EN BOOK DESCRIPTION

Ilpo Koskela: The Devil’s Whisper

April 1961. The first man is sent into space. Adolf Eichmann stands trial in Jerusalem. In the third year of its revolution, Cuba is roiling. Soviet troops flow into the country, black planes fly overhead, and an invasion by counterrevolutionaries is expected.

Two adventurers are sent behind Cuba’s closed borders with the mission of retrieving a valuable man – the only person who can interpret “the devil’s whisper.” But things don’t go according to plan.

The Devil’s Whisper take Aleks Revel to the ever-fascinating Cuba during the country’s futile attempt to escape communist rule. The book also includes a history of Cuba’s legendary cigars.

Book review quotes:

“At the beginning of 1961, Aleks is 55 years old and continuing to earn a living from more or less shady jobs. His years of wandering are still not behind him, and life has its ups and downs, sometimes even giving him a beating…

“The Devil’s Whisper is a good old-fashioned adventure story, but with a modern approach and attitude. Cuba of the early sixties is an excellent backdrop for a story full of thrilling twists and turns…

“…the images create an authentic atmosphere of dark shadows and vibrant sunsets as music fills the hot, humid evening. At quiet moments, when the rapidly advancing plot briefly pauses, the drawings seem to magically come to life and the reader feels truly transported to another world. In turns, we see the beauty and misery of human existence. The world is at once both ruthless and beautiful.

“The action sequences test the limits of credibility, as suits the conventions of the genre. Some coincidences help our heroes out of tight spots, too – otherwise, they wouldn’t be heroes! The masterful flying scenes and battles would be out of the question for a Finnish film budget, but comics face no such limitations!

“The illusion of plausibility is upheld, however, by the fact that the comic’s world has been created so realistically, with such detail…

“Using only shades of orange, Koskela brings tremendous depth and light to the images. The comic reads like a novel, an impression that is strengthened by the fact that the book has been issued in hardcover, with smaller dimensions than typical for a comic book album.”