Hello all,
I have always been a big comics fans since I was little, starting with comics in my own language and later when I learned how to read English expanding into comics that are from other countries, particularly ones that never got a Dutch language translation because no publisher here was interested in getting the rights for them.
Perhaps some publishers thought there was no market for them in my country.
A lot of American comics such as superhero ones are of course well known across the world.
Manga and other Asian comics (or graphic albums) are also becoming increasingly more popular in the last twenty years. And several series were already known in the US during the 80s and the 90s.
European comics is a bit of an interesting case as some European comic series have been well known outside of Europe such as Tintin and Asterix, and there have been attempts to bring other European comics to international attention. One I think of for example is Thorgal which is a comic about a viking and his family though despite this premise it involves both science fiction and the supernatural/mythological (Thorgal and his family members have from time to time had encounters with beings from the Norse pantheon and others)
Especially this last decade there has been more of an effort to translate European comics into English so that readers from other countries can read series that previously never left Europe (or you needed to be able to read French, Spanish, Italian, etc), finally discovering some of the gems they have been missing out on.
Still there are a lot of comics I think that have never left the shores or borders of their native country, or perhaps only found fame in neighboring countries but not further.
Sometimes this is because the comic would not really work for an audience of a different country because the comic relies to much on local culture (expressions and such) that doesn't translate well into a foreign language.
One comic I for example am thinking of is Urbanus, a comic based on a Belgian/Flemish comedian. (he is one of the writers on the comics)
It could be considered as some kind of marketing gimmick and perhaps it was for a while but it has pretty much become its own thing since then. I would not be surprised that some people would recognize the comedian from the comics rather than from his sketches and a couple of movies he played in.
In the comic the eponymous Urbanus is a young boy, thought already having a beard, who lives with his parents Caesar and Eufrazie and his pets, a super smart fly called Amedee, and a dog cut in two (it makes sense when you read the comic) Nabuko Donosor, in the small Flemish village of Tollembeek (home of the real Urbanus) where he pulls of all kinds of pranks and capers, much to the suffering of the rest of the inhabitants.
It is kind of a strange mix of all ages and an underground comic because the comic us not above mentioning sex or nearly depicting it and various other mature subjects. The main character himself is a big pervert and sex maniac and most of the male inhabitants of the village including the priest aren't that much better.
Stories often range from the absurd to the almost insane, dealing with subjects like gambling, medical experiments but also elements like fantasy and science fiction.
Some of the characters that make an appearance in the comic include famous Belgians, the former Belgian king and the current one, the devil, and even god who sometimes finds himself under the control of Urbanus.
The comic also often parodies other known Flemish or European comics or characters of other series make a guest appearance in the comic.
So which comics are popular in your country but never made it to the international market?
I have always been a big comics fans since I was little, starting with comics in my own language and later when I learned how to read English expanding into comics that are from other countries, particularly ones that never got a Dutch language translation because no publisher here was interested in getting the rights for them.
Perhaps some publishers thought there was no market for them in my country.
A lot of American comics such as superhero ones are of course well known across the world.
Manga and other Asian comics (or graphic albums) are also becoming increasingly more popular in the last twenty years. And several series were already known in the US during the 80s and the 90s.
European comics is a bit of an interesting case as some European comic series have been well known outside of Europe such as Tintin and Asterix, and there have been attempts to bring other European comics to international attention. One I think of for example is Thorgal which is a comic about a viking and his family though despite this premise it involves both science fiction and the supernatural/mythological (Thorgal and his family members have from time to time had encounters with beings from the Norse pantheon and others)
Especially this last decade there has been more of an effort to translate European comics into English so that readers from other countries can read series that previously never left Europe (or you needed to be able to read French, Spanish, Italian, etc), finally discovering some of the gems they have been missing out on.
Still there are a lot of comics I think that have never left the shores or borders of their native country, or perhaps only found fame in neighboring countries but not further.
Sometimes this is because the comic would not really work for an audience of a different country because the comic relies to much on local culture (expressions and such) that doesn't translate well into a foreign language.
One comic I for example am thinking of is Urbanus, a comic based on a Belgian/Flemish comedian. (he is one of the writers on the comics)
It could be considered as some kind of marketing gimmick and perhaps it was for a while but it has pretty much become its own thing since then. I would not be surprised that some people would recognize the comedian from the comics rather than from his sketches and a couple of movies he played in.
In the comic the eponymous Urbanus is a young boy, thought already having a beard, who lives with his parents Caesar and Eufrazie and his pets, a super smart fly called Amedee, and a dog cut in two (it makes sense when you read the comic) Nabuko Donosor, in the small Flemish village of Tollembeek (home of the real Urbanus) where he pulls of all kinds of pranks and capers, much to the suffering of the rest of the inhabitants.
It is kind of a strange mix of all ages and an underground comic because the comic us not above mentioning sex or nearly depicting it and various other mature subjects. The main character himself is a big pervert and sex maniac and most of the male inhabitants of the village including the priest aren't that much better.
Stories often range from the absurd to the almost insane, dealing with subjects like gambling, medical experiments but also elements like fantasy and science fiction.
Some of the characters that make an appearance in the comic include famous Belgians, the former Belgian king and the current one, the devil, and even god who sometimes finds himself under the control of Urbanus.
The comic also often parodies other known Flemish or European comics or characters of other series make a guest appearance in the comic.
So which comics are popular in your country but never made it to the international market?
