Looking In On The Blueshirts

When going to the toy store today to see whether the new Batman legos were available yet (only the Batwing/Joker combination so far, not cheap enough for my tastes so I’m holding off on it for now), I noticed that you could get 3 strips for the price of 2, so I splurged and spent 21 euros on 6 issues of “De Blauwbloezen”, which literally translates into English as “The Blueshirts”. It’s a nice deal, only 3 bucks 50 an issue, with each issue 46 pages long. Considering the quality in art and writing, coupled with high rereadibility, it becomes a very nice deal indeed. Best of all, it’s a series that focuses on two soldiers in the American Civil War, one of the eras in history that fascinates me the most. Their names are corporal Blutch and sergeant Chesterfield, the former a cowardly hero who constantly tries to desert while the latter is his blustering superior who gets them in trouble without fail in his eagerness to please.


Now, unlike American comics, European strips aren’t produced on a monthly basis, so there are only 49 issues of this particular series so far, despite the characters having been conceived nearly 40 (!) years ago. Also unlike many American comics, older issues are kept available to a new audience through consistent, quality reprints, enabling me to purchase #8, 15, 20, 27, 28 and 48 without a problem. On the bus drive home from work, I read #8, which was built around the use of hot air balloons during the Civil War. What’s really nice about these stories is that they are without a doubt all-ages fun, full of humour, action and adventure, but they have a dark edge to them because of the pretty gruesome setting. After all, the Civil War was one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history—which is why it bothers me to see Marvel referring to it with their current event mini, without actually doing anything remotely close to what happened in those days when a once proud union was torn to pieces. But I shall refrain from ranting about that (for now! :p)


Each and every issue of the series is a completely self-contained story, which often cleverly refers to previous tales without becoming burdened by its own continuity, much like the Simpsons manage. The central dynamic always revolves around Chesterfield’s zealous principles and Blutch’s unabashed lack of respect for his commanding officer. Despite their frequent violent (yet funny) clashes, deep down they are friends, who will always try to help the other out of a pickle, even if soon after the cycle of spiteful resentment starts all over again.


Most stories will take a historical fact and spin a fantastic little tale around it, like the hot air balloons to observe the enemy in this one, or the use of camels in the yankee army in another. Moreover, the stories are suitable for young and old, with different layers of comedy, ranging from the visually farcical to the verbally witty. Best of all, the seriousness of the war is contrasted starkly with the many moments of humour sprinkled throughout the series. It’s often rather jarring to witness a big panel full of death and pain, followed swiftly by another Blutch-inspired prank, but in a good way though. The fanciful yarns by plotter/scripter Cauvin are infused with a life of their own thanks to artist Lambil’s inspired work: the balance between realism (found in the use of anatomy for both humans and horses, and the background detail) and cartoony action (evidenced in the cover or in the panel below, for instance) is just about perfect.

I imagine this would be a delightful series to read with one’s children, if you’re prepared to explain some of the questions that might pop up (like simply “why are the blue ones fighting the grey ones”, come to think of it, not so easy to answer...) Blutch’s incessant attempts to flee the army, followed by Chesterfield’s unrelenting struggles to drag him back whenever the escape attempt is actually successful, are hilarious enough in their own right, but the use of existing generals who have to deal with their incompetent bravery is worth several cherries on top. Add in a supporting character in the form of cavalry lieutenant Stark who’s a bit weird in the head (all too eager to lead his men into a battle they won’t return from) and several fleshed out antagonists in the course of the series, and you get can’t-miss story after must-have saga.


This particular one about the “Flyers of the Cavalry” is actually one of the best ones I’ve read so far, and they’re always of a high standard. The concept is sufficiently madcap, while rooted firmly in reality, urging me to read up more on the Civil War yet again (which is made much easier by my darling girlfriend, who’s providing me with ample reading material to keep me happy :D) I laughed out loud several times, in public, which is always a boon when reading a funny-book. I’ve always enjoyed a mixture of dangerous adventure and slapstick comedy, which is something that Belgian, Dutch and French strips are rather adept at, if I do say so myself :)