Two stories of Louis by Metaphrog.
The first, Lost on the Moore finds Louis stumbled into a dream landscape reverie after buying a jar of strange bibliophile worms. It's Alan Moore-esque and weirdly wordy by intention but the story doesn't do very much. I'm guessing it would have more impact or at least raise a wry chuckle, in its original context (Alan Moore – Portrait of an Extraordinary gentleman) than it does here. As a story, the charm is dolloped on but it's still not much more than an exercise in vague cleverness.
The Round the World Rug Race is much more satisfying. Louis and his (mechanical?) pet, FC are plunged into a Hergé-worthy minaret studded landscape, searching for the start of the Rug Race in their hot air balloon. As they scratch away at the mystery of their intended quest , the narrative is rudely interrupted by two gleeful plotters, you guess something's decidedly fishy about the affair. Ultimately Louis is duped into a sugar-death filled mall trolley dash and his dreams of hot air balloons and adventure fizzle into wistfulness. It's well-written and beautifully drawn. If you're a fan of Metaphrog this wont disappoint but personally I'm left with the feeling that I'm missing something.
Louis for all his supposed lovable-ness leaves me a little cold. He's a little too featureless and blob-like to really tug at my cute strings. It's a problem for me as a reader, whereas with Tin-Tin its more cut and dried. Hergé's eye for the void makes Tin-Tin an empty vessel for adventures and it's aimed squarely at children. Metaphrog seem to deliberately veer to the realm of the undefined. Is Louis for children? Judging by the adult route's they're taking (Alan Moore, SPX) I don't think so.
As it is Louis comes across as something like a private joke by his creators and that makes me feel a little uncomfortable as a reader. Or is it just me?
Mardou