moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (07/15/84)
I'd like to hear some recommendations of foreign-language comics (also
British comics, but that's another story), specifically French or Japanese.
My French is awful, and my Japanese non-existent, but having read Asterix in
English, what a wonderful way to learn French! I've also read Lucky Luke,
which is enjoyable, and have two books of the French space adventure whose
name I forget (see, I've been separated by 400 miles from my collection for
two years... next week, we reunite! Bliss!), which is good, but not up to
expectations... I suspect that this is due to a) choice of issues by Dargaud
to translate and b) poor translation. And, of course, I've read Tin-tin
(sp?) and enjoyed the movies.
So I would appreciate it immensely if someone could send (or post) a list of
"best choices" for French, British or Japanese comics (translated if
Japanese, I'm afraid). This would be a bit of work, but the person doing it
would have my very great appreciation, and anything I could do in the way of
returning the favor (my American comics knowledge is pretty broad). Also, I
think a lot of people on the net would like to examine other countrys'
comics also... some of the best people in American comics today (Bolland,
Moore, etc.) have the distinction of being some of the best people in
foreign comics.
And now for something completely different....
Do the Japanese really treat their best comics artists and writers like
"rock stars" or is this an exageration?
"...AND his God Damned CAT!!!"
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
UUCP:
{cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsrgv}!uw-beaver \
{allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty
ARPA:
fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPAadvisor@utcsstat.UUCP (Justin Bur) (07/22/84)
Notes on some French-language comics I have read (or heard a lot about):
Humor
*****
Asterix (France) by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo -- see previous articles
Lucky Luke (France) by Rene Goscinny and Morris (Maurice de Bevere)
Lucky Luke is a cowboy in the American west. With the help of his
incredible horse, Jolly Jumper, he tries to keep the Daltons (Joe,
Jack, William, and Averell in order of increasing height and stupidity)
in prison, with Ran-Tan-Plan (Rin-Tin-Can in English), the dumbest dog
in the west, guarding them. He also encounters some historical figures,
such as Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Sarah Bernhardt.
[started 1947; pub. Dupuis (1-31), Dargaud (32+); translations should
be available from Dargaud in New York]
Iznogoud (France) by Rene Goscinny and Jean Tabary
In Baghdad the magnificent, Caliph Haroun al Poussah (Haroun al Plassid
in English) reigns peacefully, but his wicked grand vizier Iznogoud is
constantly trying to usurp him ("I want to be caliph instead of the
caliph!!!!!"). Iznogoud stories are short, disasterous (for Iznogoud),
and full of jokes, though some are a bit silly.
[started 1962; pub. Dargaud (1-12), Glenat (14-15); #13 out of print;
translated into English 1977-1980 in UK but now out of print]
Oumpah-Pah le Peau-Rouge (Belgium) by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Oumpah-Pah was created just before Asterix, and abandoned so Goscinny
and Uderzo could concentrate on Asterix. He is a North American Indian
at the time when France had colonies in the New World. With his French
bloodbrother, Oumpah-Pah fights against other tribes, goes on a secret
mission to France, and helps kick the Prussians out of the New World.
[1958-1962; pub. Lombard (one volume); tr. English 1977-8 (out of print)]
Le Genie des Alpages (France) by F'Murr
People keep telling me to read this series, and I'm sure I'll get around
to it someday... What I've seen of it is very funny. The characters are
sheep and other animals.
[pub. Dargaud (8 titles), no translation]
Les Schtroumpfs (Belgium) by Peyo (Pierre Culliford) and Yvan Delporte
Everyone in North America has had too much of the Smurfs, but probably
very few know that they were comic-strip characters in Europe for decades
before NBC and Hanna-Barbera discovered them. Les Schtroumpfs are a
spinoff from another series by Peyo about Johan et Pirlouit, two medieval
knights who stumbled across the Schtroumpfs and are the only humans to
see them except for the evil wizard Gargamel (whose cat is Azrael).
[started 1959; pub. Dupuis; translated into English in UK (pub. Hodder
and Stoughton but out of print); some available in USA from Random
House, but it's difficult to sort out the real books from all the
ones that resulted from the TV series]
Tintin (Belgium) by Herge (Georges Remi)
I should really have put Tintin near the top of the list. Anyway, he
is a very well-known reporter who stamps out evil all over the world.
In later books he is accompanied by Captain Haddock and Professor
Tournesol (in English, Calculus (though tournesol means sunflower!)).
In all the books his dog Milou (Snowy) comes with him.
[1929-1976; pub. Casterman; in English from Atlantic-Little, Brown
in the USA and Methuen in the British Commonwealth]
Adventure
*********
Alix (Belgium) by Jacques Martin
Alix, like Asterix, is a Gaul who lives at the time of Julius Caesar.
But Alix's adventures are not humorous -- they are dramatic, often
tragic. Alix is a friend of Caesar, but he has very many enemies.
He and his Egyptian friend Enak (a 15-year-old) always survive,
often at great cost to themselves or others. The series is very well
researched and realistic. Several characters are developed through
several books. This is one of my favorite European comics.
Recently, one Alix book (Le Fils de Spartacus -> Spartaci Filius)
appeared in Latin! (Seven Asterix books are also available in Latin.)
[started 1948; pub. Casterman (17 titles); two books translated into
English in 1971 (pub. Ward Lock) but long out of print. (If anyone
in the UK ever sees the translations, The Sacred Helmet and The Black
Claw, I would very much like copies of them.)]
Albany (France) by Francois Riviere and Floc'h
The best part of these books is the drawings of postwar London. Francis
Albany, aided by novelist Olivia Sturgess, uncovers bizarre mysteries
in Le Rendez-Vous de Sevenoaks, Le Dossier Harding, and A La Recherche
de Sir Malcolm. Another book by the same authors, Blitz, takes place
during the war and effectively conveys the atmosphere of the blitz.
[started 1977; pub. Dargaud (Blitz pub. Albin Michel); no trans.]
Science Fiction
***************
I haven't read any. But Valerian (by Christin and Mezieres, pub. Dargaud)
and Le Vagabond des Limbes (=The Vagabond of Limbo; by Godard and Ribera,
pub. Dargaud) have both appeared in English and are probably still available
from Dargaud in New York.
And finally (for now, anyway) something really weird: Scenes de la vie de
banlieue (Scenes of Suburban Life) by Caza, pub. Dargaud, and three sequels
are fantasies and nightmares that suburban-dwellers have. A recurring theme
is that of noise from upstairs (since these people all live in low-rent
apartments) that the annoyed suburbanite goes to investigate... very strange
things happen. The drawings are good. I don't usually like weird stuff,
but I do like these.
If anyone wants lists of titles or publishers' addresses or more detail on
something, send mail.
Justin Bur (still an Asterix nut, despite having read all those other series)