This book was okay. While I appreciate the narrative of young people fighting back against unfairness and injustice, I did not feel particularly engaged in this story.

2.5 stars rounded down.
Supposedly "based on a true story", but if you do a little research you find that this claim is very flimsy at best, there simply is no information that anything like the events described here ever actually took place. So, um, well, I don't know, I have to say I find this "true story" thing in fairly bad taste, as well as pretty manipulative.
As for the book itself, it was okay. I was not a huge fan of the artwork, it was more fuzzy lines than ligne claire. There's the usual sexism, in that there's one Girl whose role is, well, being the story's one and only Girl and who needs looking after (by boys, of course); the fact that she's presented as Spunky with a capital S sadly does not change this. I mean there's a whole gang of kids involved, and none of them could have been female as well? This is one of my personal pet peeves, and I can't believe that writers continue this "tradition" in this day and age. People, having two X chromosomes is not a character trait, stop treating it as one.
Anyway.
I found the actual story convoluted (and less than ideally presented) to the point that I couldn't even tell who died at the end. The Girl, yes, but who was the other one? The kid on the bike? Some other boy in the melée? I'm still confused.
Then, there's a touch of Idiot Plot at work too, like the Girl returning to the one place someone with her wits about her or some basic psychology in place would never go back to, or some weirdly idealistic ideas on "fairness" (also by the Girl, tellingly, firmly establishing her as a plot device instead of a fully formed character in case anyone was still in doubt) that surely any kid growing up under Nazi occupation and its daily horrors would long have kissed goodbye. If I were cynical I'd describe this as disneyfied Resistance Kitsch. This subject matter would have called for complexity and nuance; instead we get the usual kid adventure stuff, only with Nazis and an unhappy ending: I suspect this is supposed to signal depth, but having kids die at the end is about as deep as feeling a character is "special" just because she's the designated Girl. To be quite blunt, whoever dies at the end does so because of stupidity (and lazy storytelling). Tragic? I guess; just not the way the authors intended.

This book has been a great reading experience. Thanks to the author and the publisher for bringing this book to life.

Good story, but a slightly confusing presentation. I liked the art and I'd like to read more on the subject, but the divergence between past and present non-linearly made some aspects rather confusing. It's also unexpectedly somber in its themes, making it a read that requires a reader who can handle its themes.

Friends of Spirou by JD Morvan is a graphic novel with beautiful illustrations that tells the story of a youth resistance movement during the Second World War in Belgium. A group of younsters who have a love of the Spirou comic strip come together to resist the Nazis, embodying the values of this character by sheltering a Jewish girl and creating their own resistance comic strip for distribution, which inevitably lead them into danger.

“Friends of Spirou” is a graphic novel that tells the true story of a youth resistance movement during the Second World War in Belgium. A group of young friends band together thanks to their shared love of the Spirou comic strip and try to embody the values of this character while living under Nazi occupation. Eventually they end up sheltering a Jewish girl and creating their own resistance comic strip for distribution, both activities which inevitably lead them into danger.

I liked that the bright colours and art style of this graphic novel seemed to mimic both the original Spirou comics as well as other comics from the time period (thinking of the stylized fight scenes from “Oor Wullie” or “Dennis the Menace and Gnasher” in particular). The ending of this story was a little abrupt and confusing, so I am hoping that this was just the first volume in a longer collection but it was not made clear whether there will be more volumes to come. I would have also appreciated a few non-fiction pages at the end with more information about the true story that this graphic novel is said to be based on.

*DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC of this book from Europe Comics through NetGalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.*

One of those graphic novels that gets you doing some more research, remembering comics from the past, and shedding a tear or two.

This is a great story, one which certainly deserved telling. It's well crafted, with strong supporting artwork. It's perfect for a younger audience, with its presentation relatively subdued, with little graphic violence. I do wish that there were an accompanying prose piece with a little more historical background. I think that some readers may not see the work as fact-based without it.

This is OK. Some redeeming features, but it’s quite wordy for kids! It’s great and educational, but yeah, I don’t know if I’d find the audience for this. I hope it does find its audience!

3.5 stars. This was cute, as much as a story about the horrors of war can be called cute, but also a bit confusing. The jumps between the children and the older men felt a little awkward to me, and the (3 yr?) jump from the boys meeting "Miche" to the time when the bulk of the comic takes place I didn't follow at all. But the story of their friendship and wanting to fight against the evil together was sweet.
That said, the description claims this is based on a true story, which played a big role in my choosing to read it. So after reading, I tried to find information, and could find nothing. In fact, the only thing I could find refutes that there was any sort of underground comic at all. Perhaps the children dying is what was meant as "true"? Because surely lots of that happened. But...
I wouldn't actively steer folks away from this, but I don't know that I'd recommend it, either.

There are some touching moments but also a surprising amount of violence. The different timelines were a little confusing but I liked the friendship between the kids in the group and how brave they all were.

This was a fun, short comic on a mix between friendship and developing a friendship and a bond mixed with world war two as there was Nazis. It was about discrimination and also about how a friendship group can go through a very hard time and still be with each other, I think the answer I was very interesting. The colour choices were spot on and generally the story was pretty good although basic and it doesn’t really draw your emotions and I do actually really like this and I will be looking into some more books from this author.

While this graphic novel is short, it packs a punch. I enjoyed it being based on a true story and having some humor sprinkled in. I will definitely be ordering for our collection.

Great story that talks about bravery of children in the time of war. Illustration of how kids cope with occupation and a loss of life.

Friends of Spirou has a cartoonish aesthetic but a layered way of storytelling. An enjoyable and fairly brief long form comic.

This comic was interesting and entertaining, mainly because of its quality illustrations. It renders the 40s era quite well. What bothered me the most was the confusing timeline. I would have preferred something more linear and easier to follow.

This was an interesting story, but a bit confusing to follow. I think there may be other Spirou comics and that might be why or maybe I just had trouble following the storyline. Im Jewish myself and read a lot of WWII and Holocaust literature. The ending was a bit hard for me to figure out; I read it a few times before I finally felt I understood what happened. I appreciated the emotions of the characters and the way the story unfolded. I felt that the passion, the guilt, the fear, the hate that individual characters displayed throughout the story was well-placed. It’s not a story that I think most people can read quickly or easily or even just once. There is a lot of depth and nuance. I also feel that this is a good comic for teens and above. This is a difficult subject and it’s well-written for more mature kids who will be able to grasp the horrors of what is happening. I also feel it would make a good class discussion book in a history class for middle-schoolers.

It has a nice art style. I enjoyed that, but the dual timelines and shifting perspectives made the story confusing and almost unreadable in sections. The story was a little basic and really confusing and the reveal in the beginning removed any buildup the story could have. I think the story would have benefited from just focusing on one timeline or even being more linear in telling the story instead of shifting between the past and the present. And it ended a bit abruptly, even if it's going to be developed into a series, it could have wrapped up this one in a better way.

Review to come June 2nd on my blog/goodreads.

I received this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I love comics, I love strong-willed characters, and I am interested in WWII. So I wanted to give this book a shot and while I did like it.. is this a first volume? Given that there was no mention anywhere I thought this would be a standalone, and it definitely isn't.

I wasn't such a fan of how the timelines went (I was so confused how the girl seemed to age and the boys didn't) and how we also had two older dudes taking place in the time after who got a POV as well. It just made it a bit too confusing for me, plus I would say spoiled what happened.

Also why would our red-hair girl go back to her old home? Why isn't she being hidden more? If she is Jewish I wouldn't just hope for the best and let her do things like float on a zeppelin.

I loved how the boys helped her out and how they formed a strong group and formed a resistance against the nazis. Though, I had expected more sneaky stuff and less OH HEY here is a zeppelin and now we are distributing stuff that the nazis won't like. Everyone can see us. Teehee.

And then there is the ending... I knew that x was going to happen (thanks old guys) but I was still shocked! Not that person!

The art was great, but the text bubbles weren't always too easy to read.

Not sure if I will continue it if there is going to be more. Again, it had good moments, but there were just a few things that didn't click with me.

t felt nice to read something so close to home. The Spirou Friends is an interesting comic that tells the story of Spirou's editor-in-chief, Jean Doisy.

The aim of this comic was to tell the story of Jean Doisy, the editor-in-chief of Spirou. His story of resistance, which was only known within the publishing house until now. Although he himself shared some things before his death in 1955, the majority of his story was discovered later in his military dossier.

The story uses flashbacks, but unfortunately not in a very clear way. I had to read the comic multiple times to figure out how it all fit together. Overall, a very interesting comic, but only for fans of Spirou. Or as I know him, Robbedoes.

Thanks to Netgalley and Europe Comics for providing the review copy!