''Garulfo'' is a six-volume

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

created by writer

Alain Ayroles Alain Ayroles is a French author, playwright, screenwriter and translator known best for his graphic novels '' Garulfo'', '' De cape et de crocs'' and ''Les Indes Fourbes''. Career Education and early career Alain Ayroles studied sequential ...

, cartoonist Bruno Maïorana and colorist Thierry Leprévost. ''Garulfo'' is a humorous modern

fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular mor ...

inspired by traditional

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

s and fairy tales. It is set in an imaginary world that resembles Europe between the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

. The lead character, Garulfo, is a frog who wants to become a man: a biped at the top of the food chain. With the help of a witch and a kiss from a maid he transforms into a Prince. However, Garulfo soon realizes that man has a tendency to prey on his own kind, and that life as a frog was not so bad after all. The themes of environmentalism and humanism run throughout, with philosophical perspectives on privilege, social justice, poverty, economics, love, and death in the subtext.

Synopsis

The story of Garulfo takes inspiration from traditional folklore and fairy tales to deliver a humorous, yet critical, vision of human society through the naïve eyes of a frog. It is divided into two books. The first tells of how Garulfo, an innocent frog tired of his condition and admiring of the human species, is metamorphasized into a charming prince - only to discover how cruel mankind can be. The second is based on the forced cooperation between the naïve Garulfo and Romuald, a vain prince who has been turned into a frog by his fairy godmother in order to learn some humility. The series is packed with cultural, literary and historical references, many hidden in the detailed drawings. The three kingdoms in the story represent three periods from the early Middle Ages through to the Renaissance; each are presented with historical accuracy although they remain firmly in the realm of fantasy. * Book I: Garulfo, a frog, is weary of his miserable amphibian life, prey or victim to all the species in and around his pond - except humans. He dreams of becoming a man, a species whose power and ingenuity he admires, although his friend Fulbert, a duck, warns him about the danger of mankind. After a near death incident Garulfo decides to leave his pond to find a way to become a human. When he meets a witch he persuades her to cast a spell that will turn him into a human if a Princess should kiss him. However, the Princess of the Kingdom, the beautiful Hephylia, is a spoiled and capricious girl and so it is a simple servant who ends up kissing Garulfo. Having become human, Garulfo, through clumsiness and lack of familiarity with human society, finds himself embroiled in an adventure that reveals the cruelty of man. * Book II: The beginning of Book II takes place at the same time as much of Book I but instead follows the adventures of the vain young Prince Romuald who finds himself turned into a frog for no apparent reason. It seems that Garulfo and the Prince have exchanged bodies, and the witch's spell is but a ploy to teach the Prince some humility. When Garulfo becomes a frog again Prince Romuald resumes his appearance, but the witch realizes that he has still not learned his lesson and so decides to turn him back into a frog (and thus Garulfo into a prince). The two characters will only be able to regain their respective bodies when a princess agrees to kiss frog-prince Romuald. So, Garulfo and Romuald set out together to find a princess. It is love at first sight for Romuald when he sees Princess Hephylia for the first time, and he decides that only she is worthy of administering the kiss to break the spell. However, the reputation earned by Garulfo in Book I means that just getting close to Hephylia is a challenge in itself. When he finally gets the chance to be kissed by Hephylia, Romauld cannot go through with it because he realises that she has fallen in love with Garulfo. When an ogre imprisons the Princess, Romuald decides he must become the man she wants him to be if they are ever to be together, as well as make amends for all the trouble he has caused Garulfo...

Albums

Book I

* Volume 1 - From ponds to castles (''1995'') :: This first volume tells the story of Garulfo's life on the edge of his pond, and the events that lead to his transformation into a human. * Volume 2 - From Bad to Worse (''1996'') :: Garulfo, in human form, makes enemies with influential members of the nobility and clergy.

Book II

* Volume 3 - The Prince with Two Faces (''1997'') :: The newborn Prince Romauld is promised humility by a witch posing as his fairy godmother. * Volume 4 - The Ogre with Crystal Eyes (''1998'') :: Princess Hephylia, has been sent to attend a joust in Lambrusquet - in the hope she will find a husband among the knights; instead she befriends an ogre. * Volume 5 - Knights and Prowess (''2000'') :: With a kiss from Princess Hephylia as the prize, Romuald and Garulfo must find a way to win the tournament. * Volume 6 - Beauty and the Beasts (''2002'') :: In this last episode, Garulfo and Romuald must defeat a dark knight, while Hephylia is faced with the wrath of the ogre. The circumstances do not point to a happy ending...

Origins

''Garulfo'' was born out of Alain Ayroles' desire to turn the classic fairy tale on its head. When he began to write it however, he realized that the tone contained more humor than wonder, which meant it would not work as a children's story. So, Ayroles chose to turn the idea into graphic novel. Initially, his plan was to take care of both the script and the drawings, so he did some sample pages and went to show them along with the script to several publishing houses. Although the script was welcomed, his drawing did not find approval with editors and Jean-Luc Loyer advised him to look for a cartoonist. Ayroles approached his friend Bruno Maïorana and they pitched the project together to Delcourt who agreed to publish the story. The series was originally intended to be called ''The Metamorphoses of Garulfo'', presumably in homage to Ovid's poem

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

, but the title was too long for the width of the album cover and so it was eventually shortened to Garulfo. When he started writing the series, Ayroles imagined a rather dark and desperate ending in order to reflect the logic of a philosophical tale that casts a critical eye over the human species. Ayroles and Maiorana were prepared to do a seventh album if they could find "an idea strong enough to continue without it being artificial" but the series ended with the sixth album.

Inspiration and cultural references

Fairy Tales

The authors have drawn from various stories of classical folklore. Most obvious is the

Frog Prince "The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry" (german: Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich, literally "The Frog King or the Iron Henry") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 1) ...

. It is this very tale that gives Garulfo the idea to ask the witch to transform him into a human as soon as he finds her. In Volume 3 two fairies present new-born Prince Romuald with magical gifts, but tradition has it that there should be three fairies. Invited out of necessity, the third ‘fairy’ gives him a prophecy - or a curse depending on the point of view. All in clear parallel with the tale of

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess ...

. We also meet

Little Thumb Hop-o'-My-Thumb (Hop-on-My-Thumb), or Hop o' My Thumb, also known as Little Thumbling, Little Thumb, or Little Poucet (french: Le petit Poucet), is one of the eight fairytales published by Charles Perrault in ''Histoires ou Contes du temps passé ...

, who has been living alone since he got lost in the woods. There is cross-over here with

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hanse ...

when the princess leaves trail of pearls in the woods. While the ogre, who also owns the famous seven league boots, relates to the story of the Little Thumb, but the character is close to that of the beast in

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...

. The character of Romuald also has much in common with the beast, despite his handsome face. The last characters to intrude from a fairy tale are the Marquis de Carabas and Master Felix, who are taken from ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for ...

''.

Literature and History

The balcony scene in Book II is inspired by Edmond Rostand's novel

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th c ...

where Cyrano whispers lines to the uninspired Christian for the beautiful Roxanne, except that here the roles are reversed. At the end of the second volume in the scene where the dragon is destroying Brandelune, a character is escaping from a collapsed building, chains hanging from his wrists with his outfit and hair in every way the same as those of the king – thereby tempting the reader to think of a hidden twin and myths of the

Man in the Iron Mask The Man in the Iron Mask ( French ; died 19 November 1703) was an unidentified prisoner of state during the reign of King Louis XIV of France (1643–1715). Warranted for arrest on 28 July 1669 under the pseudonym of "Eustache Dauger", he w ...

. There is also clear reference to the legend of

Saint George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...

, which is subverted by the drawings of Bruno Maïorana. Buildings, customs, vocabulary and fashions of the period are meticulously well researched. Alain Ayroles even uses the notion of Medieval time using

vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern), Lutheran, and Anglican liturgies. The word for this fixed prayer time comes from the Latin , meani ...

minus ten for 5.50 pm and 30

compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or Liturgy of the Hours, office) of the day in the Christianity, Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are Christian p ...

for about 9.30 am. The tournament is attended by the Knight of Guesclin, historically

Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin ( br, Beltram Gwesklin; 1320 – 13 July 1380), nicknamed "The Eagle of Brittany" or "The Black Dog of Brocéliande", was a Breton knight and an important military commander on the French side during the Hundred Years' W ...

a noble of Brittany who at 15 years old was banned from participating in tournaments. In disguise, he defeated all his opponents before refusing to fight his father. The list of nobles held by the advisor to the King of Brandelune is full of famous names: *Agilulfe,

The Nonexistent Knight ''The Nonexistent Knight'' (Italian: ''Il cavaliere inesistente'') is an allegorical fantasy novel by Italian writer Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1 ...

in the service of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

from

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the '' Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the ''Cosmicomi ...

's novel. *

Galahad Sir Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of S ...

, knight of Arthurian legend. *

Ganelon In the Matter of France, Ganelon (, ) is the knight who betrayed Charlemagne's army to the Saracens, leading to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. His name is said to derive from the Italian word ''inganno'', meaning fraud or deception.Boiardo, ''Orl ...

, a literary character in

The Song of Roland ''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century '' chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It i ...

. *

Gargantua ''The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel'' (french: La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel) is a pentalogy of novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais, telling the adventures of two giants, Gargantua ( , ) and his son Pantagru ...

, noble giant from the novel of the same name by François Rabelais. *

Gausbert Gausbert (died 931) was the count of Empúries and Rosselló from 915 until he died. He was the son of Sunyer II of Empúries and brother of Bencion. With the murder of his father, the counties passed to him and Bencion, but Bencion died in 91 ...

, Count of Roussillon and Empuries from 915 to 930 known for fighting the

Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

. *Gauthier d'Aulnay, Norman Knight from 1312, the lover of

Blanche of Burgundy Blanche of Burgundy ( 1296 – 1326) was Queen of France and Navarre for a few months in 1322 through her marriage to King Charles IV the Fair. The daughter of Count Otto IV of Burgundy and Countess Mahaut of Artois, she was led to a dis ...

. *Gerald, possibly referring to

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...

*Behind the hand of the scribe we can see bits of names: "car" "orak" and "oth" the second likely referring to Goldorak the robot from the Japanese cartoon of the same name and so the third is probably Golgoth - one of his enemies.

Popular culture

Garulfo being chased by the pike recreates the famous scene from

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

with his zoom on the future victim. There is a scene reminiscent of

Alien Resurrection ''Alien Resurrection'' is a 1997 American science fiction horror film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Joss Whedon, and starring Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder. It is the fourth installment of the Alien (franchise), ''Alien'' fr ...

. The King of Brandelune orders Garulfo's head cut off with the same energy as Disney's

Queen of Hearts The Queen (playing card), queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to: Books * The Queen of Hearts (poem), "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 17 ...

from ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

''. Garulfo's escape with Pipa is an ode to

swashbuckling A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

characters like

Zorro Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilant ...

: the threatened heroes, blocked on the stairs, swing onto a chandelier and are catapulted from a table across the room. An aviation combat scene also takes place between the Grand Duke and a heron using air force jargon. Later, the ogre climbs to the top of a tower carrying the blonde princess at arm's length in a tribute to

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

. In Brandelune Castle, a tapestry shows a typical scene from a children's

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

Humour

Garulfo is not a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its su ...

. Although Ayroles' story is inspired by many fairy tales it never turns to pastiche. Much of the storytelling and visual humour is inspired by

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over fo ...

and the films of

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including '' Time Bandits'' (1981), '' ...

. The tales by Italian author

are also one of Ayroles key influences.

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

describes the Garulfo series as ''"a real hoot; fast-paced action collides with silliness, situation comedy, jokes, plot twists and visual gags"''.

Publication and Reception

Garulfo's six volumes were published in French by Delcourt between ''1995'' and ''2002'' in the Terres de Legends collection. An omnibus edition was published for Book I in 2003 and Book II in 2004. Two special large format, black and white collectors editions were released in 2014 by Snorgleux Editions. The series was pre-published in BoDoï as well as Pavilion Rouge. More than 743,000 copies of Garulfo and

De cape et de crocs ''De cape et de crocs'' is a French comic book swashbuckling series, created by writer Alain Ayroles and artist Jean-Luc Masbou. It is notable for its many references to classical culture and occasional nods to modern references. Synopsis In ...

, Ayroles' other flagship series, had been sold by 2006. Book I has been published in Italian and Korean while both I and II are available in German (Bielefeld Splitter), Danish, and Dutch (Zelhem). In 1998 writer Alain Ayroles won the ''Petit Robert'' prize for best comics writer at ''Quai des Bulles'' for Garulfo and

. By 2000 Garulfo had reached "cruising speed" with a solid fanbase and by 2006 had become instrumental in Delcourt's ongoing publishing success story. Readers in France have consistently awarded Garulfo 5-star reviews throughout its publication, including for the omnibus editions that were released after the series was completed. In 2009 at the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after L ...

artwork from Garulfo was displayed as part of the "Theatre of marvels" exhibition.

Bibliography

Garulfo, illustrated by Bruno Maïorana, colors by Thierry Leprévost: *1 *2 *3 *4 *5 *6