We were staying at the Nice Byakko Hotel. It had Japanese ownership. I was told by my personal tour guide that breakfast was not included, because it was too expensive, at this particular hotel. When we checked in, we learned that circumstances had changed and breakfast was now included with the price of the room.
My contention, without any facts to back this up, is that breakfasts are the most difficult meals, because every culture has its own idea of what constitutes an appropriate first meal. The cultural distance from Scandinavia impacts my opinion of these meals. Relative poverty forced me to eat like a Norwegian, starting in 1980. I learned to appreciate cultured milk = buttermilk, with my first job in Norway working in a slaughterhouse, when it was provided at our first meal break. Yes, necessity brought about a dietary change when I was thirty. Since then, I have tried not to stray far from this diet.
Of course there is no equivalent to a Scandinavian diet in France. French food is far too sweet and delicate, at least for my tastes. In terms of bread, my choice is to eat coarse buns or bread crusts, preferably with cheese. For many years I did not eat crusts, because I did not want to prevent others from the joy of consuming them. Then I discovered they were being discarded. Now, I don’t ask anyone for permission to eat the crusts, but grab them at every opportunity! Sometimes, I eat legumes with them, in the form of peanut butter. At a first meal, I either drink a cider vinegar and honey drink, or green tea, if it is available. After that, but before 14:00, I drink black coffee; then water or infusions = herbal teas, after this self-imposed time limit.
Byakko refers to the white Asian tiger, as shown below.
Train to Digne
I had wanted to take the same train journey into the mountains of Provence, that Trish and I had taken in 2006. Except, once on board the train, I realized that this trip was inferior to the ones we had taken through Corsica. By then, it was too late.
Presented with this situation again, my choice would have been to rent a car for the day, to visit the Verdon Gorge, a nearby river canyon. It is about 25 km long and up to 700 metres deep. Americans call it the Grand Canyon of France. At the end of the canyon, the Verdon flows into the artificial Lake of Sainte-Croix. This didn’t happen, so we were on La Train des Pignes = The Pinecone Train, complete with a rail replacement bus, in both directions, to and from Digne, world famous in France for its hot springs.
We were only able to take the train part way to Digne. The train stopped, and everyone was transferred onto a bus, which then drove to the final destination.
In Digne, we experienced a market monopolizing the main street of the town. Almost anything could be bought, as long as one was prepared to pay in cash at excessive prices. We resisted temptation.
After an hour or so wandering through the town, we returned to our bus. When the train conductor came, everyone was required to exit the bus to have their tickets examined. Then, the conductor and everyone else boarded the bus again. No, I do not understand why the conductor did not just inspect tickets on the bus, starting at the back and walking forward.
We returned to the train station and boarded the train once more. While it made its way down the mountain some problem with the train required an extensive stop at La Tinee. At some point we were able to continue onwards, but the problem undoubtedly arose again, and we were expelled from the train, and told to take the next one, which arrived about half an hour later.
I found this woman’s jacket fascinating. I attempted to tell her so, in my best French, then took this photo when she wasn’t looking. Please note the elephants. Yes, they are all part of her glamour. This (and another) photo were taken after our train had officially broken down, and we were waiting for the next train to rescue us.
Monaco
Monaco does not have a visa policy of its own. The Schengen Visa policy applies, despite Monaco not being part of the European Union, or the Schengen Agreement. Its territory is part of Schengen because of its customs union with France. At the train station in Monaco, there appeared to be two (2) police officers on duty. They were observing, but not confronting anyone.
Somewhere here is the international border between Monaco and France. Yes, the bricks could be in Monaco, while the asphalt could be in France. Photo: Alasdair McLellan.A submarine, outside of the Oceanographic museum and aquarium in Monaco. It was the highlight of our visit.Alasdair took this photo of me documenting the many sculptures found in Monaco. Monaco seems to be competing with Straumen in Inderøy in terms of having the largest number of sculptures per square kilometer. It was delightful to have flowers in bloom. One of the many sculptures in Monaco. This one needs some TLC = tender, loving care.Some of Monaco’s residents.
The next day it was time for us to return to Norway, flying from NCE to AMS, and then from AMS to OSL. With a six hour wait at AMS, Alasdair and I decided that we could explore Amsterdam, taking a train from the airport to the Amsterdam station. In Amsterdam we encountered the most polluted air of the entire trip. In addition, there was no public seating! This short experience, was enough to eliminate Amsterdam from any future travel plans.
Amsterdam Train Station.
An aside: For most of my life, I have faced topographical disorientation challenges, especially in areas that are unfamiliar. Nice Byakko Hotel occupies two adjacent buildings, with two separate stairways for the upper floors that somehow unite, for movement between the ground level (entrance & reception) and first floor, where breakfast is consumed. For me, this became an obstacle, when someone shut the door to the stairway I needed to ascend to my room, and I became disoriented. The staff closest to this location, were less inclined to help resolve this challenge, than they were to exclude people from their work area. Later, I took this matter up with the receptionist, saying that it would be appreciated if they put something on the door, indicating that it led to a stairway, possibly with the affected room numbers.
We arrived at the port of Livorno on the Corsica ferry, Mega Express Two. We were walk-on passengers for the five hour trip from Bastia, on Corsica. Even before we landed, I could see the first photo that I wanted to take of Livorno. It was a somewhat outdated announcement of the centennial of the death of Amedeo Modigliani (1884 – 1920), who was born in Livorno, but moved to Paris in 1906. His characteristic style in paintings and sculptures typically elongated faces, necks, and other anatomical features. These exaggerations were received poorly during his lifetime, but were appreciated later. Modigliani’s early life featured considerable sickness. He was educated at home by his mother. His ancestors were Jewish refugees, who over some few generations had become bourgeois, owning and managing mines and forest resources in Sardinia.
At an unremembered point in time, possibly a couple of years ago, I bought a Taschen book about Modern Art, as a first stop to begin appreciating specific modern artists. Amedeo Modigliani is found on page 186-7, along with a single representative artwork, Nude Sitting on a Divan (1917). While I do not regret buying this book to gain an overview of some artists, I find it most often easier to use Wikipedia for a more comprehensive introduction. Indeed, I was able to find appropriate information about Modigliani from that source. It was also interesting to read about the history of the Jewish community in Livorno.
Artwork announcing the centennary of Amedeo Modigliani’s (1884 – 1920) death. Of course Modigliani would have approved of this setting. As an adult, he continually fought against his bourgeois origins, and was inspired by a vagabond existence.
In addition to its port and ethnic minorities, Livorno is world-famous in Italy for its canal network. This is not Venice, with antiquated gondolas, and uniformed gondoliers. Canal boats are typically made of fibreglass, powered by outboard motors, carry goods, rather than tourists to and from factories and warehouses, rather than palaces and churches. I am attracted to industrial canals, like those in Livorno, in much the same way that I am attracted to industrial history, rather than the more refined history of royalty or nobles.
Livorno canal as seen by Alasdair. Note the vessels, typically made of fibreglass and powered by outboard motors.A canal in Livorno as seen by Brock.
We walked through Livorno, ending up at the train station. Here we took a train for about ten minutes, ending up at Pisa. In Pisa, it struck me that every tourist visiting the fabled tower, was required to take a selfie or some other photo, showing their skill at preventing the tower from crashing down. Below is my effort to capture Alasdair engaged in this activity.
Alasdair preventing the tower of Pisa from crashing into the landscape.
After an hour, we were on our way by train again, heading north to Geno(v)a. It was an interesting landscape with much of it flat and flooded, but with mountains in the background.
After our arrival in Genoa, we found our Best Western hotel, and spent the evening relaxing then sleeping. Am I a keen observer? Alasdair asked me if my room was red, like his? I said, I had not noticed any red colour, but thought it was beige. When I returned to my room, I took this photo to remind myself that the walls were not beige, but red.
This is what our hotel rooms looked like. This was my room. Alasdair asked me if my room was red, like his? I said, I had not noticed any red colour. When I returned to my room, I took this photo to remind myself that the walls were not beige, but red.
Our discovery of the city began the next day. Perhaps the best known person from Genoa is Christopher Columbus who, working for Spain, made some important geographical discoveries towards the end of the fifteenth century. Genoa has preserved the house where Columbus was born, and where his father worked as a weaver.
Alasdair, preparing to enter the house in Genoa where Christopher Columbus was born.
Not far from our hotel there was a parked galleon. In its day, it was undoubtedly attempting to intimidate people not just with its canons, but with its extensive use of gold. We had learned on Corsica, that Genoese imperialism was not always appreciated. While they had ships and coastal fortifications, the Genoese were not always capable of conquering inland territories.
The Galata Museum in Genoa is the largest maritime museum on the Mediterranean. It opened in 2004, and allows visitors to appreciate five centuries of maritime history, from the 16th century. One of the earliest reconstructions is a 17th century galley. There is also a major exhibit showing life onboard a steamer bound for the Americas in the early 20th century.
The vessel that impressed me the most, was one of the smallest, a dinghy, showing the use of veneer in its construction. I have admired this construction technique for the past 65 years, because of its high strength to weight ratio!
One of the last things we did in Genoa was to visit the Zecca–Righi funicular railway. Like many of the trains we have taken on Corsica, it is narrow gauge = 1 000 mm. It has a length of 1428 m, with a rise of 279m. There are two trains, each with two cars, carrying 156 people. There are seven stations, two terminal and five intermediate. It opened in 1895.
Zecca – Righi funicolar at Carbonara station (second from the bottom). Photograph: Piro, 2008-12-18.
We then walked to the main train station, where we took a departing train for Nice.
A Concluding aside: Genetics is one of those difficult arts. When I first had my DNA analysed by 23&me about ten years ago, segments of my DNA were placed in relatively broad categories, including: northwestern Europe, southern Europe, indigenous America. As time progressed, segments moved around, generally becoming more detailed in the process. Thus, after returning from southern Europe, and with 23&me facing bankruptcy, I was surprised to find that my DNA had more detailed information about my southern European origins: Spanish and Portuguese = 6.7%; Sardinian = 2.7% and Italian = 1.4%. Yes, my next trip to southern Europe already included a plan to visit Sardinia!
On the first of our 2025 trips, Alasdair and I headed off to Corsica. Because of a closed railway line, and a world skiing championship, I took an unusual routing between Trondheim airport (TRD) and Sandefjord airport, Torp (TRF) on friday, 2025-02-28, followed by a train journey to Drammen, where I was picked up by Alasdair and driven to his house in Åros, in Asker municipality, Norway. On saturday evening 2025-03-01, we travelled by train up to Oslo airport (OSL) where we stayed at the Radisson Red hotel, so that we could take an early flight sunday morning to Amsterdam (AMS), followed by a flight to Nice (NCE).
The TGV = train à grande vitesse = high-speed train, at Nice-Ville station. Photo: Alasdair McLellan 2025-03-02.
At this point I would like to comment on the YouTube channel, The Man in Seat 64, who said that there were always seats on regional trains in the Nice area. This was incorrect information. We could not find seats on any trains from Nice to Toulon, that would give us an opportunity to visit the French naval museum. However, we did find train seats later in the day. After arriving in Toulon, we then wandered its streets.
The Mega Express Four, in Toulon, preparing for its journey to Corsica. Note the city of registry is Genova, Italy. Photo: Alasdair McLellan 2025-03-02.
We travelled overnight to Ajaccio on the Mega Express Four. It was built in Germany in 1995 as the Superfast II for Superfast Ferries, used in Greece. In 2003, it was purchased by the Tasmanian government and renamed the Spirit of Tasmania 3. However, demand was less than estimated, so it was sold to Corsica Sardinia Ferries in 2006 and renamed Mega Express Four. It can carry 1965 passengers, with 909 berths. It can also carry 550 standard vehicles. Its service speed is 26 knots.
Artwork on the Mega Express Four ferry.
The above artwork is also found on the flags of Corsica (one head on a white background) and Sardinia (four heads separated by a red cross on a white background). It was adopted by General of the Nation Pasquale Paoli (1725 – 1809) in 1755 and portrays a Moor’s head in black wearing a white bandana above his eyes on a white background. Previously, the bandana covered his eyes. Paoli wanted the bandana moved to above the eyes to symbolize the liberation of the Corsican people from the Genoese.
My personal interest in this symbol is related to clan MacLellan = Mac-a-ghille-dhiolan (Gaelic) = son of the bastard (literal translation). It also has a Moor’s head on its coat of arms. Previously, references to the clan gave its name as Mac Giolla Fhaoláin, with a more polite meaning = servant of St Fillan, with Fhaoláin referring to a diminuative form of wolf, used to signify the saint. On Uist, in the outer Hebrides, where my family lived after Morar, on the mainland of Scotland near Oban, there is an alternative spelling of the last part of the name, Fhialáin, which refers to seagulls, often Na Faolanaich = The Seagulls.
We arrived at about 9:00 in the morning at Ajaccio, spending much of the day wandering its streets. French dictator Napoleon was born in this city, and we even walked by the house where he was born.
One of the reasons for visiting Corsica, was to take its narrow gauge railways up into the mountains. The railway uses modernish trains. The combination of narrow gauge with diesel meant that they were not particularly comfortable. Noisy and wobbly, were the two terms that best describe them.
Some of the trains on Corsica looked like this. Photo: Alasdair McLellanThe mountains of inland Corsica, from the train between Ajaccio and Corte. Photo: Alasdair McLellan
Our first stop was at Corte. If I had known then, what I knew now, I would have stayed longer in this mountain town. We stayed at Hotel du Nord. I am uncertain about the origins of the name, for Corte is more centrally located, than in the north. The owner of the hotel appears to be Loïc Colonna, who provides each room with a photo book about Corsica. There is also a display of old cameras in the hotel.
Cameras on display at the Hotel du Nord.The University of Corsica, in Corte.
Calvi
If Corte had the most interesting town, Calvi had the most interesting railway station. I especially appreciated its sculptures
Our hotel had some modernist art, that attempted to be as inoffensive as possible.
The third town we stayed in was Bastia. It will be remembered for its pizza provider that would not accept bank cards. The only reason I can see for not accepting card payment is tax evasion. We went next door to a restaurant that did accept them.
Bastia.
We left Bastia on the ferry early in the morning. This travelogue will continue next week, with a visit to northern Italy, especially the canal city of Livorno, Pisa and Genoa.
Yes, Milou/ Snowy, Professor Calculus, Tintin and Captain Haddock, welcome Neil Armstrong (1930–2012) to the Moon in 1969. !
Explaining Comics = The 9th Art using Metalanguage
The comic stip is a cultural product and a means of expression. In the past century it has developed its conceptual and formal elements to the point of being considered art. One only has to take a look at Chris Ware’s (1967 – ) graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan, the smartest kid in the world (2000). It has exhibited in museums such as the Whitney Museum of America Art (2002) or the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2006). It demonstrates that not all comics are aimed at children. Interestingly, some people complain that comics are abandoning children, in favour of adult enthusiasts. This is regarded as a problem in Europe and North America, but not in Japan, since manga have genres for all ages and each of them evolves independently.
At this point, it is undeniable that the aesthetics of comics have influenced other cultural fields such as design, fashion or cinema. The work of the fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (1949 – ), who was passionate about this genre, is an example of this. In the field of graphics, what are called stencils come from comics, according to some specialists in this medium. It goes without saying that a multitude of films today have comics as a reference, especially in the superhero genre. Superheroes who, as archetypes, play a role similar to that of mythological gods. They are popular myths.
We can therefore say that the aesthetics and content of comics has become a symbol of post-modern/ twenty-first century times. While there are more conservative positions determined to make distinctions between what they refer to as high culture and other cultural manifestations. In the case of comics, there are people of all ages and all perspectives who enjoy comics.
Some of the more interesting set of books in my library collection use 9th art metalanguage = comic strip books, to explain comics. Two were written by Will Eisner (1917 – 2005) who had popularized the term graphic novel. His first interesting, theoretical work was Comics and Sequential Art (1985/ revised 1990). It is based on a series of essays that appeared in The Spirit magazine, themselves based on Eisner’s experience teaching at the School of Visual Arts. The content is a series of demonstrations of principles and methods. The revised edition includes short sections on the print process and the use of computers. This was followed by Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative (1996).
Three other ones were written by Scott McCloud (1960 – ). These are: Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (1993), that explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used. It also discusses more theoretical ideas about comics as an art form and medium of communication. Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form (2000), which explains twelve revolutions that McCloud predicts are necessary for the comic book to survive as a medium: becoming literature, becoming art, enhancing creators’ rights, industry innovation, public perception, institutional scrutiny, gender balance, minority representation, diversity of genre, digital production, digital delivery and fully digital content. and Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels (2006) details the processes behind storytelling, with an emphasis on character design with examples provided from the 9th arts history. Topics are reduced to a few principles. These include classifying cartoonists into four types, and identifying six basic emotions.
Tintin, an example of the 9th Art
With these five books in place, there is a need to examine a worthy example to follow, in a learning phase. The example shown below is Tintin by Herge = Georges Prosper Remi (1907 – 1983). In our household, considerable attention was paid to Tintin We have the complete works, admittedly in English, rather than French. Our family was not alone. Tintin comics have sold more than 240 million copies worldwide and has been translated to over 70 languages.
While Tintin has explored many countries in his comics, Herge hasn’t visited a single country in his lifetime. In Explorers on the Moon, Tintin explored the moon in 1954. This is 15 years before Neil Armstrong first landed on Moon.
Tintin’s dog Snowy has stolen many hearts and even made cameo appearances in ‘The Simpsons’ in the episode ‘Husbands and Knives’ and in ‘South Park’ in the episode ‘Imagination land Episode III’.
Tintin’s adventures were transformed into a movie titled ‘The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn’ in 2011, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, who bought the international movie rights to the character in the early 1980s.
The series ‘Tintin in Tibet’ was the most cerebral and emotional story of Herge, and the series was heavily influenced by his nervous breakdown.
Palle Huld (1912 – 2010) was a Danish film actor and writer. He won a journey around the world at the age of 15 in 1928 from a Danish newspaper. This reportedly inspired Hergé to create Tintin.
Milou = Snowy, Tintin’s pet dog, is modeled in part on a Fox Terrier at a café that Hergé used to frequent. It was also the nickname of Hergé’s first muse/ girlfriend, Marie-Louise Van Cutsem (1905 – 1974).
Haddock’s name was suggested by Germaine Kieckens (1906 – 1995; married 1932; divorced 1977) Hergé’s wife, who noted that haddock was a “sad English fish” over a fish dinner. Hergé then utilised the name for the English captain he’d just introduced. Haddock remained without a first name until the last completed story, Tintin and the Picaros (1976), when the name Archibald was used. There were several Haddocks who had served in the Royal Navy. Haddock uses strange/ difficult but innoffensive words that he hurls out as if they were very strong cusswords. This is due to the works initial publication in Catholic magazines.
Professeur Tryphon Tournesol = Professor Tryphon Sunflower (literal translation) = Professor Cuthbert Calculus was inspired by Auguste Piccard (1884 – 1962), a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer known for his record-breaking hydrogen balloon flights, with which he studied the Earth’s upper atmosphere and became the first person to enter the Stratosphere. My own person interest in Piccard relates to his invention of the first bathyscaphe, FNRS-2. The French Navy took over this vessel, and relaunched it as FNRS III in the 1950s. Today, it is located at the Naval Museum in Toulon, France.
The Bathyscaph FRNS-3 at the Tour Royal, Toulon, France. Photo: Esby 2008-06-11.
The Thompson twins were inspired by Herge’s father and uncle, who were twins.
Opera singer Bianca Castafiore was inspired by Herge’s paternal grandmother. Her favourite aria is from Faust (1859) composed by Charles Gounod (1818 – 1893).
One of the reasons Tintin appealed to our son, is that it gave him an opportunity to explore the world at an early age, from the safety of our house. Here are the details of the all of the works, in chronological order.
The following are the twenty-four canonical Tintin comic albums, with their English titles. Publication dates are for the original French-language versions. Note: In the original French versions, Tintin lives in Brussels. In the English translations, he lives in London. This created difficulties with the Black Island.
#01 Tintin au pays des Soviets = Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, set in Russia, serialized 1929-30, B&W album 1930, Colour album 2017. Hergé prevented this book from being republished until 1973.
After this, Hergé re-published in colour and in a fixed 62-page format.
#02 Tintin au Congo = Tintin in the Congo, set in Belgian Congo now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, serialized 1930-31, B&W album 1931, Colour album 1946.
#03 Tintin en Amérique = Tintin in America, set in Chicago, serialized 1931-32, B&W album 1932, Colour album 1945.
#04 Les Cigares du Pharaon = Cigars of the Pharaoh, set in Egypt, serialized 1932-34, B&W album 1934, Colour album 1955
#05 Le Lotus bleu = The Blue Lotus, set in China, serialized 1934-35, B&W album 1936, Colour album 1946
#06 L’Oreille cassée = The Broken Ear, set in fictional south American countries, serialized 1935-37, B&W album 1937, Colour album 1943
#07 L’Île noire = The Black Island, set in England, serialized 1937-38, B&W album 1938, Colour album 1943, 1966. Note: Before the reprint, multiple aircraft featured throughout the story were redrawn by Roger Leloup (1933 – ), who replaced the depiction of planes that were operational in the 1930s with those active in the 1960s, including: a Percival Prentice, a De Havilland Canada Chipmunk, a Cessna 150, a Tiger Moth, and a Hawker Siddeley Trident.
#08 Le Sceptre d’Ottokar = King Ottokar’s Sceptre, set in Syldavia, a fictional Eastern European country, serialized 1938-39, B&W album 1939, Colour album 1947
#09 Le Crabe aux pinces d’or = The Crab with the Golden Claws, set in the Sahara, serialized 1940-41, B&W album 1941, Colour album 1943
#10 L’Étoile mystérieuse =The Shooting Star, with plot similarities with La Chasse au météore = The Chase of the Golden Meteor (1908) written by Jules Verne (1928 – 1905), serialized 1941-42, Colour album 1942. Note: This was the first album to be originally published in colour. Often regarded as antisemitic.
#11 Le Secret de La Licorne = The Secret of the Unicorn, involves a riddle left by 17th century Francis Haddock, which leads them to the hidden treasure of the pirate Red Rackham. Serialized 1942-43, Colour album 1943. Books 11 to 15 formed a middle period for Hergé marked by war and changing collaborators.
#12 Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge = Red Rackham’s Treasure, set in the West Indies, much of it aboard the Serius, a fishing trawler, serialized 1943, Colour album 1944
#13 Les 7 Boules de cristal = The Seven Crystal Balls, set in Peru, involving an archaeological expedition, serialized 1943-46, Colour album 1948. Note: often regarded as one of the best works in the series.
#14 Le Temple du Soleil = Prisoners of the Sun, serialized 1946-48, Colour album 1949
#15 Tintin au pays de l’or noir = Land of Black Gold, serialized 1939-40 (discontinued by Nazi occupational forces), 1948-50, Colour album 1951, 1971
#17 On a marché sur la Lune = Walking on the Moon (literal) = Explorers on the Moon, serialized 1952-53, Colour album 1954
#18 L’Affaire Tournesol = The Calculus Affair, serialized 1954-56, Colour album 1956
#19 Coke en stock = The Red Sea Sharks, serialized 1956-58, Colour album 1958
#20 Tintin au Tibet = Tintin in Tibet, serialized 1958-59, Colour album 1960
#21 Les Bijoux de la Castafiore = The Castafiore Emerald, serialized 1961-62, Colour album 1963
#22 Vol 714 pour Sydney = Flight 714 to Sydney, serialized 1966-67, Colour album 1968
#23 Tintin et les Picaros = Tintin and the Picaros serialized 1975-76, Colour album 1976
#24 Tintin et l’Alph-Art = Tintin and the Alph-Art serialized 1986, Colour album 2004. Hergé’s unfinished book, published posthumously.
The following are double albums with a continuing story: Cigars of the Pharaoh (no. 4) & The Blue Lotus (no. 5); The Secret of the Unicorn (no. 11) & Red Rackham’s Treasure (no. 12); The Seven Crystal Balls (no. 13) & Prisoners of the Sun (no. 14); Destination Moon (no. 16) & Explorers on the Moon (no. 17).
Other characteristics
The English-language Adventures of Tintin books were originally published with handwritten lettering created by cartographer Neil Hyslop (1924 – 2015). Given versions of Hergé’s artwork with blank panels, he would write his English script on a clear cellophane-like material, to fit within the original speech bubble. In the early 2000s, Tintin’s English publishers Egmont discontinued this, because Casterman and Moulinsart decided to replace localised hand-lettering with a single computerised font.
In September 2017, French philosopher Vincent Cespede (1973 – ) suggested that Tintin was a girl. However, he accepted that it was his perspective and was fake news. However, this post will end by naming everyone’s favourite Swedish environmental activist, paying close attention to the second of her many names: Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (2003 – ). So perhaps Cespede was closer to the truth than he imagined.
A New Belgian Passport, featuring an illustration of Tintin’s Moon Rocket.
This weblog post began when my son, Alasdair, posted some illustrations of the new Belgian passports, originating with Belgian comics. Following this, I read that comics were the ninth art. Immediately, I wondered what the eight earlier arts were, and if there was anything after the ninth art.
Here is the official list of arts in numerical order: 1. Architecture; 2. Sculpture; 3. Painting; 4. Music; 5. Dance; 6. Poetry; 7. Film; 8. Television; 9. Comics.
The list was devised by Claude Beylie (1932 – 2001), a French film critic. The term was used in an article he wrote for the magazine, Lettres et Medecins in 1964. He built that list up from some earlier writings by an Italian film theoretician, Ricciotto Canudo (1877 – 1923).
Of course the lingua franca/ bridge language of comics is French. This may surprise Americans, but it is the Belgians that represent the gold standard when it comes to the 9th art. Unfortunately, my French is not good enough to understand nuances in the wording of une bande dessinée. I think a literal translation would be: a band drawn, referring to: a comic strip (figuratively). But I don’t understand the limits of the words. Is a graphic novel, with its many illustrations and accompanying text on a grid part of this drawn band? When I ask Google for a translation, it replies roman graphique. If I use cartoon, it replies un dessin animé, which seems more like animation.
The article I was reading asked about radio, and its placement on the list. The article provided a definitive answer. Radio was not on the list, and never could be put on it. The future did not seem to be bright for games, computer or otherwise. They were not on the list either.
A series of articles written for the Spirou Journal recounting the history of comics popularized the phrase, the 9th art. Maurice De Bevere (1923 – 2001) wrote that series. He is better known under his pen name, Morris, with which he created western gun slinger, Lucky Luke. Pause here to reflect on Luke’s occupational title. He is not a rancher, implying ownership of land, nor is he a ranch employee, a cowboy, transporting herds of cattle, nor is he in law enforcement with a recognizable title like sheriff, marshal or even deputy. None of the other titles found in the wild west seem to apply either: bartender, blacksmith, gambler, shopkeeper or even wagoneer with a mule team, transporting borax across a desert. His gender eliminates a couple of occupations reserved for women making a living in the wild west, of which for proprietary’s sake only school teacher will be mentioned.
Here I will attempt to use neuvième or 9ème/ ninth or 9th art as a standard term. It will be difficult, because the previous sentence was added while editing a final draft of this text, necessitating up to numerous changes. Of course I have a relationship with the 9th art from my childhood. In general it was, they were not allowed, although I remember being with our neighbours, the Cimolini family at the Hotel Vancouver, when Primo (1912 – 1976) bought me a Classic Comic.
Comics, as a descriptive term, has its limitations. It implies something with humour, The weekend supplement that came on Saturday mornings with the Vancouver Province, in the 1950s were referred to in our household as the funny papers, but few of them were funny. The difficulty seventy years later is remembering content details. Some names ring bells, but those bells may be misplaced. Here is my fantasy version of some of these works.
One of the strips I remember was The Katzenjammer Kids, created by Rudolph Dirks (1877 – 1968) in 1897. It was later drawn by Harold Knerr (1882 – 1949) from 1914 to 1949, by Doc Winner (1885 – 1956) from 1949 to 1956, and by Joe Musial (1905 – 1977) from 1956 to 1977. I had left home in 1972, so that is my cutoff date. It continued until 2006, making it the longest running strip in the US. I found this series overly violent. The twin brothers, Hans and Fritz, rebelled against authority, particularly in the form of their mother, Mama, who showed tough love with a rolling pin.
In contrast, but equally misunderstandable in its own way, were the teenagers found in Archie, originally drawn by Bob Montana (1920 – 1975). These comics appeared from 1941, and featured fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and others.
The British Andy Capp comic strip created by Reg Smythe (1917 – 1998) deserves a special mention because of its location, Hartlepool, in County Durham, in north-east England, the birthplace of my maternal grandfather! The title of the series is a pun on the local pronunciation of handicap, related more to horse racing rather than an infirmity. The surname Capp also signifies how Andy’s cap/ head gear always covers his eyes, restricting, at least metaphorically, his vision in life. My son, Alasdair, comments that he found the Norwegian version, published in Trønderavisa, impenetrable, because of its use of some distant dialect, not to mention British preoccupations with pigeon racing, snooker, pubs and cheating at poker.
Hal Foster (1892 – 1982), was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He created Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, in 1937. It is an epic adventure that told a continuous story stretching for more than 4 500 Sunday episodes (so far). Prince Valiant is the son of Aguar, exiled king of Thule who has taken refuge in the Fens during the days of King Arthur. Foster places this kingdom of Thule in Norway, near Trondheim. Some Norwegians imagine Aguar’s castle was a previous incarnation of the Leirfoss electrical power station, on the Nid river. The old spelling was Lerfoss. The fact that the power station was only build in 1910, is immaterial, if one’s mind can accept it as a repurposed castle. It is located 121 km south of Cliff Cottage. It is a recreational location that I enjoy, while visiting Trondheim.
Prince Valiant’s birthplace at Thule, near Trondheim, repurposed as a electrical power station in 1910. Today, the area has become a pleasant recreation site, along the banks of the Nid River.
The strip I found most appealing was Gasoline Alley (1918 – present). Chicago Tribune publisher Robert McCormick (1880 – 1955) wanted a feature that would appeal to people learning how to take care of their cars. These were becoming increasingly available to a middle class public. Frank King (1883 – 1969) developed this strip in response. Bill Perry (1905 – 1995) took over in 1951 and continue to create the strips until about 1976. It is the longest running current strip. Except during the 1970s and 1980s the strip progresses in real time. Characters age and some die.
I am always attracted by the names of people in Gasoline Alley. Some of my real life relatives also have unusual names, such as cousins with the surname Pickup. However, Wallet is so unusual that I have never met anyone by that name. In the beginning, the most notable character was Walt Wallet. Joseph Patterson (1879 – 1946) was concerned that the strip as it was developing, had limited appeal to women. His solution was to have Walt Wallet, find Skeezix on his doorstep in 1921. After this, Walt could marry Phyllis Blossom in 1926. Skeezix subsequently grew up, and ran the Gasoline Alley garage. He married Nina Clock in 1944. Their children are Chipper (1945 – ), who ends up marrying Amy, and Clovia (1949 – ), who ends up with Slim Skinner. By this time, I had given up reading Gasoline Alley. Other intimate relationships can be discovered looking at the illustration, below.
Are comics art? Unfortunately, referring to the topic as the 9th art, already answers that question positively, hence the wording. Some will answer with an emphatic yes. The more enthusiastic will regard the question as naive. Yet, unfortunately, the answer is not so clear. Some argue that combining words with artwork is the essence of modern expression, providing narrative and visual richness, use a direct yet spontaneous language. It integrates literature with painting and cinema. Others, view its limitations, popular among children, youth and less mature adults. Mature people do not use comics.
Many readers see the 9th art as a springboard to other more serious, mature types of literature. What relationship do people have with: Alfred E. Neuman, Ariel, Asterix, Bugs Bunny, the Little Mermaid, Snow White, Tintin or Wonder Woman? Are any of them more mature than the others.
George Herriman (1880 – 1944) was an American cartoonist best known for Krazy Kat (1913–1944) that was more influential than popular. Krazy Kat was notable for its poetic, dialect-heavy dialogue, its fantasy laden, but shifting backgrounds and its experimental page layouts. In it, Ignatz Mouse pelts Krazy with bricks, interpreted by Krazy as symbols of love. Later, a love triangle developed between Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp. Pupp’s mission was to prevent Ignatz from throwing bricks at Krazy. These efforts were impeded because Krazy wanted to be struck by these bricks.
More importantly, Gilbert Seldes (1893 – 1970) wrote The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself appearing in The Seven Lively Arts (1924). It is the earliest example of an art critic giving serious attention to a comic strip. The Comics Journal placed Krazy Kat first on its list of the greatest comics of the 20th century. Herriman’s work has been a primary influence on cartoonists such as Elzie C. Segar (1894 – 1938), Will Eisner (1917 – 2005), Charles M. Schulz (1922 – 2000), Robert Crumb (1943 – ), Art Spiegelman (1948 – ), Bill Watterson (1958 – ), and Chris Ware (1967 – ).
My mind temporarily focuses on Snow White. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785 – 1863) and Wilhelm (1786 – 1859) provided the world with one version in fairytale #53, originally published in 1812 as Sneewittchen. Wikipedia lists: about 10 books, including Donald Barthelme’s (1931 – 1989) post-modernist novel (1967); 20 films including one featuring Betty Boop (1932) made by Max Fleischer (1883 – 1972) and Dave Fleischer (1894 – 1979) and another made in 1937 by Walt Disney (1901 – 1966); There is music, including a soundtrack from the Disney film, released as an album in 1938. Other uses of the term refer to a horse, an industrial design language used at apple, a 1970s government-infiltration and information-suppression effort by the Church of Scientology, a dwarf planet, a fictional hockey team, a brand of sugar, and the first name of a Swedish visual artist.
Sometimes, the 9th art only reaches its potential when it appears as an animation film. Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, being a good example. They first appeared in 1949 and were created by Chuck Jones (1912 – 2002). In these videos a devious and hungry coyote attempts to catch a roadrunner, but is always unsuccessful. He deploys complex schemes and devices that always backfire, injuring the coyote. Many of the devices used are from Acme Corporation.
Being born on Halloween, I have no problem with people dressing up as manga characters or superheroes. I appreciate many different varieties of punk from steampunk through dieselpunk and electropunk to cyberpunk, on a theoretical level. Unfortunately, I have not found an appropriate persona to match my personality, so I have no costume at this moment, although I will assure readers that any garments made will incorporate pink and purple fabric.
Comics are not the only art form that has had this problem. Let us recall that cinema, from its beginnings in 1895, was not considered an art. At best it was a momentary attraction. This has changed and it is now classified into genres to differentiate films on issues such as quality and audience. The same was true for comic strips, which gradually took their place in mass culture.
Comics emerged as entertainment that combined illustration and caricature with text in order to present a situation, express an idea or tell a story. Yet, as Wile E. Coyote shows, sequence is an essential ingredient. Will Einsner (1917-2005) called comics a sequential art. They have momentum.
The adult reader
Between 1960 and 1970, cultural studies emerged, which reflected new philosophies or ways of thinking regarding art. There was a change of mindset, allowing for an emergence of theorists of the ninth art. This meant that these works could no longer by regarded as a reading medium intended for children. Underground comics (1968-1979) introduced adult content. This trend can be found in the works produced in San Francisco by Robert Crumb (1943 – ), as well as Trina Robins (1938 – 2024) who produced the first all-woman comic book, It Ain’t Me, Babe. These works examined meanings power relationships, signs, discourses as well as social and cultural products.
To this consideration of the author as an artist and of the comic strip as an object of study is added a third factor, which is the emergence of the adult reader. Or, if you prefer, the public has grown up and expects its comics to be more sophisticated and complex. This is the audience that the Underground genre is aimed at.
Comics are therefore beginning to be taken as a starting point for social criticism or to show a reality. Thus, for example, we can cite the exercise of historical memory in the Paracuellos cycle by Carlos Giménez (1943 – 2020), the story of the Holocaust in Maus by Art Spiegelman (1949 – ) or the post-cyberpunk comic Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis (1968 – ).
In the 1970s, graphic designers and writers such as Moebius = Jean Giraud (1938–2012), Enki Bidal (1951 – ) and Alejandro Jodorowsky (1929 – ) brought comics closer to erotic and social themes, thus renewing them in Europe to give them a more adult character and a higher quality. Authors such as Jean-Claude Forest (1930 – 1998) with Barbarella, Guido Grepax = Guido Grepas (1933-2003), author of Valentina, Eleuteri Serpieri (1944 – ) with Druuna and Milo Manara = Maurilio Manara (1945 – ) are further examples of an erotic genre.
But, in addition, Graphic Novels and Limited Series appear which, due to their characteristics, constitute another attempt to give dignity to comics, since they are conceived as works in which the same author writes and writes, or those who write and draw are renowned authors, without fixed periodicity – which makes it easier to build a more elaborate plot – and a better drawing printed on better quality paper. Comics from the 1980s such as Alan Moore’s Watchmen and V for Vendetta, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns or Neil Gaiman’s Black Orchid are examples of this type of comic.
Alan Moore (1953 – ) provides an example of a writer, not an graphic artist or illustrator. He has written several works, including Watchmen (1987) with artist Dave Gibbons (1949 – ) and colourist John Higgins (1949 – ). Here, contemporary anxieties are deconstructed while superheros are satirized to construct a political commentary. The work presents an alternate history in which superheroes emerge in the 1940s to 1960s, changing modern history. By 1985, USA is edging toward World War III with the Soviet Union. Freelance costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and most former superheroes are in retirement or working for the US government. The focus is on personal development and moral struggles. In 2009, a feature film, Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder (1966 – )was released, along with an episodic video game, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh.
The 9th art was forced to consider: ideology, nationality, ethnicity, gender, society generally, as well as in terms of economics, politics, communication, sociology, cinema, anthropology, philosophy and semiotics and everything else that could be considered culture.
One of the most important theorists of comics is Umberto Eco (1932 – 2016), in Apocalípticos e integrados (1964) = Apocalypse Postponed, 1994, available in English in a partial translation. It reflects on mass culture by analyzing the following comics: Steve Canyon (1947 – 1988) by Milton Caniff (1907 – 1988), Superman (1938 – ) by Jerry Siegel (1914 – 1996) and Joe Shuster ( 1914 – 1992) from Toronto, and Peanuts (1950 – 2000) by Charles M. Schulz (1922 – 2000).
Terenci Moix (1942 – 2003) wrote a social history of the 9th art in Spanish: Los cómics, arte para el consumo y formas pop (1968). It has not been republished since. It is now regarded as cult book. Moix analyses this 9th art from a social and ideological point of view, considering them, along with films and songs, as suitable fodder for political, moral and religious manipulations by those in power. It must be remembered that Moix was living in a dictatorship under Francisco Franco (1892 – 1975). Particular attention should be paid to the works of post-war Spanish author/ illustrators including José Escobar (1908 – 1994) who created: Carpanta (1947 – ), a symbol of post-war Spain’s misery; Zipi y Zape = Zipi and Zape Zapatilla, two young, mischievous, energetic, football-obsessed twins who do poorly in school (1947 – 2000). José Peñarroya (1910 – 1975) created Gordito Relleno (1948), a single man, lacking a permanent job. His good intentions always ended in catastrophes. He is a frequent victim of scams and frauds of all kinds by heartless people. Moix’ analysis and demystification of Flash Gordon (1934 – 2003) created by Alex Raymond (1909 – 1956) and Li’l Abner (1934 – 1977), created by Al Capp (1909 – 1979) are also worthwhile.
Roman Gubern (1934 – ) in El lenguaje de los cómics (1972) wrote about the language of these works and their functions in society.
M. Thomas Inge (1936 – 2021) was an American professor of humanities who taught and wrote about Southern literature, especially William Faulkner (1897 – 1962) and culture, American humor and comic art (Dadism especially), film and animation and Asian literature.
It was then in the 1960s that comic strips began to build bridges with art thanks, among others, to artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, who made pop art the main motif of his works. That however is another topic to be explored at some later, unspecified date.
The 9th art will continue to be examined next week, looking especially at how some theorists have used the comic strip to explain comics. This will be followed by a more in depth examination of Tintin.
