{"id":30277,"date":"2024-08-02T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T08:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30277"},"modified":"2024-08-01T17:18:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T17:18:15","slug":"gomer-goof-volume-9-good-golly-mr-goof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/08\/02\/gomer-goof-volume-9-good-golly-mr-goof\/","title":{"rendered":"Gomer Goof volume 9: Good Golly, Mr. Goof!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Franquin<\/strong>, with additional texts by Delporte<\/strong>, translated by Jerome Saincantin<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-80044-064-7 (PB Album\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced during less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Franquin was born in Etterbeek, Belgium on January 3rd<\/sup> 1924 and began his career in a golden age of European cartooning. Beginning as assistant to Joseph \u201cJij\u00e9\u201d Gillain on the strip Spirou<\/em><\/strong>, he inherited sole control of the keynote feature in 1946, and creating countless unforgettable new characters such as Fantasio<\/strong> and The Marsupilami<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Franquin – with Jij\u00e9, Morris (Lucky Luke<\/strong>) and Willy \u201cWill\u201d Maltaite (Tif et Tondu<\/strong><\/em>) – was a co-founder of a creative force of nature dubbed La bande des quatre<\/em> – \u201cthe Gang of Four\u201d – who revolutionised and reshaped Belgian comics with their prolific and engaging \u201cMarcinelle school\u201d graphic style.<\/p>\n

Over two decades Franquin enlarged Spirou & Fantasio<\/strong>\u2019s scope and horizons, until it became purely his as the strip evolved into the saga of globetrotting journalists. They visited exotic places, exposed crimes, explored the incredible and clashed with bizarre, exotic arch-enemies, but throughout, Fantasio remained a full-fledged – albeit entirely fictional – reporter for Le Journal de<\/em><\/strong> Spirou<\/em><\/strong>, <\/strong>regularly popping back to the office between assignments. Sadly, lurking there was an arrogant, accident-prone junior tasked with minor jobs and general dogs-bodying. He was Gaston Lagaffe<\/em><\/strong> – Franquin\u2019s other immortal invention\u2026<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a long tradition of comics personalising fictitiously back-office creatives and the arcane processes they indulge in, whether it\u2019s Marvel\u2019s Bullpen or DC Thomson\u2019s lugubrious Editor and underlings at The<\/strong> Beano <\/strong>and Dandy<\/strong> – it\u2019s a truly international practise. Somehow though after debuting in Le Journal de<\/em><\/strong> Spirou<\/em><\/strong> #985 (February 28th<\/sup> 1957), the affable conniving dimwit grew beyond control, to become one of the most popular and ubiquitous components of the comic, whether as a guest in Spirou\u2019s adventures or his own comedy strips and faux reports on the editorial pages he was supposed to paste up…<\/p>\n

Initial cameos in Spirou yarns and occasional asides on text pages featured a well-meaning foul-up and ostensible office gofer Gaston who lurked amidst the crowd of diligent toilers: a workshy slacker working (sic) as a gofer at Le Journal de<\/em><\/strong> Spirou<\/em><\/strong>\u2019s<\/strong> head office. That scruffy bit-player eventually and inevitably shambled into his own star feature…<\/p>\n

In terms of schtick and delivery, older readers will recognise favourite beats and elements of well-intentioned self-delusion as seen in Benny Hill<\/strong> or Jacques Tati<\/strong> and recognise recurring riffs from Some Mothers Do Have \u2019Em <\/strong>and Mr Bean<\/strong>. It\u2019s slapstick, paralysing puns, infernal ingenuity and inspired invention, all to mug smugness, puncture pomposity, lampoon the status quoi?<\/em> (there\u2019s some of that punning there, see?) and ensure no good deed going noticed, rewarded or unpunished\u2026<\/p>\n

As previously stated, Gaston\/Gomer obtains a regular salary – let\u2019s not dignify what he does as \u201cearning\u201d a living – from Spirou<\/em><\/strong>\u2019s editorial offices: reporting to top journalist Fantasio, or complicating the lives of office manager L\u00e9on Prunelle<\/em> and the other staffers, all whilst effectively ignoring any tasks he\u2019s paid to handle. These officially include page paste-up, posting (initially fragile) packages, collecting stuff inbound and editing readers\u2019 letters (that\u2019s the official reason fans\u2019 requests and suggestions are never acknowledged or answered)\u2026<\/p>\n

Gomer is lazy, over-opinionated, ever-ravenous, impetuous, underfed, forgetful and eternally hungry, a passionate sports fan and animal lover, with his most manic moments all stemming from cutting work corners, stashing or consuming contraband nosh in the office or inventing the Next Big Thing.<\/p>\n

This leads to constant clashes with colleagues and draws in notionally unaffiliated bystanders like traffic cop Longsnoot<\/em> and fireman Captain Morwater<\/em>, as well as any simple passers-by who should know by now to keep away from this street.<\/p>\n

Through it all our office oaf remains eternally affable, easy-going and incorrigible. Only three questions really matter here: why everyone keeps giving him one last chance, what can gentle, lovelorn Miss Jeanne<\/em> possible see in the self-opinionated idiot and will ever-outraged capitalist financier De Mesmaeker <\/em>ever get his perennial, pestiferous contracts signed?<\/p>\n

In 1973 Gaston – Gaffes, b\u00e9vues et boulettes<\/em><\/strong> was the 11th<\/sup> collected album (albeit rejigged in 2018 to become the 16th<\/sup> European compilation). It became in 2022 Cinebook\u2019s 9th<\/sup> translated compilation, once more offering non-stop all-Franquin comics gags in single page bursts with some script contributions from Yvan Delporte (The Smurfs<\/strong>, Steve Severin<\/strong>, Id<\/em><\/strong>\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>es noires<\/em><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Our well-meaning, overconfident, overly-helpful know-it-all office hindrance invents more stuff making life unnecessarily dangerous and continues his pioneering and perilous attempts to befriend and boost fauna and flora alike, always improving the beleaguered modern mechanised world. As he concentrates on avoiding his job, Gomer\u2019s big heart swells to nurture his animal pals. His adopted feral cat and black-headed gull still accompany illicit studio companions Cheese<\/em> the mouse and goldfish Bubelle<\/em>, but their hyperactive gluttonous presences generate much chaos, especially as they have learned to work together now. Not only must Gaston face starvation on a daily basis, but even the street\u2019s shopkeepers find themselves in a silent war of nutrition attrition…<\/p>\n

The dreamer also fosters the belief that he is a musical prodigy only awaiting discovery, but in a wave of Christmas strips everyone else remains violently unconvinced, as they are of his painful innovations in furniture design. Gomer\u2019s chum and opposite number Jules-from-Smith\u2019s-across-the-street<\/em> is a like-minded soul and born accomplice, ever-eager to slope off for a chat, and a confirmed devotee of Gomer\u2019s methods of passing the time whilst at work. He is always ready to help, as here when assisting in facing the out-of-control cactus from Aunt Hortense<\/em>\u2019s home again or joining his pal\u2019s bike racing escapade\u2026<\/p>\n

Sport is important to the Goof, but rugby, soccer, basketball, billiards and – technically – ice skating all prove faithless and painful masters, but such is his passion, however, that Gomer is allowed to report on one peculiar<\/span> particular match he played goal keeper in, as seen in illustrated text report \u2018A Match to Remember\u2019<\/em>…<\/p>\n

Despite resolute green credentials and leanings, Gomer is colour-blind to the problems his antiquated automobile cause, even after all his attempts to soup up the antique. Many strips focus on his doomed love affair with and manic efforts to modify and mollify the accursed motorised atrocity he calls his car. The decrepit, dilapidated Fiat 509 is more in need of merciful euthanasia than engineering interventions for countering its lethal road pollution and violent and unpredictable failures to function. Here, new tweaks certainly impress passing wildlife if not obsessive gendarme Longsnoot in splendidly daft road dalliances intermixed with repeated visits to his friends at the zoo. Hint: none of them wear clothes…<\/p>\n

Also suffering a succession of painful reversals, benighted yet fanatical business bod De Mesmaeker<\/em> turns up repeatedly here with ever more crucial contracts for poor office manager Prunelle to sign and for Gomer to accidentally shred or otherwise intercept and eradicate.<\/em><\/p>\n

A new edifice of the Establishment to undergo the Goof effect is the local Customs officer who on more than one occasion deeply regrets asking if the geek in the poisonous car has anything to declare, although brief explorations of motorcycling and yoga don\u2019t cause that<\/em> much carnage relative to the general aura of weird science prototypes, arcane chemical concoctions and the in-house manic menagerie able to shred chairs and open sardine tins with a bash of the beak. At least Gomer understands why redecorating costs are so high and frequent\u2026<\/p>\n

Far better enjoyed than pr\u00e9cised or described, these strips allowed Franquin and occasional co-scenarists\/idea providers like Roba, Bibi, Michel, Delporte & Jid\u00e9hem (AKA Jean De Mesmaeker: just one of many in-joke analogues who populate the strip) to flex whimsical muscles, subversively sneak in some satirical support for their beliefs in pacifism, environmentalism and animal rights and sometimes even appear in person as does poor Raoul Bluecoats<\/strong> Cauvin…
\n\"\"
\nThese gags are sublime examples of all-ages comedy: wholesome, barbed, daft and incrementally funnier with every re-reading. Why haven\u2019t you got your Goof on yet?
\n\u00a9 Dupuis, Dargaud-Lombard s.a. 2009 by Franquin. All rights reserved. English translation \u00a9 2022 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Franquin, with additional texts by Delporte, translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-80044-064-7 (PB Album\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced during less enlightened times. Andr\u00e9 Franquin was born in Etterbeek, Belgium on January 3rd 1924 and began his career in a golden age of European cartooning. Beginning as assistant to Joseph \u201cJij\u00e9\u201d … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Gomer Goof volume 9: Good Golly, Mr. Goof!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_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}},"categories":[357,280,113,255,63,102,346,125,111,210],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-andre-franquin","category-animal-antics","category-comedy","category-environmentalism","category-european-classics","category-fantasy","category-gomer-goof","category-humour","category-satirepolitics","category-sport"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7Sl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30277","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=30277"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30282,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30277\/revisions\/30282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}