A question on European comics

Got questions? He's got answers!
Post Reply
deanis45
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:11 am
Location: China

A question on European comics

Post by deanis45 »

I've been a reader of this forum for quite some time but this is my first post so firstly I want to say I've been an admirer of your comic books Mr. Davis for half a life time and I must say you have a very special talent, that I haven't seen anywhere else at least in American and British comics (believe me I've looked).

Your all round mastery of the comic book graphic form is amazing and only more so when combined with your consistency and ability to write a story well (better I think than a lot of so called industry hot shots who are in fact only writers, sorry I'm still bitter about Clandestine being cut short).

My question is are you familiar at all with Continental European artists like Francois Boucq, early Milo Manara(non pornographic stuff) and Moebius?
If so what do you think of their art especially compared to that of mainstream American comic books?

You've described your art as being cartoons rendered realitically (please correct me if that is a misinsterpretation) and it seems to me that
Continental European comic books have more in common with that idea in their art than Mainstream American comics.

I'm very eager to hear your opinion on this.

Also another question I met a Glaswegian comic shop owner who said he met you and says you were from Scotland but in the Clandestine teaser doesn't it say you are from Birmingham (or maybe that was Mark Farmer). Are you Scottish or English?

With great Respect
deanis45 aka Dennis Victor Prichard.
Alan Davis
Creator
Posts: 472
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:13 pm

Post by Alan Davis »

Thanks for the kind words, Dennis.

I was actually considered an American style artist when I first began to work in British comics. On balance my taste in comic art is more American than European and I was fairly ignorant about European comics until I met Paul Neary. He introduced me to Moebius, Milo Manara, Paul Gillon, Alberto Breccia, Raymond Poivet, to name a few.

British comic readers had always been exposed to a wide range of art styles because many European artists drew for British comics and I’m sure there was a great deal of cultural exchange between Britain and Europe, not only because of the geographical proximity but also through a shared artistic heritage. However, there are European artists who were influenced by American artists like Alex Raymond and Hal Foster so it isn’t possible to make a simple distinction… After all, a significant number of American Artists are descendants of Europeans so where do you draw the line.

I did indeed describe my approach to art as attempting to realistically render cartoons—But again this needs to be qualified. All line drawing could be called cartooning but I was using the term to describe a particular philosophy-- Too large a subject to go into in any depth here but, in a nutshell, it’s the principle of drawing the simplest exaggeration of an expression or movement without any thought to the surface. The approach, or at least the one I use, is American in origin and as different from European cartooning as it is from Manga.

Mark Farmer is from Birmingham and although I was also born in the Midland area, I do have an accent that sounds Scottish to non-Scots.

Alan
vinblood
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2005 7:59 pm
Location: Tournan en Brie, Seine et Marne, France

Post by vinblood »

Alan Davis wrote:Thanks for the kind words, Dennis.

I was actually considered an American style artist when I first began to work in British comics. On balance my taste in comic art is more American than European and I was fairly ignorant about European comics until I met Paul Neary. He introduced me to Moebius, Milo Manara, Paul Gillon, Alberto Breccia, Raymond Poivet, to name a few.

British comic readers had always been exposed to a wide range of art styles because many European artists drew for British comics and I’m sure there was a great deal of cultural exchange between Britain and Europe, not only because of the geographical proximity but also through a shared artistic heritage. However, there are European artists who were influenced by American artists like Alex Raymond and Hal Foster so it isn’t possible to make a simple distinction… After all, a significant number of American Artists are descendants of Europeans so where do you draw the line.

I did indeed describe my approach to art as attempting to realistically render cartoons—But again this needs to be qualified. All line drawing could be called cartooning but I was using the term to describe a particular philosophy-- Too large a subject to go into in any depth here but, in a nutshell, it’s the principle of drawing the simplest exaggeration of an expression or movement without any thought to the surface. The approach, or at least the one I use, is American in origin and as different from European cartooning as it is from Manga.

Mark Farmer is from Birmingham and although I was also born in the Midland area, I do have an accent that sounds Scottish to non-Scots.

Alan
Dennis has some good questions here.

As always, I appreciate your open mind and clear exposé about the cultural exchange...

Your european references (realist artists) are, obviously, the most proeminent...
Hugo Pratt was also one of them...
But so much talented people have enlighted the reading of kids and adults....To name all of them is an impossible task.

Raymond Poïvet, (I was honored to know him a bit) after some more ancient french artists named Giffey or Le Rallic or Pellos (on the famous FUTUROPOLIS story) was a proeminent figure in the end of '40; He became a "master" for a lot of younger fellows....Paul Gillon was one of them.
Following the "american way "of producing real life stories, Raymond Poîvet, after Alex Raymond, used plotography to have the shots he needed....

In Espana, some young kids were very inspired by Alex Raymond, Hal Foster and Milton Caniff strip at the end of 40'....Julio Ribera was one of them. and what about Victor DE LA FUENTE or Carlos GIMENEZ ?

About The master Jean GIRAUD...aka MOEBIUS, as a teenager, he was very near to Joseph GILLAIN, one of the most proeminent guy from the weekly Spirou magazine team...After some work in the shadow of Gillain (aka JIJE) Jean GIRAUD worked with a wonderful story teller ,Jean Michel CHARLIER...and the Lieutenant BLUEBERRY saga began in the weekly PILOTE magazine.

With the 68' cultural shock in France, the "PILOTE generation" split...New magazines were created. FLUIDE GLACIAL by GOTLIB, L'Echo des Savanes, MORMOIL, Tousse Bourrin...but the "revolution" which stroke the US market was METAL HURLANT created by a scenarist (JP DIONNET) and two SCI FI artists : Philippe DRUILLET and MOEBIUS / Jean GIRAUD.

This magazine was the embodiment of a generation "without limits"...

Then, the main stream american comics books market had a look to the US underground comix...and to the foreign publications.
Star Reach productions, Heavy Metal publishing, the EPIC magazine and the new comics (good printing on good paper), without advertissement every three pages, appeared....

Cultural exchange, diversity, melting pot....more than ever we are in a big world place where artistic influences and styles or way of telling a good story are the "food" for new readers, new fans. Future masters are there, everywhere, in perpetual quest.

"nuff said. ?" No ...
Please Mister / Master DAVIS...one days ...tell us YOUR OWN STORY with "your / the " european art style...The biography of Alan DAVIS could be an instant travel for the fans and 9th art lovers...Think to it , please !

:wink:
PEACE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT !
NO ?
So : don't complain...
Post Reply