la bande desinee, la vie des medias txuma vazquez
Sunday, 00:48. I’m here with me mate the TV, greeting another week. It’s also the time when culture gets a look in on TV. I’m thinking that I can come across something for our comic pages somewhere. Not a sausage. On Spanish TV they discuss literature and then science. On Basque TV they’re showing some couples strut their stuff in the World Ballroom Dancing Championship semi-finals or whatever. Shag it, let’s have a look at what our French buddies are talking about (I must explain to those of you who are not San Sebastian born hicks – or those of you who don’t get to see French TV; on our neighbours’ TV stations they’re always yakking away. They just can’t turn down a good ole chinwag). Today is no different, but as I discover to my delight, the subject being discussed is Bande desinee. The bande desinee. The ninth art form. When the French talk about comics, they only mention words like sandwich and superhero in the most reverend tones. They are talking about the number of comics edited in this, the country of cheese and transport strikes: 1,442 comic books were edited last year. They then proceeded to comment on these figures by comparing them to book sales. Now they’re talking about comics like Pilote and Metal Hurlant: they disappeared but they are back with a strength. The speakers on French TV note that the comeback by these two comics heralds a resurrection in comics. Some of the most known names in comics in Europe have sharpened their pencils on these comics: Moebius, Manara, Jodorowsky, Goscinny, Liberatore or Enki Bilal.
The programme continues with an interview with the last one of these artists. Bilal draws our attention to the similarities between comics and cinema and he tells the presenter that they have offered him the chance of transforming his series La foire aux immortels with its mythology-communist characters into 3D format. He sums up the similarities between comics and cinema and underlines the power of comics when it comes to communication.
To finish off, they list the films based on comics: Spiderman, Asterix, Daradevil (thebalde 9), Corto (thb9); and those that are on the way: Lucky Luke, Hellboy, Blueberry, Tintin. Films have grossed millions of euro and films that will gross millions more.
In a few words; they sell millions of comics every year, they have loads of different mags, they love comic book artists and they talk about comics in the small hours of the morning on a TV programme dedicated to comics. One more thing: the programme was repeated three times over the same week. At different times on different days. Our next door neighbours’ love for comics is also certainly worth repeating. Vive la bande desinee!
The programme continues with an interview with the last one of these artists. Bilal draws our attention to the similarities between comics and cinema and he tells the presenter that they have offered him the chance of transforming his series La foire aux immortels with its mythology-communist characters into 3D format. He sums up the similarities between comics and cinema and underlines the power of comics when it comes to communication.
To finish off, they list the films based on comics: Spiderman, Asterix, Daradevil (thebalde 9), Corto (thb9); and those that are on the way: Lucky Luke, Hellboy, Blueberry, Tintin. Films have grossed millions of euro and films that will gross millions more.
In a few words; they sell millions of comics every year, they have loads of different mags, they love comic book artists and they talk about comics in the small hours of the morning on a TV programme dedicated to comics. One more thing: the programme was repeated three times over the same week. At different times on different days. Our next door neighbours’ love for comics is also certainly worth repeating. Vive la bande desinee!
