Page 45 Review by Jonathan
What will it take to get Dupuy & Berberian the respect they deserve? - Publisher's Weekly.
A very valid question posed on the rear cover of this most recent collection of Monsieur Jean material which sees a shift away from the whimsical - well okay, whinging - story-telling of his dating disasters into a more serious, yet still frequently very amusing, exploration of his moderately disastrous long-term relationship with Cathy. Yes, believe it or not, Monsieur Jean is finally growing up! Mind you, the back cover does also features the following quote...
A French version of an early Woody Allen film. - NPR
Now, obviously, no one particularly wants to hear their name used in conjunction with Woody Allen these days, but it is a very apt analogy. For this work is all about the subtle interactions and emotional interplay between the characters, including inter-generational relationships as Jean finds himself all too frequently playing surrogate dad to his best mate (and mildly degenerate) Felix's son Eugene, or Freddie Mercury as they persist on calling him, for reasons I never could quite puzzle out.
This work covers a good few years of Monsieur Jean material as eventually he makes an honest woman of Cathy and they have a daughter Julie, which of course, only serves to introduce a new chaotic element into Jean's apparently relentlessly stressful life. As contemporary fiction goes, it is extremely well observed, feels completely real and minded me somewhat of Alex Robinson's most recent work, OUR EXPANDING UNIVERSE for its frequently amusing take on the travails of a man fighting the loss of his bachelor lifestyle to the very bitter-sweet end.
Artistically, fans of Michael Rabagliati's exceptional fictionalised autobiographical PAUL material really should check this out as this is very much on the same page stylistically. Plus, this is an all-colour work to boot!
It is exceptional value for money too as the final quarter features a huge selection of what are effectively two-page gag strips, each on a different topic. Some, I suspect, may well be excerpts which didn't make it into the final script, purely for reasons of smooth editing of the primary storyline. Others are just out and out rib-ticklers. But they certainly make for a very funny set of 'after the credits' bonus scenes.
So, what will it take for Dupuy & Berberian to get the respect they deserve? Well, I've done my bit with this review. Now you need to do your bit by parting with your hard-earned cash!
