Gothic Steam Phantastic

The Wright Brothers

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Biggles vertelt over De gebroeders Wright
Text by J.P. Lefevre-Garros, art by Marcel Uderzo
Published by Le Lombard (2005)
ISBN 9789055815203


You know Biggles by Captain William Earl Jones? James Bigglesworth is a famous air-hero, working for the Royal Air Force. This character is used to introduce the youth to history of flying and air combat.
Biggles about the Wright Brothers is the history of the Wright Brothers in a comic book. There’s no Biggles in the story, but you won’t miss him. There isn’t much of a story either, it’s just history and I don’t have the idea the authors of this book fell in the pit of popularisation. But then, the history of the brothers is exiting enough in itself to read about it without pranks and love-interests.

The story must be well known. It starts in 1868, with an exhibition in Crystal Palace, London, were an aircraft -unable to fly- is shown to the public and stands for the fascination of the nineteenth century men for flying. Or better: for flying without dependence on wind, like in the average hot air balloon.
Meanwhile, in America, the two industrious boys of the Wright family have their first experiences with flying and techniques. After having set up a press with an advanced printing machine and a bicycle shop, they start to work on their aeroplanes. The comic shows how these aircraft look like, how they work. During the story, it is explained how the techniques of aerodynamics and balance develop, and why. In detail is told how the brothers learn by experience.
The paintings in the comic are not really nice, and the characters stay a bit flat. However, the way the aircraft are drawn are very helpful and detailed. Throughout the book, the techniques are far better done than humans and emotions. Thus, this book is for aircraft fans more than those who are looking for identification with the main characters.
This technical approach makes it possible to use the ideas of flying and the various aircraft in any steampunk setting that needs realistic flying. Added with modern knowledge of aerodynamics, balance, propulsion and other stuff that comes to comfortable flying, this might be a first step to a believable steampunk setting with a flight program avant-la-lettre.

© Yaghish 2005
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