NESTOR BURMA - Tardi vision of the great character of French HB

_{Nestor Burma, tough PI created by Léo Malet as drawn by Tardi
Image from "Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac"}

Tardi, talented comics creator, had always a preference for stories with settings in the earliest part of the 20th Century in France.
When he translated into drawings the universe of Léo Malet, the French HB writer that created one of the best PI characters of the French mystery novels, Nestor Burma, it was a successful adaptation without too much betrayal of the novels. The ambiance of Paris during the early 50's, so important in the Malet's novels, was artfully recreated by Tardi, and the result was definitely appealing to the HB and Noir buffs.


From the series "The New Mysteries of Paris", title for 15 novels published by Malet each devoted to a particular district of Paris, Tardi selected 2 of them amongst the bests.
There was also "120 Rue de la Gare" - 120 Station Street, very good novel in which Burma appears for the first time in Malet's work.
All 3 Malet's novels were drawn and printed in black and white, with the very original style of Tardi who had the good luck to start his preparation work with Malet being still around. Each comic book carried more than 70 pages in big format.
Nestor Burma in this comics series remained who he was in the novels. A little bit cynical, good hearted, tough, with a taste for women, and in the pursuit of a kind of personal justice. At home in the back streets of Paris, and ready to knock-out any mystery or villain...



A fourth comic books was scripted by Tardi based on Malet's characters and settings, but not following any existing novel. This one, "Gueule de Bois en Plomb" - Leaded Hangover- was published in color.
Tardi collaborated also with other French HB writers, such as Patrick Manchette and Daniel Pennac, to produce comic books with original scripts.

The latest work by Tardi "Le Der des Ders"- 'This is really the Last One', is based on an existing novel by Didier Daeninckx, prominent HB writer. The story evolves in France after the first world war, giving the opportunity to Tardi to illustrate again one of his favorite periods of the Century. <sub>See image on the right->>>>


















"Une Gueule de Bois en Plomb" -
Drawings and script by Tardi
"Le Der des Ders" :
latest comic book
by Tardi; based
on a HB novel</sub>

_{Copyright © 1997, E.Borgers for texts and setup. Illustrations belong to the copyright holders
See front page of WEBORGERS - Hard-Boiled Mysteries - for complete disclaimer.
Most recent revision: 22 August, 1997}