O Juramento dos Cinco Lords

Blake & Mortimer (Cinebook) #18

by Yves Sente, André Juillard, Madeleine DeMille (Colorista)

Cette nouvelle aventure de Blake et Mortimer conduit nos deux héros à Oxford. L'Ashmolean Museum et sa célèbre collection archéologique est le théâtre de vols inexpliqués auxquels sont liés une série de meurtres tout aussi mystérieux. Tels les héros d'Agatha Christie, Blake et Mortimer mènent l'enquête. Yves Sente et André Juillard nous offrent une aventure dans la plus pure tradition des romans policiers britanniques.

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Adventure, Mystery

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Yves Sente was born in Brussels in 1964. When he was little, he read La Marque Jaune, Jacobs' masterpiece, over and over again. Little did he know at that age that The Adventures of Blake and Mortimer would determine his destiny...!
In 1998, while he was working for Le Lombard, he worked with the cartoonist André Juillard on the script of La machination Voronov, a new episode of the Blake and Mortimer, a Cold War story acclaimed by critics and the public. Yves Sente then went on to write Les Sarcophages du 6e continent, where he reveals the young life of Professor Mortimer. He confirmed his writing talents with La Vengeance du Comte Skarbek (Dargaud; The Revenge of Count Skarbek, Europe Comics) and then Thorgal (Le Lombard; Cinebook/Europe Comics in English), taking over for Jean Van Hamme alongside Rosinski.

Reviews

[Feli · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5 ⭐

Este fue mi primera vez leyendo a estos personajes, y me fascinó. No suelo leer este tipo de libros pero fue un regalo y despertó mi curiosidad.

En este tomo los personajes principales, cuyos nombres se encuentran en el título, se ven involucrados en la investigación de una serie de robos en el Ashmolean Museum.

Es una historia de suspenso y crimen, muy ligera y fácil de leer. Debo confesar que al principio me sentía perdida al no entender lo que sucedía, pero eso no me impidió avanzar con la lectura. Al final valió mucho la pena.

Espero poder leer más sobre estos personajes, súper recomendado.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Während es im Ashmolean Museum in Oxford zu mysteriösen Diebstählen kommt, derer sich Professor Mortimer annimmt, werden zeitgleich Studienfreunde von Hauptmann Blake ermordet.
DAS GELÜBDE ist eine spannende Story, in der englische Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts, Spionage und Rache wesentliche Elemente sind. Außerdem erfährt der Leser einiges über Blakes Werdegang. Auch wenn es zunächst so aussieht, als ob sich die verschiedenen Erzählstränge nur schwer zusammen führen lassen, fügt sich am Ende alles zu einem logischen Ganzen, bei dem Zufall keine Rolle spielt. Eine gut konstruierte Geschichte also, die dem Leser allerdings Konzentration und auch ein wenig Ausdauer abverlangt, denn eine "schnelle Lektüre" sind die Blake und Mortimer-Comics nicht. Anders als in den frühen B&M-Bänden von E.P. Jacobs, die das Medium Comic noch nicht durchgehend routiniert beherrschen (in unnötigen Redundanzen steht dort in Annotationskästchen zu lesen, was die Zeichnung ohnehin schon hergibt, und in der Sprechblase wird es auch noch kommentiert), wird hier deutlich ökomischer erzählt, trotzdem ist die Textmenge nach wie vor beachtlich.
Die Zeichnungen von Juillard wirken auf den ersten Blick etwas simpel und wenig kunstvoll, aber man soll sich nicht täuschen lassen, denn sie erfüllen ihren Zweck vollkommen: die klaren Linien und die schlichten Kolorierung lassen beim Lesen eine stimmungsvolle Atmosphäre entstehen, die als Hintergrund zur Handlung immer präsent ist.
Fazit: Spannender und sympathischer Comic, vor allem für Freunde der klassischen Comics und der Ligne Claire empfehlenswert.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finding the variety of the adventures into which Blake and Mortimer get themselves enmeshed one of the pleasures of this series. From militaristic, gung-ho, pulp-style war heroics, to Flash Gordonesque science fantasy antics or Quatermass-style scientific speculation, to magic, mysticism and ghosts, or spy adventures and "The Great Game" of Empires.

In The Oath of the Five Lords, Yves Sante delivers a murder mystery, combining political intrigue with a revenge vendetta. As the readers and the protagonists of the stories become further separated in time, the writers of the new adventures feel able to bring in historical characters contemporary with Blake and Mortimer, in this instance, T.E. Lawrence "of Arabia". We're also given some further flashbacks into Blake's back story, which proves integral to the plot.

There are some neat background clues as to suspects and motives for the observant reader, the 'Hamlet' theatre poster in Alfred's room being my favourite, and while the mystery isn't so hard to fathom, the details as to motive, the blending of fiction and fact, and the ambiguity as to Lawrence's intentions are handled well. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Matty Dub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 3.5/5

A good murder mystery/thriller story with a nice historical fiction backround that makes T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)'s opinion on England's treatment of Arab nations as the catalyst for the plot.
The art by Juillard is lively and dynamic.

[Lsharathkumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story..Yet another good story of Blake and Mortimer

[Maikie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quality improved compared to the last volume of Sente and Julliard: I finished the book. I read it, it was nice to learn more about Blake, but is it really what we expect from Blake and Mortimer?
Many of the new volumes focus on the past, as if the death of Jacobs equaled a compulsary reboot. I'm not sure this is what I want, especially since when the result had been so disappointing in the past.

The story in itself was nothing special - agreable to read, true, but when I finished it, I wondered where the Blake and Mortimer magic was supposed to be found.

Sente and Julliard is definitively not my favourite team.

[Unc-scrooge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nouvel opus de la saga Blake et Mortimer, le serment des cinq lords reprend la plupart des codes de ses aînés: un dessin classique et sans fausse note, une intrigue mêlant faits historique et vie personnelle des protagonistes, des textes riches,... Cependant, l'histoire apparaît comme un peu répétitive vis à vis de certains précédents tomes (on pensera en particulier aux sarcophages du 6ème continent) et somme toute trop prévisible. Si l'on rajoute que la multitude des personnages qui ne sont là que quelques cases ne rend pas la lecture très facile, on ne peut qu'être moyennement satisfait par cet épisode....

[Monsieur Croissant · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Olrick? No Sci-fi elements? Andre Juillard's weird profiles and a very convoluted plot...not the best!

[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meanwhile, back at the Ashmolean. Wait, didn't I just leave this mayhem?

Okay, no, it has actually been a while since I sampled the Mystery novel called Murder at the Ashmolean by Jim Eldridge; I can tell you up front that, when I decided to try one more entry from Eldridge's 'Museum' series, I fixated quickly on the one with the word Ashmolean in the title, because I knew absolutely nothing about the Ashmolean, but I loved saying the word Ashmolean, and even typing Ashmolean is fun because then I hear Ashmolean in my head. Ashmolean.

I've forgotten pretty much everything about Murder at the Ashmolean, but I'm fresh from The Oath of the Five Lords, and can report that I had a super time with a complex and suspenseful plot centred on thefts of antiquities from the Ashmolean Museum - the Ashmolean is the oldest university museum, apparently, making it older than any university museum besides the Ashmolean (I'm done) - as well as Lawrence of Arabia's past, British/Middle-Eastern politics meets shady spy stuff meets personal vendetta stuff. This is only my second foray into the world of Blake & Mortimer - I did a weird thing and jumped from Adventure # 1 to Adventure # 18 purely because the title and the cover image (and the setting) were all most attractive to me - and I don't seem to have suffered for it, though there are references to past exploits (without spoilers).

There are multiple murders, and torture. This isn't just a fun trip to a museum (the Ashmolean) (on we go). The art is very clear and efficient at moving the twisty story forward, and bouncing us between Blake and Mortimer, who are often spilt and working various angles. The ghost (name seems to get dropped in favour of 'the white shadow') is an evil bugger, clearly in a homicidal snit directed at five lords who idolized Lawrence of Arabia and took some secret oath that has come back to bite them in the Ashmolean. I didn't find it all that hard to solve a key part of the whodunit content, but what I surmised was attached to a whole bunch of stuff that got past me - so call it a fun murder mystery with a bit of see-through wrapping.

This art we get in these things...I mean, it's lovely, it's pristine, the story flows so nicely through it. But - it's neutral when it comes to mood. This art style is absolutely not bothered with assisting the suspense or creepiness. I guess it was sort of a 'safe' art style of the times; lots of straight-line, symmetrical beauty, and shadows are allowed, but must not do anything really frightening. Oh, for Gene Colan to come along and monkey around with the visuals, just a bit. Or Bill Sienkiewicz on white shadow character design and night scenes...

Anyway, I know this adventure isn't written by the original Blake & Mortimer creator, Edgar P. Jacobs, and I skipped a few too many and need to backtrack, especially to the multi-volume epics - but I had a blast.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great little comic book. It's very much a boy's adventure book, only written for adults. I guess that's where I am at the moment because this really hit the mark. The book hinges around the mystery of Lawrence of Arabia and the original manuscript for 'The Seven Pillars Of Wisdom'. It suggests that Lawrence was killed by MI5 and that there is some dark secret in the original manuscript that has yet to be told.

The Five Lords are friends who manage to get hold of the unpublished sections, divide them into five lots, and then hide them in the Ashmolean in Oxford. The children of a wronged MI5 operative then go about killing the lords to uncover the whereabouts of the missing fragments. Of course, they are exposed and the story resolves itself in the end. In many ways, this is a story about intergenerational justice and intergenerational revenge and retribution. I quite liked it and found it quite an interesting theme.

I liked the setting of the book. It is relatively uncomplicated by the tasks of daily lives. Food seems to just appear when it is needed, there is no mention of laundry, and everyone seems content with their lot. These, of course, are the good old days that never existed. We are fed an idealised view of England from the perspective of a relatively well heeled set of characters. Of course the world was a good place to be in their view of it.

However, despite this cynicism, I think that the world worked quite well and I liked the characters. Perhaps that's just a reflection of me in my advancing years? Either way, I really liked the book, bought into the premise of the story, found the characters to be good company, and I am extremely glad that there is a whole sequence of these comic books.

[Pedro L. Fragoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je suis en train de lire ou de relire l’intégrale des albums de Blake et Mortimer — les 31 volumes de la série principale, auxquels s’ajoutent quelques hors-série — selon un ordre aussi proche que possible de la chronologie interne. J’avais d’ailleurs repris Le Bâton de Plutarque, mais à la planche 17 (page 19), une référence est faite à une mission de Blake en tant qu’agent secret en mai 1935, donc encore antérieure, ce qui m’a conduit à me tourner vers ce album-ci, bien que le cœur de l’action se situe beaucoup plus tard. Yves Sente n’hésite pas à prendre des risques intéressants, notamment à travers des considérations à peine voilées sur la nature pernicieuse de la politique impériale, et l’intrigue se révèle d’une complexité parfaitement maîtrisée. Quant au travail d’André Juillard dans ces albums, on le sait déjà, il relève d’un hommage admirable. L’ensemble est remarquablement réussi.

[The_Mad_Swede · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cobolt har gett ut ännu ett av de album om Edgar P. Jacobs äventyrslystna hjältar, kapten Francis Blake och professor Philip Mortimer, som gjorts långt efter Jacobs död. Precis som i det senast utgivna albumet, Doktor Voronovs komplott , är det Yves Sente som står för manus och André Juillard som står för teckningarna.

Det rör sig även denna gång om ett äventyr som utspelar sig under 1950-talet, och denna gång är det ett mysterium som knyter an till arvet efter överste T. L. Lawrence (kanske mer bekant som Lawrence av Arabien), en serie underliga stölder på Ashmolean-museet i Oxford och några oväntade dödsfall. Och givetvis återfinns Blake och Mortimer mitt i det hela.

Juillard använder sig, som jag redan tidigare påpekat, av samma visuella paradigm som Jacobs själv på ett mycket bra sätt, vilket bidrar till att serien känns som en naturlig del i de fiktiva hjältarnas levnadsöden. På samma sätt har Sente tagit fasta på Jacobs tendens till för texttunga pratbubblor, samtidigt som han smidigt (ibland till skillnad från Jacobs själv) får dessa att inte störa det narrativa flödet.

På det hela taget ett mycket underhållande äventyr i serien. Jag hoppas att Cobolt kommer att ge ut fler.

[Green Jazz Blues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here again, the authors have decided to take up the "guilt complex", this time in Blake. This detracts from the story but actually, the work abounds in clues - Shadowy eavesdroppers/spies, keys behind one's back and so on. And it's most remarkable for not including Morimer & Blake's formidable enemy, Olrik. An interesting though harrowing read.

[Alessandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nessuna avventura di Blake e Mortimer può deludere, visto lo stile inaugurato dal compianto Edgar P. Jacobs e così bene portato avanti dai suoi epigoni. Non lo fa neanche questa avventura “very British”, condita di società segrete, lord britannici, servizi segreti, tradimenti, misfatti e… personaggi storici realmente esistiti. E che personaggi… imperdibile, come ogni singolo volume della serie.

[Mikael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting actually. A murder mystery in the style of The Sign of Four. a bit of a mistake to involve such a famous figure as Lawrence of Arabia though as facts can more easily be checked but still very well put together and rather tragic.

[Metabull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een aardig verhaal met Lawrence of Arabia als achtergrond. We leren meer over het verleden van Blake temidden van een moordmysterie.
Goed, maar geen hoogvlieger. Tekenwerk is goed en helpt bij de actie.

[Gcardoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

História cativante

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presque de la qualité des classiques Blake et Mortimer, un grand retour en force.

[Jeroen Mijnders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannend verhaal, leuk met implementatie van Lawrence of Arabia met een alternatieve variant op zijn dood....

[Duikgast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blake: Good boy, old chap (Lawrence of Arabia).

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sinds het laatste Blake en Mortimer-album van Edgar Pierre Jacobs (1904-1987) en het eerste album van de nieuwe reeks, getekend en geschreven door diverse hedendaagse auteurs, gaapt een gat van maar liefst 46 jaar toen in 1996 'De zaak Francis Blake' van Ted Benoît en Jean Van Hamme verscheen.
Ondertussen hebben zich al vier teams van schrijvers/tekenaars aan welgeteld zeven verhalen gewaagd. 'De eed van de vijf lords' van Yves Sente en André Juillard is het zevende verhaal. Een one-shot deze keer, want enkele van de hedendaagse verhalen verschenen als tweeluik.

'De eed van de vijf lords' voert de twee titelhelden naar Oxford, specifieker naar het Ashmolean Museum, waar op korte tijd enkele stukken gestolen zijn uit de archeologische collectie. Eigenaardig genoeg is geen van de gestolen voorwerpen erg waardevol. Het is kapitein Blake die, na de onverwachte moord op één van zijn oude vrienden, de puzzel legt. Een groot geheim uit het verleden openbaart zich, met hem als inzet.

Voor mij is een nieuw Blake en Mortimer album altijd een feest van herkenning, en hoewel de reeks met nieuwe avonturen zeker niet teleurstelt mis ik wat elementen in dit verhaal dat de reeks altijd speciaal maakt. Dit maal is er geen sprake van enig scifi element, er is gekozen voor een soort van suspense verhaal dat spijtig genoeg weining spanning bevat. Wat je wel krijgt is een verhaal uiteindelijk een stuk van het levensverhaal bevat van Kolonel Blake en de fameuze Lawrence of Arabia, of T.E. Lawrence. Echter dit stripverhaal is makkelijk de slechtste te noemen van de nieuwe reeks, het verhaal wil maar niet vlotten. Ook de illustraties zijn in mijn optiek het minimaalst van alle eerdere albums. de kwaliteit van de tekeningen is veel minder dan in eerdere verhalen en het basisplots van dit verhaal laat te wensen over.

Toch verheug ik mij op het volgende deel dat naar het schijnt een vervolg op "het gele teken" zal worden.

[António Mendes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Para todos aqueles que achavam que a série de Blake e Mortimer tinha atingido o fundo com O Santuário de Gondwana, Yves Sente regressa à série com O Juramento dos Cinco Lords, um álbum ainda mais aborrecido que o seu título. Longe vai o tempo em que Blake e Mortimer eram livros originais e divertidos. Hoje em dia, ou se limitam a plagiar filmes antigos (O Caso Francis Blake é uma cópia quase exacta do The 39 Steps do Hitchcock, e ainda assim é o melhor álbum do pós-Jacobs) ou perdem tempo com thrillers cliché. Dada a qualidade descendente dos novos álbuns, esperemos que este seja o último álbum produzido. Blake e Mortimer não merecem isto.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a thrilling installment, a tight little mystery without science fictional elements but instead a great deal of historical relevance, with TE Lawrence emerging as the pivot for a tale involving murder, old friendships, a lost manuscript and much tragedy.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yves Sente pesca nel torbido in questa avventura, alla ricerca di una spiegazione logica per la morte di Lawrence d'Arabia. Crea e costruisce una ottima trama con alcuni colpi di scena ben riusciti, ed approfondisce Blake e il suo carattere leale e giusto.

[Myos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas mal. Dessins et récits bien faits - ça rappelle vraiment les séries policières anglaises de F3, mais je crois que je prefère les romans graphiques aux BD.

[Ulf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title's wrong. It's Blake & Mortimer, not Black...

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Graphic novel, very much in the line of Tintin, but not quite.

Guessed the ending a mile off and quite violent.

[Nickname · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colpi di scena e colpevole prevedibile, comunque un albo godibile.

[Johan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In de stijl van Jacobs getekend, maar het verhaal verloopt wat moeizaam en boeit niet altijd. Olrik mocht deze keer niet meespelen.

[Charlotte (charami) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Onderhoudend mysterie verweven met interessante historische details.
De tekst leest soms wel een beetje houterig, maar de gedetailleerde tekeningen maken alles goed.