Review by Frank Plowright

What with the building work going on nearby, the early bin collections and barking dogs in the neighbourhood, Donald Duck isn’t getting a good night’s sleep. He’s sick of it, and on impulse decides a holiday camping in the countryside is what he needs.

As far as English translations go, the creative team of Frédéric Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci are best known for their wordless extrapolations of what day to day life is like for various creatures in their Love series. As Vacation Parade is also without words, to some extent they’re in similar territory, but comedy requires Brrémaud to provide jokes, and instead of ultra-realistic animal life Betolucci instead has to supply their cartoon equivalents. Such is the quality of Love, perhaps there should be no surprise at how easily they adapt to new requirements.

There’s a lot of thought to the way Brrémaud constructs the plot, delivering annoyances as Donald travels further and further into the wild. Where there are people there are inconveniences such as being stuck behind a slow moving hay transporter or a herd of cows, but once deep in the country there’s a moment’s peace to be had and time to appreciate the beauty of nature. That’s supplied in abundance by Bertolucci, every page featuring beautiful views, but also troublesome, surly creatures and expressively funny creatures.

Of course, when roused, there are few more fearsome sights than Donald in full rage, but such moments are sparingly used despite the troubles Donald soon has. The sample art shows the chipmunks, never named, but presumably Chip’n’Dale from old Disney cartoons, diligent and adaptable when it comes to separating Donald from his food. They’re not the only enemies he makes, and it won’t take a genius to figure the ending, but getting there is an absolute delight. There’s not a joke on every page as Donald has to have a brief settling in period, but thereafter they come thick and fast, generally constructed by Brrémaud as single page gag strips mining the environment. Donald also manages to make enemies of ants, bears, beavers and bees, and all are used for slapstick comedy. The most original sequence is using the talents the animals have to make the river disappear.

With English language appreciation of a classic comedy character remaining flatlined despite the best efforts of Fantagraphics Books, it’s comforting to know Donald Duck thrives in Europe.