Glénat Comics has just delivered its very first original production: Sukeban Turbo. Our review.
Sukeban Turbo is the good surprise of the moment at the publisher Glénat. It is indeed the very first Original Graphic Novel in the collection, namely the very first in-house creation of the publisher. To do this, it is up to the French author Sylvain Runberg and the Spanish cartoonist Victor Santos to do the work. And we must admit that we are excited!
The story of Sukeban Turbo is a subtle blend of several genres, all dosed just right: the Japanese feminist movement, the Sukebans , an urban universe with New York City and today's problems 
such as difference, acceptance and violence. We meet Shelby Buckman, leader of a gang of high school girls called the Sukeban Tribe. They like to spread terror in their high school and neighborhood by all means: blackmail, racketeering, drug sales, etc. That's without counting on the past, which is likely to bring Shelby back to a world she has long forgotten. The story presents us quite clearly the different protagonists, and we witness over the pages the rise of the Sukeban Tribe. Highlighting a feminist group like this is quite unprecedented, especially by modeling it on a Japanese current. The idea of transposing the plot to the slums of New York supports the point even more.
Sylvain Runberg, to whom we owe the comic book adaptation of the Millennium saga, knows his subject. He sprinkles violence through an urban thriller, while not forgetting the work on the characters. We quickly realize that the past is something that has its importance in the narrative, and that despite everything, we cannot change it. The reading of Sukeban Turbo is rather fast, as we are caught up in this striking flow.
The drawings of Victor Santos, well known for his work on Polar, perfectly accompany the story. The characters are characterized and his line gives us an impression of appreciable movement. The watercolor side of some boxes, as well as most of the backgrounds, offers us a finished work that is pleasant when reading, and which especially characterizes the book.
Although the publisher Glénat sells us Sukeban Turbo under a comics name, we are more in front of a French comic, but the labels are only words, and this does not taint the pleasure of leafing through the book. The edition is beautiful and the cover catches the eye at first glance. Glénat also offers us a multitude of bonuses, between interviews, pencils, alternative covers and especially a big file on the Sukeban movement. With this, all the keys are in our hands to understand the story and its different inspirations.
In conclusion, for a first original creation, Sukeban Turbo is a success on the part of Glénat Comics. A dark and tortuous story, carried by sumptuous drawings, which accompany us throughout the story. The publisher offers us a beautiful edition, and the very last page leaves us on a "to follow"… We hope!
Don't want to miss any of Glénat Comics ' publications? Check out the releases for March 2017!
