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Young Albert: Coffee Table Book (Limited) by Yves Chaland
The daily misadventures of mischievous Belgian youngster Albert, as recounted in comic strip form by legendary ligne claire cartoonist Yves Chaland. The art of Yves Chaland ( Chaland Anthology - Freddy Lombard Vol. 1 & 2 ) tackles many different universes and genres. In the case of Young Albert, the author sarcastically explores intimate, everyday events in a largely autobiographical way. Mastering both art and writing skills in his short time on earth, Yves Chaland, is remembered as a genius who tragically left us to soon, but who thankfully gifted us a body of work that lives on as a major contributions to the world of comics.
- GenresComicsBande Dessinée
Hardcover
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About the author
Yves Chaland
50 books11 followersYves Chaland (French: [iv ʃalɑ̃] was a French cartoonist. He was a master of the ligne-clair style
During the 1980s, together with Luc Cornillon, Serge Clerc and Floc'h, he launched the Atomic style, a stylish remake of the Marcinelle School in Franco-Belgian comics.
Chaland published his first strips in the fanzine Biblipop when he was 17. During his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Saint-Etienne, he created his own fanzine, L'Unité de Valeur, in 1976, with Luc Cornillon.
In 1978, they met writer/editor Jean-Pierre Dionnet who hired them for his comics magazines Métal Hurlant and Ah Nana. These pastiches of 50s comics have been collected in the album Captivant. In September 1979 he married designer Isabelle Beaumenay-Joannet.
He then created the characters of Bob Fish, Adolphus Claar, Freddy Lombard, and Le Jeune Albert, a scamp character living in the Marolles, a working-class area of Brussels.
Yves Chaland, was approached to draw an adventure of Spirou et Fantasio, appearinging in half-page installments of the weekly Spirou magazine. Done in a retro 50s style similar to his influences Jijé and André Franquin, both former artists on the Spirou feature. The unfinished story has been collected in the album Spirou et Fantasio – Hors Série, No. 4 (Dupuis, 2003).
He also did many advertising illustration commissions in his crisp, clean, "retro-modern" cartoon style.
Chaland died on 18 July 1990, following a car wreck, at the age of 33.
During the 1980s, together with Luc Cornillon, Serge Clerc and Floc'h, he launched the Atomic style, a stylish remake of the Marcinelle School in Franco-Belgian comics.
Chaland published his first strips in the fanzine Biblipop when he was 17. During his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Saint-Etienne, he created his own fanzine, L'Unité de Valeur, in 1976, with Luc Cornillon.
In 1978, they met writer/editor Jean-Pierre Dionnet who hired them for his comics magazines Métal Hurlant and Ah Nana. These pastiches of 50s comics have been collected in the album Captivant. In September 1979 he married designer Isabelle Beaumenay-Joannet.
He then created the characters of Bob Fish, Adolphus Claar, Freddy Lombard, and Le Jeune Albert, a scamp character living in the Marolles, a working-class area of Brussels.
Yves Chaland, was approached to draw an adventure of Spirou et Fantasio, appearinging in half-page installments of the weekly Spirou magazine. Done in a retro 50s style similar to his influences Jijé and André Franquin, both former artists on the Spirou feature. The unfinished story has been collected in the album Spirou et Fantasio – Hors Série, No. 4 (Dupuis, 2003).
He also did many advertising illustration commissions in his crisp, clean, "retro-modern" cartoon style.
Chaland died on 18 July 1990, following a car wreck, at the age of 33.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 20, 2022
This is a collection of comic strips that were originally published in the 1970s and 1980s in legendary French magazine Métal hurlant, which is best known for containing groundbreaking comics by the likes of Mœbius, Philippe Druillet, Enki Bilal and Richard Corben. However, the comics of Yves Chaland are radically different to those of his better known Métal hurlant peers. While those guys explored elaborate, detailed, often psychedelic styles, Chaland employed a ligne claire aesthetic heavily influenced by Hergé.
Moreover, Chaland's "Le Jeune Albert" ("Young Albert") was a comic strip in the truest sense. I can't speak for other editions, but my 1985 French collection measures 23 by 16 cm, with each page having 5–10 panels. In this format, the book contains 34 single-page strips, one double-page strip, and then finally an eight-page piece at the end (I think later collections contain a few additional strips). In other words, these are short-form comics – essentially gag strips.
In line with this particular genre, there isn’t much in the way of story, the focus being on oddball humour. The comedy’s never laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the comic is nonetheless consistently entertaining, its approach dark and absurd in a way that sometimes even borders on surrealism. It might look like a wholesome, family-friendly newspaper strip, but it’s decidedly weirder and more adult than that.
The content is interesting, but what makes this comic really worth reading is without a doubt the visual aspect. Chaland’s cartooning here is absolutely stellar: the backgrounds are beautiful and the characters burst with life; there’s an incredible fluidity to the cartooning and the visual storytelling is flawless. The colouring (done by Chaland’s wife, Isabelle Beaumenay-Joannet) is particularly luscious, making great use of Ben Day dots. Put simply, the artwork is sublime, and as a result these comics are an absolute joy to read.
Moreover, Chaland's "Le Jeune Albert" ("Young Albert") was a comic strip in the truest sense. I can't speak for other editions, but my 1985 French collection measures 23 by 16 cm, with each page having 5–10 panels. In this format, the book contains 34 single-page strips, one double-page strip, and then finally an eight-page piece at the end (I think later collections contain a few additional strips). In other words, these are short-form comics – essentially gag strips.
In line with this particular genre, there isn’t much in the way of story, the focus being on oddball humour. The comedy’s never laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the comic is nonetheless consistently entertaining, its approach dark and absurd in a way that sometimes even borders on surrealism. It might look like a wholesome, family-friendly newspaper strip, but it’s decidedly weirder and more adult than that.
The content is interesting, but what makes this comic really worth reading is without a doubt the visual aspect. Chaland’s cartooning here is absolutely stellar: the backgrounds are beautiful and the characters burst with life; there’s an incredible fluidity to the cartooning and the visual storytelling is flawless. The colouring (done by Chaland’s wife, Isabelle Beaumenay-Joannet) is particularly luscious, making great use of Ben Day dots. Put simply, the artwork is sublime, and as a result these comics are an absolute joy to read.
March 15, 2020
Nice collection of Chaland's funny, observant and biting commentary strips that appeared in Metal Hurlant in the late 70s-early 80s. The quality of the strips is excellent - it is the collection that gets the four star rating.
The foreword by Jean-Luc Fromental provides a light introduction to the strip but I would have appreciated an information that could have really shown the impact of the strip in the context of its original publication. The metadata for each strip would have been helpful in this regard. That said, this first collected edition was originally published in the early 1990s, when such attention to historical information was not yet in vogue for these kinds of projects.
The foreword by Jean-Luc Fromental provides a light introduction to the strip but I would have appreciated an information that could have really shown the impact of the strip in the context of its original publication. The metadata for each strip would have been helpful in this regard. That said, this first collected edition was originally published in the early 1990s, when such attention to historical information was not yet in vogue for these kinds of projects.
May 5, 2020
Cynical hero, amazing art, some amazing strips, yet too many of the jokes left me cold. Highlights: Albert learns a lesson (old vagabond, madeleine, nightmare), Albert vs heart disease (damn cats have toxoplasmosis!), The Spartan Secret (loo troubles), Sociology (have some sticks for real fighting), Feet vs Man (no amputations please) Mrs. Strobaert’s House (war ruin) Belgian Joy (family fml) etc
December 2, 2020
An odd book about a young psychopath living in a Belgium that is invaded by China. I liked the art but the humour left me cold.
January 19, 2021
I absolutely love Freddy Lombard, by the same author, but this wasn't for me. I'm not a huge fan of humor that "punches down" so it was a rough read at times. Different times, of course, but yeah....
February 27, 2016
Excellent, wonderful, and a bunch of other words that just about suffice. Taken by a car accident way too soon. Do not let Yves Chaland fall into history.
October 20, 2013
Beautiful art from the Herge school.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews