[Meeting…] Addidas

The first thing we see is a strange, deep cavern with a dense and gnarled network of conduits that snake their way up from unusual machines. After a smoky atmosphere, the metallic and rhythmic clacking of the levers of these devices dominates any other noise. Black workers with yellow eyes, long arms and a simian appearance work tirelessly activating the mechanisms under the watchful eye of a red, horned creature who acts as the foreman. Suddenly, the dynamic monotony is interrupted. The lever on one of the machines has become stuck and refuses to move despite the efforts of one of those quaint creatures. In the next scene, a girl, lying on the floor of a restaurant, regains consciousness...

This is the principle of Koma, the comic with Dickensian overtones and a certain metaphysical aftertaste of the Swiss cartoonists Pierre Wazem and Frederik Peeters, whose protagonist, Addidas, I will speak today.

The little chimney sweep

Addidas is a girl with big black eyes, somewhat disheveled appearance but smiling and lively. His hair is black and has a chaotic hairstyle.; short and tousled at the back of the head and longer towards the bangs area, where it is divided into three pigtails, one on the left and two on the right. But perhaps what first catches her attention is her name, since it is almost identical to the famous sportswear brand. That company must also exist in its fictional world, because its presentations never lack the phrase “but I don't eat footwear, eh?”

This fact does not seem fortuitous to me, if we take into account the reality of the protagonist and how infamous this multinational company is (among many others) when it comes to using child labor in certain countries to reduce production costs. In fact, despite his young age, he works almost tirelessly as chimney sweep helping her widowed father, Julius Eme, clean the chimneys assigned to them by contract. It is not easy, since, for reasons that are not very clear, there is a enormous abundance of them in that great city. They completely dominate the urban landscape, dotting buildings here and there, as far as the eye can see. As if that were not enough, Competition in the chimney sweeping market is fierce, so they should not take any breaks if they do not want other colleagues to take away their jobs. It is an extremely arduous task. Her father knows this, and the thought of sending his own daughter to that focus of infection far from any help tortures him, but only she fits through the narrowest steps, completely inaccessible to an adult. If not, he would have lost his job a long time ago and, therefore, would have nothing to support her.

Fainting for no apparent reason

I have not yet alluded to the most characteristic feature of our young protagonist. You suffer from a rare type of illness, the main (and possibly only) symptom of which is suffering from continuous and sudden fainting. The origin of this disorder is completely unknown. There has been no doctor capable of making any diagnosis. The lack of financial resources to pay for analyzes and treatments, which are highly expensive for the precarious family economy, does not help either. Anyway, Addidas has already assimilated it to the point of take it as a habit. Every time someone is alarmed by her fainting spells, she He downplays them and limits himself to recording them in his private notebook..

A happy and clever girl

With what we have so far we can conclude that Addidas' life is not exactly easy. Despite everything, far from having a sad and melancholic personality, the little protagonist is jovial and carefree, keeping his humor practically intact in most situations. In fact, it is she who brings out his father, emotionally speaking, when he is distressed by his work situation, the health of his daughter or the loss of his wife several years ago, bringing out his most mature side.

It also makes evident a intelligence unusual for his age. She is fond of crosswords y a las películas del Oeste, y su mayor sueño es visitar el campo algún día (ni siquiera su padre sabe qué aspecto tiene, confinado como está en aquella ciudad sin fin). A veces la veremos filosofar en voz alta, transformando sus pensamientos en un discurso algo estrafalario, a medio camino entre lo perspicaz y lo inocente, dando como resultado una racionalidad muy particular. Esto, en combinación con su temperamento resoluto y valeroso, le será bastante útil para superar con éxito las aventuras que están por venir.

Conclusion and recommendations

Addidas es una pequeña deshollinadora que ayuda a su padre en la limpieza de chimeneas, a cuyos recovecos sólo ella puede acceder. Sufre continuos e inexplicables desmayos que son un quebradero de cabeza para el pobre Julius, pero ella no parece darles mucha importancia gracias a su carácter jovial y despreocupado. ¿Qué relación habrá entre su hogar, la ciudad de incontables chimeneas, y ese extraño mundo de las profundidades?

Existen dos alternativas para la lectura de la obra de Wazem y Peeters, todas ellas traídas a España de la mano de la editorial Dibbuks. La primera opción es la de leer los tomos por separado y a color. Consta de seis entregas: La voz de las chimeneas (2006), El gran agujero (2006), Como en los Westerns (2007), En el hotel (2008), El duelo (2008) and En el principio (2009). Otra alternativa es la edición integral, que aúna todas las aventuras en un único tomo de cerca de 300 páginas y en blanco y negro, publicado en 2014. Además de lo ya comentado, este último cuenta con una traducción revisada con respecto a la original.