The following article contains sexual content, language, or innuendos that may be inappropriate for some readers.
The following article contains images and/or descriptions of violence or injury that may be inappropriate for some readers.
The Adventures of Lanceval (French: Les aventures de Lanceval) is a comic series by Swiss artist Emmanuel "Exem" Excoffier. The series is a parody of Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin, instead focusing on Tintin's evil twin brother Zinzin, whom is being pursued by the titular Inspector Lanceval. The series first began in 1984 and albums were produced as recently as 2015.
Synopsis[]
Tintin's evil twin, Zinzin, suddenly reappears one day, accompanied by his own pet dog, Mildou. The two kill Tintin, Milou, and the rest of the occupants of Marlinspike Hall, before Zinzin rages on in an attempt to take over the world. Inspector Lanceval is assigned to investigate and take down Zinzin for good.
The series often employs violent scenes and crass humour, far more than the actual The Adventures of Tintin series. Zinzin is particularly cartoonishly evil, and his schemes often involve extreme violence, explosives, or espionage.
Titles[]
- The Evil Twin (Le jumeau maléfique) (1984) - In March 1933, Inspector Lanceval is shocked to hear on the news that Tintin has been murdered. Lanceval begins trying to investigate, soon finding a newspaper clipping describing two brothers, Tintin and Zinzin. The latter brother, Zinzin, has started a rampage, also killing Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus, and Mr. and Mrs. Georges, Zinzin's parents. Lanceval gets closer to Zinzin, but not fast enough: Zinzin blows up the Palais Bourbon building in Paris, France and flees in an airplane.
- Zinzin, Master of the World (Zinzin, maître du monde) (1985) - Inspector Lanceval travels to a League of Nations meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. However, two minor Tintin villains (Tom from Tintin in the Congo and The Fakir from Cigars of the Pharaoh) follow Lanceval through the streets of Geneva, trying to assassinate him. Flupke from Quick & Flupke saves Lanceval from being hit with a poison dart, but the villains crush Flupke with their car. After arresting the villains, Lanceval teams up with three identical detectives, Dupo, Dubon, and Dubonnet, who are looking after Jo, Zette, and Jocko. The group follows Zinzin to a Caribbean island, only to find Zinzin is having sex with the local women, has hired Allan Thompson (whom is using the code name Lieutenant Satan), and is collaborating with a mad scientist to create an army of golden robots with penises.
- Make Your Wishes (Faites vos vœux) (1998)
- Wishes Granted (Les vœux sont faits) (1999)
- The Hellish Library (La bibliothèque infernale) (2002)
- The Ear Breakers (Les casseurs d'oreilles) (2003)
- The Forbidden Wishes (Vœux interdit) (2004)
- Christmas Special: Zinzin Takes the 15 (Spécial Noël - Zinzin prend le 15) (2004) - Inspector Lanceval is called in to investigate Zinzin's plans to steal the #15 trainline in Geneva, but Zinzin gets away with the entire train. This pastiche was made to commemorate the inauguration of the real life #15 train.
- The Shadow of the Clear Line (L'ombre de la ligne claire) (2008)
- Clear de la Line (Au clair de la ligne) (2009)
- Voice of the Fireworks (Vœux d'artifice) (2011)
- Clear Lines and Black Designs (Ligne claire et noirs desseins) (2011)
- S.O.S. Marker (2015)
Format[]
"L'Heure de Verité" by Exem
The books were generally hardcover pocketbooks, only made in small batches.[1] Author Exem is also a visual artist, so the book's format and design were additional opportunities for Exem to demonstrate his craft. Each book measures only 10.5 x 7.5 centimetres (or, 4.9 x 3 inches) in size, and is generally less than 10 pages long. The two longest books in the series, "Zinzin, Master of the World" and "Clear Lines and Black Designs", have a total length of 22 pages.
The Lanceval books often have illustrated endsheets parodying the style of the official Tintin books. As well, the back cover of each book features a list of previously-published Lanceval titles (most of which are usually fictional, parodic titles) and an illustration of Lanceval and his dog Ergé. While official Tintin back cover illustrations depict Tintin waving to the reader, Lanceval and his dog are usually depicted doing something obscene, such as binge drinking or urinating.
Availability[]
Original copies of the early Lanceval books have become very rare. The first two Lanceval books had multiple print runs, with "The Evil Twin" getting a second run of 1500 copies.[1] New Lanceval books continue to be published, albeit still in limited releases, and generally only available at festivals or conventions in Geneva. Scans of the early Lanceval books do exist online, but fans have not scanned the newer books, so as to allow Exem to sell the rest of his physical stock.
The first two Lanceval books were also officially translated into Spanish as "El Gemelo Malefico" and "Zinzin, Dueno del Mundo" respectively. Both had a limited print run of 500 copies worldwide.