{"id":30834,"date":"2024-10-31T18:21:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T18:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30834"},"modified":"2024-11-01T18:12:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T18:12:18","slug":"yakari-and-nanabozo-volume-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/10\/31\/yakari-and-nanabozo-volume-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Yakari and Nanabozho (volume 11)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Derib<\/strong> & Job<\/strong>, coloured by Dominque<\/strong> and translated by Jerome Saincantin<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-84918-177-8 (Album PB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Closing what has been an already appalling month for planet Earth, (belated) news came to us yesterday that we have lost two more of comics\u2019 most prodigious and influential talents. You\u2019re all busy and so am I, but we can\u2019t let the events go unremarked. Here\u2019s a quick reminder in review form of what will be so missed, but which we can still enjoy forever…<\/em><\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: A World We All Want \u2026 9\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1964 children\u2019s magazine Le Crapaud \u00e0 lunettes<\/em><\/strong> was founded by Swiss journalist Andr\u00e9 Jobin (25\/10\/1927-08\/10\/2024), who then wrote for it under the pseudonym Job. Three years later, he hired artist and fellow Swiss Franco-phone Claude de Ribaupierre, AKA \u201cDerib\u201d.<\/p>\n

The illustrator had launched his own career as an assistant at Studio Peyo (home of Les Schtroumpfs<\/em><\/strong>): working on The Smurfs<\/strong> strips for venerable weekly Le Journal de<\/em> Spirou<\/em><\/strong>. Thereafter, together they created the splendid Adventures of the Owl Pythagore<\/em> before striking pure comics gold a few years later with their next collaboration.<\/p>\n

Born in Del\u00e9mont, Jobin split his time between Bande Dessin\u00e9es – 39 Yakari albums and 3 for Pythagore<\/em> – and his other writing editing and publishing briefs: an admirably restrained and outstandingly effective legacy to be proud of.<\/p>\n

Derib – equally au fait with enticing, comically dynamic \u201cMarcinelle\u201d cartoon style yarns and devastatingly compelling meta-realistic action illustrated action epics became one of the Continent\u2019s most prolific and revered creators with such groundbreaking strips as Buddy Longway<\/em>, Celui-qui-est-n\u00e0-deux-fois,<\/em> Jo<\/strong> (first comic to deal with AIDS), Pour toi, Sandra<\/em> and La Grande Saga Indienne<\/em>. They haven\u2019t been translated into English yet, but still we patiently wait in hope and anticipation\u2026<\/p>\n

Yakari<\/strong> is considered by fans and critics to be the strip which led Derib to his deserved mega-stardom. Debuting in 1969, self-contained episodes trace the eventful, nomadic life of an Oglala Lakota<\/em> boy on the Great Plains, with stories set sometime after the introduction of horses (by colonising Conquistadores) but before the coming of modern Europeans.<\/p>\n

The series – which also generated two separate animated TV series and a movie – has notched up 42 albums thus far: a testament to its evergreen vitality and brilliance of its creators, even though originator Job moved on in 2016, replaced by Frenchman Joris Chamblain.<\/p>\n

Abundant with gentle whimsy and heady compassion, Yakari\u2019s life is a largely bucolic and happy existence: at one with nature and generally free from privation or strife. For the sake of dramatic delectation, however, the ever-changing seasons are punctuated with the odd crisis, generally resolved without fuss, fame or fanfare by a little lad who is smart and brave, and who can – thanks to a boon of his totem guide the Great Eagle <\/em>– converse with animals\u2026<\/p>\n

First serialised in 1978, Yakari et Nanabozo<\/em><\/strong> was the fourth European album, released as the strip transferred to prestigious magazine Le Journal d Tintin<\/em><\/strong>, but was only translated by Cinebook in 2013, making it officially the 11th<\/sup> UK album. That\u2019s not going to be a problem for chronology or continuity addicts as the tale is both stunningly simple and effectively timeless…<\/p>\n

It begins one bright sunny day as the little wonder wanders out to the Rock of the Bear<\/em> to meet his friend Rainbow<\/em>. When the lad arrives there\u2019s no sign of her, but he does meet a gigantic, extremely voluble desert hare claiming to be Trickster Spirit Nanabozho…<\/p>\n

a statement he proves by making some astounding adjustments to the little lad\u2019s own height.<\/p>\n

The Great Rabbit claims to be Rainbow\u2019s totem animal, just as Great Eagle<\/em> watches over and protects Yakari. Moreover, the loopy lepine wants the lad to accompany him on a quest. Ever since a travelling tale-teller arrived in camp, recounting shocking stories of the far north where it\u2019s so cold the bears are snowy white, headstrong Rainbow has wanted to see the amazing creatures for herself and, eager to please his prot\u00e9g\u00e9e, the Brobdingnagian bunny agrees to help her, even supplying magic walking moccasins to reduce the hardships of the hike.
\n\"\"
\nUnfortunately, the impatient tyke can\u2019t wait for the Trickster and Yakari to join her and puts them on unsupervised. Unable to resist the enchanted slippers, Rainbow starts her trek, not knowing where she\u2019s going or how to stop…<\/p>\n

Now, with boy and bunny transforming into giants and tiny mites as circumstances demand, they set out to catch their impetuous friend, following the path of magic talisman \u2018the Straight Arrow\u2019<\/em> and assisted by such beneficial creatures as a night moose.<\/p>\n

… And when they at last find Rainbow, the travellers decide that as they\u2019ve come so far, they might as well complete the journey to the Land of the White Bears, aided by a fabulous flying canoe…
\n\"\"
\nAlways visually spectacular, seductively smart and happily heart-warming, Job\u2019s sparse plot here affords Derib an unmissable opportunity to go wild with the illustrations; creating a lush, lavish and eye-popping fantasy wonderland which is breathtaking to behold, and Really Big Sky storytelling with a delicious twist in its colossal fluffy tail…<\/p>\n

The exploits of the valiant little voyager who speaks to animals and enjoys a unique place in an exotic world is a decades-long celebration of joyously gentle, marvellously moving and enticingly entertaining adventure, honouring and eulogising an iconic culture with grace, wit, wonder and especially humour. These gentle sagas are true landmarks of comics literature and Yakari is a strip no fan of graphic entertainment should ignore.
\nOriginal edition \u00a9 1978 Le Lombard\/Dargaud by Derib & Job. English translation 2013 \u00a9 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Derib & Job, coloured by Dominque and translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-84918-177-8 (Album PB\/Digital edition) Closing what has been an already appalling month for planet Earth, (belated) news came to us yesterday that we have lost two more of comics\u2019 most prodigious and influential talents. You\u2019re all busy and so am I, … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Yakari and Nanabozho (volume 11)”<\/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":[191,239,63,102,122,125,97,99,252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-drama","category-european-classics","category-fantasy","category-historical","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-westerns","category-yakari"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-81k","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30834","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=30834"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30856,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30834\/revisions\/30856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}