27 European comics gems worth discovering

In a market invaded by American superhero comics sometimes, or at least for me it was at the time, it is difficult to navigate between the magnificent offer of European comics that populate the shelves of specialized bookstores and department stores. Thousands of albums and volumes of various formats with a great variety of authors and themes.

And it is that the European comics, dominated above all by the Franco-Belgian market, has a very long tradition of masterpieces and jewels that, perhaps, have passed us unnoticed. That is why in Engadget today we are going to review 27 great European comics that are worth discovering.

‘The Eagles of Rome’, by Marini

Enrico Marini narrates in vignettes the history of the Roman Empire through Arminius, son of a tribal chief and Marco, son of a Roman general. As a cartoonist, Enrico Marini is excellentHowever, it is in the script where it fails the most. What does not take away so that we can enjoy a wonderful work.

‘Arthus Trivium’, by Raule and Landa

Nostradamus is the protagonist of this saga by the Spanish Raule and Landa. The famous “prophet” is presented to us somewhat older and assisted by three assistants in a series of adventures and action. Each Landa plate is pure art and accompanies an astonishing and detailed script.

‘The Arab of the future’. by Riad Sattouf

Year after year each delivery has found its way into most tops and it is no wonder. Riad Sattouf offers us an exceptional glimpse into its youth in the middle east in the eighties. A wide portrait, generous both in the light and in the shadows and completely essential.

‘The rise of great evil’, by David B.

David B. is responsible for what may be the first great masterpiece of the 21st century so far (or the last of the 20th depending on the year of publication of each installment). Also known as’ Epileptic. The rise of great evil ‘, the author takes us through a tremendous and scary (not in a bad way) autobiographical journey through his childhood and relationship with his brother’s illness.

‘Asterix and Cleopatra’, by Albert Uderzo and Renée Goscinny

With the Gauls Asterix and Obélix it is just as difficult to choose just one. Here I stay with ‘Asterix and Cleopatra’ because I think it is in this comic, in which our protagonists travel to Egypt, in which Uderzo and Goscinny reach maturity with this saga. Very funny, imaginative and with immortal gags.

‘Blacksad’, by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido

In one of those sad examples of how difficult things have been to get published in our country, we find ‘Blacksad’, a sensational noir that arrived in France months before Spain. Juanjo Guarnido and Juan Díaz Canales they handle like few others a charming and magnificent noir that has managed to win some of the most important awards in the global industry.

‘Los Cabecicubos’, by Jan

It may be, without a doubt, the most political story of all that Superlópez has to his credit. And probably the best and most complex. A commission to publicize square eggs culminates in a satirical denunciation against militarism and totalitarianism in one of the best Spanish comics ever made.

‘The daily combats’, by Manu Larcenet

A tender slice of life in which Larcenet tells the story of a former war photographer who retires to live in the countryside. The intimate manners of the pages make every reflection, everything that happens in this album it stays etched in our retinas in a play about reconciling with our own life.

‘The Heart of the Empire’, by Bryan Talbot

I remember that the first time I read ‘The Heart of the Empire’ I must have been thirteen years old and everything I saw overwhelmed and fascinated me in equal measure. Talbot creates a rich future universe in which the British Empire is its owner. A great nuanced political drama that plays on parallel worlds.

‘Diary of a naive. A Spirou Adventure ‘, by Émile Bravo

Recently reissued in Spain, Émile Bravo begins to update the famous button within the collection of stories that has given us other jewels like ‘The Khaki Green Buttons’ or ‘The Leopard Woman’. This time it takes us to the dawn of World War II, with Spirou receiving and saying goodbye to the hotel guests without taking too much trouble in a heartfelt tribute to the character’s early days.

‘Dylan Dog’, by Tiziano Sclavi et al.

Among the best that the Italian house Bonelli has given are the adventures of the supernatural investigator Dylan Dog created by Tiziano Sclavi. With a publication that has comfortably exceeded 300 issues with various authors, perhaps the most recommended are precisely the first with stories as memorable as ‘Memoria dall invisible’ or that first ‘Dawn of the Living Dead’.

‘Honor Among Punks’, by Guy Davis and Gary Reed

With this intriguing and shocking name hides an exercise in alternative history set in the late twentieth century with Victorian overtones, more specifically we go to a Baker Street that is the nerve center of London punks. A kind of tribute to Sherlock Holmes that mixes crime and counterculture in a great ___tail.

‘The incal’

How not to put here the magnum opus of two giants such as Alejandro Jodorowski and Moebius and that has become one of the most influential works of science fiction in recent decades. Starring a rogue detective, we dive through endless layers of philosophy and mystique on a galactic adventure.

‘Isaac the pirate’, by Christophe Blaine

A funny saga in which we follow the story of a poor painter that is seen looking for the life like crew member of a pirate ship. Cartoonish and unexpected in the sense that it is not what one expects when reading the synopsis and title, but so much more. A jewel that has been in a “hiatus” for more than a decade.

‘Jeremiah’, by Hermann

The magnificent Hermann elaborates with ‘Jeremiah’ a great post-apocalyptic saga starring two young people in search of a justice that does not exist in an America divided into three racial regions. Hermann proves in these albums to be at least as good a writer as a draftsman … and his drawing is outstanding.

‘Judge Dredd: Complete Files’, by Carlos Ezquerra and John Wagner

Dredd being one of the most iconic characters to come out of the 2000AD factory, he misses the poor editorial luck for our country until relatively recently. But this does not imply that these early years, with Ezquerra and Wagner at the helm, are not of a highly remarkable quality. Crime and personalized punishment in an exceptional figure.

‘My Circumstances’, by Lewis Trondheim

Trondheim is an old acquaintance to fans to the Franco-Belgian comic for his collaboration with Joan Sfarr in ‘The Dungeon’. With ‘My Circumstances’, the French author faces his own crisis of the 30s, his fears, his relationship with his future wife and everything that is on his mind (him and us) in a sincere and interesting work.

‘Paracuellos’, by Carlos Giménez

It is difficult to decide on something by Carlo Giménez, so I am going to “shoot” for the shocking ‘Paracuellos’, which places us in the misadventures of a group of children in a boarding school (Casa de Axilio Social) during the first years of the national Catholicism of Frank. An immense, passionate and sincere work.

‘Persepolis’, by Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi recounts in this great work her experiences as a witness to the change that Iran underwent in the late 1970s, when she was still a child. In ‘Persepolis’ we see a story of maturity, strong and sincere of his life in the Middle East until his departure to Europe and the process of adaptation that this entailed.

‘Blue Pills’, by Frederik Peeters

Peeters’ work is full of great comics but I think the most moving and round is ‘Blue Pills’ in which the author tells of his relationship with Cati and her son, both HIV-positive. A work that overflows with feelings on the surface.

‘The monster’s dream’, by Enki Bilal

The Yugoslav Enki Bilal captures in the “Tetralogy of the monster” that begins with this comic an amazing story full of humanity in which, set in the near future tells us about the wounds of the Balkan war through three orphans. A sensitive story that is somewhat difficult to get into, but once you do, it grabs you.

‘The atomic sulfate’, by Ibáñez

Although it seems that Nobody pays attention to Mortadelo and Filemón anymoreWe have to remember that for some time they have been the greatest symbols of Bruguera’s comic and, by extension, of Spanish. With ‘El sulfate atomic’, Ibáñez makes the first long story of the TIA agents with what is one of his most emblematic comics.

‘The furrows of chance’, by Paco Roca

Among all the bibliography of Paco Roca, probably ‘Los surcos del azar’ is the work where he reaches the higher degree of artistic maturity. The comic tells the story of La Nueve, a company made up mostly of Spanish Republicans who fought in World War II.

‘Tintin in Tibet’, by Hergé

It may be a strange choice considering that ‘Pharaoh’s cigars’ or ‘The secret of the unicorn’ are the first that come to mind when talking about the adventures of the intrepid reporter created by Hergé. However, ‘Tintin in Tibet’ is one of the most special albums in the saga. A very personal, delicate work with the most careful and spectacular drawing.

‘The Towers of Bois-Mauri’, by Hermann

Although we have already recommended ‘Jeremiah’ I am not reluctant to include what is probably one of the best comics of historical genre of the Franco-Belgian BD. A complete vision of the 11th century through the adventures of Aymar de Bois-Maury in search of recovering his lands.

‘Torpedo 1936’, by Enrique Sánchez Abulí, Alex Toth and Jordi Bernet

Another great work of the comic is Abulí and Bernet’s ‘Torpedo’, a monumental work that tells the adventures of Luca Torelli, a ruthless hitman who roams the underworld of 1930s New York. Noir at its most hard-boiled done in an excellent way both in the script and in the drawing.

‘V for Vendetta’, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Although much of his work has been made for American publishers, the English Alan Moore has gifted us with that masterpiece that is ‘V for Vendetta’ (started in the UK and completed in the United States). His insightful portrait of a fascist England and the mysterious V is a wonder.

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