{"id":27461,"date":"2023-01-25T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=27461"},"modified":"2023-01-24T18:42:19","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T18:42:19","slug":"trent-volume-5-wild-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2023\/01\/25\/trent-volume-5-wild-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Trent volume 5: Wild Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Rodolphe<\/strong> & <\/strong>L\u00e9o<\/strong>, coloured by Marie-Paule Alluard<\/strong>, translated by Jerome Saincantin<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-84918-395-6 (Album PB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Continental audiences adore the mythologised American experience, whether in Big Sky Wild Westerns or later eras of crime-riddled, gangster-fuelled dramas. They also have a vested historical interest in the northernmost parts of the New World, and it has resulted in some pretty cool graphic extravaganzas if comics are your entertainment drug of choice\u2026<\/p>\n

Born in Rio de Janeiro on December 13th<\/sup> 1944, \u201cL\u00e9o\u201d is Brazilian artist and storyteller Luiz Eduardo de Oliveira Filho. After attaining a degree in mechanical engineering from Puerto Alegre in 1968, he was a government employee for three years, until forced to flee the country because of his political views.<\/p>\n

While a military dictatorship ran Brazil, he lived in Chile and Argentina before illegally returning to his homeland in 1974. He worked as a designer and graphic artist in Sao Paulo whilst creating his first comics art for O Bicho<\/strong><\/em> magazine, and in 1981 migrated to Paris to pursue a career in Bande Dessin\u00e9e. He found work with Pilote<\/strong><\/em> and L\u2019Echo des Savanes<\/strong><\/em> as well as more advertising and graphics fare, until a big break came when Jean-Claude Forest invited him to draw stories for Okapi<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

This led to regular illustration work for Bayard Presse, and in 1988 L\u00e9o began his association with scripter\/scenarist Rodolphe D. Jacquette – AKA Rodolphe. The prolific, celebrated writing partner had been a giant of comics since the 1970s: a Literature graduate who left teaching and running libraries to create poetry, criticism, novels, biographies, children\u2019s stories and music journalism.<\/p>\n

After meeting Jacques Lob in 1975, Jacquette expanded his portfolio: writing for many strip artists in magazines ranging from Pilote<\/strong><\/em> and Circus<\/strong><\/em> to \u00c3 Suivre<\/strong><\/em> and M<\/strong><\/em>\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>tal Hurlant<\/strong><\/em>. Amongst his most successful endeavours are Raffini<\/strong><\/em> (with author Ferrandez) and L\u2019Autre Monde <\/strong><\/em>(with Florence Magnin), but his triumphs in all genres and age ranges are too numerous to list here.<\/p>\n

In 1991 \u201cRodolph\u201d began working with L\u00e9o on a period adventure of the \u201cfar north\u201d. Taciturn, introspective, bleakly philosophical and pitilessly driven, Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant Philip Trent<\/em> premiered in L\u2019Homme Mort<\/strong><\/em>, forging a lonely path through the 19th<\/sup> century Dominion. He starred in eight tempestuous, hard-bitten, love-benighted albums between then and 2000 and the creative collaboration sparked later fantasy classic Kenya<\/strong><\/em> and its spin-offs Centaurus<\/strong><\/em> and Porte de Brazenac<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Cast very much in the classic mould perfected by Jack London and John Buchan, Trent<\/strong> is a man of few words, deep thoughts and unyielding principles who gets the job done whilst stifling the emotional turmoil boiling deep within him: the very embodiment of the phrase \u201cstill waters run deep\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

As Wild Bill<\/strong>, this fifth saga comes from 1996, offering a much lighter and more playful yarn that also sees genuine progress in the extended, diffident path to love of the stoic Mountie and his always unobtainable objet d\u2019amour<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

Years previously, during an arduous criminal pursuit, he had met and saved Agnes<\/em> St. Yves <\/em>– but tragically not her beloved brother – and was given a clear invitation from her: one that he never acted upon. Eventually, he made a heartfelt decision and travelled all the way to Providence with marriage in mind, only to learn that Agnes had stopped waiting and wed someone else.<\/p>\n

More time elapsed and they met again when her husband was killed during an horrific murder spree at isolated railway outpost White Pass. The ball was again in Trent\u2019s court and once more he fumbled it through timidity, indecision and inaction: retreating into duty and using work as an excuse to evade commitment and the risk of rejection\u2026<\/p>\n

That situation changes in this cheeky cheery episode which begins with the recurrent dream of aging but still deadly gunfighter Wild Bill Turkey<\/em> – a ridiculous soubriquet the legendary shootist adopted as part of his self-manufactured but well-earned reputation as a gunslinger par excellence.<\/p>\n

In his sunset years, Bill is feted and celebrated everywhere but cannot escape recurring visions of a glory-hungry man in black gunning him down\u2026<\/p>\n

The oldster is boisterously enjoying his fame in Kildare, Alberta when Sergeant Trent rides in, escorting a prisoner to Winnipeg. The local police chief, a slack and dissolute man who\u2019d rather carouse than work, suggests Trent himself lock up his charge in the town cells, rather than interrupt hard-earned drinking time.<\/p>\n

Despite the obvious benefits of celebrity, Bill is preparing to retire: loudly proclaiming to all and sundry in the saloon that he\u2019s engaged to be imminently married and standing free drinks for all. When Trent frustratedly heads for the police station, his duties are further disrupted by a stranger who offers him a truly phenomenal amount of money to let the young armed robber go free\u2026<\/p>\n

After kicking the tempter out, Trent spends an uncomfortable night pondering why someone prisoner Arthur Caldwell<\/em> claims not to know has so boldly attempted to circumvent justice and the law, and departs at first light. It\u2019s not just duty that drives him, though: Trent recently received a letter from Agnes who wants to see him. It came from Winnipeg\u2026<\/p>\n

Their dreary trek is interrupted by bad weather and as the heavens open, Mountie and miscreant take shelter in a dilapidated building in the middle of nowhere. That\u2019s when the stranger and a half dozen hired guns besiege them.<\/p>\n

Happily, Wild Bill\u2019s fianc\u00e9e Clementine<\/em> is also waiting in Winnipeg and the gunman is riding the same trail there. He swiftly drives off the assailants and shares the bushwacked travellers\u2019 refuge until the rains end\u2026<\/p>\n

With the same destination before them, all three travel together and gunslinger and lawman discover they have much in common. The old man is in utter earnest about hanging up his guns and settling down, but cannot shed the premonition that he will perish at the hands of the Man in Black before his new life can begin\u2026<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, far away in the lap of luxury, a powerful man takes further steps to ensure a huge embarrassment and potential threat to his plans never reaches civilisation\u2026<\/p>\n

All schemes and plans converge on and culminate in the township of Tootney, where a hired assassin (dressed in black) awaits someone he\u2019s longed to duel for years. Fate seems to have marked the aging legend\u2019s cards, and all his pep talks to Trent about love and second chances seem hollow when Wild Bill lies dying in the dust, but there\u2019s a major surprise in store for the outraged and bereft Mountie and redemption of sorts for young Caldwell after the survivors get to their destination\u2026<\/p>\n

Most importantly, however, Trent meets Agnes and their stumbling, fumbling relationship enjoys a major step forward\u2026<\/p>\n

Another beguilingly introspective voyage of internal discovery, where environment and locales are as much lead characters as hero and villain, Wild Bill <\/strong>delivers action, conspiracy, suspense and poignant romantic drama in a compelling, light-hearted concoction which will delight any fan of widescreen cinematic crime fiction or charming western romance.
\nOriginal edition \u00a9 Dargaud Editeur Paris 1996 by Rodolphe & Leo. All rights reserved. English translation \u00a9 2017 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rodolphe & L\u00e9o, coloured by Marie-Paule Alluard, translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-84918-395-6 (Album PB\/Digital edition) Continental audiences adore the mythologised American experience, whether in Big Sky Wild Westerns or later eras of crime-riddled, gangster-fuelled dramas. They also have a vested historical interest in the northernmost parts of the New World, and it … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Trent volume 5: Wild Bill”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,63,122,148,99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-european-classics","category-historical","category-romance","category-westerns"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-78V","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27461"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27464,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27461\/revisions\/27464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}