Karmela Krimm and her partner Alice had the reputation of being the toughest cops in town by the Marseille police. Then they broke down in a raid, and Karmela took the blame to protect her friend’s family.
Karmela now works as a private detective. Her current case: The rich widow Perrini, whose husband ruled the football club Olympique Marseille and the underworld of the metropolis, wants to know who had her husband murdered.
Perrini’s huge bodyguard, the devout Muslim Tadj, is supposed to accompany Karmela Krimm and proves to be a real support. And Alice’s young daughter Manon, who is doing an internship with her snooping godmother Karmela, is also involved. Which is dangerous, because the three face unscrupulous gangsters, dealers and killers who even threaten Karmela’s old uncle.
The idea for the new crime series “Karmela Krimm” had the French draftsman Franck Biancarelli, who is known among other things for the fantasy series “Galfalek”.
Because he initially had the feeling that his story was still missing, Biancarelli showed his manuscript to the prolific writer and all-rounder Lewis Trondheim – after all, the two had recently worked together on Trondheim’s science fiction series “Infinity 8”, which was still unpublished in this country.
Inspired by Milton Caniff and Alex Raymond
Trondheim, a comic superstar for decades and the genius behind titles like “Donjon” and “Herr Hase”, then offered to tell the story of the first album “Ramadan Blues” (Writer & Reader, 48 pages, € 14.95) rewrite. As a result, he made Karmela the main character and ex-cop (with Biancarelli, Tadj was both).
A good decision. The portrayal of a modern, multicultural France also succeeds in the first album, whereby migration, racism and even old-age poverty are unpretentiously thematized.
According to his own statements, Biancarelli orients himself drawing on the realistic style of American masters such as Milton Caniff and Alex Raymond. The clear line fits this dirty hardboiled crime thriller, which colourist Walter tastes with rich colors and a certain patina.
The crime thriller could have been a little smarter, but the chemistry between the likeable characters and the integrated image of society are enough for a decent debut „Stumptown“ and „Caroline Baldwin“ – even if you miss Trondheim’s other detective Maggy Garrison after reading it.
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