The Last Jungle Book

Stephen Desberg

The Last Jungle Book Vol 4 · Europe Comics

About this ebook

This is the fourth and final volume of a superb and moving epilogue to the story of Mowgli that alternates between memories of his youth and the approach of death. But before his time comes, the old king of the jungle wants to go back to his old stamping ground; back to the jungle that, in his heart of hearts, he never really left.

About the author

Né au Chili, le pays de sa mère, en 1970, Henri Reculé débarque en Belgique, le pays de son père, à l'âge de 14 ans. Il y suivra les cours d'illustration de l'école Saint-Luc, à Liège, à l'issue desquels il réalise un album complet en guise de projet de fin d'études, Le Grand Veneur, en compagnie de Jean-Luc Sala (Bakemono, Crossfire). Cette collaboration remporte un concours organisé par Le Lombard, qui permet aux deux jeunes gens d'y publier La légende de Kynan, leur premier album professionnel, en 1993. C'est le début d'une belle histoire entre Reculé et l'éditeur, qui se concrétise dans les cinq tomes de Castel Armer, une geste épique dont il assure scénario et dessins. Il fait alors la connaissance de Stephen Desberg, avec qui il publie le diptyque Le Crépuscule des anges, chez Casterman, puis Les Immortels, chez Glénat. Les deux hommes continuent leur collaboration au Lombard avec Le dernier livre de la jungle (4 tomes en collection Polyptique) et aujourd'hui, Cassio. Décidément fidèle à ses proches collaborateurs, Henri Reculé assure également le design des personnages de Empire USA, de Desberg, entre deux tomes de Cassio.

Stephen Desberg was born in Brussels in 1954 and started out as a comic book author in 1976, writing short stories for Tintin magazine (Le Lombard). A follower of Maurice Tillieux, the creator of "Gil Jourdan," in 1980 Desberg began working for the weekly Spirou magazine (Dupuis), taking over the "Tif and Tondu" adventure series, illustrated by Will. He then successively created the characters 421, Billy the Cat, Mic Mac Adam and Jimmy Tousseul, before gradually moving to a more adult readership, publishing two albums in the Aire Libre collection by Dupuis, alongside Will: "Le Jardin des désirs" (1989) and "La Vingt-Septième Lettre" (1990). An original and versatile writer, Desberg goes from one genre to another with ease and inventiveness. In 1996 he tackled the topic of racism with illustrator Bernard Vrancken in "Le sang noir," a romantic saga in four albums published by Le Lombard. As an American citizen, Desberg has also explored many themes linked with his other home country, as evidenced by the long-running financial thriller "IR$" with Le Lombard, also illustrated by Vrancken. America serves as a backdrop in his other albums as well, such as "L'étoile du désert" (1996, Dargaud, 2016 Europe Comics, "Desert Star"), a twilight western created with Enrico Marini. Desberg is also passionate about religious themes, having collaborated with Enrico Marini on riddles of Christian origins in "The Scorpion" (2000-2014, Dargaud, Cinebook in English), a saga bursting with flamboyant heroes with capes and swords in eighteenth-century Rome. A writer as prolific as any out there, Desberg has authored many other series over the years, including "Cassio" (2007; Europe Comics in English 2018), "Miss October" (2012; Europe Comics in English 2018), "Sherman" (2011; Europe Comics in English), and "Golden Dogs" (2014; Europe Comics in English 2016), all with Le Lombard. Along the way, he also continued work on the saga "Black Op" (2005 Dargaud, 2015 Europe Comics), a series illustrated by his friend Hugues Labiano. His recent work includes the espionage series "Jack Wolfgang" (2017, Le Lombard, Europe Comics in English), together with Henri Reculé, centered on a whip-smart wolf who is both world-famous food critic, and secret agent for the CIA.