Buck Danny Book 3: Ghost Squadron

Buck Danny Book 3: Ghost Squadron, by Francis Bergèse, Cinebook

WORLD WAR II had not long finished and aviation adventures of those times were already being published in the popular French comics magazine Spirou. 1947 saw the debut of Buck Danny, an American hero of the skies, created by Georges Troisfontaines, Victor Hubinon and Jean-Michel Charlier. Danny and his companions have continued to fly in the face of fear and danger since, and not just in gung-ho adventures but by adding the intrigue of world politics to the scenarios that have unfolded.

First as artist, and subsequently as writer also Francis Bergèse, has guided the character through more recent times, with this book set in Bosnia during 1995 where the United Nations’ peacekeeping forces have their hands tied as Serbian forces move upon Sarajevo.

Those new to the actual Buck Danny series, like myself, soon get an inking for who’s who and how their relations work between each other. Danny himself, as featured in this book, is a blue-eyed blond all-American hero but it’s mainly about those about him, specifically a pilot called Tuckson who’s used for comic relief and has an ongoing battle to escape the angry jaws of the admiral’s dog. During what is a routine flight Tuckson disobeys orders and attacks Serbians, the result of which could cause international chaos. To that end he is sent away on a charge, but finds himself in a secret base, along with Buck and others where they are trained to be part of a Ghost Squadron, flying unmarked planes, for a very special mission. The problem is they’re not the only ones in unidentified flying aircraft patrolling the area.

The art is clear line in approach, well detailed in terms of the aircraft and alike, while the characters themselves have a slight more endearing cartoon feel to their faces. Aimed at ten years and up there’s a lot of mystery thriller, recent war history and politics to take in, alongside getting to know the characters and their personalities.

For more on Buck Danny visit Cinebook.

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