149 - Tardi

Tardi JACQUES TARDI NESTOR BURMA 120, rue de la gare (Vol. 2), Casterman 1988 Original page no. 28, previously published in (À Suivre) no. 99, April 1986. India ink and white gouache on paper 32.3 × 44.2 cm (12.72 × 17.4 in.) It was Dominique Véret, the founder of Tonkam, who introduced Léo Malet, the father of the French noir novel, to Jacques Tardi. He had planned to publish this adaptation himself, but Casterman thought it was an excellent idea… In Tardi’s body of work, this second volume of the adventures of Nestor Burma—a series that is consistently set in the arrondissements of Paris—holds a special place, even though the action in this panel takes place in Lyon. This album perfectly encapsulates Tardi’s characteristic style. It draws on rigorously documented imagery, which partly ties it to the tradition of the “Ligne claire.” The setting is immediately recognizable: it is 1943, during the Occupation, as evidenced by the Pétainist posters and the Traction Avant. His narrative and graphic style gets straight to the point: profiles, full-face shots, and effective framing. The subtlety of his observation lies in the quality of the rendering: a floor glistening from the rain, a light fog enveloping the city… We know immediately where we are: the setting, the season, the circumstances… The hero naturally commands our attention, and we’re ready to follow him. In terms of storytelling, this panel shows that Tardi is Hergé’s heir. Didier Pasamonik