In this adventure, the Count of Champignac has disappeared! He was kidnapped by KGB agents…
Russian scholars need him to help them spread the communism gene all over the world.
In the context of the Cold War, Spirou and Fantasio play James Bond, spies infiltrated under the cover of a report for Vaillant (Pif Gadget), the communist newspaper of the time. Will they be able to free Champignac from Bolshevik regimentation and save the world from communist contamination?
The Black & White editions offer you all of Fabrice Tarrin’s boards in their pencilled version; note the boards are shown in their first stage, without reassembly.
You can also find some existing plates in several versions, they are to be discovered opposite, so this preparatory work allows you to appreciate the creative process carried out upstream by the authors.
Format: 23.5 x 31 cm, 88 pages printed on beautiful Offset Paper with a cardboard cover and red round spine. The album is in the same format as the classic Dupuis edition with a round back so that it can be stored neatly alongside.
Edition limited to 500 copies numbered and signed by Tarrin and Neidhardt.
- Editions Black and White, December 2022
- ISBN 978-2-38363-0009-8
- 23.5 × 31 cm (9.25″ x 12″), 88 pages, hardcover
- 75 €
- Order online: Editions Black and White, CollectorBD
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
A signed and numbered hardcover of just the pencils for Spirou Chez Les Soviets as a companion book to the full-size AE format book. Limited to 500 copies. Mixed in among the story pages are character designs and roughs from Tarrin. This is the look behind the curtain that many AE format readers crave. Here is the introduction from the signature plate.
This book contains reproductions of all the pencilled pages produced by Fabrice Tarrin for the album Spirou chez les Soviets. They are presented here in their first stage, without editing. Some of these boards exist in design/rough versions which benefit from good research. You can discover them opposite the boards concerned in order to find your way around more easily, the pages offering alternative versions are not numbered.
This preparatory work makes it possible to appreciate the creative process carried out upstream by the authors.
All the scans are excellent, with no visual issues. Almost entirely pencils with some spot inks. Lots of blue pencils as well. No margin notes. It’s great to see lettering at this stage: you can fully read and enjoy the story straight from here. It would be interesting to know what size these pencilled pages are originally, but we get the full intent at this size.
There aren’t a lot of extras here as the book is a companion to the full-size Spirou Chez Les Soviets, which this cover mimics with pencils. I love how they leaned into the Soviet red and that era font; got to love “Krayonnée” as another nod. As well utilizing some excellent pencil enlargements and very busy endpapers.
A sewn binding of a medium matter paper, possibly 80 gsm. The book came shrink wrapped, and lays flat when the center is smoothed. As most people buying this will be having it shipped, rest assured the publisher packs exceptionally well and I didn’t have any issues. Canada Post left this package outside my door and it sat through a rainy weekend and still had no issues when I opened it.
Because I ordered directly from Editions Black and White, they included a bonus print, which is shown below. It’s always nice to get someone extra.
