The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck
| Histoire de M. Vieux Bois | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Publication information | |
| Format | Text comics |
| Genre | Humor comics, Text comics |
| Publication date | 1837 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Rodolphe Töpffer |
| Artist(s) | Rodolphe Töpffer |
Histoire de M. Vieux Bois (also known as Les amours de Mr. Vieux Bois, or simply Monsieur Vieuxbois), published in English as The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, and also known as Les amours de Mr. Vieux Bois or simply Monsieur Vieuxbois, is a 19th-century publication written and illustrated by the Swiss caricaturist Rodolphe Töpffer. Published first in Europe in 1837 as Histoire de M. Vieux Bois, and then in the United States in the 1840s as a newspaper supplement, The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck, it is sometimes said to be the first comic book.
The format consists of sequential pictures with captions, aka "text comics", rather than utilizing the staple of word-balloons, a convention that would later be developed in newspaper comic strips. In Understanding Comics, comics theorist Scott McCloud says Töpffer's work is in many ways "the father of the modern comic." McCloud emphasizes Töpffer's use of "cartooning and panel borders" along with "the first interdependent combination of words and pictures seen in Europe."
Töpffer described comics as a medium appealing particularly to children and the lower classes, and this is evident in the style of the work. It is notable that the story was never intended for publication but rather as an idle "diversion" for his close friends; however, the story achieved widespread popularity in the United States and its original France.
Töpffer used a lithography method called autography, in which the pen draws on specially prepared paper, allowing a freer line than the engraving of the time. Autography lithographs also did not require the drawings to be flipped horizontally.
Mr. Vieux Bois encounters a seemingly overweight young woman and instantly falls in love. His initial attempts at courting are ignored, followed by short periods of his desperation. He attempts suicide by falling on his own sword and then by hanging himself. Both attempts fail.
He discovers a rival suitor and challenges him to a duel. He is better with his dueling sword and his rival has to flee. Vieux Bois contacts the parents of his girlfriend, seeking her hand in marriage. He returns home and starts to celebrate loudly. His celebration ends with his arrest for disturbing the neighbours. The marriage is called off and he feels suicidal. He asks for hemlock but is given herb soup instead.
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Wikipedia