8 - Franquin

Franquin ANDRÉ FRANQUIN GASTON Lagaffe Spoil Us (Vol. 8), Dupuis 1970 Original artwork, gag no. 562, first published in *Le Journal de Spirou* no. 1621 on May 8, 1969. Signed. India ink on paper 30.6 × 45.2 cm (12.05 × 17.8 in.) This is a perfect example of Franquin’s work. Perfect, because Franquin is at the height of his art. It’s a panel from the late 1960s when he was still at ease with his pen-and-ink drawing style. Soon, he would switch to the Rotring… Because, right from the first panel, the situation and the characters’ personalities are established: Gaston must be kept out of the way of De Mesmaeker, the man with whom Dupuis wants to sign a contract. But the bumbling fool fights back and, with the help of his friends, devises a scheme to showcase his goodwill and genius: he’ll roll out the red carpet for this important man… Franquin is certainly a virtuoso artist—undoubtedly the most brilliant of his time—but above all, he is a fabulous director of characters, capable of crafting a drama across eleven finely paced panels. Notice the density of the panels—it plays an essential role. He plays with the reader’s attention with incredible mastery, filling the backgrounds here with a thousand and one comical details—this is particularly evident during the visit to the secondhand dealer. Another illuminating clue: the technical detail of nailing the rug into soil that’s too loose (everything is perfectly observed in Franquin’s work!), which foreshadows the dénouement without the reader suspecting a thing. In the third panel, the countdown to the final gag is set in motion by a delightful play on words that reaches an explosive climax in the final panel. A true work of art! Didier Pasamonik