Cinebook have announced a new book that looks fabulous.
“At long last, a hardback collected edition of Blake & Mortimer is published in English! A Cinebook exclusive, not even available in French, this Complete Collection will gather two or three books per volume, in the original publishing order, plus another book’s worth of fascinating extra material on the series and the author, as well as sketches and historical notes – unmissable for any true fan! Four volumes will come out in 2025, with the next four already scheduled for 2026. This first one brings together the three episodes of our heroes’ very first adventure, The Secret of the Swordfish, introducing their nemesis Olrik, their habit of saving the world … and Jacobs’s love of airplanes!”
“It’s big, it’s a hard cover, it’s gorgeous, and it’s got all of “The Secret of the Swordfish” in one volume … Need to hear more than that? No problem – how about 48 pages of extra material? Photographs, illustrations, sketches, alternate panels and pages, character studies, historical accounts of Jacobs’s life and his creative process, and even detailed analyses of selected pages to better illustrate the author’s mastery of the comics artform … How’s that for incentive?
Oh, and it really is completely exclusive to Cinebook – not even available in French!”
More on Blake and Mortimer (from Cinebook)
“Born of Edgar Pierre Jacobs’ imagination during the post-WWII period, Professor Philip Mortimer, nuclear physicist, and Captain Francis Blake, dashing head of MI5, are legendary heroes of the 9th art. The author, a close relative of Hergé, appreciated the excessive and the astonishing that could be found within the scope of scientific invention; his heroes, very much ahead of their time, discover extraordinary objects and phenomena through their uncommon adventures.”
Francis Blake and Philip Mortimer. Two names known far and wide even outside the circles of ‘Bandes Dessinées’ readers – the way you don’t need to be a fan of Metal to have heard of Metallica. Born mid-20th century, they’ve managed to survive their author, the supremely talented Edgar P. Jacobs, and stand the test of time thanks to other writers and artists, some of them legends in their own rights. It’s not a feat given to just any comic series, and it’s a testament to the inherent strength of Jacobs’s creation. With its unique blend of old-fashioned adventure and science fiction, its dashing British heroes (no doubt more exotic to the original Belgian and French readers than to most of ours!) and its recurring – and essential – villain, Olrik, the series is consistently a breath of fresh air and a shot of nostalgia. It’s fun and gripping, and if you take the time to look closely, it’s an absolute masterclass in terms of writing, composition, editing, art …
Don’t believe us? Take it from the mouth (pen) of professionals, then. This month, we’re bringing out the first two volumes of our ‘Complete Collection’. All of ‘The Secret of the Swordfish’ in one hardback volume, and in the second, ‘The Mystery of the Great Pyramid’ and ‘The Yellow M’! With some 46 pages of extra material in each, explaining the genesis of the stories, some of Jacobs’s life, and giving concrete and detailed examples of his genius as a storyteller.
Might want to check it out. Just sayin’ …!
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29 volumes so far, 56 to 72 pages, by E.P. Jacobs, Jean Van Hamme, Yves Sente, André Juillard and others; ages 12+
ComicScene magazine 
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