Paul Gillon - 13, rue de l'Espoir 242 (May 1960)

Paul Gillon is a master of comic art like very few others. His art conjures both spontaneity and thoughtfulness, with every line carefully selected for maximum impact and clarity. When he chooses so, his detailed backgrounds are always very precise, with no details lost or blurred (on this, he is certainly helped by the very large formats he's using for his pages and strips...). His classicism may appear less flamboyant than some of his peers, but his quiet expermimentations in storytelling always deliver in spades.

13, rue de l'Espoir (13th, Hope Street) was a daily strip published in France Soir, one of the main French newspapers between 1959 and 1972. Even though the premise of the story remains quite standard (Young ingénue, Françoise Morel, discovers life and love in a generally quiet suburban Paris neighborhood, with some glamour sequences thrown in for good measure), it is, by nature, a fantastic (and affectionate) peek through the everyday life of ordinary folks in France in the 60's. And while the major social trends that have shaken this period are always in the background (sometimes quite lightly: this was a family strip, after all...), they never take the bulk of the action, as the characters are not movers and shakers at the forefront of the various movements, whether artistic or political... But, this is certainly part of the overall (and enduring) charm of this series...

Obviously, all types of situations are evoked. Here, Françoise Morel has unwillingly joined a film crew and is to shoot some scenes with the main male actor. While the "horse-rescue" scene is being done, the female lead, obvioously jealous of Françoise, prepares to make her move... Of course, Paul Gillon makes the most of this episode. With only minimal backgrounds to remind everyone it's a filming location, he fully concentrates on the action and the first two panels, totally silent, are just wonderful studies in motion! By the way, is it me only, or do I see some shades of Frazetta here? Mmmm, not the girl, though...