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John Hélena s'est à nouveau évadé. Il risque de propager un virus très dangereux. Spirou et Fantasio tentent de l'en empêcher.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read

About the author

Tome

187 books19 followers
Pseudonym of Philippe Vandevelde, sometimes incorrectly credited as Philippe Tome.

Né le 24 février 1957 à Bruxelles, Philippe Vandevelde, dit Tome, découvre la bande dessinée à l'âge de cinq ans. Momentanément aveuglé par une opération aux yeux, sa maman lui fait la lecture d'albums qui le marquent profondément comme Le sceptre d'Ottokar et Les extraordinaires aventures de Corentin Feldoë. Quelques années plus tard, le jeune garçon se délecte des albums de "Gil Jourdan" de Maurice Tillieux. À l'âge de quatorze ans, il participe au fanzine Buck, puis s'inscrit à des cours du soir de bande dessinée où il fait deux rencontres essentielles : celles de Janry et de Stéphane De Becker. Appelé au service militaire, Philippe passe quelques mois en Allemagne et, s'inscrivant dans la tradition familiale, signe pour deux ans d'engagement comme officier. Sous les drapeaux, il fait la connaissance d'André Geerts. Les deux hommes sympathisent et cette rencontre achève de convaincre Philippe de devenir professionnel de la bande dessinée. De retour à la vie civile, il retrouve son ami Janry qui est entre temps devenu l'assistant de Dupa. Le duo reformé va ponctuellement prêter main forte à Turk et De Groot. C'est à ce moment que Philippe opte pour la signature de Tome et que son association avec Janry passe à la vitesse supérieure, lorsqu'ils sont choisis pour reprendre les aventures de "Spirou et Fantasio". En 1984, paraît leur premier album Virus, qui est très chaleureusement accueilli par les lecteurs. En 1987, Tome, fasciné par la ville de New York, imagine "Soda", une série policière mêlant action et humour. La même année, Tome & Janry imaginent les histoires du "Petit Spirou". Tout en cultivant son talent pour le gag, Tome développe une veine réaliste et dramatique qui déteint sur leur ultime album de "Spirou et Fantasio", Machine qui rêve. Depuis lors, Tome poursuit avec fantaisie son best-seller absolu "Le Petit Spirou" et relance en 2015 "Soda", avec Dan au dessin.

En compagnie de Janry, Tome a réalisé près de trente albums de "Spirou" (petit ou grand), mettant son imagination au service du groom le plus célèbre de la bande dessinée. On lui doit également des albums réalistes au goût américain tels que "Soda" ou "Berceuse Assassine". Tome nous a malheureusement quittés le 5 octobre 2019. Il laisse un vide irremplaçable dans la famille Dupuis.

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5 stars
34 (14%)
4 stars
103 (43%)
3 stars
76 (32%)
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19 (8%)
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3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Simon Chadwick.
Author 47 books9 followers
January 29, 2017
Hot on the trail of a story about mysterious goings-on at an Antarctic research centre, Fantasio gets through a security cordon at the docks to investigate an impounded cargo ship that has travelled directly from there. The reason for the cordon is down to the ship being under quarantine, so it’s with some surprise that Fantasio bumps into a man fleeing the ship, desperate for help and clearly unwell. The man is only infectious by touch, so Fantasio enlists Spirou to take them to the Count of Champignac to seek a cure – something the Count can provide on the condition he’s given a rare toxin that, unfortunately, is kept back on the Antarctic base. So a trip southwards is called for, but somebody doesn’t want them to succeed.

The opening sequence alone is worth the cover price, beautifully set up and drawn, laying the groundwork for the remainder of the tale. Such is the confidence of the creators in their audience and their characters that the story is allowed to unfold at its own pace and reveal its mysteries as it progresses. There’s plenty to enjoy throughout, too, from the travails of Spip who fears he may be infected too, clandestine operatives thwarting progress and a rather dramatic arrival via parachute on the southern continent.

Spirou and Fantasio books always manages to balance a well-paced thriller of an adventure with comic levity and pantomime reactions combining to deliver a perfect package each time. It’s no wonder the pairing has stood the test of time. I’m particularly enjoying Cinebook’s decision to alternate older and newer stories, meaning we get to benefit from both Franquin’s and Tome and Janry’s visions. If you’re yet to discover these recent English adaptations, but are familiar with Asterix and Tintin, then it’s rather a no-brainer for you to pick this one up next.
Profile Image for Gothica Noctua.
118 reviews
January 23, 2020
There is a certain irony in this being my latest read, as I am currently laid up in bed with a terrible cold. Hopefully, medicine sachets, soup and a "Spirou" story will help me feel better.

Fantasio, seeking a story for his newspaper, explores a quarantined ship just returned from a research base in Anatartica. He crosses paths with a dangerously ill criminal, John Helena, who has been infected with a mysterious virus. The Count of Champaignac has a antivirax which forms half of the cure, but to complete it, Spirou and Fantasio need to head to the polar base and seek out a special toxin - risking both their health and the wrath of industry bosses trying to keep the whole affair under wraps.

The authors' artwork is lovely as always, and there were some good action sequences, but I felt this volume lacked the humour and instances of true close friendship between the protagonists seen elsewhere in the Tome & Janry run, making it a little lacklustre in my view.

Whilst it was nice to see an opener with Fantasio undertaking the heroics rather than Spirou, this wasn't my favourite outing from the duo - both writers and characters - and not a volume I'm likely to pick up again, sadly.
Profile Image for HAL Monostone AKA Cyber Monk.
120 reviews2 followers
May 2, 2025
Sammen med Sprint i New York så er Virus det Sprint-albumet jeg har mest minner med. Husker jeg leste den igjen og igjen, husker den også som en animert 20 minutters episode.
En veldig god Sprint-debut av Tome og Janry dette. Her har man en helt super blanding av humor, særhet og action.
Morsom historie.
Streken er som det pleier når Tome og Janry står bak, fantastisk.
Profile Image for Paulo Teixeira.
917 reviews14 followers
March 6, 2020
(PT) Em Le Havre, Fantásio aproxima-se do porto para saber a razão da quarentena a um quebra-gelos. Quando descobre um tripulante que tenta escapar, o que desconhece é que transporta um virus desconhecido, de consequências imprevisiveis!
452 reviews4 followers
March 31, 2020
Det første albumet til Tome & Janry gir serien en vitamininnsprøytning. Figurene er mer dynamiske og temaet er mer voksent. Denne er plutselig svært aktuell der et skummelt virus skaper panikk. Biologisk krigføring er fortsatt en reell fare, dette må ha virket veldig moderne på tidlig 80-tall.
Profile Image for Gökhan .
422 reviews8 followers
June 10, 2024
Spiru ile tanışma macerası oldu. Çizgiler sevimli ve bir karakteristiğe sahip ama hikâye beni sarmadı doğrusu. Bu çizgilere yakışır bir mizah barındırmıyor.
Profile Image for Timo.
Author 3 books17 followers
November 23, 2015
Ensimmäinen Tome & Janry tuotanto. Eikä tämäkään kauhean hyvä ollut. Näinkö paljon Marsupilami vaikutti tähän sarjaan, että kun ei ole pelissä mukana, puuttuu iso pala.
Mutta ei tämä aivan huonokaan ole. Ihan pätevää seikkailua. Pikkaisen lapsellista, mutta pätevää.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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