In the United States, discussions about “foreign comics” often focus on manga, although Europe has a vast amount of content that is likely to blow any artistic sensibility’s mind. There’s a wide spectrum across the Atlantic, from the beautiful artwork in Corot Maltese to the mesmerizing story in Snowpiercer.
Instead of spending your money on online casinos, even if you find an online casino minimum deposit 1 Euro, reading some of these cartoons might be a better option. If this has piqued your interest in European comics, here are a few titles to look into.
Corto Maltese
Hugo Pratt’s most famous work, a favourite of Frank Miller and Paul Pope, depicts the exploits of the titular rogue. The series follows its title character across the world, putting him through situations that would make Indiana Jones blush. The main lure, though, is Pratt’s artwork. His men and ladies exude quintessential cool. Reading these comics makes you feel a little hipper than the uninitiated, much like viewing the Franco Italian noir classic Le Samourai or Japan’s own hitman odyssey, Branded to Kill. Pratt’s speckled blacks create a beautiful sense of space, influencing dynamic movement with just a few lines.
Snowpiercer
Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette’s 80s dystopia, recently transformed into a cult film starring Chis Evans, manages to be even crazier than Bong Joon-cinematic ho’s rendition. Following the devastating onset of a second Ice Age, humanity’s final survivors survive on the deck of a bizarre bullet train that never stops running. Naturally, class warfare persists even until the End Times, with the conflict between the haves and have-nots neatly demarcated by the cabin. Even on the relatively straight trip up the “Snowpiercer,” there are plenty of deadly twists and turns as a mutiny begins in the train’s back cabin and swiftly speeds toward its front.
Torpedo
Torpedo is a collection of short stories about Luca “Torpedo” Torelli, a Depression-era Mafioso, created by the inimitable Alex Toth. According to reports, Toth left the series because Abuli’s comedy was too dark. While Toth is an unrivalled practitioner of minimalism and chiaroscuro, artist Jordi Bernet’s curvilinearity and hatching are better suited to the series’ levity and fun. And while Torpedo is violent and vulgar (it’s one of the best crime comics out there), it’s also extremely amusing.
Blue is the Warmest Color
Considerably less explicit (and fetishistic) than its Palme D’Or-winning film adaption, Julie Maroh began her inaugural work when she was only 19 years old. That youth resonates in the work; there’s a restlessness and a precociousness that permeates every line. Her potential pushes at the edges of the frame in the use of the titular colour or the elucidated emotions. While Abdelatif Kechiche’s film translation is a superb work of its own, Maroh’s book is more lived-in and personal. Not necessarily superior, but the events of the book feel more like a firsthand account, with less mediating artifice. Maroh’s telling relies less on the male gaze, which reduces the spectacle of the thing and keeps the story more tonally consistent.
The Metabarons
The Metabarons, a spin-off of surrealist director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s legendary work with artist Moebius, The Incal, chronicles the ancestry of the universe’s most skilled and notorious mercenary. The series can be read without having read The Incal. However, readers who have seen Jodorowsky’s unsuccessful Dune adaptation will notice the obvious thematic similarities. While the ending lacks the oomph of the rest of the story, The Metabarons is considered the biggest success of the series, and it’s beautifully illustrated by the incomparable Argentine artist, Juan Gimenez. His mimetic, pictorial approach is highlighted by the sticky, gritty texture of his colours, lending a visceral effect to the series’ battle sequences.
About Author
