Asterix: 50th Anniversary
October 29, 2009, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the French comic book series Asterix! Created by Rene Goscinny (writer) and Albert Uderzo (artist), it’s the story of a small gaul named Asterix, who with the help of his oversized friend Obelix, keeps Julius Caesar and the Romans at bay. There are 35 albums in print, the most recent edition is called Asterix & Obelix’s Birthday. Personal favorites include Asterix the Gladiator, Asterix and the Goths, and Asterix and the Normans (I still don’t have the entire collection though).
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen my own work that I’m an Asterix fan. It was the very first comic book I was ever shown and I remember it being pulled down from the bookshelf in a ray of golden light (no joke)–it was a well-worn, hardback copy of Asterix the Legionary–and I knew then and there that I wanted to draw like that someday.
There are also animated movies based on the books (as well as live-action), one of the funniest cartoons I’ve seen is the 12 Tasks of Asterix, the voice acting is terrific and the animation is pretty good too.
When it comes to Kid Beowulf, my tip of the hat to Asterix and Obelix is probably most directly seen in Emer and Ermlaf (in stature, not in nature). In Kid Beowulf and the Song Of Roland, I added another homage in the character Dargaud, the comedic playwrite. He is named after the publishing company “Dargaud” that printed all the Asterix books in my library (Asterix has since been sold to another publisher).
Since Goscinny passed away in 1976, Uderzo has been the sole creative force behind Asterix and many have said that the series is worse for it. Frankly, it’s hard for me to judge–the artwork is still terrific, but I always thought Asterix was kind of “punny” to begin with. Then again, I’m sure something is lost in the translation. There is an interesting article about Asterix and its 50th anniversary which debates the point of quality. For all kinds of information you can visit the official Asterix website. Happy birthday boys!
Holger Danske
October 27, 2009, filed under: Characters, by LexOne of the museums we went to in Copenhagen was the Museum of Danish Resistance, which catalogued the years during World War II when a small resistance of Danes stood against the Nazis. One of these resistance groups was called the Holger Danske, named after the Danish hero. Holger goes by another name in the Carolingian romances, as well as the Kid Beowulf mythos: Ogier the Dane!
Ogier appears in many stories, including the Song of Roland; he fought alongside Charlemagne for many years and even fights against him in later years. Ogier is certainly one of my favorite characters and if I ever did a spin-off story from the Kid B. universe, Ogier would be at the top of the list.
A statue of Holger Danske resides in another part of Denmark at the Kronborg Castle. According to legend…
“Ogier becomes a king in the mountain; he is said to dwell in the castle of Kronborg, his beard grown down to the floor, to sleep there until some date when Denmark is in mortal danger, at which time he will rise up and deliver the nation.”
A wonderful symmetry took place as I walked the museum’s halls and read about the Holger Danske; I felt like I knew their secret and why that name was so important to them. And it was exciting to know that in some small way I was carrying on the tradition of their Danish hero in my own books, and that my Ogier the Dane was fighting the good fight alongside them.
SEK & Fika Part III
October 21, 2009, filed under: SEK & Fika, Studio, by LexHere are the remaining sketches from SEK & Fika’s journey through Scandinavia…including our free lunch in Fiskebackskil!
This is a great story that you’ll just have to ask me about in person (litigation is pending).
In Copenhagen we took a tour of those beautiful canals…
And nearly ran over some kayakers–CANAL HOGS!
On our last day in Denmark we made a stop at the Royal Cafe, a lovely place famous for its chocolate croissants!
I was amazed at how well SEK and Fika got along during their 13 day trip. Of course, it wasn’t always without the occasional hardship. SEK’s enthusiasm for those croissants nearly drove poor Fika crazy! But she retaliated with the deadliest weapon in her arsenal…
*Sigh* Looking forward to a return trip!
Alternative Press Expo
October 17, 2009, filed under: News, Studio, by LexThis weekend I’ll be exhibiting at APE! The Alternative Press Expo is held in San Francisco at the Concourse Exhibition Center and is generally the last convention of the season. There’s always a good crowd of talented cartoonists on hand and it’s a great place to find one of a kind creators.
I’ll be on the main floor at table 405, I’ll have Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath for sale as well as Kid Beowulf and Hama sculpts. I’ll also have the galley edition of Kid Beowulf and the Song of Roland on hand (it looks pretty sharp!). I’m happy to sketches for folks and for those tech-savvy Iphone people, be sure to ask about the Kid B. app I’m working on (I’ll even show you a sneak peek!).
Comics! In Sweden!
October 7, 2009, filed under: News, Studio, by LexOn my first trip to Europe (in those halcyon post-college days), I was delighted and astounded to discover great comic shops and boutiques in virtually every city I wandered through. So on my second go around, I made it a mission to seek out more great European comics and comic shops. I’m happy to report that Sweden and Denmark are holding their own.
It was down a narrow street like this in the Gamlastan district of Stockholm that I caught a glimpse of a TinTin flag waving in the breeze and I knew I had stumbled upon a TinTin Boutique. These specialty shops are devoted to all things TinTin and it was cool to see all the editions, sculpts and other paraphernalia (for the intrepid comics traveler check out this worldwide listing).
[Full disclosure: although I admire Herge's skill as a cartoonist, I've always been in the Asterix camp of storytelling--but hey, I'm gonna be happy in ANY shop devoted to ANY comics].
Lucky for me there was plenty of Asterix to go around, especially these terrific sculpts:
and another European comics staple, Spirou
I was also curious to see what American comics were popular in Sweden. I’d heard rumors that Beetle Baily was huge there (thankfully, I saw no such thing). As I rummaged through some back issues I came across a translated collection of Kalle och Hobbe:
It was nice to see a familar face–though not really surprising (Watterson’s art is reminicent of some European comics). I wanted to find more, so the hunt continued. As we traveled the west coast of Sweden we stumbled upon a convenient store where we…saw…COMICS!?
In a convenient store? That’s crazy! Who’s every heard of such a thing?! So easily accessible to the everyday public?! Check out all these titles: Get Fuzzy, Mighty Mouse and…Ernie?
Believe it or not, Bud Grace’s Ernie (AKA: The Piranaha Club), is very popular in Sweden. I had seen it translated in two or three different papers and I came across lots of collections in different book stores. I always thought Ernie was funny…too bad I have to go all the way to Sweden to get it.
These Swedish discoveries were nice, but it didn’t scratch my comic-lovers itch. Where were those huge shops devoted to nothing but European comics? I knew they existed, I’d seen them years before. Where would I have to go…?
Copenhagen! Where, on the last leg of our trip I stumbled upon a beautific underground lair of comic delights: Fafaos Cigarer.
This place had EVERYTHING: European comic albums, American comics, manga, comic strip collections, sculpts…I would still be there if I could! It was like a little slice of heaven in Denmark.
After all this time hunting down comics, I wanted to know if there was a comic native to Scandinavia. Belgium had TinTin, France had Asterix, Sweden had…Ernie, but was there a comic as popular as those in Denmark? The answer my friends, is Peter Madsens’ Valhalla!
A comic I (inexplicabably) never heard of until that very moment, Valhalla is an ongoing series that retells the Norse legends and is drawn in a terrific, cartoony style. The second I saw the pages it looked like a hybrid of my own work and my friends’, Justin Thompson of Mythtickle (clearly, we all have similar influences). Apparently Valhalla has been going on for the last 20 years, and the final volume, “Volvens Syner,” dropped that very week. It’s a gorgeous book and I gladly bought the momento.
As terrific as the comic (and the shop) was, it was also frustrating; here I was, in this comic-lovers paradise, with all kinds of terrific new adventures and artists to discover and none of them are translated into English! And outside of Stuart Ng Books, you can’t find these books in regular comic shops. Ugh. Now that the series is ended, I can only hope it gets translated and sold in the States. It was great discovery though.
SEK & Fika Part II
October 1, 2009, filed under: SEK & Fika, Studio, by Lex
While in Stockholm we took a tour of the Vasa Museum, a place dedicated to the unearthing of a 17th century Swedish warship, The Vasa. The story goes that the ship sank on its maiden voyage, barely making it out of the harbor (apparently there wasn’t enough ballast to support all those cannons). The ship stayed sunk for 330 years until it was rediscovered in the 1960’s and a huge excavation took place. The museum is built around the unearthed ship. (click the sketches for larger views)
Also in Stockholm is a famous wooden sculpture of St. George and the Dragon housed in the Storkyrkan Cathedral…
From Stockholm we took a train cross country to Gothenburg, which is on the west coast of Sweden and much more of a blue-collar town (and the home of Volvo).
During a walk of the city we came across a group of bagpipe players practicing. Dissonance never sounded so good!
Also during our walking tour we came across Cafe Husaren, a place that apparently serves the biggest cinnamon rolls known to man (and moose)…
Finally the day came when I could pick up my Volvo! We were treated like kings: free hotel, chauffeured ride, free lunch and a factory tour…not to mention the car. Here it is in the “Delivery Hall” where my technician, Mika, is showing me all of the car’s “007-like refinements.”
The real fun came when I got to drive the car up and down the coast of Sweden, which is dotted with lovely coastal villages.
And lots of weird road signs…
Actually, that last one’s kinda helpful…