Pipeline and Sundry: The Life of Peyo, The Beginning of Awards Season

The Life of Peyo

When the first “Smurfs” movie came out a few years ago, I remember seeing a book in the bookstore — we had those then — that was a history of the Smurfs.  I haven’t seen it since, but I regret not buying it that day.  I can’t even remember enough of the title to look it up and find it somewhere on-line.  I think it was hardcover and bound on the short side.

It was aimed at the movie audience, sure, but as I recall, it wasn’t just a movie thing.  The movie was just the last chapter of a larger and better book.  Maybe someday I’ll see it again, but in the meantime, there’s this.

A new Peyo book that just came out in Europe:

It looks like it’s an art book from Peyo’s unpublished archives, with snippets of interviews and notes from the man, himself, to explain the illustrations. In other words, it’s right up my alley.  It goes all the way back to Peyo’s beginnings as an artist, too.

The Daniel Maghen Gallery is involved with this book.  If that name sounds familiar to you, it might be from previous Christie’s auctions of original BD art, which they curated.

The book is 57 Euros and can be ordered through Amazon.fr today, on the off chance anyone in my family is still looking for a Christmas present for me and reads this….

 

Awards Season

As the year comes to its inevitable end, the Best Of lists start to spring up.

In France, this means it’s awards season.  Two big ones pop up at this time of year.

Before I get to them, though, I suppose I should reveal what these nominations say about me: I’d be an awful critic.  I can analyze. I can review.  I can compare and contrast.

But to be a critic would suck all the fun out of comics for me.  I look at these lists and so very few of them appeal to me at all.  Many are the ones I’d see on stands and never give a second thought to.

I am a commercial creature.  I like commercial things.  Give me Spirou and Asterix and Valerian.  You can have your auto-biographies and historical treatises on the oppressive regimes and the broken homes and societal issues of the day.  I’m OK with fantasy and make believe and fun. I like to laugh.

It’s a recurring pattern for me. It works in North American comics the same.  It works in animation, as well. So often, the critical favorites are ones that just don’t appeal to me. I like classic Bugs Bunny and crazy Animaniacs and Teen Titans Go!  Flat 2D animation that looks like cardboard cut-outs or cheap 60s far does nothing for me.

 

ACBD

The first is the ACBD awards, which is a comics critic’s association choices.  Their Grand Prize is down to five books, one of which should look familiar as its won every award we could give it in America already.  Yes, I’m talking about that Monsters book.  Amongst others, it’s up against Cyril Pedrosa’s “L’Age D’Or”, which serialized on-line a couple months back before appearing in print.

Export

 

FIBD, a/k/a Angouleme

The second is the awards the FIBD gives out at Angouleme in January.  This is a lengthier list to start.  The main prize will be whittled down from a list of 45 different books that strains itself to cover every possible base.  That includes three American books: Jeff Lemire’s “Royal City” v2, Emil Ferris’ “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters”, of course, and “The Sheriff of Babylon” by Tom King and Mitch Gerards, which originally saw print States-side a couple years ago.  (The nominations are for French reprintings of the work.)

There are four different categories in total, including comics for younger readers (that younger readers will vote for) and crime comics (which is sponsored by a group that I assume is crime fiction-related.)

There’s also one that’s the “Heritage Selection,” which is basically “Best Reprint.”  It features a Gustave Dore book and Neal Adams/Denny O’Neill Batman. Interesting mix.

As a bonus, read the comments after the linked article.  Turns out, French comics readers are just as opinionated as North American ones.  There’s a heated discussion going on about whether the FIBD’s choices represent BD readership well or are elitist choices which won’t help the comics world economically at all.

In other words, it’s your typical awards season debate over critics versus the sales.  It applies to everything from The Eisners to the Oscars and all the awards between. The Oscars floated a trial balloon this year to give an award to best popular movie, but nobody wanted to admit that the Oscars were really elitist, and everyone wanted their movie to get the elitist’s prize, so the balloon got shot down.

 

An interview with Juan Diaz Carnales

The Comics Beat has an interview with Blacksad writer and co-creator, Juan Diaz Carnales.  It’s timed (two months later) with Magnetic Press’ release of “Fraternity,” another book he wrote that features art by Jose-Luis Munuera.  Yes, of “The Campbells” fame.

It’s available digitally, so I’ll be giving it a shot soon…