Review by Frank Plowright

Florent Maudoux’s Freaks’ Squeele is an enormously successful French series originated in 2008, yet only now seeing a first English language edition. It revisits the X-Men’s idea of a school for training superheroes, but with a distinctly supernatural tinge so bringing in that commercially useful Harry Potter connection. Unlike the X-Men, these young superheroes operate with public approval and support.

The school and what happens within is seen through the eyes of three main characters. Chance D’Estaing is enthusiastic and persistent, Wolf Shadow is completely trapped in a hulking werewolf form and Xiong Mao may rank among the lowest entry scores, but she’s achieved that without any super powers. They’re introduced during a training sequence competing with other trios of students to capture a monster loose in the school. What they don’t know is that a second monster is present.

Maudoux’s art is an interesting mixture of Japanese and Western influences. The manga is obvious in the staging and pacing, while can that really be a hint of Guy Davis when monsters appear? There is some learning on the job with Maudoux still not great with anatomy and perspective, but enthusiasm and energy carries him past those shortcomings.

By the time the monsters have been contained we’re a third of the way through the book, and doorways into other worlds have also been revealed. It’s all very bracing, with Maudoux hardly short of ideas going forward and bringing some other characters briefly into the spotlight, yet he still fleshes the main cast out as endearing. What may have taken a consistently dark route under another creator is given cheery moments and laughter, exemplified by the moment where Freaks’ Squeele switches into colour for a deceptive test. It’s also where the plot largely heads out the window for a long time, but after forty pages of slam and bang Maudoux surprises with an essential piece of background knowledge surely to have later repercussions.

While everything about the content heads in the right direction, it’s not quite the full package yet. More attention to storytelling rather than just going with the flow while the mood is right would improve matters no end. Also, Magnetic Press have handicapped the good work with a horrendous English title, not even a good pun, even if explained in the bonus material. Their publicity department is really going to have to put in the overtime to overcome it.

Perhaps to make up for lost time, Freaks’ Squeele has a rapid English language publication schedule, and The Knights Who No Longer Say “Ni!” is released simultaneously.