European Comics

July – November 2022

Museo L’Iber, in its ongoing mission to spread knowledge — in this case literature — through miniatures, turns here to comics. Historieta, tebeo, cómic, graphic novel: these are just some of the names this art form has been given; without entering into that debate, best left to specialists, Museo L’Iber set out to show some of the most emblematic characters of the 9th art recreated in miniature.

Through several display cases, the youngest members of the family (and the not-so-young) can get to know at first hand the small Gaulish village that survived the Roman invasion, the town of Lucky Luke, or the special agents of T.I.A., Mort & Phil.

All these pieces are made by the Pixi & Cie brand, created by Alexis Poliakoff and Philippe-Antoine Guénard.

Alexis, the founder and sculptor, and Philippe-Antoine, who runs the brand, have turned this small company into a name recognised worldwide.

Egyptian paintings, Greek vases, Roman frescoes and the like are not considered comics, although the seed of telling a story through a picture is already there. To properly characterize a comic, one must wait for social and political satire to find its recognizable forerunners.

At first they were no more than simple caricatures or drawings illustrating a story, or brief narratives with no continuity between them.

By convention, the first modern comic published in the world was The Yellow Kid, on 16 February 1896 in the New York newspaper The World. That is because it was around then that the word “comic” started to be used, if only informally, to describe the art form itself.

The result is an explosion of color, memories, nostalgia and animation, recalling our childhood reading and, often, our present-day reading too. This exhibition will make you want to revisit many of the albums of Asterix and Obelix, Lucky Luke, Blake and Mortimer, The Smurfs, Spirou and so many others.

An exhibition to enjoy as a family, which younger visitors are sure to love.

Main piece: the banquet of Asterix and Obelix

It is the year 50 BC. Gaul is under Roman occupation. Well, almost all of it… one small village of indomitable Gauls still stands firm against the invaders.

Together, the inseparable trio Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix live unforgettable adventures, which often take the brave Gauls to far-off lands. After each journey, they return to their peaceful village and recover from their battles against the Romans with a feast. The great festive table is already laid, and a delicious wild boar is roasting over the fire.

Before the feast begins, Obelix quickly leaves his menhir in Asterix’s hut, puts a few bones in the bowl for Dogmatix, and — more often than not — Cacofonix the bard ends up tied up, gagged, and left up a tree… it’s time to face the boar!