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''Bob Morane'' () is a series of adventure books in French, featuring an
eponymous An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
protagonist, created by French-speaking Belgian novelist
Henri Vernes Charles-Henri-Jean Dewisme (16 October 1918 – 25 July 2021), better known by his pen name Henri Vernes (), was an author of action and science fiction novels. He published over 200 titles in the action and science-fiction genre. He was most ...
, the pseudonym of Charles-Henri Dewisme. More than 200 novels have been written since his introduction in 1953, the iconic covers illustrated by artists such as Pierre Joubert, Henri Lievens,
William Vance William van Cutsem (8 September 1935 – 14 May 2018), better known by his pen name William Vance, was a Belgian comics artist known for his distinctive realistic style and work in Franco-Belgian comics. Biography William van Cutsem was born ...
, Claude Pascal, Antonio Parras, Patrice Sanahujas, Felicísimo Coria and René Follet. The popularity of ''Bob Morane'' led to his subsequent appearance in a 1960 film (now lost), a television series in 1965, a computer game in 1988, a 1998 animated series, and a long-running series of graphic novels (roughly 80 books since 1959) which has featured the artwork of artists such as
Dino Attanasio Dino Attanasio (real name Edoardo Attanasio, born 8 May 1925) is a Belgian comics writer. Biography Attanasio was born in Milan. After studies at the Academy of Arts of Milan, Dino Attanasio started to work in illustration and animation in th ...
, Gérald Forton,
William Vance William van Cutsem (8 September 1935 – 14 May 2018), better known by his pen name William Vance, was a Belgian comics artist known for his distinctive realistic style and work in Franco-Belgian comics. Biography William van Cutsem was born ...
and Felicísimo Coria.


Synopsis

The novels, which started as straight adventure fare, quickly included elements of espionage, crime fiction, science-fiction and fantasy. Bob Morane, a Frenchman, was a young volunteer RAF pilot during World War II (ranking from flight-lieutenant to wing commander depending on the translation of the term "flying commander"). He is the most highly decorated officer of the FFAL (Forces françaises aériennes libres or
Free French Air Force The Free French Air Forces (, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's force ...
) under Gen.
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
. This would put him above
Pierre Clostermann Pierre-Henri Clostermann (28 February 1921 – 22 March 2006) was a World War II French ace fighter pilot. During the conflict he has been claimed to have achieved 33 air-to-air combat victories, earning the accolade "France's First Figh ...
(actual FFAL top ranking pilot from whom Morane was probably copied). He was wounded in action by
flak Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...
and has a scar on his face. After the war, he becomes a full-time explorer and freelance reporter for ''Reflets'' magazine and adventurer. 6 ft 1 in-tall (185 cm) and athletic, Morane is proficient in many forms of hand-to-hand combat (Karaté black belt 2nd degree, Ju-Jitsu and Judo) as well as with many weapons (marksman). He speaks a wide variety of languages and most books usually start with him traveling to some exotic location. His adventures over the years brought him in contact with numerous highly placed figures of the world's intelligence community (Herbert Gains (
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
), Lt. Gros-Jean (
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
), Sir Archibald Baywater (
Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...
), who often ask him for help in some difficult business or other. He is described as a modern-day knight without fear or reproach, always ready to succor the needy and the oppressed as a modern
Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...
(especially if they happen to be young ladies in distress, which apparently is often the case). Morane is however described as being as chaste as Sir
Galahad Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name (originally ''Galaad'', ''Galaaz'', or ''Galaaus''), is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Ar ...
. As seen in a few stories with a heavy science-fiction slant, Morane is a sometimes agent of the Time Patrol, an organization from Earth's future that polices the time stream and stops time travelers from disrupting history. Morane's close associates include Bill Ballantine, a herculean Scotsman who acted as Morane's aircraft mechanic in
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
(first novel); professor Aristide Clairembart, an old but energetic French archeologist; Sophia Paramount, a British journalist; Frank Reeves, an American worth more than a billion dollars; Herbert Gains, head of the CIA; and many others. Morane's path has on many occasions crossed that of the series' main villain, Mister Ming, also called '' Ombre Jaune'' (″The Yellow Shadow"). Ming is a Mongol genius in the mold of
Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...
. Like Sax Rohmer's creation, Ming intends to destroy western civilisation and replace it with a world more in harmony with nature. Also like Fu Manchu, Ming uses violent means to reach his goals — means which include assassination, terrorism, as well as too many strange plots to be counted. Ming has pierced the secrets of eternal life, of creating androids, and of time travel. Despite Morane's constant opposition, Ming holds his enemy in high regard, and never forgets he actually saved his life during their first encounter: his hand cut off by a deadly trap hidden in an ancient statue, Ming was bleeding to death but Morane cauterized the wound and made a tourniquet. In return, Ming decided to spare Morane's life this one time and gave him a medallion that allowed him to pass by his Dacoits (one of Ming's many minions), who were guarding the temple waiting to kill him. However, Ming's medallion would prove useful in many occasions in later adventures. Other recurring opponents include Miss Ylang-Ylang, head of the spy agency S.M.O.G. ; Roman Orgonetz a.k.a. "The Man With The Golden Teeth" ; "Callaverde" ; "Arthur Greenstreet", a highly intelligent and dedicated but deadly spy for hire but often associated with S.M.O.G. ; and Dr. Xathan, the self-styled "Master of Light".


Books

# ''Bob Moran and the Buccaneer's Hoard'', 'L'héritage du flibustier''pp. 158. Phoenix House: London, 1957, Roy Publishers: New York, 1958. # ''Bob Moran and the Fawcett Mystery'', 'Sur la piste de Fawcett''pp. 158. Phoenix House: London, 1956, Roy Publishers: New York, 1958. # ''Bob Moran and the Fiery Claw'', 'La griffe de feu''pp. 157. Phoenix House: London; Roy Publishers: New York, 1960. # ''Bob Moran and the Pirates of the Air'', 'Panique dans le ciel''pp. 159. Phoenix House: London, 1956, Roy Publishers: New York, 1958. # ''Bob Moran and the Sunken Galley'', 'La Galère engloutie''pp. 159. Phoenix House: London, 1957, Roy Publishers: New York, 1958. # ''Bob Moran in the Valley of Hell'', '' La Vallée infernale'' pp. 160. Phoenix House: London 1960, Roy Publishers: New York, 1960. # ''The dinosaur hunters'', 'Les Chasseurs de dinosaures''pp. 126. Translated by Jean Ure. Transworld, London, 1966. # ''The yellow shadow'', 'L'ombre jaune''pp. 127. Translated by Jean Ure. Transworld, London, 1966. # ''City of a thousand drums'', 'Trafic aux Caraïbes''pp. 126. Translated by Jean Ure. Transworld, London, 1966. # ''The white gorilla'', 'Le gorille blanc''pp. 128. Translated by Jean Ure. Transworld, London, 1967. # ''Operation parrot'', 'La voix du mainate''pp. 127. Translated by Jean Ure. Transworld, London, 1968. # ''Treasure of the Golcondas'', 'La Couronne de Golconde''pp. 128. Translated by Jean Ure. Transworld, London, 1967.


Other media

*The first ''Bob Morane'' film was produced in 1960 by Belgavidéo. ''The spy with the hundred faces'', with Jacques Santi cast as Bob Morane, screened only once on Sunday January 8, 1961, at the Scala cinema of
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
and is regarded as lost following the destruction of the single copy during the fire of Belgavidéo. * A 1965 French
TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
was produced named '' Bob Morane''. Certain episodes were adaptations of classic stories, others were original scenarios. * A 1998
animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
named '' Bob Morane'' was produced by
Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...
and
France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...
. * ''Bob Morane'' inspired the 1982 song " L'Aventurier" by French group Indochine, since covered by the bands The Kingpins in 2000, and
Nada Surf Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1992, consisting of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums), and Daniel Lorca (bass, backing vocals). After initially operating under the name Helicopter, Caw ...
in 2003. * Multiple video games bearing the Bob Morane name were produced in the 80s and early 90s, for the Atari 1040 ST, the Amiga 500 and the Commodore 64. These included ''Bob Morane: Ocean'', ''Bob Morane: Moon'', ''Bob Morane: Jungle'' and ''Bob Morane: Chevalerie'', all of them developed and published by Infogrames of France. These games were usually of a high artistic quality, but largely obscure in their mechanics.


Comics

There exist more than 80
Bande Dessinée (singular ; literally 'drawn strips'), abbreviated BDs and also referred to as Franco-Belgian comics (), are comics that are usually originally in French and created for readership in France and Belgium. These countries have a long tradition ...
comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
stories of ''Bob Morane'', serialised, published in albums and republished in integral editions. 5
comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...
s have illustrated the series over more than 40 years, under several publisher labels. The first comics artist was
Dino Attanasio Dino Attanasio (real name Edoardo Attanasio, born 8 May 1925) is a Belgian comics writer. Biography Attanasio was born in Milan. After studies at the Academy of Arts of Milan, Dino Attanasio started to work in illustration and animation in th ...
who from 1959 to 1962 illustrated the first 5 stories which were published in '' Femmes d’Aujourd’hui''. The first album was released in 1960. Gerald Forton took over the series in 1962, as it continued publication in ''Femmes d'Aujourd'hui'', ''
Pilote ''Pilote'' (), for a while subtitled ''the magazine of Asterix and Obelix'' (French: ''Le Journal D’Astérix et D’Obélix'' ) was a French comics magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major Franco-Belgian comics, French ...
'' magazine, and ''Het Laatste Nieuws''. René Follet who illustrated covers for the early novels, also illustrated the covers for the albums drawn by Forton. Forton was succeeded by
William Vance William van Cutsem (8 September 1935 – 14 May 2018), better known by his pen name William Vance, was a Belgian comics artist known for his distinctive realistic style and work in Franco-Belgian comics. Biography William van Cutsem was born ...
in 1969 as ''Bob Morane'' left ''Pilote'' and continued its serial run in ''
Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...
'' magazine. After 10 years, Vance passed the task on to his previous assistant Felicísimo Coria in 1979, who has continued to draw the series since. Two albums have been issued by the publisher Ananké/Milko with artwork by Frank Leclerq. The comics of Bob Marone are a parody of Bob Morane.


Sources


''Bob Morane'' bibliography
coolfrenchcomics

an

BDoubliées ;Footnotes


External links



on Cool French Comics
bobmorane.fr
The world of Bob Morane * * {{Authority control Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Novel series Novels adapted into comics Belgian novels adapted into television shows Novels adapted into video games Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Morane, Bob Belgian speculative fiction works French adventure novels Morane, Bob