Yesterday I ran in to matttt's excellent video exploring this question, i.e. "was Ballad of the Salt Sea (1967) the first GN?," altho to be clear-- it's mostly about the total comics career of legendary Italian artist / writer Hugo Pratt.
TBH, I wasn't really expecting to sit through a 17min video, but "matttt" is just such a great talent, that it wasn't hard. I only wish he covered more Euro comics specifically, but in any case, he's a terrrrific, home-grown comics historian who speaks with passion and precision. (did you like that?)
NOTES: 1) there's a built-in sponsor-ad starting just after 5min that lasts a full minute, 2) If you want to skip specifically to the Corto Maltese stuff, you can start about halfway through, in which matttt gets in to what makes the series so special:
-----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlIKSeNJrC8 <-----
As for what really was the first GN? Good question. There's an old idea that a bunch of short comics collected in to hardcover format fit this definition, but I'm not sure I buy that. Personally, I tend to think of a 'proper GN' as a long-form narrative that's not just gag-related. So the Tintin albums would fit the bill for me, but in fact there are examples going back to the 1920's, possibly even earlier.
I guess matttt's proposal of Ballad of the Salt Sea as the first GN (in which Corto was only one of several prominent characters) is based on the idea that it was the first (modern-era at least) example of comics in fusion with literature, for what that's worth.
Now, I don't think we need to make war over this stuff; moreso, I find it a fun debate-topic in which to better understand comics as a whole.
Fair?
They seem to be having a global BD related exhibition : https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/zozduYP?gad_source=1&cHash=2063aa53c2b89eb65797a4a813a1ba31 If I understand correctly, there are comic-related installations in several parts of the building, the main exhibition being this one : https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/9htHbj4
I’ve only seen the Corto Maltese exhibition, which is actually inside the “BPI” a large public library (situated in the same building, and part of the same institution (the “Pompidou Center”), as the Museum for Modern Art), where many people (like me) go to study ; it contains a small exhibition space (where admission is free, unlike the museum). They’ve hosted a Posy Simmonds exhibition last winter.
I haven’t read a Corto Maltese book since I was much too young to get it, and the exhibition’s really made me want to give these comics a new try.
Wow, cool. Hard to see many museums of this standing feature so much BD outside France & Belge, but I guess the reasons are pretty clear in this case.
Nice to hear about the Simmonds exhibit, as the cleverness of her Gemma Bovery really re-ignited in me a desire to give French another try. (now if only it didn't have %^@#$ gender for nouns, but oh well)
If you watched the "matttt" video above, could you tell me if the museum exhibit took a similar or divergent course?