Report from Paris by Darius KADIVAR
Comic Books very much like Movies until quite recently
have often been set aside as a minor popular art forms never quite achieving the
respectability of other more noble artforms like painting, poetry, music or
sculpting to name a few. It was probably thanks to Pop
Art and its spearhead artists like Andy
Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein and even to some degree former
Iranian diplomat Fereydoune Hoveyda
that
academic interest for such masters of the genre like Hergé, author of
Tintin Adventures, and his colleagues who invented what became
known as the French and Belgian Ligne Claire School Style
truly started.
Other styles have since appeared and showcased at
various festivals like the prestigious Festival d'Angoulème, and obviously the
American Comic genre has distinguished itself while having its share of
influence with Disney heroes or Super Heroes like Superman and Batman.
Interestingly in recent years particularly the past two
and a half decades French Comic books have also tried to shed light on middle
eastern civilizations and particularly Persia. This has been maybe due to
the past colonial history of France or Belgium that were also penetrated by
Oriental imagery and Mythology due to contacts with the Muslim world and their
own rivalries with other Colonial Powers like Great Britain or Germany.
French Kings, President, diplomats, writers and voyagers
were to travel to Persia and vice versa. Napoleon and
De Gaulle were widely admired in their time for their spirit of independence by
Iranians/Persians and continue to be referred to as great leaders who respected
Persian culture. General De Gaulle
was particularly impressed by a State visit he made to Iran in the 1960's during
which he was to inaugurate the building of a modern extension to the old Razi
school. ( See Author's notes).
Maybe some of this cultural and historical interaction
including even the Islamic revolution that took root in France's Neuphle
Chateau could explain some of this mutual
fascination or curiosity which has had its effect in the graphic artform
of French and Belgian comic books.
Interestingly in recent years Marjane Satrapy has turned
into a French cultural icon since the publication of her comic book series
Persepolis that explores not only the life of a school girl caught in Pre and
Post Revolution Iran but also confronted to a culture clash with Western values
and culture in an interesting and intellectually challenging way while remaining
true to a very personal and simple style very much influenced by the French
Belgian Ligne Claire.
In addition and already prior to Satrapy several French
pioneers of the French and Belgian Comic Book arena have tried to explore
Persian Culture and History through recurrent adventures. This has been the case
of two major icons of the French Belgian school of Artists like Jacques Martin who
collaborated with the Great Hergé author of the cult Tintin Adventures
and Gilles Chaillet who in turn
worked with Martin on his Alix hero.
Below are some of their recent works that have focused
on two different era's in Persian History, that of Alix in Ancient Persia and
that of Vasco a Medieval knight whose adventures lead him to Medieval Persia.
Each in their way have been based on meticulous
historical and social research that make the adventures if not factual at least
authentic for any reader interested in Persian Pre-Islamic and Post Islamic
History.
Top: The Legendary Hergé Belgian creator of Tintin
and French Jacques
Martin creator of Alix collaborated for the
Journal de Tintin a weekly magazine
printed in the 60's and 70's that
launched an entire generation of comic book
artists. ©Casterman. Bottom: The
latest Alix Album by Jacques Martin
introduces life in Persepolis.
©Casterman
Les Voyages
d'Alix: Persepolis
Plot: Persepolis in all its splendor: The Apadana,
the Hall of a Hundred Columns, Naghsheh Rostam and Pasargardae are only some of
the splendid locations that are recreated by Jacques Martin. We are invited to
discover what if felt like to live at the time of King Darius and Xerxes not
only amongst the nobility but amongst the inhabitants of the great city. The
splendid drawings are supported by a historical information and documents that
are accessible for all readers young or old.
PG Warning: Suitable for Ages 10 and over
Upcoming Alix Album in the Series Les Voyages D'Alix :
Alexandre le Grand
©Casterman
Les Voyages
d'Alix: Alexandre le Grand aka Alexander the Great
Plot: Upcoming Alix Album in
the Series Les Voyages D'Alix : Alexandre le Grand. Alix and faithful
buddy Enak explore the conquests of Alexander the Great. Contrary to the
Alix Adventures, which respect historical chronology, The Voyages of Alix a sort
of Time Machine Exploration
with no particular plot but are
purpose but to present Ancient Civilizations and historical Characters
regardless of chronological Time and Space.
PG Warning: Suitable for Ages 10 and
over
Gilles Chaillet worked with Martin on Alix
before creating his own hero Vasco
a medieval knight of the Middle Ages. Two of his
adventures are set in Persia
at the time of Bahram Gur when
Përsia and the Byzantine Empire were
rivals.
Poussière D'Ispahan aka Sands of Ispfahan and Les
Chiens de Bahram Ghör aka
The Dogs of Bahram Gür . ©Le
Lombard
Poussière
d'Ispahan aka Sands of Isfahan
Plot: 14th Century Europe and
Persia: Uncle Tolemei, banker is
terribly angry ! To think that they dared to disturb his nephew who was
about to participate at the Palio Race ! These Byzantines have no manners !
As far as Vasco is concerned he only thinks of winning the
race.
But Destiny will decide
otherwise !
Far Away in the land of Persia, in Isfahan, a ruthless Vizir rules through Terror
and tyranny. He has also taken hostage a very important personality. Nothing
seems to link these two events and yet …
Who is this mysterious hostage who
will drive Vasco and Van Loo to undertake a dangerous trip to the Hostile land
where Christians are less than welcome ? What are the true motivations of this
cruel Vizir ? …
All these intrigues and much
more will await you in this album.
Vasco will undertake a perilous journey marked by battles, fears and alliances
that will challenge the heroes from Sienna to Persia
and Jerusalem. Once Again Gilles Chaillet offers us
magnificent and precise reconstructions of the splendid medieval towns of
Shiraz and Isfahan. The life and customs, religious and
political intrigues and mindset of that distant era come to life. Sienna of the
14th century A.D. in all its opulence of architecture and costumes
contrast with the arid climate and landscape of Palestine leading us to the court of Persia and
its treasures. The drawings prove once again of the author's desire to combine
an in depth historical research with a good story supported by the splendid
coloring work of Assistant Chantal Defachelle.
PG Warning: Suitable for All Ages
Les Chiens de Bahram Ghur aka The
Dogs of Bahram Ghur
Plot: Second part of Vasco's adventures in
Persia, the Dogs of Bahram Gur.
Days pass by as the enemy
approaches the city of Isfahan … Vasco knows that every second counts
in order for him to find Sophie . Bahram Gur ( who strangely looks like Leonard Nimoy ) the cruel Vizir
confirms that the Byzantine Princess has left the town before its fall. Vasco
however is convinced that it is Bahram himself who is holding her hostage
somewhere in this mysterious town that is under siege and scrutiny by the
personal militia of Bahram Gur who are known as the Dogs of Bahram
Gur by the inhabitants of
Isfahan. Will
Vasco be able to save his beloved ? And if so in what circumstances ?
…
PG Warning: Sex and Violence reading suitable
for age 12 and over
Vasco discovers Lust and Court Intrigues in Gilles
Chaillet's Persia of
Bahram Gür ©Le
Lombard
Persepolis by Marjane
Satrapy
First printed by a little known French
edition l'Association, Marjane Satrapi's French Comic book Persepolis has
achieved cult status ever since its publication. Widely translated in several
languages it remains censored in Persian because of its subversive and outspoken
plot. The Album series have been followed by other adventures of Satrapy and
Family with such stories as Embroideries and Poulets aux
Prunes exploring issues as
taboo in Iran as female sexual pleasures and
Freudian obsessions of the author.
Most recently Satrapy has published Sagesses
et malices de la Perse and Adjar.
Persepolis will also be a much expected animated movie
in 2007 starring Catherine Deneuve, and daughter Chiara Mastroiani in the
respective title roles of Mother
and Daughter Satrapy.
PG Warning: Sexual Content and Language makes it only
suitable for ages 13 and over
Marjane Satrapy's
French Comic book Persepolis is a much expected
animated movie in 2007
starring Catherine Deneuve who will be dubbing
the voice of Satrapi's mother
©l'Association
If unlike Greek, Roman or Egyptian
civilizations, Persia remained to some degree
mysterious or unreachable for the Western Mindset, these recent examples prove
the ability that a so-called minor artform like comic books has to
visually educate us on other cultures and ours in particular.
It is not surprising that cinema in
turn has been exploiting this artform thanks to Storyboards that have been
widely used by the Spielberg and Luc Besson ( both great admirers of Hergé)
generation of filmmakers.
Historical
State visits ( see below) have marked French, Belgian
and
Iranian/Persian ties: Above Mozafferedin Shah Qajar coronation and visit
to
Contrexeville France in the Petit Journal. Bottom:
French Point De Vue covers Shah
and Queen Farah's visits to Belgium and
France. ©Pictory
Iranian.com
It should be noted that unfortunately non of the Works of Jacques Martin,
Gilles Chaillet or Marjane Satrapy have been translated into Persian. Maybe it
is high time to consider this possibility be it by Persian language publishers
outside Iran in a near future until the same can one day be done back home in
our country Iran.
SO
VIVE LE B.D.
(*)
AND
VIVE L'AMITIE
FRANCO-PERSANE ! (**)
Author's
notes :
All Comic books are available on amazon.fr . However Vasco and Alix unlike Satrapi's
Persepolis or Hergé's Tintin are not available in English.
(*) B.D. Abbreviation for Bande
Dessiné aka Comic Book
(**) Long Live French Persian Friendship
!
Recommended Reading:
Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis
Film Blog by Darius KADIVAR
Recommended Reading:
Rostam Super Hero:
Popularizing A Persian Myth... by Darius KADIVAR
Recommended Reading:
Hergé's Fantasy Kingdom: The
Land of the Black Pelican by Darius KADIVAR
Recommended Viewing: President De Gaulle Friendly
visit to Iran and greeted at French-Iranian school Razi in 1963 by Iranian Student who speaks
perfect French. Part
2 of President De Gaulle's Visit (YouTube)
About the Author: Darius KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist,
Film Historian, and Media Consultant
