8 Underwater Landscapes in Comic Books
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8.6.1 Access to Underwater Landscapes in the Comic Book
In the vast majority of the books, the characters in the story move IN water, and
they observe the underwater landscapes in situ. Mobility around the landscape is
unrestricted, expressing the desire to explore this underwater territory in all its dimensions: movement on the sea floor, diving into the ocean depths, but also all kinds
of journeys in the body of water. Water does not restrict movement; on the contrary
it is made easier in three dimensions. The underwater landscape is not a passive
background: the characters walk across it, they experience it, and it is often tested
with intense physical involvement.
To achieve this, a very large variety of techniques is used: standard diving dress,
diving with a breathing apparatus, submarines . . . all existing machines are used
(more or less faithful to reality . . .) or invented by the screenwriters. This is the case of
the individual submarine invented by the Count of Champignac in the book of Spirou
and Fantasio (Franquin 1957) in order to explore a wreck lying at a depth of 200 m.
What is perhaps more astonishing, is that in 20 % of the comic books studied, the
characters move under water with no specific breathing apparatus. The Marsupilami
created by André Franquin in 1952 is amphibious and therefore moves with great
ease under water and in the air. In L’astragale de Cassiopée (Will 1979), Isabelle and
the other characters go from the air to the water environment and back again with no
problem, as if the change of environment did not affect them. At least Calendula says
“You can breathe Isabelle, the water in this pool is not like others . . .”, obviously
because magic is everywhere. In the Donito series, created by Didier Conrad (Conrad
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994), the hero spends most of his time diving, thanks to an alga;
only he has the secret of this “Twindlin” alga, which enables him to breathe under
water. In the book l’Or caché du cachalot (Conrad 1996), the excessive consumption
of this Twindlin alga by Donito will gradually make it impossible for him to breathe
on earth (Fig. 8.3).
Thus in nearly a quarter of the scenarios, the heroes are amphibious and can live
in both air and water. The limit between the terrestrial and the underwater worlds
disappears; the marine interface is no longer an insuperable frontier for man.
8.6.2 The Vision of Landscapes in the Comic Book
In the comic book, the aquatic environment is not a problem for moving or for
breathing, and even less for seeing. In 75 % of the albums, the water is very clear and
limpid, and the landscapes as well as the characters are therefore clear to see, even
from a distance. In 65 % of cases, the landscapes are presented with panoramic views
and great depth of fields of vision, which is obviously not true of real underwater
visibility. It is worth noting that the main exception, where water turbidity limits the
diver’s visibility to a few dozen centimetres, is an action which does occur under
water, but in a lake (Houot 1994).
In addition, the cartoonists use all possible settings, and in particular low-angle
shots (30 % of the books) to emphasize the vertical dimension of the medium. This
127
8.6.1 Access to Underwater Landscapes in the Comic Book
In the vast majority of the books, the characters in the story move IN water, and
they observe the underwater landscapes in situ. Mobility around the landscape is
unrestricted, expressing the desire to explore this underwater territory in all its dimensions: movement on the sea floor, diving into the ocean depths, but also all kinds
of journeys in the body of water. Water does not restrict movement; on the contrary
it is made easier in three dimensions. The underwater landscape is not a passive
background: the characters walk across it, they experience it, and it is often tested
with intense physical involvement.
To achieve this, a very large variety of techniques is used: standard diving dress,
diving with a breathing apparatus, submarines . . . all existing machines are used
(more or less faithful to reality . . .) or invented by the screenwriters. This is the case of
the individual submarine invented by the Count of Champignac in the book of Spirou
and Fantasio (Franquin 1957) in order to explore a wreck lying at a depth of 200 m.
What is perhaps more astonishing, is that in 20 % of the comic books studied, the
characters move under water with no specific breathing apparatus. The Marsupilami
created by André Franquin in 1952 is amphibious and therefore moves with great
ease under water and in the air. In L’astragale de Cassiopée (Will 1979), Isabelle and
the other characters go from the air to the water environment and back again with no
problem, as if the change of environment did not affect them. At least Calendula says
“You can breathe Isabelle, the water in this pool is not like others . . .”, obviously
because magic is everywhere. In the Donito series, created by Didier Conrad (Conrad
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994), the hero spends most of his time diving, thanks to an alga;
only he has the secret of this “Twindlin” alga, which enables him to breathe under
water. In the book l’Or caché du cachalot (Conrad 1996), the excessive consumption
of this Twindlin alga by Donito will gradually make it impossible for him to breathe
on earth (Fig. 8.3).
Thus in nearly a quarter of the scenarios, the heroes are amphibious and can live
in both air and water. The limit between the terrestrial and the underwater worlds
disappears; the marine interface is no longer an insuperable frontier for man.
8.6.2 The Vision of Landscapes in the Comic Book
In the comic book, the aquatic environment is not a problem for moving or for
breathing, and even less for seeing. In 75 % of the albums, the water is very clear and
limpid, and the landscapes as well as the characters are therefore clear to see, even
from a distance. In 65 % of cases, the landscapes are presented with panoramic views
and great depth of fields of vision, which is obviously not true of real underwater
visibility. It is worth noting that the main exception, where water turbidity limits the
diver’s visibility to a few dozen centimetres, is an action which does occur under
water, but in a lake (Houot 1994).
In addition, the cartoonists use all possible settings, and in particular low-angle
shots (30 % of the books) to emphasize the vertical dimension of the medium. This