…Ou quase isso. O produtor Peter Jackson disse à BBC que o longa do detetive belga topetudo já foi filmado e editado. Agora só falta a pós-produção, o que, infelizmente, pode durar uns dois anos. A espera é longa, mas pode ser que valha a pena.

É a segunda vez que Steven Spielberg (que vai dirigir e divide a produção com Jackson) tenta levar pra frente um projeto dos quadrinhos de Hergé – só que dá primeira vez a família do artista belga vetou o projeto, e com razão. Spielberg queria dar uma namorada a Tintin, além de sumir com o topete, marca registrada do garoto, ao lado do cachorro Milou.

Justamente por ainda estar faltando toda a pós-produção, o que inclui a renderização do filme em 3D, ainda não vimos nenhuma imagem promocional e não temos a menor idéia de como o ator Jamie Bell vai ficar no papel do repórter do Petit Vingtième.

Tudo que sabemos é que o filme vai se chamar “The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret of The Unicorn” e será baseada em três álbuns da série: “O Carangueijo das Pinças de Ouro”, “O Segredo do Licorne” e “O Tesouro de Rackham, o Terrível”.

Os três álbuns que serviram de base para o filme

A data marcada pela distribuidora Paramount para o lançamento é 23 de dezembro de 2011 e o filme ainda tem Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost e Daniel Crieg no elenco. É a primeira adaptação não franco-belga para o cinema de Tintin.

On parle toujours des petites voitures Dinky Toys mais la marque a également produit un nombre très important de véhicules plus imposants. Ici, un beau camion de pompier, made in England, dont le modèle original a également inspiré Hergé pour les aventures de Tintin sur l’Île Noire, et deux versions du fameux Simca Cargo made in France.

Tintín

En la pasada premiere de su cinta Lovely Bones, el director Peter Jackson aseguró que la producción de la cinta Tintín no se ha detenido. Sin embargo, no había aún una fecha segura para su lanzamiento. De acuerdo al plan original, la primera parte de la trilogía estaría siendo lanzada este próximo año, lo cual es ya casi imposible, a menos que los trabajos se iniciaran hoy, y aún así estaría a duras penas para fines del msmo, y eso a marchas forzadas. Por ello, lo más probable es que no la veamos en pantalla hasta el 2011, y eso si corremos con suerte.

Non, je n’étais pas partie me complaindre avec les phoques en Alaska. J’étais juste réfugiée  pour cause de bruine dans un cinéma parisien où je suis allée me tordre de rire. Jamais bordée de juron ne fut si fleurie, odieuse, imaginative, vulgaire et pourtant si délicieuse. Que le Capitaine Haddock me pardonne, mais celle proférée quasiment non-stop par Peter Capaldi (qui, comme son nom l’indique, est écossais) dans In the loop est d’une méchantise si bien servie que le kilt est vainqueur par KO. Parce que cet art de l’insulte est juste la parfaite cerise sur le gâteau au vitriol politico-médiatique qu’est ce film.

Oreilles royaume-uniophiles, dressez-vous et oyez par vous même.

Je n’ai pas trouvé de sous-titres, mais il faut savoir qu’à mon avis la traduction a dû être difficile à concocter. J’ai presque plus ri sans au moment où j’ai dû reposer mes lentilles et où il semble aussi d’ailleurs que j’ai perdu le contact…dix minutes… la honte!)

Un petit bonus bande annonce ici. Et je file essayer de trouver un peu de f*** sleep en comptant les escargots.

Tomorrow I have to talk about my “favourite” book, and I am still mulling over what to say!  What an impossibility was my first reaction; after all I have been reading for rather a lot of years – well actually since I was about four or five, I think!  So what do I say?   I could have said “no” I can’t, but didn’t want to disappoint the person making the request.   So I guess I have to spend much of the time given to me explaining just why I can’t choose just ONE!

I realise that some of the possible choices were the same as I put on Facebook, and I still stand by them.  To me a favourite is a book I can re-read, and I think it would be fair to say that I have re-read both Jane Austen’s Pride and prejudice and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre at least five or six times throughout my life – almost once in each decade?   I recently picked up a copy of Pride and prejudice, and enjoyed it just as much as I did the previous times, while appreciating some nuances that I had probably missed earlier.

Others on my possible list would be Lewis Carroll’s Alice in wonderland and Through the looking glass. These I am sure I read or had read to me as a child, but when I came upon them as an adult, it was very different, yet still enjoyable on that totally different level, and I am neither a mathematician nor a chess player, so all those allusions still pass me by.

And lastly – but it isn’t really, really, lastly – I would put the Tintin series.  I first read these graphic novels cum comics in French in Belgium, when I must have been around eight or nine, and that was in the 1950s.   I don’t think I fully understood them, but the pictures were fun and carried the stories.  And I remember having the whole collection – with additions for Christmas presents – at some point in my childhood, and they could be read, and re-read, and re-read, and passed on to others – my sister and brother.

And then rediscovered in all places at the Ashanti Regional Library of the Ghana Library Board in 1980/81 when I first joined them, and was in charge of the children’s library.   I took them home, and everyone loved them, even if they couldn’t understand the stories fully – kids, teens, husband, even husband’s friend! And I myself found myself with new enthusiasm entering the world of Snowy, Captain Haddock and the Thompson/Thomson twins as well as Professor Calculus (though I still prefer his French name, Tournesol).

I saw them somewhere recently in Accra, and it was very, very hard to resist!

Today we had a surprise visit from two of our favorite childhood heroes, Tintin and  his faithful dog Snowy.

We thought we would take the opportunity to turn the tables on the  intrepid young Belgian reporter. Here is a transcript of our interview with Tintin:

Brook Farm General Store: Thanks for coming by. Can you tell our American friends a bit about yourself?

Tintin: My name is Tintin. I’m from Belgium and this is my dog Snowy. We travel the world having adventures along with our friends, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus. We solve mysteries!

BFGS: How did you meet Herge, the belgian artist who documented your adventures?

Tintin: We met a long time ago! I think it was 1929. We had a mutual friend. I went to his studio and saw some of his drawings. They blew me away! He had an attention to detail which I had never seen before. I thought he would be the perfect person to tell my stories. We stayed friends for over 50 years until, sadly, he passed away in ‘83.

Herge and Tintin.

BFGS: You sure have had an exciting life. You have been to the moon and all seven continents. Out of all of your adventures, which one was the most memorable?

Tintin: Well actually, there are two that really stand out for me. One of my favorite adventures was when I was hunting for Red Rackham’s lost treasure. Professor Calculus made me  a submarine that looked like a shark. That was a lot of fun!

I also will never forget how happy I was when I saw my good friend Chang again. We first met in China, but it had been many years since we had seen each other, so I was very excited to receive a letter from him saying that he was coming to Europe. When I heard that his plane  had crashed in the highlands of Tibet, I just had to go and find him. Imagine my surprise when I found him living with a Yeti!

Suddenly the door burst open and a red nosed sea captain stumbled in.

Captain Haddock: Blistering Barnacles, Tintin! Are you going to stand there blabbering all day?

Tintin: I better go. Captain Haddock needs his rum. I’ll come back soon, but in the meantime you can read all about my adventures here.

]]> http://succesdescandale.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/tintin-nostalgia/ Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:12:36 +0000 Roque Santeiro http://succesdescandale.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/tintin-nostalgia/

Hergé, The Adventures of Tintin: The Castafiore Emerald, Flight 714, Tintin and the Picaros, 1997
Tintin brings me back memories of being in eighth grade, the Algebra or Arithmetic teacher screaming at me after they discovered a copy of his adventures hidden inside my exercise book. Life was much simpler back then, where every bullet missed its target, every expedition had a happy end and every villain was vanquished (but sometimes able to escape and appear in a later story.) The stories hold less magic today to my adult self, though the nostalgia is plentiful to keep me turning the pages. Depiction of some of the non-European characters is problematic but I didn’t spot any of the offensive material which apparently exists in other stories. Interestingly, there are hardly any female characters in these stories – the plots centre exclusively on male friendships, companionship, adventure and battle. Tintin belongs to a long gone era – I’d be curious to know whether young boys today relate to him at all.

Este texto é apenas um desabafo, que estou a conter já há algum tempo.

Há coisas que me fazem pensar, no universo do Tintim, e na mente do seu genial autor, Georges Remi, mais conhecido por Hergé. Conhecendo a sua destreza narrativa e o seu traço vivo, não me espantam a sua perspicácia e olho para uma boa história, uma boa reviravolta, boas personagens e um excelente conteúdo. Denoto a sua exigência, a sua pesquisa e método; gabo-lhe todos esses atributos, e gabo-lhe duplamente o excelente sentido de humor que impregna em cada obra.

Criou personagens que me marcaram verdadeiramente. Como eu, milhões de outros, dos 7 aos 77, nos quatro cantos do mundo. Relembramos memórias com um sorriso, como se tivéssemos, de alguma forma, vivido aquilo que lemos; e eu nem sequer sou da geração que acompanhou todos os acontecimentos históricos retratados nos livros de Tintim de perto. Sim, não esqueçamos que Hergé sempre esteve em cima de assuntos actuais, pegou em controvérsias do tempo exacto em que se encontrava e procurava informar-se meticulosamente sobre onde e como punha o nosso protagonista em situações de perigo e aventura.

Com isto tudo, eu pergunto: o que tem ele com as mulheres? E eu procuro responder, também; não sei se andarei perto, mas o pouco que saberei já será melhor que nada.

A maior (ou mais próxima de) personagem do sexo feminino no mundo do Tintim é a Madame Bianca Castafiore, uma cantora de ópera. Sem rigorosa excepção, ela é usada como pretexto para situações de humor; por vezes, para além disso, ela livra Tintim de um ou outro aperto maior. Como vedeta que é, é desprovida de modéstia, é extremamente vaidosa e de um narcisismo compulsivo. É exuberante, tagarela, egocêntrica e, acima de tudo, ignorante.

Hergé não se livrou de acusações de misoginia. De facto, o universo de Tintim é essencialmente masculino. O autor defendeu-se, dizendo que as mulheres não estão cobertas da sátira social; e recusou-se terminantemente a colocar uma relação amorosa nas histórias de Tintim. Amizades viris põem de parte o protagonismo de qualquer mulher; Castafiore destaca-se, como personagem secundária recorrente.

E eu creio que tenho a minha explicação para este fenómeno. Nos primeiros álbuns, sei porque é que isso assim ocorreu; o universo da banda-desenhada era essencialmente masculino por regra; não eram permitidas personagens femininas nas histórias, e, caso as houvesse, nunca, em caso algum, uma relação.

Isto está muito presente nos livros de Edgar P. Jacobs, do duo Blake & Mortimer, em que os protagonistas raríssimas vezes cruzavam caminhos com mulheres. Isto mudou mais tarde, após a morte do autor, em que outros autores lhe seguiram as pisadas e prosseguiram a saga B & M, e começaram a incluir mais personagens femininas e com maior destaque. O que me desgostou — ver casos amorosos com personagens que nos acompanharam desde sempre, só porque agora se pode, revoltou-me, mas adiante.

O que faz uma personagem feminina de maior destaque? Vou aqui tentar ser o mais justo possível. Nada de especial, exceptuando se tiver uma relação amorosa/familiar com o protagonista. Aí, continua a não fazer nada, mas já tem uma justificação para ali estar. Nenhuma das personagens masculinas que eu conheço no Tintim teria um correspondente à altura caso as quiséssemos substituir por personagens do sexo oposto. Mas eu nem insisto muito nisso; o que eu sei é que vejo as personagens femininas no mundo da banda-desenhada de língua francesa como empecilhos, e isto, atenção, sem ser machista ou nada que se pareça. É apenas o meu ponto de vista.

Porque estas personagens são como nossos amigos de longa data; são pessoas de fiar, são amizades fortíssimas, de mútuo respeito, amizades de arriscar a vida. São realmente coisas fantásticas na nossa infância, e continuariam a sê-lo se não nos nascesse, o interesse pelo sexo oposto, e, daí, paixões e desacatos amorosos; desilusões e traições, etc. etc.

Eu, muito sinceramente, partilho da maneira de ver as coisas de Hergé. Respeito as mulheres; adoro-as. Mas não as considero personagens decentes num livro de banda-desenhada. Ou estão lá para segurar a narrativa, e criar situações cómicas — como a Castafiore — ou é melhor não estarem lá de todo. O que seria do Tintim se se apaixonasse? Ou melhor, o que seria dos seus leitores se fossem trocados por um truque de narrativa tão barato? Eu, pelo menos, sentir-me-ia traído. A aventura sofreria, e muito.

Ah, e mais uma coisa — à data em que escrevi isto, ainda não conheci uma única pessoa do sexo feminino que gostasse de Tintim.  E tantos, tantos primos e tios meus o consideram o melhor herói de banda-desenhada…

Ternyata yang bermetamorfosa bukan kodok doang ya… Tapi rambut juga lho! Gua yakin semua orang pasti rambutnya pernah mengalami metamorfosa.

Nah kali ini gua pengen cerita tentang metamorfosa rambut gua selama ini, based on Halim’s request. Tadinya gua mau nunggu sampe gua dapetin foto-foto jadul gua dulu untuk menunjang cerita baru gua mau posting. Tapi setelah dipikir-pikir, kayaknya bakal memalukan kalo masang foto-foto jadul, jadi mendingan gua cerita aja dah ya… Yang baca silakan membayangkan sendiri…

Jaman TK-SD

Rambut gua belah pinggir. Belahannya di sisi kiri, jadi rambutnya disisir ke arah kanan. Tentu aja model rambut ini bukan permintaan gua, tapi ceritanya pasrah ama nyokap.

Kayaknya jaman dulu, rata-rata anak laki pasti rambutnya belah pinggir gitu ya. Trus tiap abis mandi pasti disisir. Modelnya jadi culun-culun innocent gitu. Huahaha.

Jaman SMP

Begitu pindah Jakarta, gua berusaha mengubah model rambut gua. Kalo mau ngerubah model rambut emang sebaiknya dilakukan pas masa-masa perpindahan gitu, biar orang sekitar kita gak shock gara-gara rambut kita tau-tau berubah. Bener gak?

Nah gua pengen banget ngerubah rambut gua jadi belah tengah. Yang mana ternyata susah lho!!! Rambut gua ini biarpun tipe nya lemes (gak kaku), tapi gak mau nurut banget. Belahan pinggir yang udah bertahun-tahun disitu, ternyata susah banget untuk digeser ke tengah. Perlu kesabaran dan keuletan untuk ngerubah posisi belahan rambut ini. Tips nya, pas gunting rambut harus minta rambut bagian atas digunting sama panjang. Kalo belah pinggir kan gak sama panjang tuh, nah kalo belah tengah harus sama panjang.

Dan pas jaman SMP ini pula gua mulai pake hair spray. Jadi kalo sekolah tuh rambutnya dibikin rada berjambul gitu lho! Setiap pagi sebelum sekolah gua selalu berkutat di depan kaca wastafel untuk bikin jambul itu. Susah lho, soalnya rambut gua sekali lagi sangat-sangat gak mau nurut. Hair spray kudu yang paling strong dan buanyaaaakkk sampe rambut kaku banget. Itupun masih kempes-kempes terus. Ampun dah!

Jaman SMA

Sekali lagi untuk mengubah model rambut kudu nunggu sampe ada perubahan crowd di sekitar kita. Gua lama-lama cape juga kudu pake hair spray tiap hari. Jadi mulai SMA gua putuskan untuk gak pake hair spray lagi. Selain itu, gua juga mulai musuhan ama sisir. Hahaha. Rambut depan gua ya turun biasa aja, belah tengah tapi rada dipanjangin sampe nutup mata. Bagian belakang sih harus selalu pendek. Gua paling gak pernah tahan kalo bagian belakang rambut tuh udah rada panjang apalagi kalo sampe nyentuk kerah baju. Geli banget rasanya.

Sekali waktu pernah gua potong bagian belakangnya pendek banget, sementara poni gua panjang kan. Eh diliat ama guru agama yang super duper rese bin bawel. Dia bilang rambut model apaan itu. Urusan apa coba ya? Guru agama kok ngurusin rambut orang. Emang dasar sirik aja tuh guru. Akhirnya gua dipanggil wali kelas gua dan disuruh benerin rambutnya.

Lha pegimana benerin coba ya… Bagian belakangnya udah pendek banget gitu… Akhirnya (entah kenapa ya dulu kok gua nurut banget ama guru, dipikir-pikir gua bego banget ya!) gua ke salon untuk babat abis rambut gua. Nah ini pertama kalinya gua berambut botak! Gak sampe gundul plontos sih. Mungkin sisa sekitar 1-2 cm gitu kali ya.

Dan gua sangat-sangat merasa gak cocok banget dengan rambut cepak gitu. Rasanya muka gua semakin bulet dan pipi gua semakin tembem.

Jadinya setelah itu gua balik berambut belah tengah panjang nutupin mata lagi. Belakangnya tetep pendek, tapi ya kudu ati-ati jangan sampe keterlaluan pendeknya.

Jaman Kuliah

Gua masih berasa nyaman ama model rambut ini, tapi pada suatu saat gua nyoba ngecat rambut gua jadi coklat. Ngecat sendiri ya gak pake ke salon… Dulu kan ceritanya ngetrend ya rambut dicat-cat gitu, jadi gua rasanya seneng juga rambut gua coklat. Hahaha. Sekarang kalo dipikir-pikir rasanya norak banget ya… Ya sudahlah, itu kan masa lalu. Hehehe. Jadilah rambut gua selalu coklat. Begitu keluar item dikit, langsung cat lagi. Bener-bener gak pernah item dah rambut gua selama bertahun-tahun.

Sampe pas udah akhir-akhir masa kuliah, gua tiba-tiba memutuskan untuk pindah jalur. Waktu itu kan lagi musim-musimnya rambut bentuk Tintin tuh, nah gua pengen ikutan. Jadi rambut gua dicepak lagi sekitar 4-5 cm gitu biar depannya bisa dinaikin model Tintin. Otomatis karena udah pendek rambutnya, gua gak cat lagi.

Yang ada, beberapa temen kuliah gua malah tanya, kenapa rambut gua kok dicat item? Hahahaha. Aneh banget kan… Jadi ternyata mereka itu beneran mikir rambut gua aslinya coklat lho.

Yang lucu juga, karena gua kan emang tiap 3 minggu sekali (paling lama sebulan dah) selalu gunting rambut kan, pernah ada temen yang tanya apa nyokap gua punya salon ya, soalnya kok gua sering banget gunting rambut. Hahaha. Aneh aneh…

Jaman Kerja

Jadilah mulai masuk dunia kerja, rambut gua udah cepak. Kalo lagi pergi jalan-jalan gua selalu pakein gel untuk bikin jambul Tintin itu. Dan sekali lagi itu perlu perjuangan lho. Susaaaah banget rambut gua disuruh berdiri. Turun terus turun terus. Ampun dah gua. Sampe akhirnya gua menemukan sikat khusus yang berhasil membuat rambut gua bisa naik, plus gel yang super keras tentunya. Ribet ya…

Yang lucu, temen-temen kantor gua pernah ngeliat foto di KTP gua yang mana adalah foto jaman SMA kan, dimana rambutnya itu masih belah tengah. Mereka pada ngetawain katanya gua gak cocok banget rambutnya panjang belah tengah gitu. Bagusan cepak.

Sementara gua kalo ketemu temen-temen SMA, mereka ngetawain bilang katanya gua gak cocok rambutnya cepak, bagusan rambutnya belah tengah kayak pas jaman SMA.

Jadi intinya ternyata model rambut itu cocok atau gak nya tuh tergantung kebiasaan ya kayaknya. Kalo udah terbiasa ama 1 model ya rasanya cocok, kalo diganti model lain berasa gak cocok. Padahal kalo udah lama-lama pake model yang baru ya cocok cocok aja…

Sampe beberapa tahun gua bertahan pake gel kalo lagi pergi-pergi. Akhirnya cape juga ya pake gel. Apalagi kalo pergi-perginya sampe malem/subuh gitu, pulang rumah kan gak mandi lagi. Langsung tidur dengan rambut ada gel nya kok rasanya gak enak banget ya… Jadi akhirnya gua brenti juga pake gel. Biarin lah rambut gua begitu aja.

Rasanya malah jadi asik. Gak usah pake sisir atau sikat atau gel atau apapun. Setiap saat senantiasa ready to go. Gak perlu mikirin rambutnya harus disisir dulu atau diapain dulu. Simple banget dah!

Gua jadi seneng model rambut kayak begini. Cuma ya tetep, setiap 3 minggu harus di-maintain. Gaya banget ya. Hahaha. Soalnya begitu panjangan dikit, rambut gua bentuknya jadi gak karuan. Sekali lagi karena rambut gua yang gak bisa diatur itu. Kalo panjangnya nanggung jadi turun kagak, naik juga gak. Miring gitu! Huahaha. Gimana coba…

Sampe pernah gua pas lagi mau ke salon, ketemu ama temen. Pas dia tanya gua mau ngapain (salon nya di Mal soalnya), gua bilang mau gunting rambut, dia sampe terheran-heran. Apanya lagi yang mau digunting katanya. Hahaha. Yah soalnya emang rambutnya masih tergolong pendek ya buat orang awam (duile awam), tapi itu udah panjang buat gua.

Jaman Sekarang

Berhubung disini gunting rambut di salon itu mahal, jadinya Esther beli clipper biar bisa gunting sendiri. Nah kalo mau mempertahankan model rambut yang dulu di Jakarta kan harusnya bagian atasnya sekitar 3-4 cm, tapi bagian samping ama belakangnya cepak banget mungkin setengah cm. Dan itu ternyata susah lho mau gunting pake macem-macem ukuran gitu. Kalo gak ahli jadinya keliatan banget perbedaannya antara yang panjang dan pendek. Gak bisa gradasi gitu.

Akhirnya harus digunting rata seluruh kepala dengan ukuran yang sama. Jelas gak bisa pake ukuran yang 4 cm karena bagian pinggir ama belakangnya jadi kepanjangan dong ya. Jadinya pake ukuran yang lebih pendek (di clipper nya nomor 2, rasanya sih rambutnya jadi tinggal 1 cm-an). Tapi lagi, semakin lama kok gua merasa semakin enak kalo rambutnya botak ya. Jadilah clippernya diturunin jadi nomor 1. Hehehe.

Yah begitulah asal muasal kenapa rambut gua jadi botak begini. Sebenernya sih gua kepikir pengen juga rambutnya dibotakin plontos. Kalo ngeliat Vin Diesel kan keren ya kepalanya plontos gitu. Tapi kalo dipikir-pikir lagi kalo ntar jatohnya jadi kayak Pak Ogah gimana dong… Kan serem..

Kalo menurut kalian, gua cocok gak diplontosin? Hehehe.

PS. Ada yang mau ikutan sharing tentang metamorfosa model rambut kalian? Monggo…

However, it is only for a Total Film Comedy of the Decade shoot presumably for Shaun of the Dead. Still we have Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim film to look forward to along with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Greg Mottola’s Paul and Spielberg’s Tintin.

Tintin visited Tibet in 1958, about an year before the Dalai Lama had to flee in the wake of the Chinese invasion. Tintin loved the country and wanted to revisit. Upset by the title of his memoir published in 1960 (‘Tintin in Tibet’), the Chinese government banned Tintin and Snowy from traveling to Tibet through a special proclamation signed by the Chairman himself. In 2001, China allowed the publication of a Chinese-language version of the by-then famous book with a slightly different title – ‘Tintin in China’s Tibet’. Most Chinese came to love Tintin for his bravery when he traveled to Tibet in 1958 to save Chang Chong-Chen, his Chinese friend. Yet, the Party still held a grouse, for it was Tintin who popularized the word ‘Tibet’ across the world. Had it not been for him, China would have succeeded in its sinister plan to re-name Tibet as ‘The Liberated Land’.

Very recently, the Chinese government finally relented and advised its Belgian counterparts that Tintin could go to Tibet, as long as his memoir from such a journey were titled ‘Tintin in China’ and that he specifically condemn ‘the Dalai clique’ for any dire situation he might face during his travel. Unsurprisingly, Tintin refused however, not everyone knew one of the reasons for spurning China’s offer – Tintin’s ancestry. He was born of Tibetan parents who had migrated to Belgium just before hostilities broke during the Great War. Only Herge and Blessed Lightning knew this.

Blessed Lightning (or Lama Dorje), the lama at the monastery of Khor-Biyong in 1958, who famously saw a vision of Tintin (who he called ‘Great Heart’), had abdicated to India along with the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959. Their party stopped at Tawang, the revered seat of the Gelugpa sect near the Indo-Tibet border. Lama Dorje decided to stay put at Tawang so that he could hasten back to Tibet when the Chinese left. He knew it won’t be soon but he could afford to wait as his blessedness made him immune to disease and degeneration. What Lama Dorje did not mention to anyone was his vision during their sojourn at the monastery – he saw himself welcoming the 15th Dalai Lama at Tawang sometime in the next century. He had seen the face of the 15th Dalai Lama.

At the turn of 2009, Lama Dorje saw portends of some event of huge significance looming large. It would be 60 years since he left his country, which he could still see from a mountain top on a clear day. He learnt of China’s overtures to Tintin and the latter’s subsequent refusal. He sent a telegram to Tintin inviting him to Tawang – he wrote that Tawang is the next best option if Lhasa is off-limits. Tintin was overjoyed to hear from Blessed Lightning and immediately enlisted Captain Haddock and Snowy for the trip.

Tintin’s 1958 visit was undertaken under very different circumstances and he was unable to take a detour to Lhasa. The Dalai Lama always regretted not having met the boy then who Tibet had grown so grateful to and he surely did not wish to miss the opportunity now. With China’s checkered history with Tintin, a meeting with Tintin would also serve well to bring the predicament of Tibetans into the limelight. Lama Dorje made the Dalai Lama aware of Tintin’s roots and invited him to Tawang on the pretext of a religious ceremony however Tintin’s visit was to be kept a closely-guarded secret whose knowledge was limited to only the innermost circle of the Dalai Lama. Everyone knew that if such a visit was confirmed, China would leave no stone unturned to scuttle the plan.

As 09 November 2009 drew near, Lama Dorje saw strange stellar formations in the night sky and unusually beautiful snowflakes from an early snowfall glistening in the daylight. He began to wonder if these were signs pointing to an imminent realization of the vision he saw in 1959.

In the meanwhile, China appeared to have intercepted some chatter that an internationally renowned personality was about to visit Tawang. Worried that it might be Tintin and unable to confirm the suspicion, China initiated a diplomatic offensive to forestall Dalai Lama’s visit to Tawang. The government went into an overdrive, summoning all its covert and overt channels to block the visit. It once again claimed Tawang (and the rest of the state of Arunachal Pradesh) as an ancient Chinese territory and accused ‘the Dalai clique’ of inciting violence and separatism. Alongside, it objected to India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. When neither of the tactics worked, it sought to drive a wedge between Tibetans and India by accusing the Dalai Lama of poisoning Sino-Indian ties. Alas, all conspiracies came to a nought.

The day finally arrived. On Monday 09th November, the plane carrying visitors from Europe landed without an incident near the big Gompa of Tawang. All the houses and the monastery were bedecked with prayer flags and thangkas. The Dalai Lama and Lama Dorje welcomed Tintin and his entourage near the monastery gate and draped traditional katas around their necks. As Dalai Lama cast a look at Tintin, he saw a radiant glow on his boy-like face and he had an epiphany. He had long known that China would not allow peaceful selection of his reincarnation after his demise. To avoid compromising Dalai Lama’s legacy and leadership, he had been considering naming his successor within his lifetime. Now, as he stood there at the foot of the Tawang monastery, he thought Tintin would make the perfect Dalai Lama – young enough to be ordained, sensible enough to lead the Tibetans credibly and famous enough to keep the Tibetan cause alive. With the concurrence of Lama Dorje, Dalai Lama proposed his succession plan to Tintin. Tintin, always full of valor and conscience, saw this as a lifelong mission in the service of the country of his parents and consented.

By evening, the news had traveled far. Newspapers, TV commentators and leaders across the world hailed the announcement favorably and sent in their congratulations for the 15th Dalai Lama. Unbeknownst to everyone, a Snowman watched the developments from a mountain top near Tawang and smiled for the first time.

Smiling Snowman

Grandville is Bryan Talbot welcome return to the sort of storytelling he made great in his Luther Arkwright books.  This is one big ole s.f. tinged, very British, adventure story.  But of course this being a Talbot book there’s more to it than that.

The book is a tribute to the works of French illustrators J. J. Grandville and Albert Robida, winding up with a Steampunk, funny animal political thriller with a bit of Sherlock Holmes thrown in.  The result is a gorgeous book, possibly a lesser work from Talbot, but only because he’s clearly writing this for some fun after the tour de force that was Alice in Sunderland.  

The tone of the book is fairly dark, but he casts Snowy (the dog from TinTin) as an opium addict!  Not to mention throwing random tips of the hat to works like Maus and Omaha the Cat Dancer.  This is Talbot at play, and that’s wonderful to see.

This awesome person collected sketches of Tintin from a bunch of artists.

There’s 98 more right here.

As promised, I’m keeping this one short.  I’ve managed to squeeze enough hours out my evenings for the last few weeks to finish the first draft of a novella co-authored with my brother.  The title of it is Pentinium and the Fortress of Soombine.  As I mentioned in a previous post, it has a fantasy/sci-fi/comedy feel with a military backdrop.  It’s been a nice break from working on Book 2 of the Black Armor Tales and overall a wonderful experience.  The first round of edits has started and hopefully by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I’ll have a finished copy.  We’re planning to send it to the Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine.  If they don’t accept it, then we’ll probably self-publish it through Lulu or CreateSpace.  In either case, expect to see it in print in the early 2010 timeframe.

5 Things from Sam’s Desk of Awesomeness: It Can’t Get Here Fast Enough
This week I’m just going to throw out a few things that I am highly anticipating and can’t wait to experience.

1. Iron Man the Anime Series
Iron Man? Anime? Iron Man in an anime?! [insert drooling sound]

2. Mass Effect 2
Have I mentioned that I like Mass Effect?  Well, in case you missed that, I do and I cannot wait for the sequel to come out.  The trailer speaks for itself as to why.  I’m particularly looking forward to the mini-nuke launcher.

3.  The Hobbit
With Peter Jackson as producer and Guillermo Del Toro directing (Hellboy 1 & 2, Pan’s Labyrinth) the film adaptation of one my all-time favorite stories should rock everyone’s socks off.

4. The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Peter Jackson’s involved in this one too along with Stephen Spielburg.  I’m super excited at the prospect of one of my childhood comic book heroes brought to the big screen in the hands of such a talented and professional group of people.

5. The end of Obama’s Presidency
‘Nuff said (pic borrowed from The Daily Instigator)

Alright, that’s it for this week folks.  Take care.

El Capitan

Quand lama fâché, faire de temps en temps ainsi

Ayant eu la chance de partir dernièrement quelques semaines au Pérou, votre Blongo a ramené dans sa besace plein de photos, plein de souvenirs et surtout plein de correctifs à divers préjugés touchant ce magnifique pays. Qui dit Pérou dit en effet toute une série d’idées reçues pas forcément proches de la réalité. Des idées notamment véhiculées par Hergé et Tintin, avec leur fameux voyage au Pérou et en Bolivie dans “Le Temple du Soleil”. Petit passage en revue de ces imprécisions concernant le Pérou:

Quand lama fâché, lui toujours faire ainsi: dans Tintin, le malheureux capitaine Haddock se fait asperger toutes les 5-6 pages par le crachat d’un lama fâché. Eh bien, après quelques tests sur le terrain, et insistance dans l’expérience, il s’avère que le lama (tout comme d’ailleurs ses cousins alpaca et vicuna) ne s’amuse pas à cracher sur tous les touristes qui passent. Certes, l’animal affiche le plus souvent un séduisant regard hautain et semble outré quand on le flatte, mais rien ne sort apparemment de sa grosse bouche ruminante. Déception! Et pourtant… En fait, même si ce n’est pas si fréquent que cela, le lama crache bel et bien quand il est agacé. S’il est légèrement contrarié, il peut envoyer un léger jet liquide. Mais s’il est franchement hors de lui, état qui semble plutôt rare il faut bien l’avouer, c’est un imposant crachat verdâtre qui pourrait vous arriver sur le visage. Il s’agit de régurgitations gastriques à l’odeur nauséabonde. Donc, rendons hommage à Hergé, qui n’a pas, en définitive, totalement imaginé ce comportement pour le moins étrange chez le lama.

Condor passa toujours assez loin

Le condor passa: toujours dans les considérations animalières, il est évident que le bouillonnant condor qui capture Milou dans les Andes est vraiment un casse-cou improbable. Difficile à imaginer aussi de voir un homme utiliser le volatile comme parachute.  Seul le reporter à la houppette en est capable. En réalité, si l’on a la chance d’apercevoir un condor, il faut lever les yeux loin dans le ciel. Quant au fourmilier qui vient lécher les fourmis sur le visage du bon vieux capitaine, la scène est plus loufoque que réaliste. Enfin, il faut préciser que les alligators que rencontrent nos héros dans la jungle sont en fait des caïmans, seule espèce de ce type à vivre en Amérique du Sud.

Les incas ont tout inventé en Amérique du Sud: c’est à la fois vrai et pas vrai. L’origine des incas n’est pas connue avec certitude, mais on sait que leurs premières traces remontent au 13e siècle environ. Les incas ont une réputation de bâtisseurs efficaces et courageux, de génies de l’architecture et des arts en général. C’est absolument vrai, et le Machu Picchu, notamment, le prouve. Toutefois, ce que l’on sait moins, c’est que les incas n’ont de loin pas tout inventé au Pérou et en Bolivie. En fait, ces malins incas ont en grande partie chipé leur savoir chez les autres: en intégrant progressivement toutes les cultures pré-incas et en les étouffant peu à peu, jusqu’à ce qu’elles disparaissent. Et ils ont conservé le meilleur de chacune d’entre elles pour former la culture inca. Telle idée architecturale de la civilisation nazca, on la garde, telle procédé de façonnage des poteries paracas, on le conserve. Fort malicieux. Tout cela pour préciser le fait que seuls les incas bénéficient d’un certaine notoriété en Amérique du Sud, mais qu’il existe toutefois des centaines de cultures préincas méconnues.

Prévoir une éclipse: aujourd’hui, on arrive aisément à savoir à l’avance quand les éclipses interviendront. Et à l’époque d’Hergé aussi. Mais les incas connaissaient aussi le phénomène. Donc, la surprise totale des incas et leur terreur quand Tintin invoque le Soleil pour qu’il se dissimule n’est que peu crédible, même si l’idée fait son effet. Hergé, de son côté, répondait placidement à cette critique qu’il reconnaissait qu’il s’agissait “d’un point noir dans cette affaire”.

Le fameux colibri de Nazca

Les lignes de Nazca: ce n’est pas au Chili ou en Argentine que se trouvent ces étranges lignes tracées sur le désert rocheux de Nazca, mais bien au Pérou, à quelques centaines de kilomètres au sud de Lima. Découvertes dans les années 30, ces figures creusées à 30 cm ou 1 m de profondeur et allant jusqu’à 60 mètres de long entretiennent toujours leur mystère. Personne ne peut affirmer avec certitude ce que représentent le colibri, l’araignée, le singe et les 15 autres animaux et nombreuses formes géométriques qui s’y trouvent. Si la théorie des extra-terrestres vit toujours et est entretenue par certains farfelus imaginatifs, l’explication semble toutefois ailleurs. Tant pis pour le mythe. Certains parlent de calendrier astronomique, pour se repérer dans le mouvement des astres. D’autres y voient seulement des copies terrestres des constellations. D’autres encore des voies hydrauliques. D’autres des figures de prière à un dieu, peut-être pour avoir de l’eau, dans une région où il ne pleut quasiment jamais. Et si c’était tout de même des extra-terrestres?

La géographie d’Hergé: l’auteur belge n’était pas un pro de la géo, comme en témoigne la première planche du “Temple du Soleil”. En effet, la grande ville du Pérou qui est inscrite se nomme Callao. Dans les faits, Callao n’est qu’une infime partie de la capitale Lima, son port marchand où arrive le paquebot Pachacamac. De plus, sur l’une des planches, on aperçoit des hautes montagnes et de la neige derrière Haddock et Tintin. Or, Lima et Callao sont au bord de l’Océan Pacifique, en plein désert qui plus est. Point de sommets neigeux autour, donc. Enfin, sur la carte présentée par Hergé, on apprend que tout le nord du Pérou n’appartient pas au Pérou, mais à l’Equateur! L’erreur provient du fait que le dessinateur a pris comme modèle (pourquoi?) une carte de propagande équatorienne, sur laquelle le nord du Pérou, donc le bassin amazonien, fait partie de l’Equateur, nourrissant ainsi un vieux conflit territorial. Cela explique aussi le fait que ce tome de Tintin ait été longtemps interdit au Pérou!

Le pisco sour: finissons par une vérité que tout le monde se doit de connaître. A un moment donné, ce soiffard de capitaine se fait offrir un pisco en apéritif. Le pisco sour est en effet la boisson nationale du Pérou. Il s’agit d’une eau de vie, généralement de raisins, à laquelle on ajoute du jus de citron vert et du blanc d’oeuf en neige. Cela paraît bizarre, mais c’est divin! Et c’est pas Haddock qui nous contredira, lui qui a assurément emporté une bouteille de ce breuvage pour que Nestor lui serve de bons petits cocktails à Moulinsart… Quant à Tintin, gageons qu’il préfère l’Inka Cola. Cet étrange breuvage jaune fluo remplace le Coca Cola au Pérou. Les Péruviens sont même fiers d’appartenir à l’un des seuls pays au monde où le Coca n’est pas la première boisson consommée, dépassé par ce fameux Inka Cola.

blongo

Par ailleurs, si vous voulez en savoir plus sur toutes les incohérences qui jalonnent les Tintin, suivez ce lien très intéressant):

Onze koelkast bevat momenteel flink wat Franse producten. Overheerlijke stinkworsten van Justin Bridou, ‘zero-calorie’ frisdranken van Taillefine, piepjonge smeerkaasjes van P’tit Louis, scherpe Dijonmosterd van Maille en sladressing van het huismerk van de Auchan. Het mag duidelijk zijn: onze auto was op de terugweg van een paar dagen lopen in Frankrijk zwaarder dan op de heenweg. Onze ‘exotische’ koelkastvulling werkt eetlustopwekkend. Aan elke maaltijd zit deze dagen wel wat Frans!

Onze 'dealer' van Franse lekkernijen!

Kaas in de koelbox
Van onze eigen importpraktijken van comestibeles en delicatessen hebben we veel geleerd. Zo weten we dat je kaas in een koelbox moet meenemen. En wijn vervoer je het beste (en het meest geluidloos) ‘en vrac’ in een plactic jerrycannetje (wel snel opdrinken dan, want de kwaliteit van de wijn holt achteruit in deze kunststof omhulling!). Ook hebben we geleerd om zo veel mogelijk te letten op het niet importeren van producten die je hier in Nederland kunt komen. Geen Président Brie dus. En ook geen La Vache Qui Rit! Jammer, want het verhaal achter La Vache Qui Rit is best bijzonder.

Bekend tot in alle uithoeken van de wereld: La Vache Qui Rit. (c) La Vache Qui Rit.

De lachende koe
De lachende koeienkaas komt van origine uit de Jura. Hoewel kaasmaker Léon Bel (ook bekend van de rode Baby-Belletjes) al langer bezig was met het maken van deze zachte kaas, legde hij zijn handelsrechten op La Vache Qui Rit pas in 1916 vast. Bel had verstand van marketing, publiciteit en reclame, want hij bedacht dat zijn kaasje een logo moest hebben. Zijn inspiratie haalde de Fransman van het rondreizende bevoorradingsregiment B70 van het Franse leger, waar hij deel van had uitgemaakt. Deze ‘ravitailleurs’ hadden op hun voertuigen een embleem afgebeeld van een grappige koe. Deze koe duidde de waren aan die het regiment vervoerde: vlees. De vleeswagen droeg een bijzondere naam: La Wachkyrie (gaat er al een belletje rinkelen?) – een woordgrapje gebaseerd op het Franse woordje ‘Valkyrie’ en op het Duitse woordje ‘Wache’ (wacht).

Eén van de eerste ontwerpen van Rabier. (c) La Vache Qui Rit.

Grimmige doods- en oorlogsgodinnen
De Valkyrie (in het Nederlands: Walkuren, afgeleid van het Oudnoordse ‘Valkyrjar’) zijn mythologische strijdgodinnen. Van origine waren het grimmige doods- en oorlogsgodinnen, die op de rug van hellehonden de slagvelden afstroopten op zoek naar gesneuvelde helden. Deze helden werden verzameld om later, tijdens de eindstrijd die Ragnarok werd genoemd, voor Odin dienst te kunnen doen. Waarom het woord ‘Valkyrie’ werd gemengd met ‘Wache’? Nou, dat heeft weer te maken met de Frans-Duitse Oorlog van 1870. De Fransen verloren en raakten delen van hun land kwijt (Moselle, Haut-Rhin, Meurthe en Vosges). De Duitsers kregen het hier voor het zeggen. Om de Fransen in die gebieden goed onder de duim te houden, plaatsten de Duitsers op veel plekken controleposten. De soldaten die deze posten bemanden, werden ‘Wache’ genoemd. De Fransen maakten er al snel een scheldwoord van: ‘Vache!’. In het laatste kwart van de negentiende eeuw en in het eerste (ruime) decennium van de twintigste eeuw kon de slogan ‘Mort aux vaches’ vaak worden genoteerd.

Iedereen kent de reclame-uitingen van de lachende koe. (c) La Vache Qui Rit.

Regiment B70
Bel ‘leende’ niet alleen de lachende koe van zijn strijdmakkers. Hij nam ook de naam over. In het begin erg schaamteloos. Zijn kaasjes gingen over de toonbank als ‘La Wachkyrie’. Later maakte hij er ‘La Vache Qui Rit’ van, een naam die beter bij een kaasje past. Het ontwerp van de lachende koe is van de redelijk bekende kunstenaar Benjamin Rabier. Rabier diende ook in het regiment B70. Hoewel hij al lang bezig was met illustreren, brak hij pas echt door met zijn lachende koe. Deze koe heeft hij later aangepast voor Léon Bel.

Zou Kuifje weten dat hij naar een boek is genoemd? (c) Hergé/Moulinsart.

De klare lijn
Rabier was één van de eerste tekenaars die cartoons en strips maakte, waarin dieren met menselijke trekjes de hoofdrol speelden. Zijn manier van tekenen viel ook op. Rabier is namelijk één van de eersten die tekende volgens wat we later de klare lijn zijn gaan noemen. Hij is één van de inspiratiebronnen geweest van Hergé. Hergé nam zo’n voorbeeld aan Rabier dat hij de naam van zijn stripheld opdroeg aan één van de boektitels van Rabier. Tintin (Kuifje dus) heeft zijn naam namelijk te danken aan het kinderboek Tintin Lutin dat Rabier in 1898 uitbracht. Dus als je ooit eens tijdens het lezen van stripboeken zin hebt in een snack, dan kun je met een gerust hart een Apéricube van La Vache Qui Rit achter je kiezen steken. Dan weet je zeker dat het elkaar niet bijt!

SUCCESS! Finally some reward after months of nothing at all. 2nd place was attained in this week’s Guardian gallery which wins me a copy of Championship Manager 2010. Not bad given that the two previous second place prizes were books but I’ll probably stick it straight on Ebay given that it’s not Football Manager.

Anyway, this week’s theme was new Arsenal defensive stalwart Thomas Vermaelen. I was convinced until Tuesday morning that the theme was Rio Ferdinand, leaving a bit of mad rush in the evening to knock something together for Vermaelen. Both are pretty obvious, especially the Verminator, but I guess the second one is simple enough to have got second.

His mission is to take out strikers everywhere.

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Keep his current form up and he'll soon be number one.

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More here.

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T.

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Archive.

Childhood was the October theme for il studio . French and Belgian comic book characters. From left to right: Babar, Obelix, Asterix, Gaston’s laughing seagull, Tintin, Capitaine Hadock, Gaston (sleeping), Lucky Luke (with no cigarette as per the law asked), Jolly Jumper (the horse), le petit Nicolas, Rantanplan , Gaston’s cat, Bill (the dog), Boule (the little boy) and Milou (Snowy). I still read them with pleasure.

Enfance, le thème d’octobre au studio. Si vous ne les reconnaissez , de gauche a droite, Babar, obelix, Asterix, la mouette rieuse de Gaston, Tintin, Capitaine Hadock, Gaston faisant la sieste, Lucky Luke sans sa cigarette tel que demandé par la loi, Jolly Jumper son fidèle compagnon, Le petit Nicolas, Rantanplan, le chat de Gaston, Bill le cocker, Boule et Milou. Je les lis encore avec plaisir.

Congratulations to Adrian Neill on his successful selection to the U18’s Scotland Basketball squad. 

This is a fantastic achievement and the Basketball Club aswell as the rest of the school are very proud of him.  Well done and good luck! 

Watch this space for information about any matches Adrian and the rest of the school teams may be involved in.

Den ser ut som Tintin på gamlehjem, men Jimmy Corrigan er i ferd med å knuse alle fordommer mot tegneserier. No Comprendo Press utgir mesterverket på norsk i slutten av november, og D2 intervjuet Ware nå på fredag. Her er mitt intervju med Chris Ware fra 2002.

(Intervju med Chris Ware i anledning hans besøk på Raptusfestivalen 2002, opprinnelig publisert i Dagsavisen. Jeg publiserer director’s cut-versjonen av intervjuet på engelsk senere i høst. Følg med!)

For å si det rett ut: Tegneserien Jimmy Corrigan – The Smartest Kid On Earth er en 400 sider lang historie om en mann som synes fryktelig synd på seg selv. Men med god grunn, for svært få har beskrevet ensomhet, desperasjon og ulykkelighet med like stor kraft som den amerikanske serieskaperen Chris Ware. «Samuel Beckett er Mr. Cheerful sammenlignet med deg», som Wares egen forlagssjef sa til ham.

Ware sier selv det er drag av selvbiografi i alle seriene, og han har vokst opp med superhelter som farsfigur og er både sjenert og usikker – som Jimmy Corrigan selv.

– Jeg er dødelig lei av alle mine ideer og de må få rom til å utvikle seg over tid. Jeg har en dyp bipolar selvtillit og er iblant så frastøtt av mine egne serier at jeg rett og slett må ta lengre pauser fra arbeidet, forteller Ware.

Bejublet
Men selv om Ware fortsatt bare er en kulthelt i Norge, er oppmerksomheten i USA og Storbritannia blitt så omfattende at han ikke lenger har grunn til å være usikker. De rosende anmeldelsene for Jimmy Corrigan står i kø, den har fått to sider i trendbibelen The Face og – ikke minst – i fjor mottok Ware The Guardians prestisjetunge debutantpris på 10.000 pund.

«Original og energisk med stjernekvaliteteter både i fantasi og utførelse. En bok som utfordrer oss til å tenke over hva litteratur er og hvor den går i det 21. århundre«, sa Claire Armistead, litteraturredaktør i The Guardian.

Forfatteren Raymond Briggs mener Jimmy Corrigan er den beste tegneserien siden Krazy Kat og Little Nemo In Slumberland, og skrev følgende i The Guardian: «I dette landet har tegneserien blitt ansett som et medium for barn og idioter. Men dette kan bare bety at tegneserien nå er blitt intellektuelt respektert. Og det er på høy tid.»

Men Ware hviler ikke på sine laurbær og er i full gang med et nytt storverk – denne gang med den om mulig enda mer mistilpassede og hjelpeløse leketøyssamleren Rusty Brown i hovedrollen. Her har vi nok en mann som lar omverdenen passere, mens han er mest opptatt av sine Star Wars-figurer og sjeldne pornofilmer.

– «Vitse»-stripene om Rusty Brown, som allerede er utgitt i heftet ACME Novelty Library, har ikke noe med denne historien å gjøre. Den nye boka handler om åtte forskjellige personer, og de to første kapitlene utspiller seg i Rustys barndom på 1970-tallet. Han er en av de sentrale figurene, men ikke nødvendigvis hovedpersonen. Og vær ikke redd, dette blir ikke en 500 sider tykk bok om leketøyssamlere. Jeg arbeider også med en kortere historie, mens Drawn and Quarterly vil gi ut en skissebok i samarbeid med hollandske Oog & Blik.

Businesstil
Chris Ware har laget tegneserier siden tidlig på 1980-tallet, men gjorde seg først bemerket med heftet ACME Novelty Library i 1993. Heftets særegne design og stadig varierende størrelse dro nysgjerrige lesere inn, og ble holdt fast ved hjelp av Wares brutalt dystre historier.

I starten rommet ACME flere forskjellige serier, men etter hvert tok Jimmy Corrigan over – og serien utviklet seg til en krønike over tre generasjoner tapere med store problemer med å forholde seg til omverdenen og sine egne følelser.

– I starten så jeg for meg ACME som en tittel som kunne romme alt jeg hadde gjort tidligere; de eldste seriene der stammer fra 1988. Jeg ønsket heller ikke at navnet mitt skulle være klistret ut over omslagene, siden alt det jeg gjør i essensen er selvbiografi allerede.
Isteden har Ware diktet opp ACME-konsernet, med lange tekster og falske reklamer basert på konsernspråk fra 1920- og 30-tallet spredt rundt mellom seriene.

– Konserntonen gjør det mulig for meg å parodiere de pseudoestetiske aspektene ved forretningsverdenen som morer meg, samtidig som jeg får muligheten til å spille på de potensielle vitsene som finnes i et medium med en fot i kunsten og en fot i det rent kommersielle.

Ware er svært opptatt av arkitekturen og annonsespråket fra 1920- og 30-tallet, mens streken hans er som en mindre fargeglad variant av den europeiske «ligne claire»-skolen (der Hergés Tintin er mest kjent). Det er som Ware er nostalgisk for en tid han aldri har opplevd selv.

– I hovedsak beundrer jeg teknikken, ferdighetene, håndverket og respekten for tilskueren mye av designen fra det tidlige 1900-tallet hadde – og ikke minst den ustabile balansen mellom skøyerstreker og verdighet det kretset rundt. Det meste av dagens samfunn virker mer interessert i å være kul, glatt og sexy, noe som jeg finner distraherende og gjør verden til et mindre komfortabelt sted å være. Jeg har ikke noe behov for omgivelser som råder meg til å bli mer macho eller apatisk.

Superheltenes kraft
Men skjult bak Wares glatte og tiltalende strek skjuler sterke følelser seg. Jimmy Corrigan er fullstendig sosialt mistilpasset, og i serien følger vi ham i hans forhold til moren, jakten på hans far og farfar og generelle forsøk på å tilpasse seg omverdenen. Det går ikke så bra.

Og det USA Ware tegner minner mer om det «Alnabru med dødsstraff» forfatter Bjørn Gabrielsen beskrev i boka Lutefisk på prærien enn drømmenes land vi ellers kjenner fra film og bøker. Jimmy Corrigan lever i en verden av grå lagerbygninger, kjipe hamburgerbarer, ødslige bensinstasjoner og ensomme parkeringsplasser.

Men selv om Jimmy Corrigan roses av litteraturkritikere verden over, har den på ingen måte revet seg løs fra tegneserienes tradisjonelle klisjeer. For superheltene spiller en viktig rolle for stakkars Jimmy Corrigan.

– Vil amerikanske tegneserier noen gang riste av seg superhelten?

– Superhelten er en av de mest kraftfulle metaforene moderne kultur har skapt. Jeg er ikke noen tilhenger av superheltserier som prøver å være seriøs skrivekunst for voksne. Men den enkle ideen om en farsfigur kledd opp i kvasimilitært kostyme som hopper rundt, redder mennesker og preker moral er fantastisk. Jeg vokste opp med superheltserier og ville være en superhelt selv. De er en del av meg, og selv om jeg ikke var serietegner ville de nok spilt en viktig rolle i mitt daglige liv. For meg er en «supermann» en perfekt stand-in for en manglende far, og et mål en naivt kan sikte mot idet en er i ferd med å bli voksen. Altså før du innser at verden for det meste består av skuffelser.

FOTO: ØYVIND HOLEN

Le numéro 9 de votre geekzine favori est paru au jour du jour d’aujourd’hui.

Et devinez kwa ? Je suis à nouveau dedans !!! Cette fois-ci, je me suis inspiré des histoires de robots d’Isaac Asimov, j’ai coloré le tout avec mon style d’écriture le plus crade, et j’ai gratifié le monde d’une splendide nouvelle.

Ca s’appelle “parle à mon cul, ma tête est malade”, ça se télégobe ici, http://42lemag.fr/, et c’est en page 74. Enigmes, dialogues, jurons, et nichons sont de mise.

Alors maintenant, on arrête de faire comme Samantha la cochonne qui lit des bouquins intelligents dans des demotivational posters

on arrête de faire comme Lolo Ferrari qui lit des Tintin

on arrête de faire comme Dawn Perignon qui lit des espèces de classeurs,

et on lit le 42 !!

Allez hop, vous devriez déjà plus être là. (Sauf si vous n’avez pas encore mangé la totalité de mon blog, dans ce cas, restez un peu, je suis votre ami.)