Blek LU #34: Zasjeda na Crvenoj rijeci / Priča o pištolju / Maska

Fever strikes the trappers. In Zasjeda na Crvenoj rijeci, Blek must obtain medicine by attacking a British supply convoy.

Saving his friends gives the adventure its purpose: confronting the enemy becomes a means of helping the sick. The plot connects the series’ wartime setting with the vulnerability of its forest community. Blek’s strength serves an immediate need, while danger arises from having to seek help among enemy supplies.

In The Story of a Pistol, a message concealed in a pistol’s grip passes through different hands before reaching Colonel Reding.

Here, an object carrying a secret links the participants. In contrast to the direct attack of the title story, the movement of information takes centre stage. The news hidden inside a weapon can matter as much as the weapon itself, giving the two adventures contrasting forms of suspense within the same world of resistance.

The Mask completes the volume. Featuring Blek, Roddy and Professor Occultis, the collection combines action, wartime intrigue and humour. Its different artistic contributions also invite comparison between portrayals of the familiar heroes during the period following the original EsseGesse creators.