Tardi's Paris

Adele Blanc-Sec was a pleasurable read, more for the appreciation of the art and French aesthetic than the complex storyline and wide cast. As another style of Bande Desinee, I spot some similarities Tardi has to Hergé’s Tintin. The ‘clear-line’ technique and Tardi’s sharp attention to detail give great visual homage to Paris and really sets the location of the story. The panel art really does give the entire comic its own aesthetic; some stylistic backgrounds include different colored lines to replicate wallpaper, earthier tones and dark blue backgrounds which are striking against Tardi's delicate lines. This comic is unique in its cast of characters, as Tardi also seems to highlight the city as a character as well. When the Pterodactyl begins to wreak havoc, not one citizen, but any person living in Paris was being terrorized. The newspapers showed the people of the city in a frenzy, which created some sort of Parisian solidarity against the crisis.

My appreciation of the art was sparked right from the beginning, with the subtle detail of the first page of Volume 1. Here, the panels are symmetrical, with the pleasing, subtle detail of the curved gutter between rows one and two. The panels in all look like a window, letting the reader in on the scene. I’ve noticed that Tardi is not afraid to modify his panels to fit with the architecture he is trying to highlight. The detail to the French buildings and accuracy of the locations are astounding. I’m not surprised to learn in class today that some panel illustrations are based on true events.  

My only struggle throughout reading this comic was still the overwhelming presence of dialogue, speech bubbles and the confusion of the plot. Some characters looked near identical, which had me doubling back frequently to check which character has entered the scene.