Oumpah-pah
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Oumpah-pah le Peau-Rouge (Oumpah-pah the Redskin) is the name of a comics series created by comics artist Albert Uderzo and comics author René Goscinny, best known as the creators of Asterix the Gaul. The series first appeared in the weekly Journal de Tintin in 1958 though remained serialised for a relatively short time. The stories were published in book form by Lombard and Dargaud starting in 1961. In 1995, the series was reissued by Albert Uderzo's own publishing house, Les Éditions Albert-René.
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[edit] Characters
The series features the adventures of Oumpah-pah (the name referring to a waltz), a Native American of the Shavashavas, and his friend, the French officer Hubert de la Pâte Feuilletée (Hubert de Flaky Pastry), whom Oumpah-pah calls Double-scalp, a reference to his wig [1].
The series is set in the eighteenth century during the age of French colonization in America. Oumpah-pah is strong and quick, and loves to eat pemmican. He is an honest and trustworthy brave whose simple heroism is comparable to that of the more famous Asterix, whom Uderzo and Goscinny later created. Hubert de la Pâte Feuilletée, whom the Shavashavas initially hold as a prisoner, subsequently serves as a mediator between the Europeans and the Native Americans, and is also an ally against the tribe known as the Pieds-Plats (Flat-feet), the sworn enemies of the Shavashavas.
When de la Pâte Feuilletée introduces Oumpah-pah as his brother, his commanding officer remarks: "When madam the Marquise your mother hears about this..."
The character Oumpah-pah makes cameo appearances in the Asterix album Asterix and the Great Crossing and film The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, as they both feature scenes in pre-Columbian America.
[edit] Publication history
Goscinny and Uderzo met in 1951 and were seated next to each other at the Paris office of World Press, where they first began their collaboration, inventing the characters Oumpah-pah, Jehan Pistolet and Luc Junior.[2][3] Oumpah-Pah was the very first character created by Uderzo and Goscinny, but initially failed to raise the interest of any publisher. While he was staying in the United States for professional reasons, Goscinny unsuccessfully tried to have the first version of the comic published in English[4]. (Harvey Kurtzman may have worked on the English translation.) The idea remained shelved for several years until the concept was adapted for publication in the comics magazine Tintin.[5] The finished series made its debut on April 2, 1958.[6]
Goscinny and Uderzo ultimately decided to end the series early, in order to focus their energies on the more popular Asterix character[7].
The series was published in English under the title Ompa-Pa in the UK in 1977–78, in a translation by Nicholas Fry.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Serialised stories
- Oumpah-pah le Peau-Rouge, 1958
- Oumpah–pah sur le sentier de la guerre, 1958
- Oumpah–pah et les pirates, 1959
- Mission secrète, 1960
- Oumpah–pah contre Foie–Malade, 1962
[edit] Albums
(Les Éditions du Lombard, Brussels, published simultaneously in France by Dargaud Éditeur, Paris)
- 1. Oumpah-pah le Peau-Rouge, including Oumpah-pah sur le sentier de la guerre (1961)
- 2. Oumpah-pah et les pirates, including Mission secrète (1962)
- 3. Oumpah-pah contre Foie-Malade (1967)
Reissues by Les Éditions Albert René
- 1. Oumpah-Pah le Peau-Rouge, including an introduction and a reprint of the 1951 U.S. pilot (1995)
- 2. Vol. 2, including Oumpah-Pah sur le sentier de la guerre and Oumpah-Pah et les pirates (1996)
- 3. Vol. 3, including Mission secrète and Oumpah-pah contre Foie-Malade (1997)
English translation by Nicholas Fry (Egmont/Methuen, London)
- 1. Ompa-Pa and Brother Two Scalp (1977)
- 2. Ompa-Pa Saves the Day (1977)
- 3. Ompa-Pa and the Pirates (1977)
- 4. Ompa-Pa and the Secret Mission (1978)
- 5. Ompa-Pa and the Prussians (1978)
[edit] Sources
- Oumpah-pah publications in Belgian Tintin, French Tintin BDoubliées (French)
- Oumpah-pah albums Bedetheque (French)
- Footnotes
- ^ Webster, Paul. Astérix's creator sees off all rivals at Christmas. The Observer.
- ^ Lambiek Comiclopedia. Goscinny.
- ^ Lagardère. Release of the 33rd Asterix volume.
- ^ Intervieuw de Astérix sur son grand frère Oumpah-Pah par Uderzo et Goscinny
- ^ Asterix International!. Albert Uderzo.
- ^ BDoubliées. Tintin année 1958 (French).
- ^ Intervieuw de Astérix sur son grand frère Oumpah-Pah par Uderzo et Goscinny
[edit] External links
- Umpah-Pah on Yps Fanpage (German)
