Sibylline:1969-1974

Sibylline (1969 – 1974)

Author: Raymond Macherot

Series: Ultimate Sibylline
Volume: 2
Hardback
Full colour
Dimensions: cm 21.2×28.7×1.9
Pages: 200
Price: € 25.00
Date of publication: 11/01/2012
ISBN: 2203046317
EAN: 9782203046313

First appearing in the pages of the periodical Spirou, in March,1965, Sibylline is a little mouse living and having adventures in a world full of fantasy along with many other anthropomorphic characters including his main antagonist the black rat Anathema.

Now, I have seen that a few fans –or just critics- have taken exception to Casterman claiming to have restored the old pages in this collection to “as good as new.” We are talking about strips that first saw print, in some cases, over 40 years ago and in others over 30 years ago. Who can afford to go out and buy copies of Spirou from that period?  There is nothing really wrong with this collection and I think that many people professing to be comic fans start asking for too much (“I want a clone of the creator with my collection!” –we all know the types who fall just a wee bit short of that).

If you are too young to have seen these strips before or have never seen them then this is a treat.
There are some pages of sketches and photographs looking at the character/strip and Macherot and after that it’s some great strip-work.  Originally, I thought I had seen this strip in German but I think I’m getting confused with work by Kauka Studios (Lupo, Fox und Foxi, etc.).

I was never a big Disney comics fan as a kid even though I had access to, and still have, copies of Micky Maus, Donald Duck and so on.  Okay, Uncle Scrooge I was amused with. But the Europeans draw anthropomorphic characters in a style totally different than Americans.  I don’t know what it is but if you put Kauka art pages next to Disney comic pages it is very obvious which is European.  And Macherot has a very likeable style –I’ve read through this book a few times whilst ill and each time I found something new.
I am quite sure that, online, you will find this book and volume 1 much cheaper than 25 Euros and what better gift to someone (young or old) wanting to learn French or even starting their own “Euro Comics Library” (there are quite a few out there now thanks to Cinebook-The 9^th Art).

I really am being spoilt and can hold this book up, point to it and say: “This is why I’m being spoilt!”
Sadly, the binding on the book makes it hard to scan a complete page (lots of cracking noise!) but you can see Sibylline pages by visiting BD Gest:

http://www.bedetheque.com/album-20233-BD-Sibylline-et-le-chapeau-magique.html

And our friends at Lambiek have a superb entry on Macherot along with small art samplers:
http://lambiek.net/artists/m/macherot.htm