Madame Livingstone: The Great War in the Congo

Belgian comics curator Cassiau-Haurie (Le Singe Jaune) and Congolese cartoonist Baruti (Chaos Debout à Kinshasa) team up for a stellar historical graphic novel about another partnership, in the context of European colonialism in Africa during World War I. Gaston Mercier, a pilot in the Royal Belgian Army, joins troops stationed near Lake Tanganyika in Belgian-occupied Congo. Soon he hears about a German battleship nearby, and he vows to sink it. Gaston’s assigned guide for the mission is a mixed-race Congolese man who introduces himself as David Livingstone Jr., claims to be a son of the Scottish explorer David Livingstone, and boasts knowledge and skills way beyond Belgian expectations. As the two men become comrades, Mercier learns much about the Congo River basin territory that Belgium claims to own, and about colonialism’s tragic effects on the local people. An introduction and illustrated backmatter elaborate further on the period details. Baruti’s sun-washed realistic art lingers on lush tropical landscapes, while darkening into foreboding blues and grays for night maneuvers.