Ekho v6: “Deep South”

There’s something about this book that bothers me. I’m from the Northeast of America so I don’t have a personal dog in this fight. But most of this book feels like a simplified caricature of the South, with every two-dimensional over-simplistic portrayal of cliches that just feels… lazy.

I didn’t review this book when I first read it a couple of years ago because I wasn’t sure how to express that without igniting some kind of political response. This isn’t about politics. But this is the Internet; good luck explaining that.

In light of current events, though, those caricatures start looking more and more realistic.

And, hey, I love Asterix — a book about simplified caricatures of entire nations. Who am I to judge?

That all said, there’s some good stuff in here, so let’s talk about “Deep South,” after all!

The Timeliest Credits Ever

What’s Going On?

One of the artists Fourmille is agenting is a super popular singer by the name of Soledad, who has a smash hit single about the time she had an abortion and how her body is her own.

“Hello, 2022, this is 2017’s book calling…

“…From France.”

Wild, eh?

A crazed Christian sect (of course) led by one Reverend Fox wants to shut Soledad down before she can poison the children and upset their religious beliefs. Things in this book, more than any other Ekhö book before it or after it, are about as subtle as the movie “Avatar” having an element named “unobtanium”.

After a violent confrontation in New York City at the start of the book, a meeting is convened to decide whether to continue with the tour and all of its stops coming up next in the Bible Belt. Canceling would be prohibitively expensive, and recording the concerts live on the tour would help create new tracks to release. And so, the tour is on!

But, really, Fourmille had to know that she was bringing a ticking time bomb to the “Deep South” with this one.

Soledad still wants to do it, though, to prove something.

That panel right there saves the book for me. Christophe Arleston makes sure to stage the situation in financial terms such that the tour has to go on. The decision can rest on that and it can take the power out of the characters’ hands.

That’s where this panel comes in. There’s a reason for this tour that’s personality-driven on Soledad’s part. She has a message that she wants to spread and she stands defiantly against those who want to fight against her. As a driven character, she’s much more interesting to the reader. She’s not pushing through just because she has to. She wants to, and she’ll fight her way through it.

Make no mistake, there will be lots of fights along the way.

As tends to happen in repressive areas, the opposition base grows more fervent and enthusiastic, which only serves to also agitate and excite the truest possible fans. That comes in handy down the line. Soledad must fight past Reverend Fox and his congregation of like-minded, strident believers.

Naturally, there’s more to Fox than meets the eye. You know from the beginning that he’ll be proven to be the world’s biggest hypocrite somehow by the end of the book. That’s where this kind of story with these kinds of characters always goes.

Fourmille’s Fun and Games

There’s also a subplot in this book about the tension in the romantic aspect of Yuri and Fourmille’s relationship, which leads to Yuri leaving to start a new business on his own. Fourmille is surprised to discover how much she misses him, though, and that yearning expresses itself in a surprising way during the road trip.

Along the way, she has to avenge the death of a local sheriff, who is not so nice a man himself. When his hard-drinking and heavy-eating lifestyle brings his life to an abrupt end, Fourmille possesses his spirit and his vengeful attitude. He’s an entertaining way to move the plot forward by hinting at some of the secrets Fourmille will have to uncover to save Soledad.

The Sherriff is a great turn of personality for Fourmille, being so completely opposite to her. Barbucci sells it hard with all the mannerisms and facial expressions. It’s very funny, and the one spot in the entire book where the Southern stereotype worked the best for me.

Maybe that’s because I grew up on “Dukes of Hazzard”?

The Meta Topics of Ekho

I love the Preshauns. I love every time they show up on a panel. Any dialogue balloon they get is going to be fun.

They appear throughout this book. First, you see them in the city just wandering around, but later Fourmille uses them for protection and for some logistical backing in her grand plan.

Preshauns work well for security — hide their tea, let them assume their monstrous form, and stay on their good side.

Sigisbert, meanwhile, is still obsessed with how Yuri is the only human to make it to Ekhö without any hint of the Thaumic powers that Fourmille possesses. On top of that, he’s trying to figure out how Yuri and Fourmille’s one intimate outing (see volume 3) might affect his power levels and the Ekhö world, as a whole. What can he learn from them?

It’s a great way to inject some humor into the book by bringing up an uncomfortable subject for the two leads of the series at various times. It’s also a valid question for the overall story arc of the series.

Sometimes, I wonder if Arleston has a big plan for this series. Does he have all the answers? Is the end game to give Fourmille and Yuri the choice to go home or not? Is there, in short, a “mythology” to this series, or do we just enjoy it one book at a time for as long as it’ll last?

I think that last option is likely the best choice.

Oh, and there’s a magazine dedicated to the beauty of the Preshaun species. We’re introduced in this book to “Playshaun.” It’s a small sight gag in the corner of the page, but the way the clerk is holding up the centerfold made me laugh out loud.

“Sexy Preshaun” is a funny concept and not a Halloween costume I need to see, thanks.

Location, Location, Location

The Ekhö version of Macy’s — Lacy’s — is a great mirror instance. I wonder if the Ekhö Thanksgiving Day Parade marches in front of that building, too… This really does look a lot like the architecture of the Macy’s building in NYC. That’s also the front of the store where the parade passes for all the tv cameras to see. It’s scaled down a tad, but that’s OK.

When Soledad’s tour bus leaves the city, it does so through New Jersey, including this collection of signs at the entrance of the New Jersey Turnpike. It’s a dead ringer for reality, right down to the highway numbers mentioned. Barbucci did his homework, whether by visiting around here or via Google Images. I haven’t seen this realistic a comic book version of the NY/NJ area roadways outside of “Largo Winch.”

Yuri’s New Business (Spoilers)

The best little internet gag of this book is Yuri’s new business. It’s something he had just started when things between him and Fourmille got so awkward that he decided to leave the talent agency and run away to somewhere else to develop his new business.

He’s using blue birds to send short messages.

He talks like a real startup founder from Silicon Valley here, too. He talks about conquering one city and proving the viability of the business model before expanding out to multiple cities, other nations, and total world domination.

His service also has a nifty logo, as seen above. The service’s name is “Tweety,” by the way, proving that European comics creators/translators/publishers have no fear of copyright/trademark lawsuits…

We don’t hear about the business in volume 7, but we do learn that Yuri sold it off for a nice profit in Volume 8:

The Last Page (Spoilers)

In the end, it seems like Fourmille and Yuri have made up, mended fences, and finally decided to lock lips.

That’s when the sheriff’s personality re-appears out of nowhere for ten seconds, before disappearing again. Plot-wise, this makes no sense. The sheriff’s death has been avenged. Reverend Fox has been disgraced and locked up — his secrets are out in the open. The Sherriff’s desire for vengeance after his own self-inflicted (by gluttony) death is sated.

This is just a moment timed by the writer to interrupt the moment for the plot’s sake.

But Yuri is used to this. He understands it. (You see that heavily in the opening restaurant scene of Volume 8.)

Life can move on, right?

Maybe, but the book ends suddenly with a “To Be Continued…” despite the fact the story doesn’t really continue from here into volume 7. That one starts on the streets of London with Fourmille and Yuri on a new case and their romantic issues on hold for the book.

I love this series and I’m not addicted to continuity by any stretch of the imagination, but there are inconsistencies that drive the fan in me a little crazy…

Recommended?

Yes, as always. A lot of it feels a little over-the-top and cliched, but Arleston and Barbucci pull it off with such flair and a solid sense of humor that I can’t get mad at it.

“Ekhö” is sadly only available digitally on Amazon. (I could earn a small commission if you purchase it through that Amazon link.)

Delcourt/Soleil doesn’t like translating many of their books for digital, it seems. I’m not sure how this one snuck through, but I’m glad it did.

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