Review by Frank Plowright

In the core XIII series Colonel Sam Amos is a doggedly efficient national security agent who at first believes the evidence that XIII has assassinated the president, but later accepts his innocence and works with him to uncover the truth.

Didier Alicante’s story occurs with President William Sheridan still alive, so set prior to the main continuity, with Amos already heading the FBI’s Counter-Terrorism section, and becoming involved in complications caused by an Israeli sleeper agent. Only their codename is known to the authorities, but their activities are a considerable nuisance.

Alicante sets a background of internal conflicts occurring during the early days of the Israeli state to reveal Amos himself is Jewish, and once worked for Israeli secret service agency Mossad, resigning over a point of conscience. This isn’t the only aspect of his past to resurface during the investigation.

Every volume of XIII Mystery features a different creative team, all of them among the cream of Franco-Belgian comic creators, and with series creator Jean Van Hamme overseeing their work. François Boucq is the biggest artistic name to date, his career stretching back to the mid-1970s, encompassing collaborations with so many big names and with several awards for his work. The watercolour sketch provided for the cover differs greatly from the precise inked linework inside, supplying well defined characters and the impeccable storytelling that’s the hallmark of every Boucq project.

Much of Colonel Amos seems a relatively straightforward spy thriller, supplying mystery, but without ever stepping beyond genre needs. However, all isn’t what it seems, and once the revelations begin to drop toward the end, it’s apparent how cleverly everything has been constructed. Most of the story can be read without reference to the main XIII series, but especially toward the end readers who’ve followed it will take far more from the final pages.

If Cinebook’s schedule follows the French publication order it’ll be Steve Rowland seen next.