2023-11-18 12:24:23
Of course, from clumsiness to blunders, he made us laugh, sometimes to tears. Often, faced with a new invention, each crazier than the last, he left us incredulous and delighted. In some 40 years of existence, from 1957 to 1996, Gaston Lagaffe, son of Franquin, established himself as one of the icons of comics. But what if he hadn’t just done that? At a time when this antihero will be reborn in a new album expected on November 22, “Le Parisien – Today in France” devotes a new special issue to him, in the “Histoires de BD” collection, where we discover the nonchalant guy in the green turtleneck as a precursor to many current debates.
In this “Finally?” ! », the idea is to explore Gaston from every angle of his espadrilles. First, let’s return to his birth, that of a claimed antihero, more “useless” than “good for nothing”, who knows neither how nor why he arrived in the pages of Spirou.
Ecology, biodiversity, it’s in Gaston!
Also highlight all the talent, as a designer as well as a gagman, of André Franquin (1924-1997), undisputed genius of the 9th art, with sketches, original plates, quotes and an anthology of the inventions of the gaffer who knows how to blunder . Finally, take a closer look at the whole universe that surrounds it, galleries of colorful characters; from Prunelle to Mademoiselle Jeanne, in a world, that of the 60s and 70s, in the midst of a revolution.
But the desire, as Le Parisien – Today in France likes to do, is also that of a step aside, that of taking a step back. This new perspective places Lagaffe as an essential witness of his era. But, if you look closely, just as much about ours. Concerns about ecology and biodiversity are in Lagaffe! Remember the mini-mower to cut the grass while sparing the daisies. Animal protection and anti-speciesism are still in Lagaffe, the only one capable of flooding an editorial office to provide a playground for its goldfish. Questions about work rhythms, the very notion of a job or career, are always in Lagaffe, the most active lazy person in the world.
Funny, poetic, paradoxical sometimes, often chaotic, Gaston’s world is also very much like ours. And that’s why we love him.
“Finally? ! », a special issue “Histoires de BD” from Le Parisien – Today in France. 95 pages. 12.95 euros.
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