''Philémon'' is a series in the
Franco-Belgian comics style created by
French artist
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...
and published by
Dargaud
Société Dargaud, doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud (), publishing its first comics in 1943.
...
. The series began serial publication in the French magazine ''
Pilote
Cover of the first ''Pilote'' issue #0
''Pilote'' () was a French comic magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major French or Belgian comics talents of its day the magazine introduced major series such as ''Astérix'', '' ...
'' on July 22, 1965,
before it eventually became an album series. (''Pilote'' was a direct response to the Franco-Belgian weeklies ''Spirou'' and ''Journal de Tintin'', and sought to test more recent and dynamic strips on young and adolescent readers.) The general tone of the series is of
fantastic realism, depicting the adventures of the young farmboy Philémon in surreal adventures featuring odd creatures in odd places, and it is considered one of the most poetic and original ''bande dessinée'' series of all time.
Synopsis
Philémon is a rural French teenager. His best friend is a donkey named Anatole. Philémon's father easily gets angry and he despairs at the "tall stories" his son tells him.
Philémon's early adventures begin when, by accident, Philémon fell down a well and ended up on a beach. This well was a "portal" and Philémon ended up in an odd world, reminiscent of ''
Alice in Wonderland'' in its alterations of commonly accepted reality, with strange characters which varied from people with butterfly wings to
centaurs. Philémon also met Barthélémy, a well digger who had gone through the same portal and ended up trapped on an island for forty years. The island was one of many which formed the letters of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
on maps and
globe
A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...
s. In the course of their adventures Philémon and Mr. Barthélémy would travel from between their native countryside to the various islands, using Uncle Félicien's magic.
Main characters
Philémon: a teenage farm boy who finds himself traveling to the various and fantastic islands that make up the letters "Atlantic Ocean" on maps and
globe
A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...
s.
Barthélémy: a well-digger who, while at work, found himself traveling through a portal and ending up on the first A island. Although he got to live in a beautiful palace he soon became homesick and sent messages in bottles in an attempt to get rescued from the island. This lasted 40 years before Philémon came across one such message and helped Barthélémy return home. Before long, however, Barthélémy became homesick for the island, and his desperate desire to return was the cause of many of their subsequent adventures.
Anatole: Philémon's pet donkey and best friend.
Félicien: Philémon's uncle whose studies of magic enable him to send Barthélémy and Philémon to and from the magical lands. No method of travel can be used twice, so Félicien's methods vary from a
zipper
A zipper, zip, fly, or zip fastener, formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and other bags, camping ...
hidden in the ground to a magical barrel of water. This constant travel does cause disturbances in the fabric of reality, causing Félicien problems with the islands' authorities.
Hector: Philémon's father, who refuses to believe his son's stories and maintains his disbelief in the fantasy islands, even when he happens to go there himself (see "Le Voyage de l’incrédule" (French for "The Sceptic's Journey")).
Film Adaptation
In a 2013 article for Variety, Max Films announced plans to adapt Philémon into an English-language, live-action film, directed by Julien Demers-Arsenault and Sebastien Denault.
Footnotes
Bibliography
*1
*. ''Philémon avant la lettre'' (1978, Dargaud,
)
*2. ''Philémon et le Naufragé du "A"'' (1972, Dargaud,
)
*3. ''Philémon et le piano sauvage'' (1973, Dargaud,
)
*4. ''Philémon et le château suspendu'' (1973, Dargaud,
)
*5. ''Le voyage de l'incrédule'' (1974, Dargaud,
)
*6. ''Simbabbad de Batbad'' (1974, Dargaud,
)
*7. ''L'île des brigadiers'' (1975, Dargaud,
)
*8. ''Philémon à l'heure du second T'' (1975, Dargaud,
)
*9. ''L'arche du "A"'' (1976, Dargaud,
)
*10 ''L'âne en atoll'' (1977, Dargaud,
)
*11. ''La mémémoire'' (1977, Dargaud,
)
*12. ''Le chat à neuf queues'' (1978, Dargaud,
)
*13. ''Le secret de Félicien'' (1981, Dargaud,
)
*14. ''L'enfer des épouvantails'' (1983, Dargaud,
)
*15. ''Le diable du peintre'' (1987, Dargaud,
)
In 2013, a sixteenth book, "Le Train où vont les Choses" was published shortly before Fred's death, bringing a coda to the series.
* A later release featuring stories (pilot episodes) published before the main series, occasionally listed as No. 0
The first English-translated version of the book was published in 2014, a year after Fred's death.
(Cast Away on the Letter "A", TOON Books
)
Sources
''Philémon'' publications in ''Pilote''BDoubliées
Bedetheque
External links
''Philémon'' homage site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philemon (Comics)
French comic strips
1965 comics debuts
Comics characters introduced in 1965
2013 comics endings
Dargaud titles
Pilote titles
Fantasy comics
Humor comics
Nautical comics
Surreal comedy
French comics characters
Child characters in comics
Male characters in comics
Comics about magic
Comics about animals