Samuel Stern 27: The Fifth Commandment, review
Samuel Stern 27
In the course of Samuel Stern's adventures, red is almost always called upon to help people who involve him only in part, often unknown to him, but this time in The Fifth Commandment we will get to know a little piece of the mysterious past of Duncan and one of his closest friends who now finds himself wanting to choose death rather than a life of suffering alone. So let's open Samuel Stern 27, who gives us a wonderful quote from Il testamento di Tito by Fabrizio De Andrè (not just rock in the red pages) and with an imperative that we all know ...Samuel Stern, the fifth says “do not kill”
What value do we place on life compared to that of an ideal? This month, Samuel Stern's 27 pages offer one of the most important stories for red, which questions some of the most sensitive issues of our century: euthanasia. A theme that will shake the religious certainties of Father Duncan, particularly involved in this story that tells a small part of his past, which takes us back to the Belfast of 1982.if (jQuery ( "# crm_srl-th_culturapop_d_mh2_1"). is (": visible")) {console.log ("Edinet ADV adding zone: tag crm_srl-th_culturapop_d_mh2_1 slot id: th_culturapop_d_mh2"); } The protagonist of the story is Jerome Lanninster, one of Duncan's greatest friends, with whom he shared an apartment in Belfast in the years of their youth, a period of study and prayer for the future priest, and of art but also of ideals and political struggle for Jerome. Unfortunately, precisely during an IRA demonstration, Jerome is the victim of a gunshot that will cause him to lose the use of his legs and, later, fate falls upon him with a stroke that will make him completely quadriplegic.
Returning to the present day, Jerome becomes aware that his life is no longer his life and decides to resort to assisted suicide. But his initiative will find the obstacle of Scottish law which does not provide for euthanasia, and that of his loved ones, his daughter Lorette and old friend Duncan, more determined than ever in the observance of the fifth commandment.
Overwhelmed, he would like to have the strength to throw himself out of the window (the moment of the scene is a bit ambiguous), but suddenly he manages to regain control of his arms and legs ... miracle or the work of a demon?
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On the side of death
Samuel Stern and Duncan ever closer, ever more accomplices and their affinity becomes even more palpable in this album. Waiting to find out what put them on each other's path, The Fifth Commandment celebrates, once again, this perfect, albeit sometimes opposed, duo. This story is a clear example of this. The two do not take the same position, being moved by different principles, they have divergent ideas that involve and invite the reader to reflect.The story staged by Andrea Guglielmino appears very complex in the message, yet, at the time itself, strongly linear, putting together multiple elements perfectly linked together, giving readers an almost impeccable narration (only the passage of Jerome and the window is not very clear). The author moves in a minefield, where in every step there are themes ready to explode, such as assisted suicide, religious ethics and political ideals, but he manages to manage everything in a complete, respectful and engaging way.
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In addition, there is no shortage of twists, revelations and an ending that - given the elements scattered throughout the story - could hide a sad truth. But we prefer to leave the conditional and the free interpretation to each of you.
The tables of The Fifth Commandment are rendered by Annapaola Martello, with a dry, simple and detailed stroke much appreciated, which is well suited to the narration of Guglielmino. We hope to see her again in Samuel's pages. While the triptych Piccioni, Di Vincenzo and Tanzillo once again gives an excellent proof, with an ascending Jerome ... thanks to demonic intervention. Very apt.
Samuel Stern 27: The Fifth Commandment climbs into a very current story, not at all obvious and well orchestrated, despite the thorniness of the topics dealt with. The authors prepare a register that will certainly be very appreciated by the readers of the red of the first hour, but also by those who are recently approaching this comic (indeed, if you belong to this circle, we recommend reading our special Who is Samuel Stern ? Portrait of the demonologist of Edinburgh), being quite detached from the continuity accentuated in the previous months. Waiting to know more about our protagonists, we can only ask for stories like this one again.
