Not So (Ligne) Claire

Not So (Ligne) Claire

     As we learned in class, Jacques Tardi produced The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec using Ligne Claire just as Hergé did in The Adventures of Tintin. In addition to their common use of Ligne Claire, the two comic series draw many similarities: both feature a superpower-less hero and protagonist, both are constantly finding themselves in trouble and using their intellect to get themselves out of it, and much more. Where they differ, however, is with respect to the clarity of their narratives. As soon as yesterday's roundtable discussion was formed it immediately became clear to me that, thankfully, I wasn't the only one who struggled with Tardi's narrative in Pterror Over Paris. At times, I found myself wondering how even Tardi himself was able to keep track of all the characters and plot twists that occurred throughout the story. Unlike Hergé's Tintin, which, as a comic as whole, presents a very straightforward and easily interpretable narrative, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec convolutes the story with too many and often very similar-looking characters, an overuse of closure, and a lack of clarity of the roles and motives of the individual characters. Like most movies, comics, or really any medium, Adele Blanc-Sec requires an extra re-read or two to really gain a comfortable understanding of what's going on and uncover the hidden jewels of the narrative. However, this comic took this notion to a new level: I found my difference in understanding between my first and second read through of the comic to be completely night and day. For example, as Ty noted in class yesterday, it was only clear after his, and my own, second reading that the bottom two panels on page 5 are intended to indicate the physical and mental connection between the pterodactyl and Professor Boutardieu. Tardi is a bit over ambitious with his use of closure between these two panels: though it is made more clear over the following pages that the professor is responsible for the Pterodactyl's hatching and controls it, between these two panels it is not clear whether the Professor is in fact physically controlling the dinosaur via his own movement or if he is just some strange looking man inexplicably cheering loudly in a nearby city. 

     Despite the confusion I often found myself enduring while I read these two comics, they are by far my favorite. Perhaps it was the challenge of having to focus harder and work through the story to gain a full understanding and appreciation for the narrative is what gave me an added pleasure over the other comics we have read thus far.