Soda

David Ellioth Hanneth Solomon (Soda) is a lieutenant of the New York Police Department. Soda started his career as a ghost writer but this was no success. When an enemy killed himself during a fight with him, he decided to join the NYPD to become a cop just like his father. When Soda moved to New York he told his mother that he was going to be a priest. His mother Mary wouldn't want him to become a cop and he never told her the truth.

When Soda's father died, his mother decided to move to New York to live with Soda at 416 Church Lane. From that time on Soda dresses up as a priest when he left home and changes his clothes in the elevator (they live at the 23rd floor). He changes back into his priest costume when he returns from work. Even after performing this act for one and a half year mother Mary suspects nothing.

Other important characters in this comic are Soda's partner agent Linda Tchaikovski, the helpful sergeant Arthur Babs and police chief "Sugarcane" Pronzini. The first two books were drawn by Luc Warnant. His work was continued by Bruno Gazotti. The great scripts are written by Tome (real name Phillipe Vandevelde, image), the man who is also responsible for the scripts for Spirou and Young Spirou. Stéphane Debecker is responsible for the colors in the comic. The fourth Soda album received the price for the best foreign comic at the Dutch comic festival De Stripdagen in Breda in 1993. The fifth book was a nominee for the same price at the next festival in 1994.

The books that were issued in this sequence are:

1. Dutch: Een engel gaat heen
   French: Un ange trépasse
   English: (An Angel Died)
2. Dutch: Brieven voor Satan
   French: Lettres à Satan
   English: (Letters to Satan)
3. Dutch: Gij zult niet schieten
   French: Tu ne buteras point
   English: (Thou Shall Not Shoot)
4. Dutch: God stierf vandaag
   French: Dieu est mort ce soir
   English: (God Died Today)
5. Dutch: Ieder klooster heeft zijn kruis
   French: Fureur chez les saints
   English: (Every Monastery Bears Its Cross)
6. Dutch: Biecht in UP-tempo
   French: Confession express
   English: (Confession Express)
7. Dutch: Sta op en sterf!
   French: Léve-toi et meurs
   English: (Stand Up and Die!)
8. Dutch: Dood in vrede
   French: Tuez en paix
   English: (Death in Peace)
9. Dutch: Verlos ons van het kwaad
   French: Et délivre-nous du mal
   English: (Deliver Us from Evil)
10. Dutch: God mag het weten
    French: Dieu seul le sait
    English: (God Knows)
11. Dutch: Gebeden en ballistiek
    French:
    English: (Prayers and Ballistics)

The English title translations are my own. I do not know if the books have been issued in English.

Together with the fifth book of the French issue a booklet with the title Confession new-yorkaise was issued (thanks to Jocelyn Legault for this information and the French titles). You can also view a page with sub-titles.

Links

The numeric code before each item represents month in which the item was added to the list.

• 9708 Erik Tjong Kim Sang's Soda page.
• 0001 Pagus's Soda page (in German).
• 9910 Pierre Côté's Soda page (in French).

Urls pointing to other relevant material can be sent to erikt@stp.ling.uu.se