Orient Gateway

Rating:
Summary: Lovely to Look At, But Overly Complicated
Review: I first discovered Italian cartoonist Giardino through his series A Jew in Communist Prague. This volume is the first in a series about spy Max Friedman, whose adventures continue in the waning days of the Spanish Civil War in No Parasan! Friedman is a former officer in the International Brigade whose current allegiances are rather murky. Indeed, the whole story, which takes place in Istanbul and concerns a defecting Soviet aeronautics scientist is rather murky. The moves and countermoves of various Soviet intelligence factions, a French intelligence operative, exiled White Russians, and a beautiful Hungarian woman, all gets too confusing. As in his other books, Giardino's strong artwork,vividly captures hustle and bustle of Istanbul and is more compelling than the spy story.