Doctor Radar is the evil genius of the interwar period and he decides in Death in Venice to go into space as fascism threatens to shake Italy. After two critically acclaimed volumes, discover the rest of his adventures at Glénat.
The return of the doctor
In Europe shaken by the upheavals of the First World War, Dr. Radar has a diabolical project. The Earth is no longer enough for him and so he wants to go to the moon to bomb several cities. However, to reach this star, he needs the formula of a powerful fuel. He thinks he has found it, but one of his agents has been duped by a scientist. In the first pages, Radar comes to threaten this liar but the scientist has given the formula to the enemy of Radar, the Parisian journalist Ferdinand Straub. To obtain it, what better way than to take the whole city of Venice hostage? To thwart this project, a small group stands around the intrepid Ferdinand Straub and his friend, the dandy Pascin. Death in Venice then becomes a hectic fight to the death between Rome, Paris and the city of the Doges. Each has recourse to the modernity of the time. Cars sped on the roads while a biplane bombed Venice.
Station fascism
Noël Simsolo's screenplay skilfully combines the unbridled action of the station novel with the realism of a history book. This creative madness is marked by Doctor Radar who seems to come from a serial novel of the time. Wanting nothing less than to be master of the world, he is the perfect Nemesis against Straub. As clever and overexcited as Rouletabille, the journalist pushes the action. Started in 2014, this series has the speed of an Arsène Lupin novel but in a dark version. Dr. Radar is a nihilistic villain who hates everyone, fascists and democrats alike. It is through his actions that we discover the very confused situation of Italy in 1920 which is shaken by the interventions of its nationalists in Fiume and the rise of the future dictator Mussolini. The context is also literary by the references to Gabriele d'Annunzio. The Second World War is a muted threat that sometimes emerges in the dialogues but the darkness is found especially in the image. The whole beginning happens at night. Far from the current city harassed by waves of tourists, Venice is deserted. Appearing to come out of a German expressionist film of this period, the reader can only admire the drawing of Doctor Radar. Not aiming for realism, Frédéric Bézian installs a twilight atmosphere by playing on black. Behind a fixed layout around a nine-page waffle iron, Frédéric Bézian does an impressive job on the color because each box is immersed in a camaïeu where the only trace of white is the pale skin of the characters. However, it is sometimes difficult to spot faces. 
Mort à Venise knows how to spend this agonizing period with humor. While ready to kill, Radar is surprised by a white poodle. Then, a woman thinks that learning to shoot can be useful. A duo of Radar agents exchange funny lyrics because, without their daily quota of murders, they mope around. In the other camp, Pascin is also a lot of fun. This cartoonist finances his life of pleasures by selling S drawings.M. Arrived at his third volume, Doctor Radar continues to produce a strong impression on the reader by renewing the historical comic. The reader enjoys both a story far superior to the last Lupin and a description of the rise of fascism much less boring than Bern's last show. So unplug the TV to enjoy this magnificent series. However, it is important to start with the first volume to fully enjoy this series. If you are looking for historical comics finally dusted, we advise you to read the chronicles on These Savage Shores and Colt & Pepper.
