''Virus'', written by
Tome and drawn by
Janry, is the 33rd album of the ''
Spirou et Fantasio
''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European comics, European ...
'' series, and the first to come from this creative team, carrying on the series after the work of previous authors. The story was initially serialised in ''
Spirou'' magazine before being released by
Dupuis
Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines.
Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French ...
as a hardcover album in 1984.
Story
An
icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...
has unexpectedly moored in the port of
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
where it has been put into
quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
. Suspecting a connection with Isola Red, a research base set in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
and which has been out of touch from some time,
Fantasio goes to investigate only to encounter an old enemy,
John Helena, nicknamed "the Moray", who has fled the ship.
Looking extremely ill, Helena explains that following his release from prison he got a job working at Isola Red where tests are conducted on some of the deadliest diseases known to man. One day, however, one such disease became loose and the staff at the base all fell ill. The disease appears to be only transmitted by actual physical contact. Helena fled, got aboard a ship bound for Europe and now intends to contact
the Count of Champignac whom he believes to be the only man who can save him.
Spirou and Fantasio take him to see the Count. Spip, their pet squirrel, goes with them but, unaware of the situation, bites Héléna and is thus contaminated with the virus.
The Count knows of a cure to the virus affecting Helena and the men at the base but requires an extra
toxin
A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849 ...
to make it effective, and it is only available at the base itself. Spirou and Fantasio set off for the South Pole along with Spip and Helena who are dressed in special outfits which reduce the risks of infection. They arrive at a
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n base where they are given guides and
snowcats for the journey to Isola Red. They set off, unaware that some men are tracking them from a distance with the intention of killing them before they reach the base.
Meanwhile, back in Europe, Champignac goes to the Ministry for Research in order to organise a larger-scale rescue operation. However, an adviser at the ministry, Basile de Koch, blocks his attempts to see the minister. At that moment a horde of reporters led by the editor of the monthly current affairs magazine ''Action'' bursts in. One of the ''Actions journalists has been working undercover in de Koch's company which owns the polar base.
Isola Red has actually been used to produce illegal
biological weapon
A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterroris ...
s and as part of a cover-up de Koch has sent henchmen to kill Spirou and his companions and prevent them from reaching the stricken area. De Koch is arrested thanks to a file put together by the journalist working undercover among his men.
Meanwhile, Spirou and his friends are attacked by de Koch's killers but are saved by Volene, the undercover journalist. They then proceed to Isola Red where they find the toxin needed to complete the cure. The killers also arrive, but Spirou and his friends fight back using the very weaponry they were not supposed to discover. The biological weapons cause those affected to go crazy and engage in disco-like dancing.
At that moment, the Count and the editor of ''Action'' also arrive, along with military
commando
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A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
s. The remaining killers thus flee. It appears that the virus does not affect animals —
animals used for testing are found to be fine, so it is with great relief that Spip the squirrel is freed from his outfit. Helena and the other patients are cured. Isola Red is then destroyed by bombers and some time later Helena becomes a tour guide, showing the remains of the base off to tourists.
Themes
The story raises the issue of
biological weapon
A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterroris ...
s, and the influence of top businessmen getting jobs as advisors in government departments. The
Cold War was still ongoing — Spirou makes a reference to Soviet
spy ship
A spy ship or reconnaissance vessel is a dedicated ship intended to gather intelligence, usually by means of sophisticated electronic eavesdropping. In a wider sense, any ship intended to gather information could be considered a spy ship.
Spy ...
s — but the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
staff of a Polar base play an important part in the rescue operation, thus showing how such events could transcend international conflicts.
The Marsupilami
The
Marsupilami
''Marsupilami'' is a comic book character and fictional animal species created by André Franquin. Its first appearance was in the 31 January 1952 issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. Since then it appeared regularly in th ...
had been part of Spirou and Fantasio's adventures since the early 1950s, but was taken out when
André Franquin
André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are '' Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a period s ...
, who created him, would not allow other authors to use him. However a
stuffed toy
A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be ...
of the Marsupilami can be seen in Spirou's bedroom.
Softcover edition
Most
Franco-Belgian comics are released in hardcover, which makes them expensive. In 2002 ''Virus'' was one of several comics to be published by Dupuis as cheaper softcover editions under the label ''Collection Pirate'', a cheeky reference from the publishers about
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
s.
References
Tome publications in ''Spirou''an
BDoubliées
External links
Spirou official site album index
{{Spirou & Fantasio
Virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...
Works originally published in Spirou (magazine)
Literature first published in serial form
1973 books
1973 in comics
Comics set in Antarctica
Comics set in France
Comics set in Russia