{"id":30933,"date":"2024-11-18T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30933"},"modified":"2024-11-17T15:30:09","modified_gmt":"2024-11-17T15:30:09","slug":"clifton-volume-3-7-days-to-die-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/11\/18\/clifton-volume-3-7-days-to-die-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Clifton volume 3: 7 Days to Die"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Turk & De Groot<\/strong>, translated by Luke Spear<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-905460-08-3 (Album TPB)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content <\/strong>produced during less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Seeing ourselves through other\u2019s eyes is always a salutary experience and our Continental cousins in the comics biz are especially helpful in that respect as regards the core characteristics of being British.<\/p>\n

For some inexplicable reason most of Europe\u2019s comics cognoscenti – most especially the French and Belgians – seem fascinated with us. Maybe it\u2019s a shared heritage of Empires in Decline and old cultures and traditions in transition? An earlier age might claim it\u2019s simply a case of \u201cKnowing your Enemy\u201d. Whether looking at Anglo air ace Biggles<\/strong>, indomitable scientific adventurers Blake and Mortimer<\/strong>, the Machiavellian machinations of Green Manor<\/strong> or the further travails of Long John Silver<\/strong>, the serried stalwarts of our Scepter\u2019d Isles apparently cut a dashing swathe through the pages of Europe\u2019s assorted strip-magazines and albums.<\/p>\n

Clifton<\/strong> was originally devised by child-friendly strip genius Raymond Macherot (Chaminou<\/em>, Les croquillards<\/em>, Chlorophylle<\/em><\/strong>, Sibylline<\/em>) for iconic magazine Le Journal de<\/em><\/strong> Tintin<\/em><\/strong>; a doughty True Brit troubleshooter who debuted in December 1959, just as a filmic 007<\/strong> was preparing to set the world ablaze\u2026<\/p>\n

After three albums worth of material – compiled and released between 1959 and 1960 – Macherot left Tintin<\/em><\/strong> for arch-rival Le Journal de<\/em><\/strong> Spirou<\/em><\/strong> and his eccentric comedy crime-fighter forlornly floundered until LJdT<\/em><\/strong> revived him at the height of the Swinging London scene and aforementioned spy-boom, courtesy of Jo-El Azaza & Greg (Michel R\u00e9gnier). These strips were subsequently collected in 1969 as Les lutins diaboliques<\/em><\/strong> in French and De duivelse dwergen<\/em><\/strong> for Dutch-speakers.<\/p>\n

Then it was back into retirement until 1971 when first Greg (with artist Joseph Loeckx) took his shot; working until 1973 when writer Bob De Groot and illustrator Philippe \u201cTurk\u201d Liegeois fully revived the be-whiskered Brit for the long haul. They produced ten tales of which this – 1979\u2019s 7 jours pour mourir<\/em><\/strong> – was fourth. From 1984 on, artist Bernard Dumont (AKA B\u00e9du) – limned De Groot\u2019s scripts before eventually assuming the writing chores as well, until the series at last concluded in 1995 …but not for long…<\/p>\n

In keeping with its rather haphazard Modus Operandi and indomitably undying nature, the Clifton experience resumed yet again in 2003, crafted by De Groot & Michel Rodrigue for four further adventures; a grand total of 25 to date. The setup is deliciously simple: pompous, irascible Colonel Sir Harold Wilberforce Clifton<\/em>, ex-RAF, former Metropolitan police Constabulary and recently retired from MI5, has a great deal of difficulty dealing with being put out to pasture in rural Puddington<\/em>. He thus takes every opportunity to get back in the saddle, occasionally assisting the Government or needy individuals as an amateur sleuth. Sadly for Clifton – as with that other much-underappreciated national treasure Captain Mainwaring<\/em> in Dad\u2019s Army<\/strong> – he is too keenly aware that he is usually the only truly competent man in a world full of blithering idiots…<\/p>\n

This particular tale strays somewhat from well-trodden humour paths, indulging in some frantic action and sinister suspense bombastic whilst still resolutely going for comedy gold. In his third Cinebook album – as first seen in 2005 – the Gentleman Sleuth is notably absent as the tale opens in London at the secret Headquarters of MI5. Veteran warhorse and ultra-capable spymaster Colonel Donald Spruce<\/em> is having a little bit of a crisis…
\n\"\"
\nA battled-scarred survivor of simpler times, Spruce longs for one last field mission, but is instead swamped with petty admin nonsense. That all changes in an instant as the computer boffins in charge of Betty<\/em> – latest in the line of \u201cThinkover\u201d super-calculators – discovers a little problem. In the age of automation, Betty controls every aspect of physical eliminations for the agency. \u201cShe\u201d is an infallible electronic assassination expediter. Information on a target is fed in and Betty commences a contract, contacting outside agents to do the dirty work, providing all details they will need to complete the commission. No hostile has ever lasted more than a week when Betty is concerned: she provides efficiency, expediency, economy and utter deniability…<\/p>\n

Except now the harassed technos are enduring a severe tongue-lashing from Spruce who has noticed that the latest print-out is retired agency star (and his old chum) Harold Wilberforce Clifton. As Spruce fumes and fulminates the abashed boffins try to explain that the process is irreversible. They can\u2019t contact the contractors to cancel the hit. Clifton is as good as dead\u2026<\/p>\n

With no other choice, the Colonel frantically phones the retired agent and gives him the bad news. Our hero, unwilling to bow out gracefully, immediately goes on the run, using all his cunning and years of tradecraft to stay one step ahead of his faceless hunters. His stalkers however, are seasoned professionals too, and luck more than guile is the only thing saving him from an increasingly spectacular succession of devastating \u201caccidents\u201d…<\/p>\n

Thematically far darker than previous tales, 7 Days to Die<\/strong> is nevertheless stuffed with hilarious moments of slapstick and satire to balance some pretty spectacular action set-pieces as frantic flight, devious disguise and even coldly calculated counterattack all fail to deter the implacable assassins. However as the climax approaches Clifton and Spruce individually come to the same stunning conclusion: this selection by Betty might not have been an accident after all…<\/p>\n

Visually spoofing the 1970s\u2019 original era of Cool Britannia and staidly stuffy English Mannerism with wicked effect, these gentle thrillers are big on laughs but also pack a lot of trauma-free violence into the eclectic mix. Delightfully surreal, instantly accessible and doused with serous slapstick \u00c0 la Jacques Tati and deft, daft intrigue like Carry On Spying <\/strong>or Morecambe & Wise\u2019s The Intelligence Men<\/strong>, this romp rattles right along offering readers a splendid treat.
\nOriginal edition \u00a9 1979 Le Lombard (Dargaud-Lombard S. A.) by De Groot & Turk. English translation \u00a9 2005 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Turk & De Groot, translated by Luke Spear (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-905460-08-3 (Album TPB) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced during less enlightened times. Seeing ourselves through other\u2019s eyes is always a salutary experience and our Continental cousins in the comics biz are especially helpful in that respect as regards the core characteristics of being … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Clifton volume 3: 7 Days to Die”<\/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":[191,113,63,125,107,169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-comedy","category-european-classics","category-humour","category-science-fiction","category-spy-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-82V","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30933","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=30933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30936,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30933\/revisions\/30936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}