Tintin Forums

Carl Barks' Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck stories were very enjoyable back in the day.

Asterix is good, but certainly not as good as Tintin.

Watchmen is excellent but rather adult (dark and thought-provoking).

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki is brilliant but more of an epic sci-fi/fantasy/adventure manga.

Little Nemo in Slumberland looks really interesting. The artwork and imagination of it all at least. Is it didactic? I hope not, but most things were back in the early days.

Can't recommend it highly enough. By didactic I assume you mean moralising in tone? No, it isn't. It's basically about a young boy, Nemo, who has fantastic dreams that take him to surreal places, but they usually end with him falling out of bed and his father saying something like "I told you not to eat that cheese sandwich" (so perhaps there is a moral, in a sense!). The artwork is incredible, and for the time (early 1900s) it's breathtaking. I've got a few volumes on my shelf. I believe Winsor Macay (the artist) was a big influence on Hergé, but then his work was so good that he was an influence on a great many comic strip artists.

Since I grew up in France, it is quite natural that I primarily enjoy French comics. Among the ones I enjoy - and are available in English - are those by:

Rene Goscinny, thus I am a great fan and collector of "Asterix" and "Lucky Luke" (though I avoid the books written and drawn after his death).

Another of my favourite writers is Raoul Cauvin, very much the heir to the Goscinny crown. Like King Rene, he knows how to make readers laugh. His "Cedric" and "Bluecoats" series are two of the major bestselling comics in the French language - and are being published in English by Cinebooks. Well worth the purchase, I assure you.

From the English-speaking world, my favourites are "Watchmen" and "V for Vendetta", in fact most of what Alan Moore writes is worth reading, even "Tom Strong", even if it is not quite in the same league.

I've also been enjoying manga lately, especially ones like "Black Jack" by Osamu Tezuka, Kenichi Sonoda's "Gunsmith Cats" and Yu Aida's "Gunslinger Girl" (mind you, that last one is a little too bleak for my tastes).

jacamon & matz: le tueur

The Killer

I warmly recommend.

strange how no one here has mentioned Corto Maltese

Has anyone considered the science-fiction series "Valerian and Laureline" by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres? It's about a couple who travel through time and space fighting monsters. However, the plots are intelligently written, the art work is beautiful and it does raise social issues and commentary, such as in the "The Land Without Stars" which deals with the conflict between the sexes, and "Welcome to Alflolol" looks at environmental issues and the impact of colonialism and industry. The multiple worlds and co-existing aliens have led the series to be compared to the best of "Star Wars", "Dr Who" and "Star Trek".

Cinebook has already released five English-language books, with another one due later this month. There is also "Valerian: The New Future Trilogy", an omnibus edition containing three adventures, but it is rare and can be expensive.

Abebooks has published 50 Essential Graphic Novels. As well as the usual suspect such as Art Spiegelman's "Maus" or Alan Moore's "Watchmen" and "V for Vendetta", they also recommend Hugo Pratt's "Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea" and Raymond Briggs' "Ethel & Ernest: A True Story" which is about the lives of Briggs' own parents, how they changed over the decades and his own relationship with them. I recommend it. It's very charming and includes a lot of humour.

In a separate thread, PsychoPhilosopher asked:


I've already recommended Herge's own "Jo, Zette and Jocko" and Willy Vandersteen's "Spike and Suzy".

Other books in the Ligne claire style which are also available in English include:

Dutch artists Eric Heuvel's "A Family Secret" and "The Search" and "Adventures of Julius Chancer: The Rainbow Orchid" by British artist Garen Ewing. Enjoy!

I've been checking out Comixology's range of ''bandes dessinées'' and it is quite an impressive collection.

For those who would like to read French and Belgian comics translated into English, check out the following:

Comics published by Soleil may appeal mainly to fans of fantasy and science-fiction. My own favourite is Ekho which takes place in a world of magic, dragons and other strange creatures but would appeal to those who love to have their comics filled with references to cultural, historical and political events (like Tintin). "Paris Empire", for instance, includes a Princess Diana-like tragedy and "Hollywood Boulevard" has the heroes staying at the Bates Motel and references to the life of Marilyn Monroe (referred to by her real name of Norma Jean).

Europe Comics has a fine selection, including "Blacksad", "Dad", "The Eagles of Rome" and "Golden Dogs". I'd also recommend "Leonardo", one of the best humour series, though so far they have only published the first book (and in the original French they are on to their 45th book(!), so hurry up, you translators!:) "The Man who Shot Lucky Luke" is also worth reading. It's not by Morris, the original artist, but it does have a charm of its own and a great Doc Holliday-like supporting character.

Cinebook are now part of the digital scene, most of their offerings being the classics, including "Blake & Mortimer", "Clifton", "Lucky Luke", "Iznogoud", "Valerian" and "XIII". I'd also suggest "The Bluecoats" and "Cedric", written by Raoul Cauvin, the leading writer of humourus Belgian comics. There's also "Lady S" (about a reluctant secret agent) and "Largo Winch", both by Jean Van Hamme. I'd also recommend "Alone", a urban "Lord of the Flies" about children surviving in a deserted city.

Cinebook has most of the "Valerian" series but later episodes are available from Europe Comics.

There's also Papercutz which includes comics by Peyo. There's his "Benny Breakiron" and "Pussycat" series and of course the "Smurfs". I was pleasantly surprised to see "The Sisters" which is about two siblings who are often at each other's throats, but in a loving way; they were based on the artist's own daughters. Those who have endured the sibling rivalry phase may enjoy it.

Humanoids offers classics such as Jean-Claude Forest's "Barbarella", though I can't tell if this is based on the original comic or the censored version. There's also the Tintin-like (if only in appearance) Freddy Lombard.

Happy reading!

Izneo, a source of online comics, has now released the adventures of Asterix in English, with current prices at US$4.49 or €3.99 for each album - today that's about £3.51 sterling or AUS$6.24.