European comics thread

Anyone here read European comics, usually of the French-Belgian variety?

Most of you may know classics such as Tintin or Asterix.

Or The Smurfs (yes, it was originally a comic, still ongoing to this day).

 

I've read some Tintin and watched the cartoon version when I was a kid and enjoyed it.
In one of them in the end when the bad guys die there are two little black demons to carry them off to Hell. I lol'd when I saw that.

 

It may look silly and funny at the moment, but when you think about that...
Some moments can be actually kinda dark and tense! Like a story where a guy commits suicide by jumping out of a rocket into space! It happens offscreen but it really feels heavy when you get to the part where he leaves his suicide note...

Damn, now I realize how much I took this series for granted. It kinda gets overexposed in the mainstream public, so most comic readers tend to forget it as they grow up...

 

Last night I put in a hold on some Tintin and Asterix books from the library.

 

Speaking of Asterix... have you read the 33rd book: Asterix and the Falling Sky?

You know how Asterix is about the adventures of a Celtic warrior in -50 BC Gaul (ancient French territory)? That would usually be clever and funny satires about society, regional cultures and despite the occasional anachronistic humor, would still keep an effort to keep a cohesive universe with its own identity?

What if you suddenly introduced ALIENS in the story? Aliens that look like a noseless Mickey Mouse, Superman clones with Arnold Schwarzenegger heads, facing other aliens that look like racist caricatures of Asian people, wearing Saint Seiya armor and riding Go Nagai-style spaceships?
And it was meant to be a satire of American comics versus Japanese manga?
But even then, it fails absolutely because it is written like shit, is not funny or clever at all, even as its own thing?

Goddamn, I wish I were making this up.

 

I haven't really read much Asterix because the only comics I've seen were when I was in high school French classes as an example of French culture.
And of course they were in the original French.

The aliens sound truly bizarre.

 

sergio aragones.

that guy was a big part of my childhood.

his name sounds spanish or italian therefore he must be european!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Aragones

oh wait he's spanish/mexican, oh well whatever.

still a hella fine comic generator.

 

Oh, Sergio Aragones. I know him because of MAD Magazine. Quite nice.

 

I borrowed volume three of Tintin from the library today, it's books 7-9. I'll look at it over the weekend.

 

Is it "The Crab with the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn"?

The "introducing Captain Haddock" arc?

 

yeah, it is - I started reading the "Crab" one this afternoon

 

Wonder how many Tintin readers have ever read the "Land of the Soviets" and "Congo" stories. You are certainly not going to find the latter one easily available to buy in libraries!!

 

Now you see why Uderzo hanged it up for good, he's had enough! That's why two new guys took over the series these days, they put out at least two adventures so far.

My town once paid tribute to Tintin in a manner so unexpected, being published along with the reguilar daily comic strips in the 60's (and in FRENCH)!


http://sobieniakcomics.blogspot.com/2011/12/tintin-en-francais-part-1.html

The real problem was that, without Rene Goscinny (the original writer of those adventures up until "Asterix in Belgium" when he passed away), Albert Uderzo can't really write as well as he draws, those why those later adventures during the 80's, 90's and 2000's just sorta stood out like a sore thumb, and an obvious attempt at continuing the franchise long after is Golden Age was gone. The only reason why he kept doing it was simply because he didn't want to simply leave Asterix for good and sadden the many readers of those adventures (much in the way TIntin natually ended). This is why there's still quite a marketing entity for Asterix to this day, whether in books, merchandise, films and even a theme park. It just kinda grew out of proportions!

Good place to start, really. Move onto Red Reckham's Treasure and you'll also be introduced to another cast regular, Prof. Calculus.

I have that! Definately worth a read if you can get it!


There's a reason nobody talks about these!

 

I read "The Crab with the Golden Claws" yesterday afternoon and enjoyed it. Yeah, Captain Haddock is great. The cartoon from when I was a kid had Haddock in nearly every episode, IIRC

 

Would that be the one from the 60's? It was the closest Tintin came to our shores in a very Crusader Rabbit-like fashion.

 

No, it was this:

 

Goddamn I saw this specific cartoon so many times as a little kid! I thought it was so damn epic!

Many fans like to bitch how 60's animated Tintin took many liberties from the original comic book, but I thought it having its own continuity and elements was fun!
I mean, meteor shower, dynamite blowing up on the moon, white-hot-burning spaceship!!

 

I've shouldn't know. I used to watch that a lot on Nickelodeon!

They had to grab your attention and hope you remember to stay tune next time (assuming it played on one of those types of kiddie shows like Bozo the Clown). I'm sure they did all they could to make this one very eye-opening (and it didn't hurt to get Paul Frees to voice a few guys).