Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Special Editions of Tintin Are On The Way!

The French publisher Casteman and Éditions Moulinsart(Hergé Foundation) will release a special edition of Tintin on March 12.

The Curse of Rascar Capac- The 7 Crystal Balls- Volume 1(La Malédiction de Rascar Capac – Les 7 Boules de Cristal – Volume 1) is a 136 page publication in the Italian horizontal format(9inches(22.6cm) by 12 inches(30.7 cm) with a case. The book is an annotated edition of Tintin and the Seven Crystal Balls(1948).

The pages on the left, reproduce copies of the 150 strips of the original version of Tintin and the Seven Crystal Balls, which were published in Le Soir newspapers, from Belgium, between 1943 and 1944, during the World War II. The pages on the right include commentaries, sketches and diverse information about the creation of the comic, including the participation of Edgar Pierre Jacobs in the production of the work.

Different from Les Mystères des 7 Boules de Cristal (9 inches(22.6 cm) by 7 inches(17.5 cm) and 112 pages), published in 2012, the new book ties in the art from the work with the image archive of Hergé and his production team.


Philippe Goddin is the author of the new text in the two books.


The second volume of this series, The Temple of the Sun, will be published in September 2014. 

(Original article: Casterman lança La Malédiction de Rascar Capac,written by Sérgio Codespoti on March 10, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission by UniversoHQ.)

Hergé's Tintin spawned six feature films, two television series, five video games, and, of course, twenty four comic albums created by Hergé himself. In 2009, the Hergé Museum opened in Belgium to honor the creator of one of the most famous comic book characters in the world. The character turned an astounding 85 this past January. 

To honor Hergé's wishes, Casteman and Moulinsart will only release new Tintin stories, by other creators, in 2052. In the meantime, expect more Absolute Editions and all the behind the scenes information the publishers can muster to sell more books (see DC's handling of Watchman for an American example)! 


Thursday, January 30, 2014

Voulez-vous aller au Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême?





The 41st Angoulême International Comics Festival kicked off today, lasting til Sunday the 2nd. Starting in 1974 in France- this annual event gets over 200,000 visitors qualifying it for the second largest comic convention in the world after Tokyo’s biannual Comiket. Much like the Olympic Villiage, the convention is spread out all over the city of Angoulême. 


Last year, 31 countries participated in the 400 meetings, workshops, panels, shows and presentations. Seven THOUSAND professionals were present (along with 1600 artists and 260 exhibitors). This is a large event. This year boast’s Argentine Mafalda’s 50th birthday with a special appearance by her creator Quino, 80 years of Mickey (Mouse) Journal , youth talent searches and career guidance/training, a focus on digitization of comics, and a “drawing concert” .

Every year they reward prizes (trophies). More lively than the Grammys, the Grand Jury decides the Heritage Award, Best Series Award, Best Newcomer Award and Best Comic Book Award. The public pick the Culture People’s Choice Award and 8-12 year olds pick their own Young Readers’ Award. They also have a Discovery Awards ceremony aimed towards young up and coming talent and schools-in France there are schools dedicated just to comics. All the winners are posted here as they are announced(check back Sunday.

Among the nominated comics are Joseph Lambert’s Anne Sullivan & Helen Keller, Marvel’s Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and illustrated by the innovative David Aja, Brian K Vaughan(Y the Last Man, Dues Ex Machina, Runaways) and Fiona Staple’s sci-fi soap opera Saga and many other international selections. 

Le Fauve, Angoulême's mascot created by Lewis Trondheim
The Grand Prix is rewarded to a living creator for their spectacular achievement in comics. Past winners are Will Eisner(1975, creator of The Spirit), Underground Comix master Robert Crumb(1999),  and Maus creator/ The New Yorker cartoonist Art Spiegelman(2011).This year's contenders are Bill Watterson(Calvin and Hobbs), Katsuhiro Ottomo(Akira) and Alan Moore(V for Vendetta, Watchmen, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). The winner “gets” to Grand Marshall next year’s event and take part in the planning. Publishers Weekly details controversy and gossip among the awards quite eloquently.


Here is the 38 page English press kit. Keep an eye on the event’s Instagram or polish off your French on the official webpage.