Namibia, épisode 5

Namibia #5

by Rodolphe, Luiz Eduardo de Oliveira (Leo), Bertrand Marchal

Fin d'une enquête incroyable pour miss Kathy, agent du MI6 : les projets terrifiants d'une civilisation extraterrestre qui manipule l'ADN humain et animal menacent la planète entière. Le dénouement est à la hauteur des promesses de cette série passionnante écrite par les auteurs de Kenya !

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Comic Book, France

48 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2015

About the author

Rodolphe Daniel Jacquette (1948–2026), known professionally as Rodolphe, was a French comics writer. A recipient of the Jacques-Lob Prize, he was best known for his work on the series Comanche, Kenya, Amazonia, Namibia, Cliff Burton and Das Reich. He made six comic albums in collaboration with the illustrator Griffo, the last of which was Chagrin from 2026.

Reviews

[Metodi Markov]

Приличен завършек на историята, доволен съм - светът ни е спасен, поне за сега. :)

[Diz]

The ending of this series was a sad disappointment. Actually, one of the villains summed it up quite well when he said, "A ridiculous waste of time! All that business with cults, destroyed crops and mutated insects--it was all utter nonsense!!" He forgot to mention that the subplot about duplicate humans was also a waste of time. All of these things were what made the story interesting. Everything is dropped and left unexplained in favor of a straight military assault. Boring.

[Toni]

Spoiler:
Ging ja noch mal gut. Invasion abgewendet.

[StrictlySequential ArtNarrative]

English (UK) Cinebook castrated-cover edition

As if my 'willing suspension of disbelief' wasn't already maxed out, the 'resolution' that Rodolphe chose to make it "make sense" pushed me into 'unwilling'. Sure, with Leo stories anything is possible, but I need a bit more believability when the world that we actually live in -with its plausibility constrictions- is the setting.

Marchand does an excellent job rendering such a wide range of people, places and things!

[Walter]

Overal a good series, but just like the previous series the author quickly ads a finish to it. What was the purpose of the giant insects, the body doubles....?
And I hate happy endings in stories like these.

[Simon Chadwick]

With the 1950s just over the horizon, Kathy Austin and Vladimir are stealing into the heart of the Namibian base that they understand to be the home of extraterrestrial invaders of Earth, all made possible by a second race of beings keen on assisting the natives of our planet. Slipping in and out of observation by the base’s operators, they manage to sneak a look at the stockpile of weapons hidden within its depths, and get some understanding as to the general intent of the alien villains. Meanwhile in Switzerland, the leaders of the world powers gather to discuss the implications of the threat and offer a response, one which will throw Kathy into even greater danger.

As the final volume, this book has got a lot of work to do, tying up plot points, offering explanations and drawing a satisfactory conclusion. It does this through rather a lot of exposition as it barrels towards the end, but indeed it delivers what it promises. On the first reading I wasn’t completely sold on the ending, but having had another look, and a bit of reflection, the story culminates in a manner that perfectly sits with the sci-fi expectations of the era it’s set in, and considering the rationale given by the friendlier ETs for their subsequent actions, it’s a rather neat and tidy finish.

If I was honest, when I was reading the preceding series Kenya I never believed this tale would end up where it did, and there was a suggestion in Kenya of a very different direction indeed. Given the choice I’d have opted for more of the former, but I don’t wish to deride Namibia – it’s just a different animal with interesting science fiction concepts coupled with an intriguing place and time. I’m just grateful that there are creators and publishers out there willing to share these stories with us.

[Paulo Santana]

All the Namibia story is quite good and very interesting. As an Sci-Fin I would say that deserves your time on reading it!

[The Bookman]

It was bland and less interesting compared to the Aldebaran series, but still a good read.

[The_Mad_Swede]

Picking up the action right where it left off in Episode 4 , this last album in Rodolphe, Leo and Marchal's Namibia sees Kathy Austin and her colleague Vladimir Irmanius continuing their mission for the MI5 in order to stop the very real prospect of an alien invasion.

All in all, the album wraps up this second series set in this particular storyworld, which Rodolphe and Leo created in their five album suite, Kenya . I understand that there is a third series in French, Amazonie, and if it ever makes it into English translation (or Swedish), I will likely check it out.

[Alessandro]

Ultimo volume della serie. Una gran bella avventura, di quelle che ti riconciliano con le belle storie, di quelle di cui si sente la necessità. Il tema non é originale, a dire il vero, ma é trattato bene e sufficientemente appassionante. Una gran storia per gli amanti della BD e della linea chiara. Non rimarrete delusi.