EAST - WEST
Written and experienced by Pierre Christin.
Drawn by Phillipe Aymond.
Published digitally in the English Language by Europe Comics.
“America, which I often visited, was a place that both seduced and repelled me.
The Eastern Bloc countries, through which I also traveled extensively,
both attracted and saddened me. In those days, it was very rare to be able to visit both at the same time, due to the extreme ideological divide.
But that’s exactly what I did, usually at the wheel of dilapidated cars so I could
drive around at leisure and make up my own mind about these places.” - PIERRE CHRISTIN
‘From the American West to the most remote parts of the Eastern Bloc,
graphic novelist Pierre Christin brings us the tale of his travels on both sides of the Iron Curtain, something almost unheard-of during the Cold War. He recalls his encounters with major authors such as Jean-Claude Mézières, Enki Bilal, and Jean Giraud, aka Mœbius. Between Flower Power and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the writer of Valerian and Laureline takes us on an intimate adventure through the second half of the 20th century,in a narrative that mixes personal experiences and observations with his creative journey as an artist, beautifully and vividly illustrated by Philippe Aymond.’
I was sent this as a preview copy by Irina Polianina from Europe Comics. I jokingly refer to her as my ‘comics crack dealer’, but what she is really is a person with great taste and an insight into what I’ll really like. This is however no niche book in Europe. It has just won the Rene Goscinny Prize at the Angoulême Comics Festival. It is written by the European Comics Legend Pierre Christin who you should all already be aware wrote the Valérian series (yes, the one that movie is based upon).
This book comes out later this month in a digital format. I’m in Rome next week and hoping that the Italians have been clever enough to translate it. Europe Comics remains a great avenue to get an education in some amazing comics.
It’s common for me to skip the introduction in a trade paperback or graphic novel. I’m sure it’s a common habit of many of us. But please read this one before you begin. It shows the intent, the reasoning and the atmosphere of this autobiographical comic. It also gives an insight into the writer and in this case, more than many others, that is important. I am instantly taken with this writer and his style, a pragmatic, no nonsense attitude for sure, but one with strong realistic reasoning.
‘One of my self-imposed rules has always been to write only about things I’ve seen (except at the far reaches of space, but even so, that’s what dreams are for), to use only my own photo records (I make sure my shots are ugly, so they don’t overly influence the illustrator), and to include only elements taken from my travels and my reading.’
This is a book that was an absolute revelation in many areas. It is both personally touching and intellectually stimulating. Not only did I connect with the characters I also leant something.
The book opens on Pierre in 1966 travelling across the States in a Greyhound Bus. The country is how we have come to realise a contradiction of friendly white picket fences and troubled racial tension. In one interesting section Pierre leaves the bus and finds himself in a record shop. Being a Frenchman he decides to look for some Jazz records and finds hidden away in the ‘Race Records Section’. Even at this early stage you feel the mood change and the beginning of the social revolution.
‘I ended up as a comics writer without really knowing how...’ PIERRE CHRISTIN.
Christin began to teach at Utah University and travelled the country during the downtime. You feel that he is a man blown by the wind from one experience to another, fearless but drawn by fate. He immersed himself in a country that he had previously only experienced through Cowboy movies and television. He encounters corrupt second hand car dealers who he hilariously is conned by time after time, American Jazz music, Diners, Polygomy and Mormons. He gets to pursue his dream of riding the range and allows the history in the book to be inspired by his experience of the moment.
The art from Aymond is breathtaking. He shows the world in widescreen with the beauty of the desert and the city in equal measure. He frames each scene like a period specific photograph showing really dramatic scale. He also shows the personal and the street level beautifully. the story takes a number of time jumps and the artist’s style changes accordingly. We get full colour, sepia and black and white, the art also allows alternatively for discussion between individuals, a reportage style, very personal flashback sequences and a telling of politics and history. It’s an intense and clever experience and Aymond is perfectly suited to a book of this kind.
As the writer’s story progresses he returns to Europe and crosses over behind the Iron Curtain. But always uses comics as a touchstone to the life of the narrator. He sees himself at one point as almost a black market dealer in comic books and albums, taking them to places where they are not easily available. Once again Europe is feeling a huge seismic shift in political, social, sexual and racial changes. These personal experiences of the writer range from the discovery of a Romany Encampment almost stuck in a bygone age to the tense crossing at Checkpoint Charlie into the west, a journey from sinister and quiet to overwhelming capitalism. The world that is disappearing brushes harshly against the concrete giant that has stamped down on the beautiful past.
Throughout the book Pierre travels America, Germany (both East and West), Finland, France, Russia, Bulgaria, The Czech Republic and many other places. We see the impact on the world of the changes and challenges to all sides of politics. The passes and failures of Capitalism, Marxism, Socialism, Dialectic Materialism and all this other political/economical theories and redundant practises. He captures their essence at that time and repeats them here for us to read. But add to this his meetings with the giants of comics like Enki Bilal, Möebius, Rene Goscinny, Jean-Claude Mézières, Jacques Tardi and more. This is the joining of many things. But isn’t that what a life is?
Customs, Comics, Politics, Comics, Community, Comics, Human interactions and Comics.
We are both individually and collectively only a result of our experiences and history. This book is easily one of the best things I have ever read. I have to admit to being more than a little obsessed. Now will someone just pull their finger out and release a hard copy!
Have a look on Comixology in the upcoming weeks for the release of this book. You can also head over to www.europecomics.com or follow them on Twitter @EuropeComics
Many thanks for reading.
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