Mezek

by Yann, André Juillard (Illustrator)

1948. The creation of the Hebrew state is proving to be not exactly a peaceful affair, starting with the Egyptian bombs that are regularly falling on Tel-Aviv. All that Israel has to fight the lethal enemy ‘Spitfires’ are some old ‘Mezek’, flown by Jewish volunteers from all over the world, but also mercenaries from rather more sinister backgrounds. Bjorn is one of those mercenaries. He’s come to risk his life for several million dollars, a fact that galls his brothers-in-arms, who are fighting not for cash but for their ideals!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, History, Bande Dessinée

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Pseudonym of Yann le Pennetier or Lepennetier, who also publishes as Balac, is a French comics writer.

[FR]
Après ses débuts dans la publicité et l’architecture, ce Marseillais s’est lancé dans la bande dessinée en 1974 en dessinant pour Spirou à Bruxelles où il habite désormais.

Remercié par le journal pour dessins irrévérencieux, il avait noué des liens forts de franche camaraderie avec Conrad avec qui il a notamment réalisé les Innommables en 1980 et lancé la Tigresse blanche en 2005.

Ses premiers scénarios l’avaient conduit dans l’univers de Franquin avec le Marsupilami en 1989 et de Goscinny avec Lucky Luke sans oublier son one-shot sur une aventure de de Spirou. Il écrit depuis pour de nombreux dessinateurs comme Berthet (Pin Up, Yoni, les exploits de Poison Ivy), Simon Léturgie (Spoon White), Félix Meynet (les Eternels) avec ou encore Herval (Tiffany), René Hausman (Les Trois cheveux blancs, Le Prince des écureuils), Yslaire (Sambre), Joël Parnotte (Le Sang des Porphyre)...

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story explores the life of a mercenary in the post-World War II Israeli Air Force. As a foreign mercenary he is paid significantly more than the locals volunteers, so he must navigate the ill feelings that the locals have for the mercenaries. Additionally, there is a mystery regarding the regular failure of planes and the mystery of why the protagonist is working as a mercenary in Israel. Both of those mysteries are intriguing. As for the story itself, it gets off to a slow start, and it spends a little too much time on romantic subplots that don't add as much to the two mysteries at the heart of the book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a stunning comic book from the troubled times leading to the birth of the Israeli nation in 1948.
A time of great uncertainty and the real struggle to protect the nascent population under attack. With limited resources to defend themselves with arms embargoes. This is the story of the fledgling air force with few Israeli born pilots relying on mercenaries and pieced together airplanes based on German Messerschmitt 109 fighter. They were sourced from the Czechs who had bolted the Jumo 211F engines and propellers used by Nazi Heinkel-111 twin-engine bombers to the 109's airframe. These aircraft were unaffectionately nicknamed mezek — “mule” — because of their difficult handling characteristics.
Our story focuses on a Swede and his struggles to master the hard to fly jets and the seemingly constant bad luck forcing planes to fail and crash on landing. Bjorn our Swedish hero discovers sabotage and struggles to be accepted by the Jewish pilots. The story is enhanced by his troubled past and inability to settle for a girl, among the three women he is attracted towards. Life is cheap; with no certainty of tomorrow and in the face of death love is what can be shared and received in the now.
The tension in this time of Israel becoming a nation is very interesting. The internal factions as well as the onslaught from neighbouring Arab states add to the shifting political situation. I find the greatest irony that part of the Nazi war machine was cobbled together to help win the war in the skies.
A graphic novel is a great medium for dogfights and the action of war. I enjoyed the action features but was pleased to learn some history in the process.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Mezek #1' by Yann with art by Andre Juillard is about mercenary pilots flying for Israel in 1948.

As Israel fights to become a country, it becomes necessary to hire skilled pilots from the recent war in Europe to fly the various planes they can find. The main plane is the Mezek a Czech version of the German Messerschmitt. The planes are finicky, have blind spots on landing, but the pilots are aces with them, until a series of accidents starts killing other pilots. The story follows a pilot name Bjorn from Sweden who has his own secrets from the recent war.

The story is ok, but feels a bit flat and stiff. So does the art. I'm glad I read it because I didn't know about this story from history and I found it interesting.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of it is spectacular. Other parts are perplexing.

The drawing style is amazing and honestly worth a read for that alone. The planes are detailed and there are even small details in the background. Stuff I basically miss and I would absolute adore any history book in this style. The story is amazing and mediocre at the same time. The history lessons are deep. They even used what I assume is Yiddish and Hebrew and characters refer to cultural traditions for Jews. Some pages are so rich in research it must have taken a week to research a single page.

We even see the Jewish terrorist group Irgun and the Altalena Affair where the Israel army sank a Jewish ship filled with weapons and arrested Irgun members as they didn't want a civil war and the organization didn't want to work themselves into the Israeli army. After this the organization collapsed and civil war was avoided. There are also elements that are pure fiction and those I think are quite bad. Everything else is amazing and then we have this silly story on top. Irgun spies are hiding in the plane set out to bomb the ship, trying to kill our hero. Before that an Irgun member and spy shot a captured soldier and also shot down British planes. Frankly, Irgun did similar and even worse stuff so this could have happened - but issue is, it didn't. He sleeps with multiple women. One of his lovers sees him in a German video working for Luftwaffe. Another lover tries to kill him as her brother is on the ship. They all think he is Swedish. But then think he is a German Nazi. Then we learn he is actually a Jew who hid in Nazi Germany. It's a giant mess and all the naked scenes with lovers feel like a waste as there are way too many. Just show 2, that's fine.

I would have loved more culture scenes. Just eating, walking around Israel, visiting places, more politicians and leaders. Instead the author insists on writing his own story and it never works. It's not terrible, it just feels unfinished and pointless. And morally vague. I would have loved this to be more history focused without all these double spies and lovers. Even how they smuggled in planes and the plane sabotage to me feels like fiction as I have never read about it before. It's basically not really history which is a great shame, but you can learn a lot from it still. Frankly, keep him as a Nazi German who changed his way if you want to write this story. Or remove all superhero fiction and instead show fictive daily life scenes. The dialogue is also weird. People will speak for a minute at a time in technical jargon. No one ever has spoken this way to anyone. But I get that the author has a lot to convey to us readers.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avevo colpevolmente tralasciato la collana Historica in questi ultimi mesi.

Ieri son andata in edicola, la giornalaia me l'ha dato e mi son messa a leggere Mezek.

Si parla della nascita di Isreale. Guerra tra israeliani e forza arabe coalizzate tra di loro. Vista la scarsità di piloti da guerra, il nuovissimo stato di Israele ingaggia mercenari da tutto il mondo, compreso lo svedesotto Björn. Deve volare con aerei cecoslovacchi modificati, tanto che son pericolosissimo e spesso i piloti ci lasciano le penne all'atterraggio.

Ci sono anche tre donzelle che si giocano i favori del protagonista. Ma solo l'ultima è quella in grado di fargli battere il cuore.

Scene di combattimenti aerei e di momenti di riposo alla base. Ma c'è un segreto che pesa sulle spalle di Björn. Alla fine si scopre che è un ebreo che è riuscito a essere ammesso tra le file delle SS con un suo amico. L'amico lo scoprono e lo uccidono davanti ai suoi occhi, senza che lui possa intervenire.

Disegni a linea chiara e colori poco brillanti.

Forse avrebbero dovuto aggiungere anche un glossario alla fine, visti i tanti termini ebraici (presumo) nel testo.

Bello comunque. Mette in luce un aspetto poco conosciuto della Seconda Guerra Mondiale.

La storia è composta da 62 tavole. Tutto il resto è un making of.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

A graphic novel that should have been a lot more interesting than it was. It's supposed to be about the ramshackle, international Air Force defending a nascent Israel against Egyptian warfare right after WW2. So yes, there is a bit of airplane action, and yes there is a bit of action on the beach the local lovers' lane leads to. It's intriguing to see the history of the bodged-up planes, cobbled together from eastern European factories and leftovers. But there is too much of this episodic book that is just pointless bickering, and antagonism instead of actual plot. A small amount of it would have done to show the different political opinions, careers and desires of the diverse crew we're concerned with, but there's just too much. I guess the main element of the latter plot, what to do with a particular boat, is based entirely on fact, but the rest is fiction. The problem is how much of it is low-brow, hokum fiction, from people who would rather see punches thrown by the characters than the script.

[Mansi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always wondered if there were any books on how Israel was formed or were there any accounts of their earlier years. Yann’s ‘Mezek’ focusses on issues both political and real that plagued those early years. Focussed on the air force and more precisely the Mezek aircraft which were deemed as a flying coffin, the novel is a story of a young foreign pilot as he struggles to find his space and reconcile with his past while helping the newly formed state against its many enemies. The art André Juillard is a treat to the eyes and brings alive the era with precise detailing. A must-read for all World War II buffs.

[Carlos B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me llamó la atención en la biblioteca y ahí mismo que lo leí. Una historia ambientada en el Israel de 1948 con Messerschmitts de por medio. Irresistible.

Luego me ha pasado lo de siempre con los cómics. Me da la sensación que el argumento tiene mucho más potencial. La historia no está mal, pero me creo que podría estar mejor. No deja de ser un cómic interesante (por algo lo he leído de un tirón), con sus giros de trama e historias amor (o más bien sexo) típicas del género y ambientada en un escenario tan sugerente como la guerra del independencia israelí.

[Richard Tremblay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pétri de bonnes intentions, mais scénario litotique en diable, avec des épisodes difficiles à enchaîner et des coincidences qui mettent à mal notre crédulité. Mais bon.

En passant, Mezek, c'est le nom donné aux Bf-109 fabriqué (et rabibochés) en Tchécoslovaquie après la 2e guerre, dont l'état d'Israël a été preneur faute de mieux.

[Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A war story that takes place right after WWII during the creation of Israel, centered around international mercenary pilots who fight for the fledgling country not for honor but for pay. Typical of Yann's comics, the art is very realistic and well done, and the story is sad and layered.

[Amit Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in times of new Israel in 1948.
It's soul and highlight is its artwork.
Art is wonderful. Characters appear alive and walking under sunlight.
Fight scenes are drawn with excuisite expertise.
Story is set in newly formed state of Israel and its pilots who are trying to protect it. Few pilots are hired from other countries and it is story of such pilot and his charm which has attracted more than one women.
There is nudity in few pages. Story is interesting.
End of the story is very good and suits the build-up throughout pages.
A very good war story starred by very good art.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

[Variaciones Enrojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reseña de Toni Boix para Zona Negativa:
http://www.zonanegativa.com/va-d-bd-24/

[...]Por contra, el siguiente libro al que nos referimos es un ejemplo de disciplina narrativa: probablemente, como no podía ser de otra manera estando en manos de dos valores hoy ya clásicos de la historieta francesa como son André Juillard (Las 7 vidas del Gavilán, Diario azul, El largo viaje de Lena) y Yann Lepennetier (Tako, El Gran Duque), a quien también se le conoce como Balac (Sambre, La sangre de los Porfirio).
La obra nos cuenta cómo eran los primeros días del recién constituido ejercito aéreo israelí, allá por 1948, cuando este estado de nueva creación se veía obligado a delegar su defensa en un nutrido colectivo de mercenarios, dado que todavía no disponía de soldados propios que dominasen el complicado arte de pilotar los únicos aviones que los muchos embargos impuestos por la comunidad internacional les permitían importar: los inestables Mezek checos, que en el chasis de los Messerschmitt incorporaban el motor de bombarderos Junkers Jumo ocasionando que aterrizar con ellos pudiese resultar suicida. Todo ello lo contemplamos a través de uno de esos “soldados a sueldo”, Björn, un taciturno piloto sueco que, a pesar de que su integridad y su éxito con las mujeres pudiesen sugerir lo contrario, arrastra una losa que justifica su porte apesumbrado; más si cabe en un escenario como el que habita. Aunque, pensándolo bien, alguien como él, alguien con un doble secreto como el suyo, no podía encontrarse en ningún otro lugar.
Imagino que, por mis palabras, tendrán ustedes claro que nos hallamos ante un relato que se articula a partir de la fiel reconstrucción histórica, algún que otro misterio y una pormenorizada interacción psicológica y sociológica entre sus distintos personajes protagonistas. Así, cuidadosos como son con todo aquello concerniente a la historicidad y la verosimilitud, Yann y Juillard hacen ofrenda al lector de un producto madurado y muy digno que, sin embargo, no consigue cautivarnos. Algunos han sido de la opinión de que Yann juega sus cartas con excesiva frialdad, manejando con tanta exactitud los resortes narrativos que acaba resultando predecible. Ciertamente, el relato está bien hilvanado y acoge de forma armónica diversos elementos históricos de indudable trascendencia, motivos que justifican suficientemente cierto nivel de reconocimiento. Pero también es verdad que la misma actitud distante tras la cual Björn y sus intereses románticos pretenden esconder sus pulsiones y cicatrices se acaba apoderando del guion para empujarnos insidiosamente lejos del epicentro emocional de la historia. Otros, como yo mismo, también consideran que Juillard tiene su parte de responsabilidad en el levantamiento de ese muro que se interpone entre lector y personajes. Porque, si bien es cierto que sólo gracias a su implicación el proyecto pudo llegar a puerto tras muchos intentos infructuosos de Yann de encontrar dibujante, no lo es menos que estos años en los que este ilustrador ha estado mimetizando el estilo de Edgar P. Jacobs en Las aventuras de Blake y Mortimer le han pasado algo de factura y se infiltra en sus páginas una liviandad expresiva muy típica de aquello que en su día vino a llamarse línea clara. Planos neutros, narrativa visual muy sencilla y, en ocasiones, la construcción discretamente simplificada de algunos personajes… retórica que tan perfectamente encaja en las aventuras de héroes como los de Hergé, Jacobs o Yves Chaland pero que a menudo ellos mismos trascendían, especialmente este último en maravillas como El cometa de Cártago (en cuyo guion también participara Yann y publicado aquí dentro de Chaland Obra completa 1), no funcionan igual de bien cuando se trata de ahondar en la amargura de la culpa, la irracionalidad del odio y el ansia de redención.
Sin embargo, a pesar de ese molesto decalaje, de esa desincronización entre público y protagonistas, Mezek sigue siendo lo suficientemente auténtica y ambiciosa como para que no debamos prescindir de ella por entero… como no podía ser de otra manera si Yann y Juillard aparecen en sus créditos.

[Fredrik Strömberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story by Yann about a mercenary from Sweden who signs up for duty in the nascent Israeli Air Force of 1948. The name of the book is taken from one of the few planes that the Israeli managed to get hold of due to an international embargo against them buying any kinds of arms, and it was a old plane model that was hard to fly which led to the death of many of these early pilots.

The drawings by Juilliard is as always very precise but also a bit stiff/dull. Especially after just having read another album written by Yann, but drawn by Tarrin in a modern day take on the lively Marcinelle style (Le tombeau des Champignac).

Mezek is not bad for a traditional French-Belgian realistic, historically based album, but it doesn't really take off (pun intended...).

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of foreign mercenary pilots in Israel right after the end of World War II. They are frowned upon because of how much money they make but necessary as Israel has very few pilots of its own and is under a world wide embargo. There's s couple of mysteries around too, as the planes are very old and may be sabotaged. The storytelling is very flat with little sticking out. There's a lot of nudity from all the trysts the pilots, both men and women take on as they could die at any time.

[Andrés Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

El dibujo es un pelín acartonado y los diálogos podrían ser mejores, aunque también podría ser cosa de la traducción... Pese a ello, el resultado final es soberbio, debido al período histórico en que se desarrolla y a la complejidad psicológica de los personajes. Altamente recomendable.

[La Revistería Comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aviones, lealtades, guerra, amores y desamores y de trasfondo, la creación de un nuevo Estado.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.