European Comicbook Recommendations

[CarlManvers2019]

As the title says, this thread is for any fans of european comicbooks

For anyone who doesn’t know, European comicbooks differentiate from American Comicbooks and even manga, in that instead of issues they have “Albums” which are usually like 48-60 pages long on average and the release of each “album” is not on an exact date and can span months to years in-between each new “album”

Plus, in-terms of storytelling, surprisingly enough they manage to tell a LOT more in a mere 50 pages than even the average arc or miniseries in American comics

They look to really master maximization of panels and pages when it comes to characterization, world building and the general plot

I won’t say they’re all masterpieces, but on average much effort is put into each of them

Elfes et Nains (Comic Book) - TV Tropes

Elfes note "Elves" in English is a series of High Fantasy Comic Books. Born from the collaboration of French writers Jean-Luc Istin and Nicolas Jarry, Elfes is a collaborative series in which five pairs of writers and artists each present …

tvtropes.org

Anyway, for my first recommendation. I recommend three series, all set on the fantasy world or Arran

Elves, Dwarves and Orcs&Goblins

Each story can vary in-terms of extreme distance, time and even generations. Some characters you see in their younger days, you eventually see as grandparents and even.

 

[Guardian Box]

Well, there's always Asterix.

I remember as a kid I was much looking forward to the next album that would be released. They always had a nice index of various trivia, like historical context for the jokes or translated and explained latin phrases used in the work. I think I still have a few dozens of those issues in the basement.

The comic itself is superbly drawn, with almost always something interesting, funny or otherwise amusing going on in the background. It was always a treat to re-read the stories while paying special attention to what happened in the background. Characters are quirky and entertaining, to the point in later albums you expect them to act a certain way and it's very entertaining when they do, and it's a superb moment of 'shit just got real' when they don't.

The story itself is mostly about the humorous misadventures of the pair of Gauls, Asterix and Obelix, and their struggles against the Romans (when the Roman Emperor was still Julius Cesar).

It's a fun read all around, and I heartily recommend anyone to read this comic. It holds up quite well to this day, it spawned numerous animated films, several live-action ones, a number of video games and a CG movie last year.

So yeah, definitely worth a read. And from what I've seen, it seems all the volumes are still being published to this day, so you have no excuse not to read.

 

[Charun]

I strongly advice Yoko Tsuno if you like SF. It's made by a guy who worked for Hergé on the Tintin comics. Guy is 86 year old and still making his comics! Sadly his drawings are getting less good, as he is finding it harder to draw as detailed as he used to be known for. And his art style evolved over the series.

Yoko Tsuno - Wikipedia

 

[Arch Dornan]

(when the Roman Emperor was still Julius Cesar).

Wasn't it Augustus?

As a kid however I made lots of wrong impressions wit hAsterix introducing me to romans.

 

[Guardian Box]

Wasn't it Augustus?

As a kid however I made lots of wrong impressions wit hAsterix introducing me to romans.

Nope, it's Julius Caesar alright.

Julius Caesar - Asterix - The official website

www.asterix.com

Yup, that's the guy and the aquiline nose I remember. Worthy of note is the fact he was always treated with a lot of care and respect by the authors, despite often being the antagonist of the story. He wasn't a caricature, and his word could always be trusted, even when he lost to the Gauls in some way.

I was a dumb kid way back when I started on my first Asterix comic, but I still got the impression Caesar was a honorable guy who, despite being at odds with the heroes, wasn't all that bad, and could be dealt and reasoned with. This was a big thing for me then, since I was still under the impression the heroes were always the good guys doing good things all the time, and their opponents were unrepentant villains who did villainously bad things always and forever.

In short, he was an interesting character fun to witness every time he appeared on the comic book pages for sure, especially for someone with more nerd experience than I was when I first started reading the comic.

 

[Arch Dornan]

Nope, it's Julius Caesar alright.

Julius Caesar - Asterix - The official website

www.asterix.com

Yup, that's the guy and the aquiline nose I remember. Worthy of note is the fact he was always treated with a lot of care and respect by the authors, despite often being the antagonist of the story. He wasn't a caricature, and his word could always be trusted, even when he lost to the Gauls in some way.

I was a dumb kid way back when I started on my first Asterix comic, but I still got the impression Caesar was a honorable guy who, despite being at odds with the heroes, wasn't all that bad, and could be dealt and reasoned with. This was a big thing for me then, since I was still under the impression the heroes were always the good guys doing good things all the time, and their opponents were unrepentant villains who did villainously bad things always and forever.

In short, he was an interesting character fun to witness every time he appeared on the comic book pages for sure, especially for someone with more nerd experience than I was when I first started reading the comic.

No wasn't Augustus the first Roman emperor officially?

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Didn’t the real Caesar essentially commit mass genocide on the Celts?

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Speaking of Romans, here's my recommendation, read these currently translated volumes months ago.

Basic premise is that this story is about a Noble/Royal Hostage from the German Tribes and a young Roman Noble who both become friends and eventually more than a decade later, end up becoming rather important and Badass figures. The Germans don't exactly live well under the Romans and as such, having a desire for a King to lead them out is understandable.

Bit of a warning, this series has the whole sheer horrible difference in Social Values, so expect casual disgusting decadence and girls marrying men decades older than them

 

[CarlManvers2019]

Excalibur - The Chronicles (Volume) - Comic Vine

English language edition of Istin & Brion's 'Excalibur - Chroniques'

comicvine.gamespot.com

A series combining Arthurian Myth with Celtic Mythology and dealing with the Christianization of the British Isles

Also, fate is not set in stone, that includes what happens with Britain and its rulership

Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be seeing Volume 6 for a LONG time