frbd1-4, Exercise 1: Brussels and Marcinelle compared

Model answer (check the details), using Tintin and Spirou et Fantasio (or Gaston):

Style: Brussels, the clear line, a calm, precise outline, realistic backgrounds and restrained faces. Marcinelle, rounded and energetic figures, exaggerated expressions, stretching and bouncing bodies, with the drawing carrying the movement.

Subject: Brussels, long adventure stories with research (journeys, science, history). Marcinelle, a mix of adventure, comedy and fantasy, often with short gag pages.

Humour: Brussels, comic relief from the supporting cast (Haddock, Calculus, the Thompsons) inside a serious plot. Marcinelle, comedy as the main aim, with slapstick, chaos and invented gadgets.

Care: the labels are historians' conveniences, and the artists crossed over. Franquin could draw a realistic adventure, and Hergé's cast is full of slapstick. The schools are tendencies, not walls.