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Blake et Mortimer #16
Les Sarcophages du 6ᵉ continent - 1
A Bombay, un jeune Écossais frais émoulu de l'Université rencontre un jeune Anglais sportif qui ne porte pas encore la moustache. Blake et Mortimer se doutaient-ils qu'à ce moment précis, ils noueraient les fils d'une machination qui trouvera son dénouement en 1958 à Bruxelles ? Alors que l'Exposition Universelle va bientôt ouvrir ses portes, une menace terrible pèse sur le monde. Des phénomènes électriques surpuissants venus d'on ne sait où ravagent les différents pavillons. Début 1958. Pour le plus grand plaisir de millions de futurs visiteurs, Bruxelles se prépare à recevoir les pays exposants les plus prestigieux de la planète venus présenter leur culture, leurs connaissances scientifiques les plus avancées et leurs projets de société les plus audacieux dans le cadre d'une somptueuse Exposition Universelle. C'est ce cadre unique qu'un mouvement terroriste tiers-mondiste dirigé par un mystérieux Empereur indien, revenu de la mort après plus de 2000 ans, a choisi comme théâtre de ses premières actions destinées à déstabiliser les pays occidentaux. C'est le Professeur Philip Mortimer qui a été choisi par son pays pour diriger le pavillon de la "British Industry" dans lequel la Grande Bretagne est fière d'exposer son savoir scientifique et ses applications technologiques. Durant toute la durée de l'Expo, ce pavillon sera relié à la base scientifique britannique de Halley, sise en Antarctique. Ainsi, les visiteurs du pavillon installé à Bruxelles pourront découvrir en direct les battements de coeur du 6e continent. Ce que Mortimer ignore, c'est qu'à partir d'une base secrète voisine en Antarctique baptisée Gondwana, les terroristes vont sournoisement se servir des ondes de la connexion Halley-Bruxelles établie par les britanniques pour envahir et tenter de détruire l'Exposition Universelle au moyen d'une arme redoutable d'un type nouveau. Ce que Mortimer ignore aussi, c'est que le machiavélique empereur indien qui s'apprête à détruire l'Expo de Bruxelles, n'est autre qu'Açoka. Açoka le mage à qui une poignée de fanatiques indiens reconnaissent l'immortalité et qui avait accusé le jeune Philip adolescent d'avoir tué sa fille bien des années plus tôt. Açoka l'éternel qui lui avait promis de se venger un jour...
56 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
3 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Yves Sente
102 books30 followersYves Sente was born in Brussels in 1964. When he was little, he read La Marque Jaune, Jacobs' masterpiece, over and over again. Little did he know at that age that The Adventures of Blake and Mortimer would determine his destiny...!
In 1998, while he was working for Le Lombard, he worked with the cartoonist André Juillard on the script of La machination Voronov, a new episode of the Blake and Mortimer, a Cold War story acclaimed by critics and the public. Yves Sente then went on to write Les Sarcophages du 6e continent, where he reveals the young life of Professor Mortimer. He confirmed his writing talents with La Vengeance du Comte Skarbek (Dargaud; The Revenge of Count Skarbek, Europe Comics) and then Thorgal (Le Lombard; Cinebook/Europe Comics in English), taking over for Jean Van Hamme alongside Rosinski.
In 1998, while he was working for Le Lombard, he worked with the cartoonist André Juillard on the script of La machination Voronov, a new episode of the Blake and Mortimer, a Cold War story acclaimed by critics and the public. Yves Sente then went on to write Les Sarcophages du 6e continent, where he reveals the young life of Professor Mortimer. He confirmed his writing talents with La Vengeance du Comte Skarbek (Dargaud; The Revenge of Count Skarbek, Europe Comics) and then Thorgal (Le Lombard; Cinebook/Europe Comics in English), taking over for Jean Van Hamme alongside Rosinski.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 1, 2015
There's more to bandes dessinées (literally drawn strips) and its subset, the Belgian clean line style or ligne claire than Herge's Tintin. The Adventures of Tintin is one of my favorite Franco-Belgian titles and I've become of the geometric and clean art style of Hergé. This made this volume of the Adventures of Blake and Mortimer for me a surprise but welcome discovery for me.
The Hergé lineage is pretty clear to see, especially since Blake & Mortimer's original creator was an uncredited assistant on several of my favorite Tintin graphic albums. This volume may not be authored or drawn by Edgar P. Jacobs, but his successor, André Juillard, carries the ligne claire torch.
It is unfortunate that my first exposure to this series came on a volume not worked on by Jacobs; I would have loved to read one of the Jacobs produced albums.
The Hergé lineage is pretty clear to see, especially since Blake & Mortimer's original creator was an uncredited assistant on several of my favorite Tintin graphic albums. This volume may not be authored or drawn by Edgar P. Jacobs, but his successor, André Juillard, carries the ligne claire torch.
It is unfortunate that my first exposure to this series came on a volume not worked on by Jacobs; I would have loved to read one of the Jacobs produced albums.
January 9, 2019
Another entry on my plan to re-read the Post Edgar P. Jacobs Blake & Mortimer comics. I am quite sure they will start to include the originals as well, which have been read by my so often I had to find some new copies that were not in tatters. I love the Ligne Claire style of the Jacobs created series, I actually prefer this series to one of the greats of Ligne Claire style called the adventures of Tintin by Herge.
This comic takes place in 1958 and is currently a sequel to the Voronov Plot (there is always the possibility a new adventure gets plotted between these comics.
Anyhow this new adventure is the first installment of a two book episode which is kinda faithful to the double of triple episodes are created by Jacobs. Anyhow this first episode tells us the much wanted part of how Blake met Mortimer in the first place and it is a very neat affair very well scripted in the Colonial past of the British empire were Mortimer visits his parents and meets Blake and both young men have an instant report. It also tells the tale how Mortimer met the apparent major Baddie from the story in his young years and how he somehow wronged the Emperor Asoka.
The other part of the story takes place in the World exposition in Brussels (Belgium) and some strange sabotage takes place and endangers Mortimer especially at the same time Blake is investigating a plot by extremists to embarrass the colonial powers or do even worse.
While the story is actually firing on all cilinders is is mostly a warming up for the second part of the story which will undoubtedly takes place on Antarctica and will have the presence of their house baddie Olrik, even if he is not doing to well so far after his misadventures with the Voronov Affair.
The continuation season is doing well by this time which is mostly due to the faithful writers and illustrators of the new series and they seem to love the characters as much as the fans are enjoying the new adventures. They still prove that the readers of these comics are still not against reading instead of watching nice pictures, and they are really good looking.
Only three stars as this is the prequel to the story, I might reconsider the rating as I finish the second part.
This comic takes place in 1958 and is currently a sequel to the Voronov Plot (there is always the possibility a new adventure gets plotted between these comics.
Anyhow this new adventure is the first installment of a two book episode which is kinda faithful to the double of triple episodes are created by Jacobs. Anyhow this first episode tells us the much wanted part of how Blake met Mortimer in the first place and it is a very neat affair very well scripted in the Colonial past of the British empire were Mortimer visits his parents and meets Blake and both young men have an instant report. It also tells the tale how Mortimer met the apparent major Baddie from the story in his young years and how he somehow wronged the Emperor Asoka.
The other part of the story takes place in the World exposition in Brussels (Belgium) and some strange sabotage takes place and endangers Mortimer especially at the same time Blake is investigating a plot by extremists to embarrass the colonial powers or do even worse.
While the story is actually firing on all cilinders is is mostly a warming up for the second part of the story which will undoubtedly takes place on Antarctica and will have the presence of their house baddie Olrik, even if he is not doing to well so far after his misadventures with the Voronov Affair.
The continuation season is doing well by this time which is mostly due to the faithful writers and illustrators of the new series and they seem to love the characters as much as the fans are enjoying the new adventures. They still prove that the readers of these comics are still not against reading instead of watching nice pictures, and they are really good looking.
Only three stars as this is the prequel to the story, I might reconsider the rating as I finish the second part.
January 5, 2016
Das Empire bröckelt
Die früheren Bände der Blake & Mortimer-Reihe waren plottechnisch meist sehr einfach gestrickt. Das kann man von diesem ersten Teil eines Zweiteilers bestimmt nicht sagen: Rückblicke in Mortimers spätpubertär-antikolonialistisch angehauchte Vergangenheit, darunter die langersehnte Episode, wie sich Blake und Mortimer überhaupt kennengelernt haben, und die Verteilung der Handlung über Indien, Brüssel und die Antarktis lassen keine Gemächlichkeit aufkommen. Eine Menge Stoff gibt es da zu verarbeiten, insbesondere, weil dieser erste Teil eigentlich nur die Szenerie aufbaut, die auf den letzten Seiten dann erst einen ersten Höhepunkt erreicht - Teil 2 ist Pflichtlektüre. Doch man wird bis dahin wirklich mit historisch interessanten und psychologisch wertvollen Stellen (was die fiktive Charakterentwicklung Blakes und Mortimers angeht) unterhalten, wenn auch, wie üblich bei dieser Reihe, mit ermüdend viel, winzig klein gedrucktem und in panelsprengende Annotationskästchen gequetschtem Laberdialog.
Die früheren Bände der Blake & Mortimer-Reihe waren plottechnisch meist sehr einfach gestrickt. Das kann man von diesem ersten Teil eines Zweiteilers bestimmt nicht sagen: Rückblicke in Mortimers spätpubertär-antikolonialistisch angehauchte Vergangenheit, darunter die langersehnte Episode, wie sich Blake und Mortimer überhaupt kennengelernt haben, und die Verteilung der Handlung über Indien, Brüssel und die Antarktis lassen keine Gemächlichkeit aufkommen. Eine Menge Stoff gibt es da zu verarbeiten, insbesondere, weil dieser erste Teil eigentlich nur die Szenerie aufbaut, die auf den letzten Seiten dann erst einen ersten Höhepunkt erreicht - Teil 2 ist Pflichtlektüre. Doch man wird bis dahin wirklich mit historisch interessanten und psychologisch wertvollen Stellen (was die fiktive Charakterentwicklung Blakes und Mortimers angeht) unterhalten, wenn auch, wie üblich bei dieser Reihe, mit ermüdend viel, winzig klein gedrucktem und in panelsprengende Annotationskästchen gequetschtem Laberdialog.
July 13, 2016
Ich mochte den Anfang sehr gerne, aber trotz der sympathischen Zeichnungen fiel es mir schwer, die Story bis zum Ende mit Interesse zu verfolgen. Ich werde den Band irgendwann noch einmal lesen (einen vergeblichen Anlauf habe ich schon hinter mir) und dann entscheiden, ob er zwei oder vier Sterne verdient :)
November 10, 2025
This is an interesting part of the Blake & Mortimer universe because it largely deals with the back story of Mortimer and how he came to meet Blake. The origins of the story trace back to colonial India and how Mortimer encounters love at an early age. It all goes wrong and ends tragically, which has repercussions in Mortimer's later life. The more contemporary part of the story revolves around the Brussels Exhibition, and strange goings on there.
There is a link between this book and the previous (The Voronov Plot) that comes through a Russian station in the Antarctic. This is the source of the interference with the Brussels Exhibition. Needless to say, Olrik has a hand in the disruption. This volume ends with the realisation that the problem originates in the Antarctic, and the resolve to travel there to deal with it.
This is another volume where the reader knows what to expect and the book delivers it. I quite enjoyed it, and went straight onto the following volume for the conclusion of the tale.
There is a link between this book and the previous (The Voronov Plot) that comes through a Russian station in the Antarctic. This is the source of the interference with the Brussels Exhibition. Needless to say, Olrik has a hand in the disruption. This volume ends with the realisation that the problem originates in the Antarctic, and the resolve to travel there to deal with it.
This is another volume where the reader knows what to expect and the book delivers it. I quite enjoyed it, and went straight onto the following volume for the conclusion of the tale.
November 26, 2019
(PT) Estamos em 1958, onde Blake e Mortimer ajudam pessoas quer para a Exposição Universal de Bruxelas, quer para a o Ano Cientifico Internacional, com uma expedição à Antártida. Contudo, do lado indiano, estranhas coisas estão a acontecer, que podem prejudicar seriamente ambas as empreitadas, e eles terão de agir.
"Os Sarcófagos do 6º Continente", divididos em duas partes, poderão ser os melhores livros escritos pós Edgar P. Jacobs. São livros que falam sobre um período da história do século XX, fala sobre diversos acontecimentos que ocorriam então, desde a Guerra Fria, a emancipação de diversas nações asiáticas, como a Índia, as ameaças de independência em África - neste livro, temos um ativista pela independência do Congo como personagem - e tecnologias como o nuclear como meio de paz.
O facto de ter sido dividido em duas partes justifica-se bastante, afinal de contas, é uma excelente aventura.
"Os Sarcófagos do 6º Continente", divididos em duas partes, poderão ser os melhores livros escritos pós Edgar P. Jacobs. São livros que falam sobre um período da história do século XX, fala sobre diversos acontecimentos que ocorriam então, desde a Guerra Fria, a emancipação de diversas nações asiáticas, como a Índia, as ameaças de independência em África - neste livro, temos um ativista pela independência do Congo como personagem - e tecnologias como o nuclear como meio de paz.
O facto de ter sido dividido em duas partes justifica-se bastante, afinal de contas, é uma excelente aventura.
May 18, 2018
Here the authors have started to show elements of portraying a main character (Mortimer) with a guilt complex due to a tragic past while he lived in colonial India. It is very revealing as showing the mindset of white people's supposed superiority over their colonies almost amounting to racist prejudices. I can't say I really enjoyed this book so much. This is a two volume adventure so will give the review to cover both books here. The sarcophagi are a bizarre invention of someone who wants to take their revenge on Mortimer's past in India beyond the grave. There is quite a bit of detail and action but the whole account is pretty weird.
June 13, 2019
Eerste deel van de sarcofagen van het 6e continent. Goed verhaal, maar wat te druk. Het verhaal speelt zich af na het Voronov-complot en het eerste deel speelt zich voornamelijk af in Brussel ten tijde van Expo 58 (hoofdverhaal) en deels in India (flashback over hoe Blake en Mortimer elkaar hebben leren kennen).
December 30, 2018
42 WORD REVIEW:
An adventure of Blake & Mortimer, characters created by the late Edgar P. Jacobs (a collaborator of Hergé’s). Stylistically this is reminiscent of a Tintin story. The action, however, is unsoftened by humour and the dialogue comes unrefined from the information dump.
An adventure of Blake & Mortimer, characters created by the late Edgar P. Jacobs (a collaborator of Hergé’s). Stylistically this is reminiscent of a Tintin story. The action, however, is unsoftened by humour and the dialogue comes unrefined from the information dump.
November 8, 2017
Pas un de mes preferes (j'aime mieux quand il y a un peu plus de science fiction) mais j'ai bien aime le flash back sur un peu de la jeunesse de Mortimer en Inde.
September 11, 2019
Une bd aventure avec des technologies inventives.
Elle reprend quelques principes moralisateurs sur le colonialisme, le racisme et la solidarité.
Elle reprend quelques principes moralisateurs sur le colonialisme, le racisme et la solidarité.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2023
Leuk verhaal met meer achtergrondinformatie over het verleden van Blake &Mortimer. Het avontuur brengt ons van de Expo naar Antartica met een cliffhanger.
November 9, 2023
Vermakelijk eerste deel van een tweeluik. Sente en Juillard hebben puik werk afgeleverd. Komt qua beleving heel dichtbij E.P.J.
March 31, 2014
I've never been a big fan of Blake and Mortimer, reading the original albums as a kid but preferring the more easy going Tintin and of course my all time favourite Spirou and Fantasio. Seeing that there is a new production of Blake and Mortimer albums and that they, when they are published, often outsell just about everything else on the French-Belgian comics market (the latest album sold in excess of 400 000 copies!), I thought it was time to rectify this and see if the adult me has another view on these obviously still very popular stories.
I started with this book as it was easily available in my to-read shelf in a Danish translation. It's the first in a mini series of two albums, and done by the team of Yves Sente and André Juillard, who were the first to tackle following the original creator Edgar P. Jacobs. The choice turned out to be a lucky one, as this album comprises among other things an origin story for Mortimer, including the fateful first meting with Blake. All this is done in good taste, but as I am not well-read on the canon of Blake and Mortimer, I can't tell if this is a retcon or if it's consistent with the earlier stories. As everything else looks like the writer and artist have tried their best to be faithful to the original series, I suppose the latter. If it is, it's remarkable that it took 16 albums to get to the point of telling how these two heroes met.
The story is well written, though wordy, just as I remembered the Blake and Mortimer albums of my youth. If you take the time to actually read all the captions and somewhat lengthy speech balloons it is a good story, though. And Sente and Juillard have, thankfully gotten rid of Jacobs' tradition of writing in the captions a description of what was shown in the image, and often having a character state it a third time, just to make sure.
I also like the idea of incorporating the World fair of Brussels in 1958, again strange that it took 16 albums to get there, as the Atomium building launched then and there is the most iconic building of the era in Belgium.
As this is only part one of two, I'll wait with the final verdict until I've read the next volume, but so far I'm pleasantly surprised and have actually take stock of my Blake and Mortimer collection to see what holes I need to fill, in order to read all the albums chronologically.
I started with this book as it was easily available in my to-read shelf in a Danish translation. It's the first in a mini series of two albums, and done by the team of Yves Sente and André Juillard, who were the first to tackle following the original creator Edgar P. Jacobs. The choice turned out to be a lucky one, as this album comprises among other things an origin story for Mortimer, including the fateful first meting with Blake. All this is done in good taste, but as I am not well-read on the canon of Blake and Mortimer, I can't tell if this is a retcon or if it's consistent with the earlier stories. As everything else looks like the writer and artist have tried their best to be faithful to the original series, I suppose the latter. If it is, it's remarkable that it took 16 albums to get to the point of telling how these two heroes met.
The story is well written, though wordy, just as I remembered the Blake and Mortimer albums of my youth. If you take the time to actually read all the captions and somewhat lengthy speech balloons it is a good story, though. And Sente and Juillard have, thankfully gotten rid of Jacobs' tradition of writing in the captions a description of what was shown in the image, and often having a character state it a third time, just to make sure.
I also like the idea of incorporating the World fair of Brussels in 1958, again strange that it took 16 albums to get there, as the Atomium building launched then and there is the most iconic building of the era in Belgium.
As this is only part one of two, I'll wait with the final verdict until I've read the next volume, but so far I'm pleasantly surprised and have actually take stock of my Blake and Mortimer collection to see what holes I need to fill, in order to read all the albums chronologically.
June 30, 2016
I love the comic books (stripverhalen) with Blake and Mortimer.
This one is inspired by the original series of P.G.Jacobs and the drawings and the plot are good. A nice part is that the reading becomes aquainted with the young Philip Mortimer and his friend Francis Blake. This part plays in India before the independence.
Halfway the story jumps to a more recent time: the World Exhibition of 1958 in Brussels. The symbol of this exhibition, now more than 50 years ago, still stands: the Atomium.
I bought this book (and its sequel) during a visit in Brussels. It's in French and a bit difficult for me to read, as my French isn't first class, but the essences of the story is clear to me. I'm looking forward reading the sequel and see how the story ends, for like the original Blake & Mortimer comics this one a good continuation.
This one is inspired by the original series of P.G.Jacobs and the drawings and the plot are good. A nice part is that the reading becomes aquainted with the young Philip Mortimer and his friend Francis Blake. This part plays in India before the independence.
Halfway the story jumps to a more recent time: the World Exhibition of 1958 in Brussels. The symbol of this exhibition, now more than 50 years ago, still stands: the Atomium.
I bought this book (and its sequel) during a visit in Brussels. It's in French and a bit difficult for me to read, as my French isn't first class, but the essences of the story is clear to me. I'm looking forward reading the sequel and see how the story ends, for like the original Blake & Mortimer comics this one a good continuation.
September 6, 2016
Stupenda la parte di FlashBack ambientata in India con i giovani Blake e Mortimer (la principessa Gita e l'imperatore sono personaggi fantastici :D )
Molto affascinante anche l'ambientazione nell'Expo 1958 e gli approfondimenti che però contengono uno spoiler mostruoso.
Per il resto un albo che conferma la serie come miglior scoperta del 2016.
Molto affascinante anche l'ambientazione nell'Expo 1958 e gli approfondimenti che però contengono uno spoiler mostruoso.
Per il resto un albo che conferma la serie come miglior scoperta del 2016.
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December 16, 2015Great by recreating the universal expo. Good to see Olrik back. Also loved the story about how Francis and Mortimer first met in India. It has it all... even longish dialogues!
August 28, 2016
Una buona avventura, con l'ampio flashback e la nascita dell'amicizia tra i due coprotagonisti.
August 15, 2023
Trop de texte, peu d'action
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