European Comics in Official and Fan Translations

Blast 3 — Head First

Mancini’s story gets harder and harder to digest, as it spirals towards it’s violent and sordid climax. We see cracks beginning to appear in that seemingly impenetrable calm he maintains in the interrogation room, as he relates his difficult winter, his internment in a psychiatric hospital, his discovery of a collection of paintings that are the perfect representation of human suffering, and a cataclysmic encounter in the forest.“Polza’s story has many unusual twists, absurdities and horrors to go through before we get any closer to understanding the nature of the Blast, and Larcenet’s pacing and visual depictions of the journey make that a compellingly dark and intriguing story.” The Digital Fix

Berezina 2 — The Ashes

After the devastating fire that destroyed Moscow and drove out Napoleon’s troops, what can the French general possibly do next? He had originally planned to continue all the way to Asia. For a man wrapped up in his dreams of greatness, it is quite simply out of the question to go back to France at this point. But winter’s on its way, and each attempt to move forward results in death by the thousands.

,

Blast 4 — I hope the Buddhists are Wrong

The Mancini interrogation is finally wrapped up in this fourth and final volume Manu Larcenet’s masterpiece. His immaculate plotline reaches a conclusion that will leave you wide-eyed and speechless, as it unravels the mysteries of the fascinating savagery and the captivating but deranged mind of this rare human being.“Polza’s story has many unusual twists, absurdities and horrors to go through before we get any closer to understanding the nature of the Blast, and Larcenet’s pacing and visual depictions of the journey make that a compellingly dark and intriguing story.” The Digital Fix

Black Op 1 01

It’s 1945. Floyd Whitman discovers that ‘those scumbag communists’ have killed his father. He’s just a child, but he resolves to one day join the CIA. By 2003, America has triumphed over the Soviet Union, but the Russian mafia has become the most powerful, and certainly the most violent criminal group throughout the whole country. Through the fate of one man–young and full of illusions in 1965, but rather more embittered in 2003–we see the CIA help the Russian mafia get back on its feet in the squalid back rooms of the American empire. A great spy adventure comparable with the best of Hollywood thrillers.

,

Black Op 1 02

Former CIA agent Floyd Whitman investigates whether someone manipulated the US presidential elections. While carrying out the investigation he meets some of his old Russian acquaintances. Acquaintances who take him back to his youth in the 60s, when together they developed an ambitious plan to bring the Russian mafia back on its feet in order to fight the communist regime from within the borders of the United States. But today, forty years later, the White House decides to get rid of all the mafia bosses left in the country… The great spy adventure continues!

Black Op 1 03

It’s the 70s, and Floyd Whitman, a young and idealistic CIA agent manages to get in with the Russian mafia, at last seeing an opportunity to strike at the heart of the communist regime. So, with the CIA’s backing, he’s going to launch a huge secret operation to help the worst of the Soviet mafia in their cause. This third volume kicks off in present-day America with the arrival of a squad of ex-KGB assassins, whose aim is to get rid of Whitman’s old accomplices, under authorization of the American secret services.

Black Op 1 04

While ex-KGB assassins make their way to the United States, Floyd Whitman is in hiding, waiting for a secret operation to kick off. In the meantime, he takes a trip down memory lane, as he mulls over his life as a secret agent tracking the Russian mafia. But that’s not all. He’s also thinking about an old flame, Lovna.This is a ruthless thriller about the corrupt American empire that also gives an exciting glimpse of the mysteries of the Cold War. Black OP has become the cult spy series of the Franco-Belgian Comic scene.

Black Op 1 05

This is the fifth and penultimate volume of one of the most ambitious comic book spy series of all time. Over 30 years and 5 continents, CIA agent Floyd Whitman plunges right to the deepest depths of American politics through his counter-intuitive alliance with the Russian mafia. Constructed with the precision of clockwork mechanics, Desberg’s Machiavellian script is wonderfully complemented by Labiano’s tense and elegant artwork.

Black Op 1 06

In this final installment of the series that reinvented comic book spy stories, Operation Clean Up has begun. The Vice President and the CIA have launched a secret war against members of the Russian mafia based in the United States. Nothing can stop them now. Except for the one man who really knows what’s at stake with this operation, and the murky alliances of the past. It’s game over for the survivors of the Cold War, and the final mission for Floyd Whitman. Time to finally reveal the truth. And maybe save the woman he once loved?

Black Op 2 07

Black OP is back with a whole new season about the petrol crisis that will shake up the West and transform North-South relations. Black Ops are top secret CIA operations that sometimes push the boundaries of legality. In the 70s, the agency decided to post a pair of spies right at the heart of Iranian oil country to investigate the oil magnates and certain rather suspicious financial movements…