The pioneers of the New World
The Pioneers of the New World (original title: Les pionniers du nouveau monde ) is a Franco-Belgian comic series that takes place in the French and Indian wars in the middle of the 18th century and the years that followed. The protagonists of the first six volumes are Francophone Canadians who fight with friendly Indians against the English, who are finally able to conquer Québec . The following volumes describe further adventures of individual main characters in France, Great Britain and French Louisiana .
The series was created in 1982 under the pen of Jean-François Charles, who was responsible for the text and drawings. From volume 7 Erwin Sels (Ersel), the son of the comic artist Frank Sels , took over the drawings. Maryse, the wife of Jean-François Charles, has been responsible for the text since volume 13. The series is continued to this day by Jean-François Charles, Ersel and Maryse Charles.
In terms of content, the series is characterized by large narrative arcs, each over several volumes, with the protagonists changing and the individual narrative strands being broken off or unexpectedly reconnected. The epic narrative style is deliberate, with a focus on the portrayal of the culture of the Indians and their suppression by unscrupulous whites. The contemporary costumes and the wide landscape panoramas are drawn in great detail and authentically for a comic.
In Germany, the comic series was published by Splitter Verlag from 1987 to 1998 (volumes 1–9) and from 2002 to 2006 by Kult Editions (volumes 10–15). The comic series has been published by Finix Comics (from volume 16) since 2008 . All three publishers have edited each album both in a softcover and (in smaller editions) in a hardcover version.
Volumes published in German translation
- Volume 1: Am Pillory ( Le pilori - 1982 )
- Volume 2: Confusions ( Le grand dérangement - 1985 )
- Volume 3: The village in the mountains ( Le champ d'en haut - 1987 )
- Volume 4: The Cross of St. Louis ( La croix de Saint Louis - 1988 )
- Volume 5: Days of the Blood ( Du sang dans la boue - 1989 )
- Volume 6: The Death of the Wolf ( La mort du loup - 1990 )
- Volume 7: A Scream in the Wind ( Crie-dans-le-vent - 1994 )
- Volume 8: Little Man ( Petit homme - 1995 )
- Volume 9: The Burning River ( La rivière en flammes - 1996 )
- Volume 10: Like the breath of a bison in winter ( Comme le souffle d'un bison en hiver - 1997 )
- Volume 11: The Trap of La Rochelle ( Le piège de la rochelle - 1998 )
- Volume 12: The rustling of trees ( Le murmure des grands arbres - 1999 )
- Volume 13: Crooked Paths ( Les chemins croches - 2001 )
- Volume 14: Bayou Chaquis ( Bayou Chaouïs - 2003 )
- Volume 15: Crimbel's Choice ( Le Choix de Crimbel - 2005 )
- Volume 16: The Blue Valley ( La vallée Bleue - 2006 )
- Volume 17: In the Land of Illinois ( Le pays des Illinois - 2009 )
- Volume 18: The Great Meeting ( Le Grand Rendez-vous - 2012 )
- Volume 19: The Rebels ( Les insurgés - 2013 )