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tuomaskoivurinne — The ''Poilu''
Published: 2010-03-13 21:39:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 5030; Favourites: 21; Downloads: 36
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Description
Not much to say about this, a short story that works as a sort of "prologue" to the whole project, but it can't really be one, as there is no epilogue.The Poilus is a collection of six separate stories and this was actually done as the last one, and it didn't even appear in the first sketches I had for the project. I just felt like drawing what it must have been like in 1914. People often consider the World War 1 just years of fighting in the trenches, but it actually started out like any other war at the time. This story was drawn completely while I was in the army myself, during the last month in active service when I had some spare time in 2006.
The "poem" caused some head ache, first in Finnish and now in English. The original was viewed and then reviewed by several of my friends, each in a way giving something into it. Thank you for that. Not Shakespeare, but will have to do. Just a simple man writing down his thoughts into a rhyming form.
As a little detail; the dog soldier (well, they are all dogs!) crouching in the trench, the one with the glasses, is a little salute to a fellow Corporal from the army, sort of a lookalike.
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Comments: 12
Now, someone has been reading Jacques Tardi, hasn't he? Having read through the whole Poilu cycle, it reminds me of his comics. War stories or no, the tone is essentially anti-war, and the inking makes me think of him too. Being more into the Franco-Prussian war, I am not the person to evaluate the historical accuracy of each and every detail, but the sheer amount of it makes me kinda... jealous. Yes. Jealous. Sometimes I had trouble in telling the characters apart though (not here, but in some of the other comics). However, I have come to like these a lot.
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Forgot to reply and don't mind using English to do so;
Thank you for commenting. I'm a big fan of Mr Tardi, correct. And I admit that I have had a big influence by his work, especially when it comes to drawing cityscapes and a specific time period (late 19th, early 20th century). Unfortunately at the time I did this, I had read only few albums from him, and only two, Tuntemattoman sotilaan tositarina as it appeared in the library and Varlot Soldat, had something to do with the 'La Grande Guerre'. Later, I bought C'était la guerre des tranchées, which I find very interesting piece of work and also one of the corner stones in Tardi's bibliography.
I think our attitude towards war will always be a tricky one. On the other hand, nobody wants war, but at the same time we are very intrigued and fascinated by it. I consider my "anti-war" message being more like a remainder and homage to people who have experienced it and to those who didn't come back.
I enjoy doing background research with the details and historical accuracy, it's like half the whole work.
I don't think I'll be returning to use anthromorphic characters in the future. It was just an idea at the time, but the recent development in "furries" has made me dislike the idea. Need to draw more humans.
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Well, this is an international community, so I'd rather stick to English as well. In my opinion there are few, if any, Tardi albums with absolutely no connection to the Great War, even amongst the ones that do not portray the war itself. Not that I have read all of his books though.
I see. As an expression, the "anti-war" I used is regrettably vague, but I think your message is already apparent in your work.
Personally, extensive background research efforts tend to give me a helpless feeling. However much I research, I think that there is no way I could really understand what I am talking about, as I have never experienced war. Hence I respect people who think things through, do their research properly and have the confidence to turn their feelings and observations into art. Better still if they enjoy it.
Your Poilus never made me think of furries as in common language. More like Spiegelman's Maus. Or perhaps a hint of Apocalypse Meow. It is true that I did wonder why the choice of anthropomorphic dogs over humans, but in my opinion it makes little difference in the end.
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Oh, forgot to mention. Maus is a magnificent piece of work. Great way to break into such a gentle and provoking subject. There are some comics, which I count as "furries" yet still great; Blacksad and Inspector Canardo (Ankardo in Finnish).
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Good point. It's not like there's anything "secret" to discuss here about. The WW1-theme is quite common in Tardi's work (his granpa's stories had a big influence on him), but there several ones without any military-connection. Unfortunately Tardi's albums are pretty hard to find in Finland. Maybe the upcoming film based on Adèle Blanc-Sec will make people interested in Tardi's comics and correct that. That happened to Mike Mignola and Frank Miller.
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If you are literate in French, finding Tardi's albums and buying them online should not be a problem, but it is true that little has been translated and consequently few people are aware of his existence. As for me I have no interest in the film but I sincerely hope that what you described will happen.
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I must admit I'm not a big fan of your war-themed pieces, but this one is outstanding. Everything just works. And it's both lively and precise.
It reminds me about Art Spiegelman's "Maus".
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Unohdin kommata tätä. Ja tota sun edellistä. Aika eeppistä settiä 105 hahmoa ja tää on vaan niin vitun mageesti piirretty.
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Great job here. Quite the interesting way to tell some history.
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Thank you very much! I'll post the other stories later (what other stories? read my Journal) and things start to unwrap a bit.
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do you have a picture-poem like this but about Talvisota/Jatkosota?
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No. If I'd had, it would be in my gallery.
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