Review by Ian Keogh

Arzhur is a knight, but one prone to dissolute behaviour and scorned by his peers. A chance at redemption is supplied by three old women who want him to rescue a princess from a castle, but it’s not what it seems. Arzhur has stepped into the middle of something arcane and horrifying, a long played out strategy between the demonic and humanity with an innocent at its heart.

Using only his first name for his comics work, very little of Hubert Boulard’s back catalogue has been translated into English, all of it by NBM, and all of it very recommendable. Darkly She Goes combines the two volumes issued as Le Ténébreuese in French, the second published posthumously after his 2020 death. It’s another rip-roaring tale, beautifully drawn by Vincent Maillé, who takes full advantage of the spooky medieval locations and the elements of Shakespearean tragedy that play out over a clever plot.

It’s the full emotional brew of hostility awakened in the misguided name of protection. As such it can be seen as a moral fable reflecting our world, yet that’s secondary to the fine adventure. Much of the first volume combines an almost full disclosure of background elements, retaining one secret to be revealed in what follows, but also manages to provide a full dose of dangers at the same time. The three old women introduced near the start are memorably disgusting creations, brought vividly to life by Maillé, and well used as examples of unrestrained indulgence in arcane practices, which, when revealed, provides a contrast to another form of indulgence.

Both romance and adult fairy tale, Hubert provides believable reactions in what’s a heady emotional brew with ambition and deception as undercurrents. It’s admirably unsentimental, and Game of Thrones fans ought to love Darkly She Goes.