An interesting pulp-inspired comic-book series is The Chimera Brigade. Mainly because unlike making use of American pulp characters, it mainly makes use of European pulp characters, many of whom have been used in the Tales of the Shadowmen series (the author of this series writes for it, so if you’re read Tales, that will help). It originally appeared in France and has only recently been published in English.
Written by Serge Lehman with Fabrice Colin, and art by Gess, it first appeared in 2009. Recently Titan Comics reprinted it in three slim hardback volumes and is reprinting that in comic book form (two issues per volume) that should lead to further stories. I’m told there have been some changes in the comic from the books, but I can’t see that after comparing the first two comic books with the first volume.
Set in 1938-39 in Europe, the setup is that during WWI, something happened to create a slew of “superheroes,” and since then the face of Europe has changed. The story makes use of many pulp characters from that period, all under different names. So far in the first volume, I can figure out (with a bit of help):
- Dean Dickson: Harry Dickson, “The American Sherlock Holmes” set in Britain
- Thomas Terence: Thomas Carnacki, British occult detective.
- Tigrefax: Felifax the tiger man, a man with tiger characteristics, but here more tiger-like.
- Soh-Kun: Sun-Koh, the last Atlantean, a German pulp character, a sort-of “Nazi Doc Savage“
- Tony Langston, “The Excelerator“: the son of Andrew Gibberne, “The Accelerator” (from an H.G. Wells‘ story, “The New Accelerator,” that I don’t recall reading.)
- Marc Saint-Clair, “The Eye“: Leo St. Clair, “The Nyctalope,” who also setup the CID (Committee for Investigation and Detection) and is French character.
- Dr. Mabuse: Dr. Missbrauch, aka “M,” who now seems to run a Hitler-less Nazi Germany, with an army of “Totenkopfs.”
- Professor Iron: Doc Savage
- The Mirage: The Shadow
- Steele: Superman
- From Franz Kafka‘s “The Metamorphosis”: Gregor Samse, “The Cockroach,” though here he can transform from human to giant cockroach and control cockroaches.
- The Falange, who represents Spanish fascism, as far as I know, an original character.
- Gog, ruler of Italy: Goggins, from Giovanni Papini’s 1931 satirical novel (so no Mussolini).
- Metropole, Dr. Missbrauch’s city: Metropolis, the futuristic city from the movie and book
- The Golem, from stories, is protector of Prague which M wishes to invade.
- “We”: masters of Moscow and the Soviet Union, name taken from early novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It’s lead by a group of fictional mad scientists: Dr. Moreau (Wells), Dr. Lerne (Maurice Lerne, reprinted by Black Coat Press), Dr. Cornelius (Gustave Le Rouge, also reprinted by Black Coat Press), Dr. Persikov (Mikhail Bulgakov). And they have an army of armored agents. But no hint of Lenin or Stalin.
- Jean-Marc Dutilleul, who comes from a short story by Marcel Aymé: “The Man Who Walked Through Walls”.
We also get mention of Fantomas, Judex, Sherlock Holmes, and Captain Mors.
And of course there are several real people used in the story. Marie Curie headed the Radium Institute in Paris, and coordinated the many superhuman defenders. She died in 1934 and her daughter Irene runs it with her husband Frederic Joliot. There has been a falling out between them and the Eye, and Irene seems more allied with “We”.
The heroes are hoping to prevent WWII, but there is also a search for the “Chimera Brigade” of the title, which is the focus of the next two albums.
Will have to see how the story progresses in the second and third volumes, and if the new comic book reprinting of Titan will lead to further stories.
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