MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and
chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.
23 November 2005
Asterix or Tintin? My girlfriend loves Asterix, I can't get enough Tintin. What's your take?
Asterix for reals. I grew up reading that shit. (tintin too, but he just bored me, he was a wuss). And in high school French class we used to read them (in French of course). Man, Asterix was the best.
Asterix written by Goscinny by a long shot. (Monkeybashi has great taste - yay tracicle!) I love both Asterix and Tintin, but the writing in Asterix is much stronger in the wordplay and humor department. I would say that comparing Asterix to Tintin is like comparing the Hope & Crosby "Road" movies to the Saint t.v. series.
interrobang - I only recently picked up a couple of Adele Blanc-Sec books. It's targeted at a different audience from Asterix & Tintin, but it has its charms. Thanks, however, for the pointer to the MeFi thread - I'd completely missed it! So cheers!
I liked Lucky Luke too, but you're right - the books were harder to come by so I didn't read too many of them. I did enjoy Iznogoud as well, a book Goscinny did with the artist Tabary. It's about the Grand Vizier in the court of Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid, commander of the faithful, and his attempts at gaining the Caliph's throne for himself. The premise lends itself more to Roadrunner vs. Coyote-style short stories compared to Asterix's longer adventures, but it's all fun.
An interesting note about Goscinny and Asterix - Goscinny's english was good enough that he helped translate the books from french. It's remarkable how accessible the english versions are, especially since in the original french a more detailed knowledge of French politics is necessary to "get" some of the jokes, allusions and caricatures.
My high school chemistry teacher was an Irishwoman with an interesting sense of humor, and I remember one day she decreed that our classtime was to be spent reading the stack of Asterix comix she had brought in. The rest of the class was spent in complete silence, with an occasional loud guffaw from someone who got to a particularly bad pun.
Asterix is much more sophisticated and verbally cleverer, but something about the way the Tintin books are drawn is just really endearing. I love them both.
Tintin may be hopelessly upright, but his dog isn't. Neither is their nautical friend.
Tintin by a fucking mile. I grew up on both of them, and am currently rereading Tintin. Herge is a fucking monster.
Asking this is like asking to choose between the Disney movies of Sleeping Beauty and Hercules. Tintin is just some of the finest drafting and plotting (and Tintin's no tightass, noting his opium fun and frequent drunkeness), whereas Asterix is fun and light, but ultimately just can't stand up in the same realm.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
