even sabotage. Tina and Constant build up a relationship that could be love and could be consummated if it wasn't for the pesky cough and hacking up of blood that have been plaguing poor Mr. Abeels of late. No matter, Professor Dersenval is there to help with all his latest "cure all" devices - a mark of progress. Meanwhile the whole city of Brusel is in a state of renovation with all old buildings on their way out, to be replaced by towering skyscrapers ushering in the new age and making Brusel a city to contend with. Yes progress, there can be nothing wrong with it, nothing at all, nope, don't worry - worry, worry yourself silly.

So starts the second installment of the "Cities of the Fantastic" series. The first is THE GREAT WALLS OF SAMARIS, the third and fourth FEVER IN URBICAND and THE TOWER respectively. Now comes BRUSEL by Francoise Schuiten and Benoit Peeters. It's a series that has proved so popular in Europe that "metro stations in Paris and Brussels have been designed after it" - as well they should! Now available in the States thanks to NBM, the four volume (so far) saga can be appreciated on these shores for what it is - a gloriously illustrated, well written graphic novel that demonstrates the heights that can be achieved in the medium.

Seemingly inspired by such diverse elements as the writings of Jules Verne, the Fritz Lang film METROPOLIS, and the works of Terry Gilliam, to name but a few, BRUSEL is an astoundingly beautiful work of art combined with an inspired tale that takes the reader on a journey to the fantastic. Imagine pulp fantasy fiction, a future as envisioned by the past, and a satirical look at the perils of progress and you're only starting to scratch the surface of this piece. It's only fitting that such a labor of love would come from across the sea, where the reading of comics is not looked upon as a social stigma and the medium is treated with respect, even adulation. This more relaxed environment would naturally attract the best illustrators and writers to combine together to create worlds and stories that would appeal to adults and children. True, BRUSEL contains some racy scenes, but the people over there are more relaxed about such matters.


Kudos to NBM for making this available, for this is certainly a title that evokes the spirit of wonder in the reader - in the best possible sense - and it's an excellent read, hell it's a masterpiece that has a huge European cult following. By purchasing this title - along with the others in the "Cities of the Fantastic" series - you could show it to your non-comic reading friends as an example of just how good the medium can be. Of course, the fact it's wonderful doesn't hurt. I'm sure your buddies will look at the cover, then look at you, and say "Hey, this is from Europe. Don't they eat slugs over there?"

BRUSEL

Grade: A

Issue: No. 15

Author(s): Francois Schuiten, Benoit Peeters

Publisher: NBM Publishing

Price: $16.95