Comics? What? Well, they're books
too. Some of them also tell really good stories. As a child, I also
loved Donald Duck and the other Disney comics. Actually, I still
like them. American comics are great, but I think I prefer the Belgian/French
variety even more. Japanese comics are good too.
First I'd like to mention two of
my other favorites: the Belgian comic TinTin and the French comic
Valerian and Laureline, or as they're called in Sweden: Linda and
Valentin.
Hergé, who created TinTin,
and a couple of other comics like Jo, Zette and Jocko (or whatever
they're called in English), has a way of spinning a nice adventure
tale. All his stories are well researched to be as realistic as
possible, at least the background.
I especially loved the trip to the
moon. Wow. When TinTin, Snowy and the others drove out to the launch
pad late at night, I got the chills. To me there could be no greater
adventure. Of course, I loved most of the stories. Another album
I loved was TinTin in Tibet. When I first read it, I suddenly realized
Tibet was a real place. Later on I also found out why no one had
heard of it. By now, I know a lot more about Tibet and I also have
an actual Tibetan friend. I also happen to know that the Dalai Lama,
Tibet's highest religious leader, who lives in exile in India, knows
about the album and appreciates the fact that so many young westerners,
have learned about his country from the album.
The characters are funny, and really
cool. I really love Snowy/Milou. Actually, he's the reason I once
got a West Highland White Terrier. It was a mistake, but that's
another story.
Valerian
and Laureline was created by P Christin (stories) and J.Z.
Mézière (illustrations). The stories are fascinating,
set in space, a bit like Lexx, but nowhere near as dark, or as obsessed
with sex.
Linda/Laureline is a tough space
agent, and Valentin/Valerian is her goofy partner/lover. In these
stories you'll encounter space/time travel, and even time paradoxes.
Not bad for a comic from back then. I was stunned to realize that
these stories were created back in the 1960's and -70's. They didn't
feel that old...
Finally, I'd like to mention two
other good comics, both written in French. Yoko
Tsuno/Suno and Alix. Yoko was created by a Belgian
named Roger Leloup in the late 1960's. The main character is a Japanese
engineer who has moved to Europe to work as a reporter. She's got
two guys working on her team, Vic and Pol.
Alix is a young Roman, who has numerous
adventures around the Roman world. He has a trusted companion, Enak,
who is from Egypt. The creator of the series, Jacques Martin, is
French. The stories are very good, and educational too. From what
I can tell, the details are mostly historically correct.
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