Translated excerpt FLIX Spirou in Berlin Carlsen Verlag, Hamburg 2018 ISBN 978-3-551-71115-0 pp. 5-19 FLIX Spirou in Berlin Spirou in Berlin © DUPUIS 2018, by Flix, www.dupuis.com, All rights reserved English Edition: © Europecomics 2019 http://www.europecomics.com/album/spirou-in-berlin/ East Berlin. Winter 1988. Comrades. We are BROKE! Our planned economy has failed. Technologically, weíre limping along behind Apologies everyone. And absolutely no one in the world War! for marching in market wants our brown coal. Something Warís always unannounced, MUST PROPOSALS!!! Banana be done! good! butÖ plantations Schnapps on Usedom! UmÖ Schnapps! and bananas! Click! Your Who knight in are Click! shining you! armor! 5 1 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Brussels, nine months Spirou? later. Whatís THIS? Whatís WHAT? Next theyíll |tís |TëS THIS! WHAT? be spying on me when | brush unbelievable! THE COVER my teeth! STORY! | see that. Magazine cover: ìStefanie's Knight in Shining Armorî SPIROU! My boss has And soon been on my back for WEEKS! afterÖ He wants a story. For the cover. From ME! And you HAD one and didnít tell me? ìBellboy Rescues Cat From Treeî? TEAR DOWN THIS WALL! EXACTLY! Fantasio! Youíre a pro. Youíll find something better. Champignac is always a source of Grmpf! ? ? inspiration. 6 2 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. THAT |, my dear friends, am ONE! And please combining my two laboratories There! remove your because | have discovered a headphones new fungus serum with MAIL! when |ím talking which to you. Whatís What? that? What is going on? An invitation |n two days at Can you say that to the first the Palace Hotel stuff about the serum Ooh! International in East Berlin. again? |t sounded Mycology exciting. Congress. EVEN MORE exciting! |íve NEVER An extremely rare had the oppor- mushroom that exists tunity to meet my colleagues only there and which no from beyond the one has ever found. |ron Curtain. Hmm, | may even butÖ But WHAT? have the chance to see a Small-Capped Portabriris there. Huh? What are Berlin is East you worried awesome! All the You Berlin? CAN about? Nazis are gone. Oh, help Chalk | could go Fantasio. | say me. white or with you! |Ö |Ö merci. magnolia? want to HELP you! But NO MERCI. Really! 7 3 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Hmpf! How can he turn down an opportunity like THIS? No idea. ? But it is a little NONSENSE! STRANGE. Colleagues behind barbwire! Scientists for What? The invitation. peace! Warm Turning up just fungus in a two days before Cold War! |tís the event. pure GOLD! For you. He could And |íM a reporter For the see his The old guy is at Belgiumís leading Count too. colleagues. And one of the leading news magazine! Especially see that fungus researchers small-capped Leave it, in the world. for him! Fantasio. thingamy. And He he couldÖ knows umÖ what heís doing. | know what |ím doing FANTASIO! TOO! 8 4 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. COUNT? | wanted to talk to you Count? |tís me, about the Fantasio. invitation. Hellooooo?! ? 9 5 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. What Gone! Not there! THE do you Spontaneously left for COUNTëS mean, the congress! GONE! ìGONEî? Took the night train and GONE to Berlin. Something like that. What do | know? Sounds strange. Eeeek! What Eeeeekkk! else could it be? ? ? |tís just Whatís Oh no! BUTTON THAT? a , Spirou. Yeah. |t doesnít prove ANYTHING. | know. But if even just Öthen we need a little of what | to get to East AS FAST suspect is trueÖ Berlin Yeaah!!! AS POSSIBLE. Yeah? 10 6 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. East Berlin is the capital city of the German Democratic Republic. The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was established after Germany lost the Second World War. Friends, | make flourishing land from the East! Oui. | ainít your Okay. friend, |van! It may have presented itself as the German Öbut it was in fact a real socialist dictatorship. Peace State and called itself democraticÖ BE PREPARED! For what? Our land, how Shhhh! you grow in peace beneath the light of the sunÖ However, economically, it did not fare particularly well. Many things were unavailable. Freedom in particular. A great wall prevented the people of the GDR from leaving. Thereíll be no You donít apples tomorrow. No way have any Today, there are through apples? no bananas. here. The Ministry for State Security also watched anyone And anyone who tried to escape the GDR who might perhaps have something against the GDR. could expect severe punishment. So, basically EVERYONE. If they survivedÖ Click! 11 7 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Fantasio! We should have taken the turnoff back there. You want to take the transit route? Of course! ìAS We want FAST AS to go to POSSIBLE.î Do you Berlin! remember that Zorglub worked Well? for the Germans for a while? And? Weíre taking the Pretzel! Do you even know how to Clack. start the thing? Sure! 12 8 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Now we just have to Cheer get into the OTHER up! SIDE of the city. | NEVER claimed | knew how to land it! JUST? JUST?! |tís the most HEAVILY GUARDED border in Europe! True. And youíre along But Fantasio, for the ride, dear. weíve got youíre THIS We donít recognize ! crazy! borders. ? ? 13 9 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Trust me. But the |f youíd Conspicuous costumesÖ kindly follow is the new me. inconspicuous. ButÖ Youíre Maybe. crazy! |f weíre But our caught, weíll passportsÖ be thrown in jail forever! Wonít happen. Wasnít easy. But theyíre excellent quality! AndÖ Then thatís a And if it GUARANTEED does? cover story. Bongiorno, Dottore! Whatís wrong? Oh, | forgot. Humor The forgeries arenít Eeek! ACHOO! good enough? and dictatorships donít mix. Haha! Ö 14 10 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. You know how we Barely across AHAHAHA! A WESTERNERS are the border and beard mite. simply crawling with lice! already arrested. Thanks a lot! Spip! Oh no! Stay Eeeek! |tís unbelievable there!!! DRUGS Eeeeek! what all the do to you. WHAM! Et voil‡! |f you ACROSS! insist. What? Who wouldíve HEY! The believed it? Apart From mandatory |íM from me. now on, currency He gave ALL in charge of our exchange you Hehe! |tís not THAT little tour group. paid off! for 50 as bad here as Understood?! francs? everyone says, is it?! This is going Hahaha! EVEN better than Strange. WOOHOOO! | expected! The exchange WEíRE RICH! AWESOME! rate is Shhh! onlyÖ Take it TAXI! easy! 15 11 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. HOLY MOLY! Mademoiselle, Good day. weíre journalists, We would here to write Hey! a big story on |íM like toÖ So, in the Mycology shall we? charge. Congress. On the WHAT? Our VIP from Belgium? We would love to Until then, gentlemen, WELCOME!!! Weíre thrilled Heís currently meeting |íd be delighted to invite that the Western press is interview the Count with colleagues. Making you to stay as our interested in this wonderful of Champignac. preparations. Shop talk, and unique event bringing so to speak. You know. guests! everyone together. We shouldnít interrupt. Hmpf. But heíll have time for you TO- MORROW MORNING. 16 12 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Pour the drink back in the bottle Why not? right now, Fantasio. So, how Why did Everythingís Weíre not waiting did | do? you tell that fine, Spirou. The Count till morning. Weíre going smug fool why is here. Weíll now. Be in the weíre here? see him in the lobby in ten morning. And minutes. whoíll be getting the exclusive? MOI! Santé! Quit it, Eeek! Canít And youíve had Spip. No oneís Eeeeek! | have pros, enough candy interested. just once? for today. No, Spip. Even YUCK! so. |tís made of wax!!! Eeek! Thatís Eeeeek! ENOUGH! Eeeek! |ím putting them away. And now, quick You can have march! Fantasio is them back probably already later. waiting for us. Eeeek! Eeeek! Eeeek! ? 17 13 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. |Ö | want to go home! No! No! Quick, OUCH! Please! Spip! |n Stop here!!! that!!! PLEASE! NO! NO! That | wonít was the PLEASE!!! But who do it! Count. were those | donít NOOO! Never! guys? like it eitherÖ Eeek! Eeeek! Spip. Weíve got to get him out of thereÖ Eeek? The Frog has tasted the Fly. QRN 76 | repeat. calling MILN 89. The Frog Do you copy? has tasted the Fly. 18 14 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved. Well, where is our esteemed tour guide then? Hmmmm. HEY! AHA! Hmm. Hehe. Oh! Come on. Whew! Kitchen! Now! |tís FAR TOO Quick march! EARLY for the HALT! aperitif, boy! Dinner wonít prepare itself, you know! Yes sirÖ 19 15 ©Europe Comics, 2019 , all rights reserved..