Donatello

Donatello is a Lovian comic book series published by Horus Comics, that was started in 2010. It tells about the life of the title character who is part of the grim and ever-present criminal underworld of the city he lives in. The stories often involves unexpected plot twists and various layers of intrigue. The dark and explicit content of the comics contribute to the series image of graphic novel rather than comic book. Donatello was conceived by Harold Freeman who draws inspiration from film noir and popular thrillers. The Donatello series contain so far five novels that form a cycle.

Style[]

The graphic novels often display violence, drugs or alcohol abuse and prostitution. The second novel in the series, A Certain Dead, caused a lot of upheaval due to its explicit portrayal of the criminal underworld. This controversy of course only encouraged sales and A Certain Dead was at that time sixth in the list of most sold books. Even today, it remains the best sold comic book in Lovia. The grim content is strengthened by the stylized drawings, monotone color print and minimal use of dialogue. Positive critics praise the Donatello novels for their authentic style and originality. The stories often involve layered intrigues and unexpected plot twists and a lot of figures are kept 'behind the scenes' to create an eery atmosphere.

Freeman himself explained that he enjoys creating entire plots which are put into motion by just one crime too many. Upon the release of his first comic he told the press he wanted to 'leave the reader behind with a feeling that he is being watched and can't let his guard down'.

List of novels[]

The Naked Eyes[]

Donatello is a young police officer in a peaceful suburb. One day the community is shocked by the brutal killing of a prostitute. Donatello is put on the case but due to political pressure the investigation is soon ended. Donatello's chief concludes that she died in a fight over payment and that they should leave it at that. Donatello can't seem to let the case go. When he is approached by Valery, a friend and colleague of the prostitute, he decides to take matters into his own hands. As he digs deeper and deeper Donatello discovers things that never should have seen the light of day. He learns about a meeting and goes undercover but upon his arrival all attendees are dead. Donatello becomes so caught up in the web of intrigues that the authorities hold him responsible for the murders. He has no chance but to flee and has to leave Valery behind, with whom he had started a romance just briefly.

A Certain Death[]

Donatello fled from the accusations against him, certain of the fact that the ones who framed him where too powerful to take on just now. He goes to find Donny, a guy he helped out in the past. Donny says he can't help him because he has enough trouble to deal with already. Donny drops off Donatello with a gang of local thugs that have a hijacking business going on. To show he is trustworthy Donatello tells them about a corrupt cop that assists smugglers in exchange for money. They hit the cop when he is on the job and split the loot. They then accept an outside job to rob a Japanese businessman. It turns out however that this was only a cover story to lure them out. The Japanese businessman tells them he works for a notorious gangster and that they have to stop a dope trade. The trade is supposed to take place on a ship but no-one was there. Searching the ship, the men get killed one by one. When only Donatello and one of the other men are alive, the later one shoots Donatello in the leg and reveals himself as the criminal mastermind that set up the job. When Donatello inquires to know why it becomes clear the man wanted him to die because he knows the truth about the murders of the previous novel. He leaves the ship and as he walks away down the pier the ship blows up; supposedly with Donatello still on board.

The Killing Of Me[]

We get to see the end of the previous novel from Donatello's point of view. When the ship is on fire he crawls towards the border and drops into the water just before the ship explodes. He survives but has severe memory loss, lacking knowledge of anything before the explosion. He is severely injured from the shot wound in his leg and seeks out a hospital. Soon however, the police catches up to him following an anonymous tip about the explosion in the harbor. Donatello hears them coming and is able to flee, afraid of being charged since he can't remember anything to defend himself. After running for a while he collapses, totally exhausted by the past few hours. A journalist that desperately needs a good story to save his job finds him and takes him home. Donatello tells the man his story and the journalist offers to help him. The two search for Donatello's identity and discover a trail of killings along the way. The journalist comes close to unmasking the criminal mastermind but Donatello is made to believe the journalist will betray him as soon as he has his story. As the journalist comes home with Donatello's story, the latter one becomes affraid of what he might find and shoots his friend. He has no choice but to run away again.

Of Good Men (I)[]

Five years later, Donatello still has no recollection of his past and - without knowing so - now works for the criminal mastermind that played him all the time. Donatello works together with Donny (from the second novel) and it is hinted that the meeting organized by Donny and the gang of thugs was set up by their employer. Donny is devoured by guilt but can't say anything to his fellow hitman. The two of them have to retrieve a stolen suitcase and doing so they hit upon someone else from Donatello's past: Valery. She tells him how she hired a detective after his disappearance (end of the first novel) and found out the truth about the murders they tried to frame him for. The suitcase, she says, contains enough prove to take their employer down. Donny panics and shoots her multiple times. Afterwards he falls to the floor, crying. Donny says he can't take it anymore, whining about how much blood he has on his hands. He asks Donatello for forgiveness and shoots himself through the head. Donatello is perplexed. After a while of standing up without any sign of awareness, he picks up the briefcase and walks out of the room.

Of Good Men (II)[]

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