For the third time, the heroes of European myths and legends are going to fight to save our continent. This time their opponent will be the coronavirus, but they will not only have to deal with it. Will Atena and Twardowski deal with the threat again?
The pandemic is not the only problem
COVID-19 is currently raging in Europe. The Greek goddess of chaos and discord – Eris wants to take advantage of the crisis situation. It is thanks to her that false information about the disease is disseminated in the multimedia. What’s more, she plans to quarrel the heads of states trying to get the vaccine. However, Twardowski and Bazyliszek are working on her intentions. Now, together with Athena and Hippolytus, they must not only put an end to its activities in time, but also unite people again so that they can go together and in solidarity to fight the virus.
Composition changes
Paneuropa vs COVID-19 is the third comic book published in Poland at the initiative of the European Commission and financed by the European Union for educational purposes. The title is free of charge and its premiere took place during the International Festival of Comics and Games in Łódź. Tobiasz Piątkowski is responsible for his script, as in the case of Paneuropa vs Smog . The author once again sends the Paneuropa team to the battle, which this time has to deal with the pandemic. The main characters are Mr. Twardowski, Bazyliszek, Athena, Sędziwój and those introduced to the composition of St. Hieronymus of Stridon. Eryk Pomorski is also given a supporting role. People who, in turn, liked Sawa, Ratcatcher or Romulus and Remus, will certainly be disappointed, because these characters appear in the comic only for a moment.
As for the plot itself, the creator decided to raise a very important issue here, which is false media information and the lack of interpersonal solidarity. As doctors fight for the lives of patients, the goddess Eris fabricates more lies and spreads the opinion that the entire pandemic is merely a hoax. By the way, he founded the Pseudologoi organization and tries to quarrel the heads of state by bidding on the vaccine that will receive the one who pays the most. It almost leads to a war. The writer shows us where ignorance and disagreement lead us, while the world needs consent to deal with the crisis. The plot is taken from real life and aims to show us what we should strive for. It is a pity that Piątkowski gets too few pages and has to rush the action, often not allowing it to develop enough. Jumps between successive events are annoying or confusing at times. Whether it’s fights or discussions, everything is done quickly. The message of the whole is understandable, but there is a lot lacking in the title to fully interest the recipient. The younger reader will need some clarifications, and the older reader may get discouraged and not even make it to the end. It’s a pity, because if we refined the whole thing and give the scriptwriter more room to show off, we could come up with an interesting alternative to the famous Avengers. and the older one may become discouraged and not even make it to the end. It’s a pity, because if we refined the whole thing and give the scriptwriter more room to show off, we could come up with an interesting alternative to the famous Avengers. and the older one may become discouraged and not even make it to the end. It’s a pity, because if we refined the whole thing and give the scriptwriter more room to show off, we could come up with an interesting alternative to the famous Avengers.
Two faces
Wojciech Stefaniec and Rafał Szłapa are responsible for the graphic design of the comic book Paneuropa vs COVID-19 . Both men got more or less half of the album to show their skills. The reader, in turn, can see various techniques for creating frames. At the beginning, we can see works that are a bit more abstract, full of colors, characterized by a less clear line. Then, however, they are much more similar to contemporary comics, with frames. as we can see in classic Marvel or DC notebooks. Regardless of which fragment we read at the moment, the graphics are certainly pleasing to the eye and, although they may not surprise us with their innovations, it is also difficult to accuse them of anything.
Choose your version
It is also worth paying attention to the comic book edition itself. First of all, we get a few different covers. There are as many as five of them, of which four show partner cities, i.e. Darłowo, Katowice, Łódź and Wrocław. The last one is more general and refers to the plot of the notebook. In addition, inside we will find information about the creators, a few words from a representative of the European Commission, information on COVID-19 and the pandemic, as well as a glossary with the most important words about the coronavirus, translated into 24 languages.
The project continues!
Paneuropa vs COVID-19 is the next part of the comic, which is to show us the threats of today’s world, often caused by man. The creators want to raise our awareness and show how to deal with problems. This time, they focused on a topic that is close to all of us, i.e. the fight against the pandemic. By the way, the topic of the so-called “Fake news”. All this with the help of a comic book, which will probably be of interest to both younger and older readers. From the visual side, the notebook is really polished, and even the edition deserves praise. However, the plot can be accused of a bit. It is conducted unevenly, with jumps and understatements. If I would expand it by a few more pages. it would certainly be much more impressive. After all, I am waiting for its next installment. I am curious what heroes the authors will introduce to it this time and what they will have to deal with.
