ZIG ET PUCE

'''Zig et Puce''' is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Alain Saint-Ogan in 1925 that became popular and influential over a long period, and after ended production, was revived by Greg for a second successful publication run.

Contents

Synopsis

Publication history

Influences

References

External links

Synopsis

'Zig' and 'Puce', the thin and the tubby one, respectively, are two teenagers who frequently experience adventure. On an expedition to the North Pole they meet their pet penguin, 'Alfred'. Their adventures are often exotic, and occasionally fantastical of nature, leading to destinations such as Venus or the future.

Publication history

''Zig et Puce'' first appeared in the weekly supplement ''Dimanche Illustré'' to the French newspaper ''l’Excelsior'' on May 3, 1925.^[1][2] The third major character Alfred made its first appearance on December 25, 1925.^[3] The series' style influenced by the Art-Deco trends of the period, and its engaging stories are suggested to be main reasons for its wide appeal among both adults and youth, and the subsequent success of the series.^[4] It is also considered the earliest French comic strip to employ speech bubbles, the device presumed to stem from ''The Yellow Kid''.^[5] After a long run of serial and album publications, Saint-Ogan ceased to produce the series in 1954. The series was later revived by Greg who, following consent by Saint-Olan, resumed production in the comics magazine ''Tintin''.^[6] It was first published on March 26, 1963, and continued serial publication until 1969.^[7]

Influences

As a seminal comic strip in the bande dessinée culture, although appearing several years after ''Les Pieds Nickelés'', ''Sig et Puce'' made an influential impact a few years before the debut of Hergé and ''The Adventures of Tintin''.^[8] The character of Alfred is also considered a pioneering central animal character, in the tradition of Franco-Belgian comics animals such as Milou (Snowy), Spip, Jocko, Jolly Jumper, Marsupilami and Idéfix (Dogmatix).
Alfred the Penguin was chosen as mascot by Charles Lindbergh who brought a plush effigy on board the ''Spirit of St. Louis'' for hist first transatlantic flight in May 1927.
The character Alfred was chosen as the mascot of the 1974 Angoulême Comics Festival, and the name given to an award.^[9] The term ''Alfred'' was used until 1989 when it was renamed ''Alph'art''.^[10]

References

★ ''Zig, Puce et Alfred'' publications in Belgian ''Tintin'' and French ''Tintin'' BDoubliées

★ ''Zig et Puce'' original albums and ''Zig et Puce'' second series Bedetheque
'Footnotes'
1. Alain Saint-Ogan
2. Nos ancêtres les petits Mickeys
3. Ministère de la culture - base Joconde
4. Les héros pour les enfants et les adolescents
5. Les classiques de la Littérature Jeunesse
6. Greg
7. Tintin année 1963
8. Hergé, il y a 20 ans, jour pour jour
9. Le palmarès 1974
10. Le palmarès 1989

External links

★ ''Zig et Puce'' on Cool French Comics