Whalers vs. the giant crab
Aquarica it begins with a story told by one of the older sailors. Everyone sips beer and listens attentively once again to the story of the sinking of one of the best whaling ships. Some are tired of reminiscing about their former glory and stagger a little to the beach. And that’s it, one of the drunken sailors is the first to notice the giant crab! Finally, this news reaches the Institute of Marine Sciences. It is from this facility that a young researcher, John Greyford, sets off. Fascinated by a bizarre creature, he has to face an angry mob of whalers. For this creature’s armor is made of the remains of ships! As if that wasn’t enough, this huge crab turns out to be a means of transport for the girl’s wonderful beauty. This is just the beginning of a fascinating and mysterious story. Especially when reading the first of the two parts, I was genuinely intrigued, although it cannot be denied that Benoit Sokal decided to reveal most of the cards quite quickly. For this reason, I more or less knew where the plot was going, although I still enjoyed following the young researcher’s adventures. Nevertheless, it was the titular Aquarica that fascinated me the most: a girl who comes to a world so alien to her in search of help. Not only does she look charming in individual frames, but she is also endowed with extraordinary talents. In my opinion, this is an interesting variation on mermaids, or at least I saw a certain similarity between this heroine and mythical creatures. I don’t know where the plot is going, although I still enjoyed following the young researcher’s adventures. Nevertheless, it was the titular Aquarica that fascinated me the most: a girl who comes to a world so alien to her in search of help. Not only does she look charming in individual frames, but she is also endowed with extraordinary talents. In my opinion, this is an interesting variation on mermaids, or at least I saw a certain similarity between this heroine and mythical creatures. I don’t know where the plot is going, although I still enjoyed following the young researcher’s adventures. Nevertheless, it was the titular Aquarica that fascinated me the most: a girl who comes to a world so alien to her in search of help. Not only does she look charming in individual frames, but she is also endowed with extraordinary talents. In my opinion, this is an interesting variation on mermaids, or at least I saw a certain similarity between this heroine and mythical creatures.
The story of a beautiful friendship
Benito Sokal was an exceptionally talented draftsman. I especially liked the setting – a forgotten port town. The tavern is full of forbidden murders, everyone smokes pipes, spilled beer on the counter. Meanwhile, outside, the wind is raging and rain is pouring down. While reading, I felt the atmosphere of Roodhaven, the ubiquitous humidity and dirt on the streets. Various sea creatures are also beautiful. It is worth mentioning that this comic also shows the friendship between Benito Sokal (he died before the premiere of the second volume) and Francois Schuiten. This is what the short text at the end with additional sketches and photos tells about. Thanks to this little thing, this position is even more memorable, mainly due to the long road that this project has traveled to finally appear in the form of a comic book.
Is it worth following Aquarica?
Lost in Time has released many excellent comics this year. Of all the ones I had the pleasure of reviewing, I would consider Aquarca to be the weakest . Which, however, in the case of this release is not a disservice, because you can expect from it not only a solid performance, but also extremely interesting and original stories. This is the case with the position in question, because although it can be a bit predictable at times, the story about the meeting of two worlds intrigues you until the very end. And although Aquarica did not grab my heart like Moon Deer or Fudo Mask, it was with great pleasure that I plunged into the foggy, damp streets of Roodhaven! I am glad that after so many years of creation, this project finally saw the light of day not only in France or Belgium, but also in Poland.
