“BD” refers to Franco-Belgian comics, but let's open things up to include ALL Euro comics and GN's. Euro-style work from around the world is also welcome!
* BD = "Bandes dessinées"
* BDT = Bedetheque
* GN = graphic novel
* LBK = Lambiek
* LC = "Ligne claire"
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There seem to be two versions of the fetish replica. This one, originally sold by the defunct TintinBoutique.com, and another by Moulinsart [example], without the 'restored' look. I believe they're both made out of resin (not wood), with the former going for as much as $500(!)
Some interesting inside info (and a short quiz) on the album here: https://www.tintin.com/en/albums/the-broken-ear
I just finished "Pinocchio" by Winshluss and it was very different than the BD that I am used to.
I liked the art (resembling of Robert Crumb) and the Pinocchio adaptation for mature audiences. There is a lot to like in the clever storytelling and how the stories connect with each other.
Perhaps this was not my cup of tea, but it was refreshing and definitely something very unique that I am happy to add to my collection.
EDIT: This Pinocchio adaptation is not appropriate for children or young comic readers. Just in case it wasn't clear from my post.
I found this nice hi-res cover of Pilote magazine #140, Feb '86, presumably by Jean Solé, and now I'm left to name the characters. I'm pretty terrible at this, but here's what I've got:
LEFT COLUMN (front to back):
RIGHT COLUMN (front to back):
BOTTOM:
EDIT: bolded names are thanks to user input
There's not a lot of info out there for Tomenius, but if I understand correctly, he first discovered a level of fame by riffing on tweets made by former PM and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt of Sweden.
It seems from there, he was inspired to create his delightfully deranged, better-known comic series Twisted Speedo and Poorly Drawn Dinosaurs. The above is a very brief, tame example of his work, so let's dig a bit further with Origin of the Seahorse:
You see, most of his cartoons run long and vertically, averaging about twice the length of the one above. In tone, he's darkly-hilarious, satirical, and no-holds barred. If gore is called for, then there's going to be gore!
Typically, my man here examines modern culture and turns it on its head, sometimes in a purely humorous or even affectionate way, but just as often, with biting nihilism. His 'punchlines' don't always come together the way you might expect... in which case I think it's more his sense of simple, absurd style that makes these work.
Here's a couple more of my favorites: [1], [2], which should help demonstrate what the hell I'm trying to say above.
As for repositories of his work, try: [WebToons], [Tapas], and [TheComicSeries]. His "Poorly Drawn Dinosaurs" site doesn't seem to be up anymore, but fortunately it's preserved at the Internet Archive. Tomenius' also has some collections available on Amazon.
As I was saying elsewhere, what I'm really loving here is the cinematic layout, simulating the way camera cuts work in a movie. It's so wonderful to me, and one of the many l reasons I love BD. Peeters is also the same artistic provocateur who produced such fascinating stuff as Koma, Sandcastle, Lupus, and Aâma.
TBH, one of the reasons I fell head-over-heels in love with BD is because of creators like Peeters and Lewis Trondheim.
Wolski is a recent discovery, and from what I understand, he's a freelance artist who's worked on board games and small-scale BD such as Marcus William Flopper and Interstellar Dust.
Me, I'm greatly enjoying his cartoony, sprawling, colorful and imaginative work.
EDIT: Actually, I'm an idiot. The cover art is very good, but.. not very nice. Me, I was trying to find the best four pics to represent amongst two dozens, and I just wasn't looking close enough at the actual details. So yeah, I'm willing to remake the post if anybody objects. --Johnny
HERE is a curation of Wolski's work, plus his "ArtStation" personal page.
The original volume name is I Cavalieri del Tempo. Note the markups on the margins!
Yes, based on reader suggestion here, I decided to get off my rump and finally check out this long-running paranormal / light horror series. It's Italian-produced, set in London. Quite impressively, it's been running since 1986, with well over 400 issues produced by various teams of artists & writers.
So far I've finished four 100-page books, and found two of the stories quite good and thought-provoking, i.e. Zed and Daisy, and the other two, rather mediocre, pulp-level fare, i.e. The Ghost of Anna Never and The Nights of the Full Moon. DD seems then to be a fertile premise, but a bit hit-or-miss in nature, perhaps down to the individual writers, their schedules, and whatever else.
EDIT: I've updated the above review after finishing the fourth book.
Here's what the published cover looks like:
Btw, I found the art quite satisfactory, altho note: it's usually produced in B&W. Some samples HERE.
It was designed by mad genius François Boucq, perhaps best known for co-creating the thinking person's Wild-West series Bouncer, with plenty of other awards and creations under his belt.
Here's the map location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HMgmb8qGHjUunAYJA
And an alternate view:
What can I say? Goscinny is the man. He's one of the pivotal figures in BD, whose life got cut short vastly too soon.
I understand this lovely mural is part of Angoulême's series of frescos dedicated to him and other BD figures & themes. <3
The Black Axe is a six-issue mini-series set in the Mouse Guard universe, and this is the original art used for the cover of issue #4. I'm sharing it because I found the art heavily ligne claire-inspired, plus.. yeah! I simply love the piece.
But more than just that, I found The Black Axe a wonderful series as a whole, which shares elements of style, narrative, plotting and tragedy with classics such as Beowulf and Túrin's Tale (from Tolkien's Silmarillion).
Here's three sample pages from this same issue: (click or zoom to expand)
I'll have to write a proper review of the Mouse Guard series at a later date, but for now, I can certainly recommend this particular mini-series as a great introduction, more focused and less full of characters and subplots than the other series.
Following is the cover version of the art:
And more general Mouse Guard samples HERE.
It's from album #19, Au bord du Grand Rien (At the Edge of the Great Void).
Interestingly, the original art by Jean-Claude Mézières (downloadable here in high-res), was estimated at €25,000 - 30,000 at auction, and sold for €31,200 two years ago!
More details at the link above.
These first two are from the book A Land Called Tarot. It's a wordless set of stories inspired by cards, characters and motifs from the venerable tarot deck of cards. The characters are drawn in an anime style (shades of Studio Ghibli), while the backgrounds & settings remind me a lot of Moebius. The stories are fluffily light and whimsical, and for me they're really about looking at the pleasant artwork and imagining what might be happening. Some readers will really enjoy that, and some will miss the lack of a more concrete story.
These next two are from some kind of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" project Bertrand was doing for Nickelodeon. I liked the fact that they're the exact same view, but captured during different time frames, making for a cool 'flip-card' effect.
More art by Bertrand HERE.
This is a fun series I've been reading recently. A pirate captain's lady love was tortured and killed physically, but due to sorcerous machinations, her spirit is able to hang on... barely. Hannibal must soon find a fabled artifact in order to fully restore her, else she's a goner. Unfortunately, some dangerous, undead witches are also after the treasure, and are quite content with wiping our antiheroes out in the process.
I thought this was a well-realised tale, regardless of the mashup of paranormal angles, and overall a bit in the style of Belladonna (reviewed previously). This one feels slightly more contrived in places, but it moves with a purpose, and features gorgeous art. It's certainly one of the better pirate-themed series I've read, bringing some unusual new wrinkles in to the genre. Written by Jean-Luc Istin, with Sandrine Cordurié inking Créty's pencils.
Couldn't find the creator, sorry. If anyone figures that out, leave a comment and I'll add the credit, thanks.
https://aethernaut.thecomicseries.com/comics/
It's hard to describe this series, but I guess we could go with: 'a coming-of-age adventure set in a 17th-century steampunk world.' It's been running for 12 years now, yet I almost feel as if it's just started to get rolling, which is maybe a tribute to the quality world-building.
On the surface, we have a dashing young protagonist trying to advance his fortunes, yet this series is just as much about the world itself, its cultures, wrangling political factions, unusual races (both humanoid and animal), and of course, a trickster-fool as a side character, getting our guy in and out of jams on a regular basis.
Mariah Kaercher (TCG): Browsing through Æthernaut, I got a Charles Dickens meets Pirates of the Caribbean space-adventure vibe. What inspired you to write this web comic?
Neal Skorpen: The world and main characters of Æthernaut were inspired by weird post-medieval art: engravings and drawings that have a dreamlike feel because linear perspective wasn’t quite figured out. The clothes are bizarre and awkward compared to the more familiar costumes of the deep Middle Ages or the 17th and 18th centuries. The first draft of the story was modeled on Gulliver’s Travels; four voyages to strange places, each one a metaphorical attack on one social injustice or another. In the years between making the first draft and beginning the current version, I’ve become less of a believer in such direct political satire, at least in my own practice. To a certain extent I can probably never get away from injecting social commentary, but a good story needs to be driven by the characters, so that’s become my focus.
Interview concludes here.
