{"id":25689,"date":"2022-04-19T10:00:52","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T10:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=25689"},"modified":"2022-12-29T19:55:22","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T19:55:22","slug":"cedric-volume-7-isnt-it-past-your-bedtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2022\/04\/19\/cedric-volume-7-isnt-it-past-your-bedtime\/","title":{"rendered":"Cedric volume 7: Isn’t It Past Your Bedtime?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Laudec<\/strong> & Cauvin<\/strong>; colours by Leonardo<\/strong>, translated by Jerome Saincantin<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-80044-025-8 (PB Album\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Raoul Cauvin is one of Europe\u2019s most successful comics scripters. Born in Antoing, Belgium in 1938, by 1960 he was working in the animation department of publishing giant Dupuis after studying Lithography. Happily, he quickly discovered his true calling was writing funny stories and began a glittering, prolific career at Le Journal de Spirou<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

With Salverius, he conceived the astounding successful Bluecoats<\/strong>, and dozens more award-winning series like Sammy, Cupidon, Les Femmes en Blanc, Pauvre, Lampil Boulouloum et Guiliguili<\/em>, and Agent 212<\/em>: cumulatively comprising well over 240 separate albums.<\/p>\n

His collaborator on superbly witty kid-friendly family strip C\u00e9dric <\/strong><\/em>is Italian born, Belgium-raised Tony de Luca, who studied electro-mechanics and toiled as an industrial draughtsman before making his own break into bandes dessin\u00e9e. Following some fanzine efforts in the late 1970s as \u201cLaudec\u201d, he landed soap-style strip Les Contes de Cure-la-Flute <\/em>at Le Journal de Spirou <\/strong><\/em>in 1979. He traded that for a brace of war-time serials (L\u2019an 40 <\/em>in 1983 and March Noir et Bottes \u00c3\u00a0 Clous <\/em>in 1985) whilst working his way around the comic\u2019s other strips. In 1987, he joined Cauvin on the first C\u00e9dric <\/strong><\/em>shorts. From then on all was child\u2019s play…<\/p>\n

We have Dennis the Menace<\/strong> (the Americans have their own too, but he\u2019s not the same) whilst the French-speaking world has C\u00e9dric<\/strong><\/em>: an adorable, lovesick rapscallion with a heart of gold and an irresistible penchant for mischief. He\u2019s also afflicted with raging amour…<\/p>\n

Collected albums – 34 so far – of variable-length strips ranging from a \u00bd page to half a dozen began appearing in 1989, and remain amongst the most popular and best-selling in Europe, as is the animated TV show spun off from the strip.<\/p>\n

…A little Word to the Wise: this is not a strip afraid to suspend silly yoks in deference to a little suspense or even near-heartbreak. The bonny boy is crushingly smitten with Chen<\/em>: a Chinese girl newly arrived in class and so very far out of his league, leading to frequent and painful confrontations and miscommunications. That gradually starts changing here…<\/p>\n

Whilst the advice given by his lonely, widowed grandpa is seldom of any practical use, it often picks open scabs from the elder\u2019s long, happy but now concluded marriage. These moments can reduce normal humans to tears…<\/p>\n

This seventh Cinebook translation debuted in Europe in 1995 as C\u00e9dric – Parasite sur canap\u00e9 <\/strong><\/em>and opens with a typically chaotic school event as \u2018Look at the Birdie\u2019 <\/em>details why photographers hate kids and school photo day, after which Grandpa is shamed into a new coat by a brief park encounter in \u2018Worn Out\u2019…<\/em><\/p>\n

When the old duffer comes down with a virus the well-meaning kid borrows a neighbour\u2019s baby thermometer and makes the mistake of telling his ailing ancestor how it was most recently used in \u2018Sick from Top to Bottom\u2019<\/em>, after which C\u00e9dric confronts the true emotional cost of donating old toys to charity in \u2018The Christmas Present\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Shocking\u2019 <\/em>takes a dive into drama as C\u00e9dric witnesses a car accident up close, but his parents can\u2019t conceive of why the school psychologist can\u2019t see him…<\/p>\n

Body issues surprisingly arise when the kid the accidentally glimpses Grandpa in the bath and inadvertently shakes the elder\u2019s formerly robust self-image in \u2018A Critical Eye\u2019 <\/em>and \u2018Blurp!\u2019 <\/em>reveals a close – and illicit – encounter with Asian cuisine resulting in an unforeseen gastric event before a romantic turning point arrives when C\u00e9dric and Chen eavesdrop on the adults recapturing their own youthful days in \u2018Shall We Dance?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Following a classmate\u2019s funeral, the boy\u2019s \u2018Low Spirits…\u2019 <\/em>prompt an uplifting pep talk from dad that has the reverse effect upon the old guy (theoretically) nearest the grave, and a common nightmare comes true, sparking a near riot at school when C\u00e9dric becomes \u2018Prisoner of the Toilet\u2019…<\/em><\/p>\n

A bone of domestic contention devolves into four-way chaos over what to watch on TV, with Grandpa eventually triumphing through guile and long-experience in \u2018Whatever it Takes…\u2019 <\/em>after which birthday girl Chen proves a little less than perfect when her \u2018Pastry Failure…\u2019 <\/em>incapacitates her devout admirer…<\/p>\n

\u2018Grandpa Gets Some Air\u2019<\/em>, in which the old fossil responds to the gift of a free flight in a two-man plane with his typical cunning, and cowardice is followed by \u2018Payment in Kind\u2019 <\/em>wherein the hapless lad dutifully tries fundraising by selling school raffle tickets but is instead introduced the concept of \u201cbarter\u201d…<\/p>\n

C\u00e9dric\u2019s mediocre sporting achievements are again exposed in cross-country lark \u2018Where Are the Others?\u2019 <\/em>and \u2018Reluctant Volunteer\u2019 <\/em>shows why so many kids hate clowns – as well as a uniquely C\u00e9dric response to circus acts – before this show closes with the last bow of a veteran cast member. \u2018Recline? Decline!\u2019 <\/em>sees Grandpa finally part with his beloved Him-shaped armchair. Typically, the high design replacement is not what anybody wants or is comfortable with…<\/p>\n

Sharp, rapid-paced, warmly witty yet unafraid to explore life\u2019s harshest moments, the exploits of this painfully keen, beguilingly besotted rapscallion are a charming example of how all little boys are just the same and infinitely unique. C\u00e9dric<\/strong> is a picture-perfect family portrait ideal for youngsters of every vintage…
\n\u00a9 Dupuis 1995 by Cauvin & Laudec. All rights reserved. English translation \u00a9 2021 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Laudec & Cauvin; colours by Leonardo, translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-80044-025-8 (PB Album\/Digital edition) Raoul Cauvin is one of Europe\u2019s most successful comics scripters. Born in Antoing, Belgium in 1938, by 1960 he was working in the animation department of publishing giant Dupuis after studying Lithography. Happily, he quickly discovered his true … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Cedric volume 7: Isn’t It Past Your Bedtime?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[113,63,125,97],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comedy","category-european-classics","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-6Gl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25689"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27302,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25689\/revisions\/27302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}