L'école franco-belge de BD

#BD2020 - A quick presentation of some of the most famous comics. 

After World War Two, publishers launched periodicals addressed specifically to the youth. Thanks to their high frequency of release and the rivalry they kept, it led to a climate favorable to creation, and some real artistic emulation. Today, we remember two main periodicals of that time: Le Journal de Spirou and Le Journal de Tintin. We can also mention the magazine Pilote, that was created a little later on by Uderzo, Goscinny and many others. 
The franco-belges comics archieved major development during the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, Belgian and French authors and illustrators worked together, and so the adjective franco-belge was used very naturally to point to the comics industry. Although still active today, the franco-belges comics refers more to a format, as they generated more diversified and adult comics. 

You can find below, randomly arranged, some of the most famous ambassadors of franco-belges comics. Which one is your favourite? 

	Tintin by Hergé 1929  Astérix by Uderzo et Goscinny 1959 Published in the very first edition of the magazine Pilote, this successful serie shows the fight of a small Gallic village against the Roman empire, with strong character and magic potion ,
	Gaston Lagaffe by André Franquin  1957 Published in Le Journal de Spirou, gaston has nothing of a hero and is certainly the laziest comic character. Although he makes many blunders, he is very inventive .  Achille Talon by Greg 1963 Created in the magazine Pilote, this comics allies a simple drawing style with many play on words.
	Blake et Mortimer by Edgar P. Jacobs 1946 One of the most populars from Le Journal de Tintin. The head of MI5 Captain Francis Percy Blake and leading physicist Professor Philip Angus Mortimer fight together Colonel Olrik,  an international vilain. The serie lasted  after Jacob's death in 1987 thanks to other illustrators.  Lucky Luke by Morris  1947 Created in l'Almanach, a special edition of Le Journal de Spirou.  Lucky Luke is a cowboy that can shoot faster than his own shadow. He fights crime in the far-west with his horse.  In the beginning, the cowboy was represented with a cigarette, that was replaced by a wisp of straw.

	Les Schtroumpfs by Peyo 1958 Icons of the international pop culture, the Smurfs live in the forest. With their vibrant blue skin and smurfing way of talking, they are adored from a very young age, although they are all more than 100 years old.
Alix, by J. Martin  1948 Alix is a young Gallic raised by Roman people. This situation will often lead him to be torned between his gallic roots and his roman citizenship. Friend with Caesar, he is renowned for his courage. Fearless and devoted to good causes, Alix was first published in Le Journal de Tintin.		Dingodossiers by Gotlib 1967 This satire of the French society of the 1960s was published in Pilote.
	Iznogoud by Goscinny et Tabary 1962 You can guess a lot from this character's name, and even more when you know that his catch phrase is "Je veux être calife à la place du calife" ( I want to be Caliph in the place of the Caliph). Marsupilami by André Franquin 1952 First created inside the Spirou et Fantasio stories as a pet, Marsupilami then gets his own serie. His amazing tale allows him to do multiple things...

#BD2020, c'est l'année de la BD en France et dans les centres culturels français. Retrouvez le cycle d'articles consacrés à la BD sur le blog de l'AF.