Week 9: A Wide World of Comics

As a child, I grew up with European and Asian comics and as such am the most familiar with them. In fact, it wasn’t until I went into an international school that I was truly exposed to American comics. To my understanding, Europe is one of the first places where the comic originated and as such have one of the richest histories in that aspect.

I mentioned before that I read Tintin often as a child, but there is also another European comic that I frequently read when I was young. I used to go to the library often to borrow new volumes of Asterix and Obelix until I had read almost every single one. It has been a long time since I’ve read any Asterix comics, but I recall that I had enjoyed them greatly as a child.

I liked the adventures the two Gauls would find themselves in, the different people they would encounter and the various places they travelled to. I supported the Gauls, of course, but I also couldn’t help but like the bumbling Romans even though they were supposed to be the antagonists. Even Caesar, the main antagonist, was portrayed as not entirely evil, and I suppose I appreciated that.

My personal favorite was Obelix simply because I appreciated his constant hunger for food (namely wild boar). Little me thought that the way the artist drew the wild boar was so delicious, and I would always ask my mother if we could have it one day (and to this day, I still haven’t). I also enjoyed the many drawings of food and the way Asterix and Obelix enjoy whatever was served to them no matter where they were. Aside from the protagonists, I also enjoyed the many side characters such as the druid, the bard, and their village leader. Each had their own vibrant personalities that made reading the comic all the more enjoyable.

Both Asterix and Obelix and Tintin were the first ongoing comics I read as a kid and I remember them both fondly today. For the former, I never really cared what order I read them in, which meant that I was a little confused about the characters initially. However, I quickly learned their names and idiosyncrasies. In Tintin’s case, I didn’t read the first volume first, but as they were mostly standalone I didn’t have any problems following the plot. After reading enough of them, I decided to start over from the beginning and read them in order. It was far easier to understand what was going on afterwards.

I suppose that is one thing I appreciate about European and Asian comics. In American comics, there are so many artists for the same comic and in that vein, so many interpretations and reboots based on the aesthetic of each artist that it is very different. In European comics, there is usually only one artist per series and so there is a consistency that makes the comic and plot easy for me to follow.