Le Vaccin de la résurrection – tome 4/4

Mr. Ash Tuesday finally comes to the end of his wanderings. Right at the heart of Pluto and the first circles of Purgatory, Ash Tuesday comes face to face with the painful incarnations of his past. Thus the postman and his companion at last discover the true nature of Purgatory. It’s all a bit too much for Ash Tuesday, who ends up fleeing the scene and returning to Saint-Cecile. Back in Saint-Cecile, chaos rules following an overdose of Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) and a deluge of coffee rain. This is when a certain skeleton discovers the resurrection formula: the combination of forbidden coffee and sincere repentance. Finally Pluto will be purged of its population of tormented souls! But will they once again be tempted to return to the pleasures of the flesh? Of course they will!

Under the wintry sun of Houppeland everything changes and nothing changes. One leader succeeds the former and the obligatory happy times are replaced by the forced spree. President Christmas is dead, long live president Mardi Gras. No more funny hats, serpentines and confetti, but masques and disguises. Rigorous, as it should be. But under the disguises, the opponents of the regime of the make believe agitate, and the Brigade of the Jolly Drills does not know which mask to wear anymore. In this fictive world, but more real than reality, the obligatory smile can kill. Does the nightmare continue? More than ever.

One day, while visiting her family in the countryside, Marzi comes across a trail of ants, and decides to have a little fun, blocking their way with sticks and rocks. Is that what it’s like to be God? In this second volume, we discover more about Marzi’s fascinating life in 1980s Poland, torn between the daily stresses of near-war and even bigger questions like the existence and powers of God. Can He really see and know everything, even when she’s all alone in her room, even when it’s just a thought in her head? So many burning questions, with her First Communion right around the corner! Another absorbing series of stories about a little girl who loves life—even as she struggles to understand it.

The Kingdom is a tranquil little territory, as we all know by now, but a curious love triangle has cropped up to complicate things. François has been cooking up schemes to win Anne’s heart, but now Candice is in madly love with him and Anne must deal with her mounting jealousy. Still, she isn’t ready for marriage, despite the charming knucklehead’s continued proposals and steel-flower offerings. Will Candice manage to step in and thwart the eternal courtship?

Marion’s determination to find out more about her grandfather and the cryptic rock sculptures all along the shore pushes her to seek out the company of the surly lighthouse keeper. Everyone says he’s mad, like his ancestors before him, but Marion eventually discovers that there’s more to it than that… He tells her the story of the town’s tragic past and the sad destiny that the mysterious forces of the sea have reserved for his family. But does it stop with him? Only the stormy seas can tell…

Zorglub of “Spirou & Fantasio” fame is in the spotlight in this series. In the first volume, he encounters trouble with his inventions and with managing his 16-year-old daughter, Zandra. The two enter into a heated argument that ends in Zorglub activating a laser and transforming an entire city into an island.

Olive, age 17, has a rich and vivid inner life. She has created an imaginary world that she’s able to visit whenever she chooses. But her daily life on earth is shaken up by the arrival of a new roommate at boarding school, who won’t leave Olive alone. And even more upsetting: a mysterious spaceman makes a surprise appearance in her imaginary world! A coming-of-age story that will take Olive far from her comfort zone, as she discovers unsuspected sides of herself and the world around her.