Review by Frank Plowright
Amazonia is adventure set in the late 1940s, but with tendrils stretching back deeper into the 20th century. As Episode 2 ended Kathy Austin found herself much in the situation portrayed on the cover, having to spend the night with a skeleton in a cave already plentifully occupied by bats. Not shown is her being accompanied Captain Délio of the Brazilian navy, who seems a sympathetic sort, but in a spy thriller can anyone ever be sure of the motivations of others?
Quite a cast has been built over the two previous books, and while the return of some would be expected, co-writers Rodolphe and Leo surprise by revealing others still have roles to play. That of the gentlemen from the Bram Stoker society, for instance, even though their activities are confined to the past. The episode opens further back, in 1930s Romania, and visually at least draws a connection between then and Kathy’s research in 1949.
While Kathy searches for the mysterious pale man seen in photographs, a second quest also develops, explaining the German presence in earlier volumes. A Nazi submarine navigated the Amazon as World War II ended. It’s now lost, but presumed to be stuffed with the riches Nazis fleeing to South America brought with them.
Once again, Bertrand Marchal’s art is phenomenal accomplishment without weakness. There appears nothing he can’t draw convincingly, be it people, movement, backgrounds or technology. This is nuanced art also, the sample page indicating that as the story’s told by a brief wrinkling of the forehead.
As the episode ends we’re following four different groups, three of whom have roughly the same aim, and almost all of whom are in trouble. Thrills and mystery are maximised, and anyone reading this will want to continue, as it does in Episode 4.
