Posts from — March 2009

ICI MEME

Often credited solely as Tardi, Jacques Tardi is a French BD artist.

He started writing comics in 1969, at the age of 23, in the comics’ magazine “Pilote”. Initially illustrating short stories written by Jean Giraud and De Beketch.

Tardi has successfully adapted crime novels by Léo Malet. . into a series of critically acclaimed graphic novels.

One of my favourites is , Ici Même written by Jean-Claude Forest(d1998), best known as the creator of Barbarella. A satire, it describes the adventures of Arthur Même who lives on the walls of his family’s former property.

His drawing style could be likened to the ligne claire style (clear line), he also satirises the concept of the flawless hero by using a series of inept, naive or anti-heroic main characters. And aside from myself and a few other French reading English speakers his audience is mainly the literary, French-speaking adult public.
See Fantagraphics article

Le Petit Nicholas

A nostalgia fest has begun in France for its best-loved schoolboy, Le Petit Nicolas, a cheeky little nine-year old, and his classroom pals dreamed up by Asterix co-inventor René Goscinny and genius illustrator, Jean-Jacques Sempé.

Full article

The Tokyo publisher East Press is launching a series of 32 manga versions of important European and Japanese literature. Full Article

History in pictures

What the... Gaston!

Easy going Gaston Lagaffe was created by André Franquin for the February 28, 1957 issue of Le journal de Spirou as a light hearted glimpse of life behind the scenes at the paper. Gaston is a blundering office clerk with a great sense of humour and remarkable lack of common sense who spends a lot of time napping, playing and avoiding work. His only response to his outstanding ability to botch, bungle and blunder ( “Lagaffe-The blunder”) is , “M’enfin!” (”What the…?”) .

A running gag in the series is the signing, or in Gastons case the non-signing of De Mesmaeker’s contracts: “Whatever’s in the contracts is irrelevant. What we want to see is how Gaston will prevent them from being signed.” says Franquin. All attempts to get the contracts signed are hysterically thwarted, and even when signed, he accidentally destroys them. Gaston always manages to wind Mesmaeker up, causing him to storm out,
or even pass out in frustration.

Comics, Manga, pictorial narratives.

BD “bande dessine”, not to be confused with “BD Blue-ray Disc”, along with manga, Japan, and comics, USA, is one of the three great traditions of pictorial narrative.

You have seen it around, really you have you may just not know that you have. Astérix, Lucky Luke, Marsupilami, The Smurfs, Tintin and Heavy Metal magazine, a translated spin off of the French Métal Hurlant, are examples of Bande Dessinée.

What’s in a name, you ask? Well the Italians call comics “Fumetto” little puffs of smoke. The Japanese call it manga the literal meaning translates to Whimsical pictures. And in Australia, America and other Anglo countries they are diminished as the funnies or comics. But in France and Belgium they are called “bande dessine” literally drawn strip and as part of the regions cultural and social fabric are respected forms of artist expression elevated to the position of “le neuvième art”, the ninth art.

BD, bande dessine the art form was added to Ricciotto Canudo’s “The Art Manifesto 1923” after film and television by Claude Beylie in 1964.

Claude Beylie’s The Art Manifesto 1964

1. Architecture,
2. Sculpture,
3. Painting,
4. Music,
5. Dance,
6. Poetry,
7. Film,
8. Television,
9. Bande Dessinée.

Ricciotto Canudo’s The Art Manifesto 1911

1. Architecture,
2. Sculpture,
3. Painting,
4. Music,
5. Dance,
6. Poetry
Ricciotto Canudo’s The Art Manifesto 1923
7. Film

They take their art seriously in Europe and the term “bande dessine” (pronounced “bayday”); unlike our comics or funnies gives no indication of subject matter, which imply a frivolous or asinine art form.

“BD” subject matter is vast though if you are searching for a francophone superhero you may be disappointed, with only a handful created in the whole history of Bande dessine. Captain Biceps and Superdupont(1972) superhero parodies, Fantax, 1946 a violent character with a foot in both camps of good and evil, amongst some of them. Narratives for children, teenagers and adults range from adventure, crime, fantasy, history, science fiction, romance, politics and adult drama; including erotica. SF, mystery, action and fantasy themes are also dominant.

The medium known as Bande Dessinée has been nurtured by a culturally progressive France and Belgium and has become recognised as an art in its own right and influential on other art forms.

There are a plethora of works, the majority of which are ordinary but with out such a prolific output there wouldn’t be a place for ideas to germinate and grow.

Larger than the traditional American or Manga comic book, hard covered and coloured they are generally owned by the artist not a publishing company including long running series with the exception of Spirou which is owned by Dupuis. The artist’s ownership of the titles contributes to the strength of the ongoing story line. Imagine what seven different writers would have done to Harry Potter.

The majority of BD series are limited short runs of four to six parts released as hard cover books up to 64pages. The auteur allowed time to develop in other words, it’s finished when it’s finished. There isn’t a monthly industry in the same way that we know it, fans can wait any where from six months to two years to get the latest instalment.

But what ever process or nom de plume, pictorial narrative takes, it is the Rock and Roll of story telling risky, some times dark, funny or experimental but always a rich and fascinating oeuvre.