this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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European Graphic Novels++

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“BD” refers to Franco-Belgian comics, but let's open things up to include ALL Euro comics and GN's. Euro-style artistry from around the world is also welcome. ^^

-BD = "Bandes dessinées"
-BDT = Bedetheque
-GN = graphic novel
-LBK = Lambiek
-LC = "Ligne claire"

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His grandfather Wilhelm Larson was an immigrant, so Gary was second-gen.

Bit of a stretch I know, but in this post, I'm claiming him for Sweden!

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[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

By that token, we can have Mickey Mouse and Superman here as well

[–] schmorpel@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Agreed. I don't hate Gary Larson, but he is not European BD at all, he's clearly from over the big pond!

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago

he is not European BD at all

Well, notice that I never claimed him to be. Also, you might want to check out the sidebar.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Okay, can you breakdown Siegel and Shuster's ancestry for me?

From my POV, Superman is quintessentially American, whereas Far Side was more of an 'alt' thing that brought in foreign sensibilities. I like it better as an occasional drift.

Meanwhile Mickey Mouse is a Disney product, and Euro Disney comics started just a short time after Walt went to work, so yeah, it has legitimacy as being Euro. Scrooge McDuck has been posted here before from the fumetti.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Jerry Siegel was the son of Lithuanian Jewish immigrants.

Joe Schuster is also Jewish, his father was from Rotterdam and his mom was from Kyiv.

We could also use this to include Peanuts as “euro graphic art,” because his father was from Germany.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Interesting, thanks!

We could also use this to include Peanuts as “euro graphic art,” because his father was from Germany.

I invite you to read my other comments in this post, in which I explain ad nauseam how and why this post was made.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

You’re welcome!

I did read them, I just don’t think The Far Side fits much more than Peanuts does.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It was never really about "fit." The post was a silly lark, and endlessly nitpicking it doesn't help the project, assuming you have any interest in that.

And since you presumably read the sidebar, then you should also know that some amount of drift from pure Euro BD and pure Euro art is to be expected here. It's happened many times already, and will continue to happen, as was always the intention.

As someone who both founded the community, created all its documents and structure, curates it, maintains it, mods it, and posts 95% of the ongoing content, I can genuinely say that if you want to do something helpful here, then this is not it. Comments that add-on or expand upon a post are helpful. Posting Euro or Euro-style material is helpful. Pointless nitpicking is not, I'm afraid.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Oh yikes.

As someone who both founded the community, created all its documents and structure, curates it, maintains it, mods it, and posts 95% of the ongoing content

Yeah, that’s obvious. You also literally can’t take any semblance of suggestion without throwing a fit, apparently.

Sorry, I didn’t realize this was a “this is a one-person community” kind of thing. I’ll see myself out!

“Pointless nitpicking” should be the title of this post. I liked the content but your attitude sucks.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Hah. You know, it's only a "one-person community" because I wound up doing 95+% of the work.

Throwing a fit, really? Because some people are too lazy to read the sidebar, nitpicking issues that aren't really issues? Then, I welcome you to found a long-running community, doing almost all the work and almost all the posting, and deal with the subscribers who can't be arsed to understand the theme. Fun stuff, right? :D

I liked the content but your attitude sucks.

Look who's talking, bub.

EDIT: God, I'm sorry. I get high-strung sometimes, but that's a poor excuse. Please see my apology, here:

https://piefed.social/c/eurographicnovels/p/1593301/an-xmassy-apology-to-the-community

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The Far Side is a slightly more surreal take on the American newspaper funny-pages tradition like The Family Circus and such. Hergé it ain’t. (Produce some Swedish comics with a similar sensibility that American comics before it didn’t have and you might have a case, but the burden of proof is on the extraordinary claim.)

The Donald Duck comics made for the European market in recent decades (drawn in Italy, and translated into numerous languages, if I recall correctly) would be a special case, though the original Mickey Mouse is as American as Betsy Ross. The fact that most comics we call “American”were produced by people of European ancestry does not erase the distinction between it and European comics.

[–] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago

The Far Side is a slightly more surreal take on the American newspaper funny-pages tradition like The Family Circus and such.

I'd say way more than just "slightly." It was one of the rare cases where an underground style became wildly popular, spawning a whole new genre plus many imitators and spiritual successors. It brought in influences that hadn't quite been seen before, and were anything but 'classical American.'

Like I said, Disney fumetti started up not long after Walt went to work, so it was way longer than "recent decades." Maybe you want to go research that.

In any case, the point seems to be completely missed that nominating The Far Side as anything categorically European was a silly stretch, and nothing more. It was just some nice art that had a small Swedish connection, and I auto-posted it just to share and have people enjoy, on a day when I otherwise wasn't going to post anything. Also, I recommend reading the sidebar.

At the end of the day, I welcome you and anyone else to post the Euro stuff you enjoy here. Cheers.