Peter Pan - Comic Review

By Contributing Writer on Sunday, October 19, 2008 - 16:43

by Comicgirl - Contributing Writer

(Editor: éditions Vents d’Ouest; Author: Regis Loisel; Available in French and Dutch)

So you think you know the story of Peter Pan?!? Think again! In his comic book series Peter Pan Régis Loisel manages to shed a totally different light on the well known story. Instead of a fairytale he tells a dark tale of poverty, prostitution, alcoholism, friendship and betrayal. The story starts out in White Chapel, where Jack the Ripper is haunting the streets. When his alcoholic mother kicks him out Peter seeks refuge with mister Kundal. He gives Peter food and tells him stories. Peter then tells these stories to the children of the orphanage. One day a fairy, Tinkerbel, comes and takes him away to an island that is threatened by a dangerous pirate. Peter has to save the inhabitants of the island. By mistake he lands on the pirate ship and he decides to stay there. Later on in the series he decides to join the inhabitants of the island. In time we also find out how Pan was added to his name.

The fact that Loisel doesn’t tell the traditional version of Peter Pan is not the only reason why you should read this series. Another reason would be the drawings. The characters are drawn like real human beings, they aren’t perfect. They don’t have a perfect body and they aren’t all beautiful, some are even plain ugly ;-) Loisel also manages to create an imaginary world that is part of your wildest dream and of your worst nightmares. But the main reason why you should read Peter Pan is Tinkerbel. She’s jealous, she’s vindictive, she’s gorgeous and funny ... And in my dreams, the good ones, she’s a lesbian! The only downside to the series is the ending. It’s abrupt, unexpected and it leaves you with a lot of questions. But don’t
let that scare you off.

The first volume of Peter Pan I actually bought for my sister’s birthday. We were on a cycling trip with our parents when we stopped in a small village. There was a really nice comic book store. We went in and browsed around. My eye fell on Peter Pan. I showed it to my sister. She was immediately impressed by the drawings. So for her birthday a couple of months later I bought her the first volume of Peter Pan: London. Little did I know that Peter Pan would be my introduction to the world of adult comics and that it would become one of the cornerstones of my future comic book collection…