HERMANN - Lot 78

HERMANN HERMANN BERNARD PRINCE Le Port des fous (T.13), Le Lombard 1978 Original plate no. 44, prepublished in Le Journal de Tintin belge of August 23, 1977. Signed. India ink on paper 36.6 × 46.6 cm (14.41 × 18.35 in.) In Le Port des fous, the Greg-Hermann duo is at its best. Scenaristically first: by imagining the rescue of a ship before it is completely frozen in the ice, in a landscape battered by waves and storms, Greg imposes an absolutely breathtaking suspense and climax. Hermann's drawing skills are second to none, with a crushing low-angle shot of the ship splitting through the ice in the fog of nature's fury. Behind Jordan at the helm, the whole crew is bent on an epic finale, all cheering each other on as much as possible, allowing Greg to unleash a string of "dry underpants for all at the finish line" lyrics. The dialogue clicks, the lines twirl and the reader is carried away. It's a great adventure! This is one of the gems of the golden age of Franco-Belgian comics.