Asterix, Lucky Luke, Iznogoud, Tin Tin

[Azrael]

   

Why the topic? I wonder if anyone else loved some of these Franco-Belgian comics. Asterix and Lucky Luke in particular were among my favourites as a kid, and still love them.

[Paul (ral)]

Obviously familiar with Asterix. Lucky Luke seems familiar too, may have been from French class or when I worked in Belgium. Speaking of which, I was in a couple of comic shops over there. Massive selections of all types of comics...most vast thing I had ever seen.

[Azrael]

It's too bad that these comics aren't any bigger in the English-speaking world, especially America. When I was a kid they were virtually everywhere in deluxe yet inexpensive, full colour, A4 sized albums. The stories written by Rene Goscinny are must-reads.

[Silver Nemesis]

The Adventures of Tintin is my favourite comic series ever. Even more so than Batman or Superman. And Georges Remi (aka Hergé) is my favourite comic writer/artist. The man was a genius. On the surface the Tintin book may appear to be simple adventure stories, but the subtextual currents of political, historical, and even psychological meaning (see Tintin in Tibet) run surprisingly deep. Preeminent Tintinologist Michael Farr has written some fascinating books on this subject, and anyone with an interest in the series should give them a look.

I've also got to mention The Adventures of Tintin animated series produced by Ellipse-Nelvana in the early nineties. This is one of my favourite TV shows and ranks alongside Batman: The Animated Series as one of the best and most faithful animated adaptations of a comic ever produced.

The Asterix books are also excellent. I think every kid in Europe reads those at some point. I reread part of Asterix in Britain last year, and I'd forgotten just how funny it is. Especially the running gags about warm beer and five o'clock tea breaks.

I remember the Iznogoud cartoon show, but I didn't realise it was based on a comic until now.

Another Belgian comic that warrants mentioning is Blake and Mortimer, created in 1946 by Edgar P Jacobs. Jacobs, having previously collaborated with Hergé on the Tintin comics, adopted a similar ligne claire style of artwork for his own books. And like Tintin, the Blake and Mortimer stories were adapted into an animated series in the nineties.

I get the impression Belgian comics aren't too popular in the US. There seems to be something about the European tone that fails to resonate with most American readers. But for those of us raised in Europe, these types of comics are practically required childhood reading.