Lady S: Here's to Suzie!

Lady S: Here's to Suzie!
By Jean Van Hamme
& Phillipe Aymonde
Cinebook

ESPIONAGE THRILLER and broken-hearted schoolgirl crushes? Only Jean Van Hamme could make such a book work!

Lady S. is an intriguing comic book to present to an English speaking readership.

On the one hand its lead character has an origin akin to Peter O'Donnell's classic Modesty Blaise newspaper strip re-engineered for the modern era.

Whereas, on the other there's curious feeling that if British publishers hadn't preferred to profit to by producing cheap magazine fodder and hadn't given up on producing comics for girls that they might of evolved into something similar to this.

Suzanne is the adopted daughter of American diplomat James Fitzroy - She has a gift for languages and a way of helping her father out of assorted crises, minor and otherwise. But there's a lot more to her than meets the eye.

In the early 90s the Russsian KGB's power is at its lowest ebb, and to stave those who will rise to power pointing the finger at their misdeeds they kill them before they can talk.

A young Jewess is witness to her own parents' brutal murder but she escapes, saved by a youth hardly much older than her. Anton Sergeyevich escaped from an orphanage, in the two years he's been free he's learned to become a thief, and he's become rather good at his chosen profession.

The girl joins him and for a time all goes well until the man who ordered her parents' death finds them, and sees them as his new personal gravy train to getting by now that the lower echelons of the KGB are out on their ear. His plan doesn't work and Anton manages to kill him, but the young pair decide they have no choice but to flee the former USSR. In so doing, the pair part company.

Using a stolen passport the girl takes on the identity of a New Zealander known as Susan McKenzie, and works her way around Europe becoming an international thief and cat burglar.

Into her life, on a speeding train, arrive the Fitzroys, or rather she enters their live, for she steals from them, later feeling remorse and returning what was taken. Likewise, their compassion for her partly revealed past history is genuine and in time there is true love between them all and she becomes part of their lives.

That is until Helen Fitzroy dies at far too young an age of 41. Suzie aware what people says decides she must leave, but Fitzroy decides to put such idle gossip suitably in the trashcan where it belongs by formerly adopting her. Thus she becomes his Girl Friday throughout his subsequent diplomatic activities. And all goes well, for a time.

All these past events are weaved in and out of more contemporary events as figures move from the shadows to take a foothold in the present and Anton reappears preparing to blow her cover, for in revealing her true identity it will bring disgrace to her adopted father and a diplomatic faux pas that won't be hushed up. That is unless he helps her break into an embassy safe during a party.

From there on in danger and excitement never leave the page, with each shifting scenes offering new threats or allegiances, and an emotional rollercoaster caught up in the middle of it as Susie and Anton's affections turn from brother and sister in all but name to lovers who will never quite be.

I really hope a large number of the female teenagers onwards take a look at this; I believe it will appeal to them. It's a more mature version of the tense adventure strips that were prevalent in British girls comics so a worthy read.

I also trust such a statement will not prevents lads and grown-ups picking this up; it's a carefully plotted adventure filled with human drama from Jean Van Hamme and features studious but not over-posed figure drawing from Phillipe Aymonde who also draws some great car and motorbike scenes throughout.

For more about Lady S. visit: www.cinebook.com