Rahan
Encyclopedia
Rahan is a French
comics
series about an intelligent prehistoric man, that appeared first as part of Pif gadget
, then published in albums of 2 to 4 complete stories. It was initially written by Roger Lecureux, and after his death in 1999, by his son, Jean-François Lecureux. Most of the artwork is drawn by Andre Cheret, as well as some other artists (Enrique Romero, Zam, DeHuescar).
After the destruction of his tribe in a volcano eruption, Rahan moves from land to land and tribe to tribe while spreading goodwill among those-who-walk-on-two-feet, and a powerful ethic of cooperation. With his open altruism often at odds with his powerful will to survive, Rahan's ethic is encompassed by the qualities represented by the bear-claw necklace he received from his dying adoptive father, Crao: courage
, loyalty
, generosity
, resilience
, wisdom
. Also, after he gets married, he receives a sixth claw, the claw of curiosity
. That is well deserved, since in every one of the more than 100 stories spread over 30 years and 3300 pages of illustration (as of June 2005), Rahan uses the scientific method
to pick up some bit of knowledge from nature and spin it to some useful purpose - for himself, for some human tribe or even to help some animals in distress. He comes up with the catapult, the net, the fishing pole, the lens, diverts water for use in drinking and agriculture, flies on wings of leather, uses concave mirrors to concentrate the rays of the sun to heat caves and fight rampaging animals,.... Every adventure combines the positive social attitude of a true leader with the inventiveness of a true scientist.
, Guy Zam and José de Huescar .
Rahan, the main character of this series is sometimes compared with Tarzan
or Conan the Barbarian
, though beyond the prehistoric, wild setting there are almost no similarities.
In 1986, Rahan was adapted into an animated series.
In 2006 a movie version was to be released, directed by Christophe Gans
and starring Mark Dacascos
in the title role but it has been postponed.
The black edition of Rahan which is still available for sale on several online stores was edited by Soleil Prod in 1998 and it's considered the most complete and beautifully crafted edition.
In 2009, Xilam
announced a 2D animated TV series based on Rahan, but with many differences:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
series about an intelligent prehistoric man, that appeared first as part of Pif gadget
Pif gadget
Pif Gadget was a French comic magazine for children that ran from 1969 to 1993 and 2004 to 2009. Its audience peaked in the early 1970s.-History:Created as an outlet of the French Communist Party, it was initially entitled Le Jeune Patriote...
, then published in albums of 2 to 4 complete stories. It was initially written by Roger Lecureux, and after his death in 1999, by his son, Jean-François Lecureux. Most of the artwork is drawn by Andre Cheret, as well as some other artists (Enrique Romero, Zam, DeHuescar).
Character
Courage
Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation...
, loyalty
Loyalty
Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause There are many aspects to...
, generosity
Generosity
Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. It can involve offering time, assets or talents to aid someone in need...
, resilience
Resilience
Resilience is the property of a material to absorb energy when it is deformed elastically and then, upon unloading to have this energy recovered. In other words, it is the maximum energy per unit volume that can be elastically stored...
, wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
. Also, after he gets married, he receives a sixth claw, the claw of curiosity
Curiosity
Curiosity is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity...
. That is well deserved, since in every one of the more than 100 stories spread over 30 years and 3300 pages of illustration (as of June 2005), Rahan uses the scientific method
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
to pick up some bit of knowledge from nature and spin it to some useful purpose - for himself, for some human tribe or even to help some animals in distress. He comes up with the catapult, the net, the fishing pole, the lens, diverts water for use in drinking and agriculture, flies on wings of leather, uses concave mirrors to concentrate the rays of the sun to heat caves and fight rampaging animals,.... Every adventure combines the positive social attitude of a true leader with the inventiveness of a true scientist.
Illustration
All adventures are presented in a rich, realistic and consistent illustration by the masterful hand of the illustrator. The action jumps off the page and fairly comes to life, helping to make the lessons learned that much more memorable to the reader. The drawings are mainly signed by Andre Cheret. Some artwork was also provided by RomeroEnrique Badia Romero
Enrique Badía Romero is a Spanish comics artist, best known to English-speaking audiences for his work on Modesty Blaise...
, Guy Zam and José de Huescar .
Rahan, the main character of this series is sometimes compared with Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
or Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
, though beyond the prehistoric, wild setting there are almost no similarities.
In 1986, Rahan was adapted into an animated series.
In 2006 a movie version was to be released, directed by Christophe Gans
Christophe Gans
Christophe Gans is a French film director, writer, and producer who specializes in horror, fantasy movies and video game adaptations.-Biography:...
and starring Mark Dacascos
Mark Dacascos
Mark Alan Dacascos is an American actor and martial artist. He won numerous karate and various styles of kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18....
in the title role but it has been postponed.
The black edition of Rahan which is still available for sale on several online stores was edited by Soleil Prod in 1998 and it's considered the most complete and beautifully crafted edition.
In 2009, Xilam
Xilam
Xilam is a French production company that specializes in animated series feature films. Originally founded as Gaumont Multimédia, the company adopted it's current name in 1999...
announced a 2D animated TV series based on Rahan, but with many differences:
| Comic books | Animated film |
|---|---|
| magic is repeatedly shown to be the result of ignorant (mis)interpretations of physical phenomena | the main villain, the Shadow Queen, is an actual magic user |
| Rahan travels alone with his ivory knife and bear claw necklace | he's accompanied by a sidekick creature |
| there were rarely two stories following each other sharing the same characters | is set to follow only one story arc |