Spoon's Rabelais Collection (so far...)
so yeah I first bought the superb Penguin Classics edition of Gargantua and Pantagruel with the very enjoyable translation by M. A . Screech (it's such a breeze) and it... really made me wanna look into other books and adaptations, especially illustrated editions because I like looking at nice pictures, so I'd look into listings on Ebay...
Giovan Battista Carpi: Gargantua da Rabelais
Gargantua's story freely adapted by Carpi, whose work I know best from Disney comics (especially the Topolino pocket books), but he's worked on some original creations as well. Gargantua irst published in Smack! magazine in 1979 and remained in an unfinished state and later picked up later by the Piú magazine to continue and conclude the story in 1983: this album was published in 1995. There's definitely a feeling that things got a little truncated but besides that, it's a perfectly serviceable little tale, some parts are more faithful than others, but since it's a comic intended for kids, don't expect a slavishly faithful depictions of violence or scatological humour (in that there's zero, only really cartoony mischief and slapstick level of violence lol)
I love it and Gargantua is very cute. Please read it. either in Italian or the English scanlation.
Rabelais Tome 1 and 2, illustrated by Albert Dubout
came upon these positively massive tomes by chance and I was just charmed by Dubout's humorous artwork. many of them are quite bawdy, and looking into his other ouvre, I can see why! it fits with the books themes so well, too.
the print quality is superb.
Gargantua et Pantagruel, illustrations by Van Rompaey, 1945
I absolutely adore the loose inkwork here. it's so full of character and once again, the characters look just delightful. Panurge has to be the highlight, he definitely becomes the central character in book 3 onwards, so it fits that he gets drawn more.
