Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Asterix & Tintin




When we talk about comic books the most commonly heard comment is that there are comic books and there are Asterix & Tintin. No other comic is as popular as these two. No other comic book series is as cult as these. They are like the US and the USSR of the cold war era, of the bi-polar world. And all the talk about comic books start and end with A&T. they are the alpha and omega of comic books.

(I wonder how Superman is taking all these. he is supposed to be the super daddy of all comic strips for the simple reason that he revolutionised the industry. but alas his creators ensured that his cult status will be ruined by the horrible terrible derisible stories that they wrote for him. just like in the case of Elvis Presley.)

Well as I was saying or rather as I was about to say, it’s very common to hear people tag Asterix and Tintin together. Of course not very surprisingly! They are arguably the greatest of all the comic book characters ever created. They are both 'cult'er than cult. They both come in same format called 'album'. And more importantly their creators did not run away the heady success of the characters and did not do the proverbial act of 'to kill the goose that lays golden eggs'.

But to say Asterix and Tintin in the same breath just like one would say superman and Spiderman or Phantom and mandrake may often lead one to categorize them both under one header. But unlike Superman and Spiderman who fall under superhero comics, Asterix & Tintin inhabit two different worlds all together. So how would one describe these characters?

ASTERIX

Lets begin with Asterix. Simply put Asterix is comics!!! Well that’s a rather patronising sort of a statement, isn’t it? But then there is no other way to describe Asterix. Well it that still sounds like a cheap shot lets see if we are on the same page as far as the basics are right.

What is a comic Book? The definition of comic books has changed drastically from the original sense in which it was initially applied. Starting off as Funnies, Comics carried the same sense. There has to be something comical about it. But when Dick Tracy came in it was not called illustrated crime story or anything of that sort. There are two reasons for this. Once Dick Tracy began to appear on the pages where newspapers usually printed comic strips. And second of course is the style of illustration. Unlike say, Crime Doesn’t Pay comics, the style was caricature than realistic. Thus the term comics came to imply a large body of illustrated stories appearing in novel length features or 4 panel strips or even a single panel. But when one sits down to understand the various genres that form comics, a little bit of clinical dissection is necessary.

Lets see. I will make it simple. Now Asterix is a typical example of comics; just comics. It’s a quintessential comic book and cannot be described as anything else. If you stretch it you can go as far as quasi adventure comics. But not all of them are adventures (Caesar’s Gift, Asterix Vs Obelix).

So why is it just comics? Well, its comical, its unrealistic, and more importantly it's untranslatable to other media. Though it has been adapted to the big screen, it operates on a different level altogether unlike superhero comics made into movies. It's not quite the same. You feel that something is missing. And it’s not so much to do with the distinct artwork of Asterix comics even though that should have been a major deterrent. The problem lies with the story. Asterix stories cannot exist outside the world of comic books. (Cartoons are just an extension) and that is why Asterix cannot be called as anything but a comic. And it is in this regard that Tintin varies from Asterix.

TINTIN


So what is Tintin? How would you define Tintin? How is Tintin different? Tintin is different on a lot of counts. Where as Asterix can be defined as only "comics", Tintin is adventure comics, Tintin is crime comics, Tintin is detective comics, Tintin is mystery comics, Tintin is fun comics. Thus Tintin can be defined and has to be defined as "juvenile fiction illustrated and narrated in the style of comic books". Yes that is the only way to describe Tintin.

Tintin As A Novel:
Any of the Tintin stories can be translated into a novel. (This can’t be done in the case of Asterix). And that is possible because there is a very strong and tight story in every Tintin adventure. Tintin is Hardy Boys as a comic book. (not the cheap shit they pass off as graphic novel.) Conversely take a hardy boys adventure. It can easily be converted into a comic book. (Not all of them. but there are certain sure shot ones) now if the graphic novel format of Hardy Boys is not a success, that’s because the creators just don’t understand the world of comics. Each idea needs a particular medium to be executed well.

Tintin As A Movie:
Some of the early Tintin comics may not really hit off well with moviegoers. Tintin in America had all the characteristics of a comic book. So does Black Island and more importantly Tintin in Congo. But these comics are best not made into movies. But televised serials for kids wont are a bad idea.

But later Tintin stories would make for brilliant movies. The only deterrent in the case of Tintin would be the artwork as they are comically drawn.

But if Herge had intended to create Tintin as a novel, then he would now have been said in the same breath along with another cult icon of the same period who was featured in juvenile adventure novels: Biggles!


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