INTERVIEW
Blake and Mortimer return on Friday with a new album entitled The thousandth arm of the Mekong (published by Dargaud). This 26th adventure carries the two British heroes, among the most famous of the comics with Tintin, Asterix and Obelix or Largo Winch, in China in 1949, led by Mao Zedong.
Blake and Mortimer must save Hong Kong - at the time, under British mandate - from attacks by one of the last Chinese lords. Captain Blake then goes to the rescue of his faithful acolyte Mortimer, kidnapped by the men of the Chinese general. For his part, Mortimer is looking for a historical document that will change the course of the History of China, accompanied by a Chinese archaeologist.
"A bit of exoticism"
For this issue put on sale for 400,000 copies for the first draw, Yves Sente, the screenwriter, wished to give a new breath to Blake and Mortimer, 32 years after the death of their creator. "Going to China was something that I found very interesting, first, because the characters of Edgar P. Jacobs ( their creator, ed ) have never been there," says Yves Sente. "Hong Kong was still a British colony at the time, so it gives good reasons to both characters to go there," he said, adding that this trip to China also allows "to offer a little exoticism ".
During this adventure, the two heroes find themselves facing very aggressive pandas, killer mosquitoes and dragons who feed on a mysterious pearl of life. The reader embarks on an adventure at the crossroads of genres, between fantasy, history and science fiction.