Going into this book, I’ll admit that I had heard the name Fantomas once or twice, but I really knew very little about him. Appropriately enough, right at the top of the cover, The Wrath of Fantomas’ proudly proclaims ‘The World’s First Super-Villain Returns!’ I was intrigued and I most assuredly wanted to know more. Sensing the desire of readers like myself, writer Oliver Bocquet (FRNCK) begins the book with a wonderful introduction to the legendary Fantomas and what he means to him. It was fascinating to note the chronology of the titular character, a masked super-villain who gained incredible popularity in Europe some 25 years before the first masked super-hero, The Phantom, would appear in American comics. Not to be outdone, James Lovegrove (The Age of Ra, Sherlock Holmes and the Shadewell Shadows) pens an equally impressive foreword to the book. This foreword is well worth the price of admission, giving some historical insight into the original Fantomas authors as well as Fantomas himself. I think Lovegrove encapsulates what Fantomas is all about in the following,  ‘Fantomas himself is a mystery. His origins, his motivations, even his face remains unknown – blurry, indefinable….What is certain is that he is an elusive master of disguise and a ruthless sociopath who will stop at nothing to realize his nefarious plans.’ Given this very apt description of the man, if I can call him that, the creative team behind this book have done an incredible job bringing him to life.
The prologue of the book is set some sixteen years before the main events of the story. A woman, dragging along her young son, is despondent and desperate for anyone to help her. Fleeing into an exhibition of moving pictures she encounters Juve, at this time a constable in the police force who will eventually rise to become an inspector in The Surete’. Juve is the faithful foil to Fantomas, a devoted and tireless servant of the law, who is always there to try and capture the notorious villain. Juve, confused as to what is going on, seeks to calm the woman down to no avail. Sensing that Fantomas is near the woman presses her young son into Juve’s arms and flees, extracting a promise from Juve that the child will be kept secret and safe. A short while later we see the woman bleeding out in the street, the latest victim of the villainous master criminal.
Sixteen years later, the boy who was bequeathed to Juve is now Fandor, an assistant editor for a Parisian newspaper. All of Paris is awaiting the execution of Fantomas, the notorious criminal having been caught by Juve some time previously. Fandor recalls the specifics of the trial. This flashback sets the stage perfectly for the action that is to come. Fantomas defends himself; his very presence in the courtroom evokes caution and fear from all in the room. He does not so much as move about the courtroom as he stalks about it. He is always in command and one wonders if he is not the prosecutor of those around him even as he argues his case. In one particularly gruesome and memorable moment, the prosecutor questions a witness who is testifying to the fact that Fantomas murdered a man with a barbecue skewer. Fantomas demands to see the skewer, causing a ripple of consternation among the assembled crowd and the judge. However, Fantomas rightly points out that he must be allowed to examine the evidence if he is to defend himself. Reluctantly, the judge allows it and Fantomas begins his cross-examination.  He asks how it is possible for someone to plunge an obviously old and dull skewer through the skull of a man. The witness is perplexed and admits she does not know how it was accomplished. Suddenly, Fantomas plunges the skewer through the skull of the witness in front of the horrified crowd. With sardonic grace, Fantomas casually remarks “Hmm, had to push pretty hard but in it went.” Thus The Wrath of Fantomas’ begins.
Fantomas is promptly sentenced to the guillotine, not only for the murders he was on trial for but the murder he committed during his trial. Suffice it to say, Fantomas escapes his fate. He then goes on a spree of murder and theft that is the equal of any super-villain ever written. I can honestly say that he could walk into a meeting of villains containing Moriarty, The Joker, Red Skull and Hannibal Lector and command the room. Like Moriarty, the man is a criminal genius. At one point he conspires to steal all the gold in Paris and is largely successful while framing his potential foil in Juve. Like The Joker, he prowls among his friends and foes alike, evoking fear and respect with a single word or gesture. Like Red Skull, he has plans within plans. Not to be content with simple theft or murder, his crimes are always aimed at larger goals; the kinds of goals that can shake nations. Finally, like Hanibal Lector he has an educated and refined presence that can frame some of the most unspeakable acts of cruelty and immorality. At one point in the story he silences the servant of his mistress. He tears out the man’s tongue (a vivid panel I have chosen not to show in this review) and then casually cooks and serves it to his mistress for dinner. Hannibal Lector eat your heart out, or tongue as it were. Furthermore, he so terrifies the servant that the man commits suicide when he finally awakens from unconsciousness. He would rather die than face the wrath of Fantomas again.
This book is a departure from the usual fare that is super-heroes or super-villains. However, it is no less entertaining and much more insidious than your standard comic book content. Oliver Bocquet has done an incredible job of adapting material from the original novels while adding new material. The Wrath of Fantomas is a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat and caused me several times to exclaim ‘Holy Shit!’. The art by Julie Rochelau (Tommy l“enfant-loup) is a simplistic European style that conveys the menace and action well. I understand why she has chosen this style as a more realistic depiction of Fantomas’ crimes might see the book lapse into grotesqueness, so horrible are his crimes. The art is fantastic but not a style I’m particularly fond of thus the 4 rating. That rating should take nothing away from the book or how good it is as it is merely my evaluation of the style itself. All in all, this is a fantastic book, one that is shocking and entertaining. It left me wanting and dreading more Fantomas and I encourage you to experience it for yourself.
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Translation – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4 of 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer – Oliver Bocquet
Art – Julie Rochelau
Translation – Edward Gauvin
Inspired by the original Fantomas novels by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain
Author Profile
Nemesis
Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
