European Comics

[Kid A]

Being the Europhile that I am, I wanted to discuss the more popular comic book industry in Europe, and hopefully get some recommendations.

Specifically French and Belgium, but anything across the pond goes here.

The Incal, Nikopol Trilogy, Asterix, etc.

[pearlofthepacific]

Thanks for starting this thread - I was beginning to fear that every place I liked to check out on CBR had vanished!

Haven't actually laid eyes on a copy of The Incal, sadly. With digital editing, it's so much easier to fit translated text into a page that it's a pity that so few French, German, Italian, and especially Spanish comics are brought out in English. French is the only European language I'm even halfway comfortable in, and I miss out on too much...doesn't stop me trying to blunder through books in German and Italian, but you couldn't call it reading! Words Without Borders and Cartoon Movement do a lot to make translated comics available.

Asterix - I dunno what they're printing them off, but the text and linework in recent editions seems to be badly deteriorated!

Maybe my all-time European favorite is Gipi (Italian)...I think Garage Band is very accessible, but Notes for a War Story asks the hard questions. Hugo Platt....glad to be able to read it, but it has such a period feel to it now, comic-book trapped in amber.

Vittorio Giardino (No Pasaran, etc.) is a slow read, but I've pored over his artwork for hours at a time. I've read the first story arc of Jean Van Hamme's XIII and also several Largo Winch with enjoyment, but they don't have the same sticking power for me. My son really enjoyed XIII though.

I admire Maryse & Jean-Francois Charles...wish I could get my hands on an English translation of War and Dreams.

Manu Larcenet's Ordinary Victories has really grown on me...at first it seemed a bit "couch-surfer dude" culture, and I thought it might be boring, but there's more, served up in an unassuming and beguiling style.

[Personamanx]

I have a few untranslated "Diabolik" digests that my sister got for me one year. I'll have to learn Italian one of these days as they look very enjoyable.

[Hod]

I adore Asterix, and have recently been getting into Jacques Tardi.

[End of Time]

LEt's talk about quality:

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[king mob]

It's worth pointing out Humanoids now has a UK publishing arm so it can translate a lot of work from mainland Europe (as well as create new work) into English, and therefore into the English speaking market via the UK.

[Billy Batson]

SelfMadeHero also has published various great stuff. So has other publishers such as Dark Horse (Manara Libraries), Fantagraphics (Tardi's works and other creators' works), Archaia (The Killer, Okko and etc.).

[Lady Warp Spasm]

Yeah, I had Busiek's Red Hand in Italian and only know a few words. It was so frustrating that was ultimately never translated into English. I also would not mind reading Diabolik. I enjoy the movie...

[Matt the Manly]

I have almost every issue of Asterix and Tintin ever printed. I love them both!

[Mormel]

I recently started chewing my way through our local library's small comic book section, and I came across a recent French book called Magus, written by François Debois & Cyrus, with art by Annabel No Last Name Given. It's about a boy called Stan in Medieval France, who is allegedly a sorceror's child, along with his sister who was forcibly muted (i.e. had her tongue amputated) as a measure of precaution (so she can't say any spells). Stan is recruited by a troupe of soldiers against his will, because the town's top clergyman wants to get rid of him. Adventure ensues. Art is great, story is engaging, characters are multi-layered and intriguing.

[Max Aero]

I was lucky that Euro comics were my intro to comics in general, for the purpose of learning French (Tintin, Asterix) and Italian (Martin Mystere, Tex).

I wish more 'Dylan Dog' got translated, the whole series is really good horror, Angelo Stano's art/covers are like Hugo Pratt x Egon Schiele. I'd like to see more Italian comics reaching English audiences in general, although I think Martin Mystere might be too ridiculous.

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Overall I think access to Euro comics has gotten a lot better, things like Blacksad and Siegfried are pretty popular. That can only be good. My favourite thing from Dark Horse was Daniel Torres' 'Rocco Vargas'. It's hard to track down, but the art is really slick and it's a sort of sci-fi we don't see in N. America.

As for recs: Christophe Blain's Isaac the Pirate and The Speed Abater, good art and story.
If you can read French (or want to learn, or just look at pictures and figure it out) Canadian companies (indigo, amazon.ca) usually import more French comics than American ones. "Roman de Renart" has Thierry Martin on gorgeous art and is still (barely) in stock on Amazon.ca. The dialogue is light and very simple, I'm not sure how reasonable shipping to the US is but it might be worth it for people with poor access to French comics.

[James]

I adore Asterix, and have recently been getting into Jacques Tardi.

i want more tardi translated into english. i have all the current releases from fantagraphics with the exception of 'you are there' and have greatly enjoyed all of them. 'goddamn this war' and 'it was war in the trenches' are two of my all-time favorites.

[James]

a few euro books i've greatly enjoyed of late:

torpedo - abuli and bernet on a gritty 1930's crime tale
armies - dionnet and gal produce an awesome sword & sorcery tale. the artwork is phenomenal
diosamante - jodorowsky and gal - another sword and sorcery, again, gal's artwork is superb
aama - frederik peeters new sci-fi tale, volume 2 should be out in a few more months
sandcastle - another from peeters. a fantastic little tale that's difficult to describe, but highly enjoyable
koma - more from peeters with writer pierre wazem. as you can tell, i love his work.
valerian & laureline - sci-fi tale of time traveling team sent to the for ends of the universe. great artwork of alien worlds. i wish cinebook would put out the albums faster.
long john silver - attempting to find the lost city of gold, guiana-capac. 4 volumes and all excellent
legend of the scarlet blades - interesting tale of feudal japan, beautiful artwork


i look forward to more recommendations in this thread

[Rawhide Kid]

Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (translated as The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec) by Tardi.
Set just before World War I, we follow the adventures of a serial novelist in Paris.
The story is a serial itself with a lot of twits and amazements. We will encounter prehistoric creatures, psychic powers and, of course, mad scientists.
The series is composed of 9 stories divided into two eras: before and after the Great War*. The tone shifts radically and I must admit I really prefer the pre-WWI era.
The art is gorgeous and very documented on the Paris of this period.

*the artist is very concerned about this war, he made several books about it.

[Max Aero]

Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (translated as The Most Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec) by Tardi.
Set just before World War I, we follow the adventures of a serial novelist in Paris.
The story is a serial itself with a lot of twits and amazements. We will encounter prehistoric creatures, psychic powers and, of course, mad scientists.
The series is composed of 9 stories divided into two eras: before and after the Great War*. The tone shifts radically and I must admit I really prefer the pre-WWI era.
The art is gorgeous and very documented on the Paris of this period.

*the artist is very concerned about this war, he made several books about it.

Tardi's war comics are essential to the genre.
I just started Adèle Blanc-Sec but I'm really enjoying it.