It was America again. The comic strip “Harlem”, signed Mikaël, invites you to discover the emblematic district of New York at a pivotal time.
In the 1930s, The Big Apple was just emerging from prohibition and the thirst for entertainment soared. Alcohol, music, dance… It is in this smoky universe that Stephanie St-Clair operates. Nicknamed Queenie, this immigrant Martiniquaise is one of the queens of the clandestine lottery, an illegal but profitable activity. A respected and intractable gang leader, she does not lower her eyes either to the police or to the mafiosos who are eyeing her livelihood.
The craziest thing about this scenario is that this incredible character really existed. The Franco-Canadian author Mikaël has documented at length about her, her habits and the places she frequented for this new diptych.
A perfectly reconstructed era
The result is also splendid. In addition to characters worked with care, Mikaël has masterfully reconstructed, from photos, the period sets, costumes, and atmosphere of Harlem in the 1930s. For the author, New York is increasingly seen as a second house.
It is indeed his third double album devoted to the period and to the Big Apple, after “Giant”, which took place in the world of construction, and “Bootblack”, which followed the stormy destiny of shoe shiners. .
For those who would like to learn more about the amazing Stephanie St-Clair, who has not yet had the honors of the cinema, she was the subject of another comic strip entitled “Queenie” published in September by Anne Carrière editions .
Harlem, volume 1/2, by Mikaël, ed. Dargaud, 64 pages, €15.50