The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day

Okay, let me just get this off my chest: The Walking Dead Episode 1 is FRIGGING AMAZING. Completely and utterly amazing! And the best part? There's still four more episodes to go! It takes the choice making, character driven aspects from Mass Effect and puts it into a point and click adventure game about zombies, wherein the main objective in this apocalyptic world is survival. That sounds pretty bad-ass doesn't it? Well guess what? IT IS! Oh and did I mention? ZOMBIES.


Story:
The Walking Dead Episode One:  A New Day puts you in the shoes of Lee Everett, a man who is in the middle of being sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit (or did he?) when a Zombie suddenly appears on the road and causes the cop car he's in to crash. From then on it's a non-stop race to the finish line (which in this case means surviving til' the next episode!) which really puts you and Lee through the wringer both physically and emotionally by the end. It feels like the perfect pilot to a great T.V show, and rewards the player by letting him/her witness the outcome of their choices as the Series progresses. It's an intriguing premise, which continues to get sweeter as very early on you're put in the care of Clementine, an 8-year-old girl who wants nothing more than to see her parents again. She's now your responsibility, so if you make the wrong decision or put her in danger then it's not just you that's getting your guts ripped open. Of course it isn't just about slaughtering hordes of undead, this isn't a game where you can mow down armies of zombies with a giant chainsaw (Dead Rising 2 takes that award), the bread and butter of the Walking Dead is interacting with the survivors of the apocalypse, not the zombie slaying. In fact, those of you who just want a zombie killing simulator can check out right now, because The Walking Dead is 100% narrative. The adventure game, point and click aspects only serve as a way to get from one conversation to the other, really. And for a game that is solely based on narrative and your decisions in said narrative, the writing better not suck. From a storytelling point of view, this game exceeds in every aspect. It's amazing how you get so attached to these characters in what is (for video-game standards) an incredibly short amount of time. Mass Effect has at least forty hours, this one does it in less than three. Lee Everett is very much the everyman, and his possible reactions in any situation come off as realistic and likeable. The game does a great job of making you feel for him, even though he's supposedly a convicted murderer. Clementine isn't an annoying little brat either, in fact she's rather intelligent for a girl her age, and surprisingly capable in many instances. The other survivors are well thought-out as well, the highlight being Glenn, a character from the comics and the T.V show who is just a really nice guy. My favourite moment comes up halfway through Episode One were it's this one big argument between the survivors over what they should do if a boy is found out to be bitten. It's incredibly tense, and it just builds and builds until a mob of zombies outside start to take notice...Okay before I delve into spoiler territory and start hyperventilating over every single moment of awesome-sauce in this game, let's just say it'll be interesting to see how my actions will affect the characters reactions to me in the next Episode, not to mention the outcome of Lee's story. 10/10. 

Gameplay:
Gameplay elements are mostly sidelined in the Walking Dead. It's a point and click adventure game, so you're literally just doing that: simply point your cursor at the zombie/object/interactive item and click on it to see what happens. It's ridiculously easy and minimalist at first glance, but when you're a few seconds away from becoming zombie chow all of the sudden the simple act of 'point-and-click' becomes a lot more adrenaline fuelled and as a result more gripping for the player. The zombie encounters in Episode One are expertly done, you could be talking calmly to a character one moment and savagely wrestling a walker the next. These encounters can get rather visceral at times (I tried to chop off the head of a zombie four times with an axe), but don't overly rely on gore either. It's all about your reaction time, not necessarily your skill. So apart from the zombie encounters, what else is there gameplay wise? Well there was a puzzle that had to be completed near the end, but I haven't really dabbled in adventure games before so I can't accurately say just how good the puzzle was compared to other titles. It's relatively easy and isn't too tasking on the brain's synapses, but you still get an air of gratification when you've figured it out (Hint: USE THE BRICK). As I've said before the Walking Dead is mainly focused on the narrative aspect of things, but the few gameplay elements involved are suitably tense and done well. 8,5/10 

Visuals and Sound:
The Walking Dead is a cheap indie title (it's 400 MS or £5 for an episode, which for three hours per Ep of content is good value for money) so I wasn't expecting much in terms of visuals, but low and behold the game is rather pretty to look at. The game developers wisely made the game look like the source material (The Walking Dead comic books), so everything has that cell-shaded cartoony slant which set's it apart from other survival-horror titles. Most of it looks hand drawn, and it really feels like you're stepping into an interactive comic book. There is the occasional mishap though, and some of the movements look wonky. As for the sound aspect of the game, the voice acting is top-notch and the accompanying musical score is adequate. The zombies all gargle in the satisfying manner that we're accustomed to, and the gore effects are bone-crushingly juicy. Overall there isn't a single complaint to be had with the presentation. 9/10.

So in conclusion, this is one heck of a good game. For casual gamers like me who enjoy a gripping narrative coupled with some tense scenes it's a great purchase, and for fans of the comic book (and now T.V series) it is simply a must have. It's one the best things you can get on Xbox Live right now and shines no matter what microscope you put it under, not to mention being incredibly accessible to wide variety of gamer's: 9,5/10.  

Tintin Hergé: French version

Problématique générale: Comment à Hergé représenté le thème Art, État, Pouvoir dans son BD en dénoncent l'URSS?

1) Hergé:

Le 22 Mai 1907 en Bruxelles (Belgique), Georges Remi est né. A ce moment personne né savait qui il était mais à la fin de sa vie le 3 Mars 1983 pratiquement l'ensemble de Belgique à été dévasté par sa mort. Et pas juste le peuple de Belgique, à cette temps-la son travail à été lu par le monde entier, plus notamment en Europe. Si tu ne connais pas son nom réel c'est parce que il a signé son travail avec un pseudonyme basée sur la prononciation Français des lettres « R » et « G », ses initiales : Hergé. Quand il était un enfant il a eu un talent pour dessiner, mais il n'a pas attendu un formation pour l'Art visuel. Après son Education il a travailler pour la magazine « Le Boy Scout Belge » en 1924 et a créer son premier BD « Les Aventures De Totor ». Le héro de la BD, Totor à été un grande inspiration pour son prochaine caractère Tintin, ils ont (a peu prés) la même visage/modèle et sont tout le temps entraîne de explorer et trouver des nouveau cultures ou embarqué dans des nouveau aventures presque tous les semaines.

C'était en 1928 quand il a commencé de dessiner pour un journal « Le Vingtième Siècle », qui a été un journal Catholique avec un régime conservative. Donc le prochaine œuvre de Hergé « Tintin Au Pays Des Soviets » a été fortement influencé par le politique de son temps, et servira comme un sort de propagande anticommuniste pour des enfants. Le BD (en noir et blanc) à était publié entre le 10 Janvier 1929 et le 8 Mai 1930 et a vu le nouveau création de Hergé « Tintin » embarque dans son premier aventure : Russie dans les jours de l’URSS, avec plusieurs faits réels mélangés avec l'action de l'histoire et l'humour de Hergé. Après la BD, ses œuvres ont devenus de plus en plus populaire, donc il a augmenter le nombre de pages dans chaque journal de 8 à 16 pages (normalement c'était 2 pages). Il a aussi commencé a créer un nouveau BD « Quick & Flupke », qui a était centré sur un groupe de deux garçons qui involontairement provoque des situations amusant, le succès de cette BD a aussi gagner Hergé popularité. Par Mai 1940, il a dessiné 310 bandes dessinées de Quick & Flupke et a publié plusieurs histoires sur Tintin comme « Tintin Dans Amérique » et « Les Cigares du Pharaon ». Toutes les histoires de Tintin sont situés dans des milieux exotiques, comme La Chine par exemple, mais Hergé n'étaient pas un touriste, donc il a renseigner sur ces diverses pays le plus mieux possible, et on peut voir les résultats dans son travail avec un monde qui est (généralement) bien réalisé.

Mais parce que Hergé n'a pas eu beaucoup de expérience dans ces pays il y a quelque perceptions injustes dans ces œuvres comme l'image raciste des noires dans « Tintin Dans Le Congo », dessiné avec des grandes bouches et un attitude qui fait référence au esclavage. En 1950 il a créer « Studio Hergé » et a publié le 23 albums de Tintin qui sont ensuite adaptés pour la télé, radio etc....Ses œuvres à été traduit en plusieurs langues et lus par des milliers. Tintin a été un sort de phénomène, grâce au distincte style de humour que Hergé a mis dans son travail et les criticismes derrière les bandes colorés. Après plusieurs années de succès Hergé à succombé d'un maladie, probablement le SIDA mais çà n'a pas été confirmés. Le 24éme album de Tintin « Tintin Et Alph-Art » à rester incomplète mais publié après ça mort en 1986. Hergé a dessiné un vaste quantité de œuvres pendant ça vie, et reçamment ils ont mis tout ses écritures et travail dans un muséum en Belgique. Aujourd'hui plus de 200 millions d'albums de Tintin ont été acheté, et Tintin a maintenant un nouvelle film d'Hollywood « Les Aventures De Tintin ».

History Of Art: French Version

2) l'Analyse Visuelle

Tintin Au Pays Des Soviets est vu par plusieurs d’être un peu brut et primitive par les standards de Hergé, en disant que c'est la propagande anti-communiste pour des enfants et n'est pas comparable a ces autres œuvres. C'est vrai que on est dans les premières années de l'artiste Hergé, mais dans mon opinion on pourrait mettre cette BD à coté des autres BD de Tintin et on aperçoit que c'est toujours 'Tintin'. Par exemple beaucoup de Hergé's style et façons techniques de dessiner reste apparente, comme son fameuse style 'ligne claire'. Ligne claire est un technique appliqué par Hergé et après plusieurs d'autres artistes comme son temps comme l'artiste française Ted Benoit et Joost Swarte, qui a inventé le nom 'ligne claire' en 1977 quand il était entraîne de visiter un exposition de Hergé à Rotterdam. Le style ligne claire est souvent caractérise par l'usage des traits noir, de même épaisseur qui ne change pas ou diminue en qualité pendant la duration du BD. C'est comme ça parce que Hergé a était un perfectionniste, et a fait extrêmement attention sur le soin de chacune de ces planches. Parce que Tintin Au Pays Des Soviets n'est pas en couleur, les épaisses traits noirs sont immédiatement apparent et aucun chose est fait au forme de 'Sketch'. Par exemple regarde le page 88 du BD: Ici, Tintin est entraîne d’échapper l'armée russe dans le neige, montré par l'utilisation des plans moyens et gros plans dans les deux derniers cases. Je pense que le palette en noir et blanc marche bien avec Hergé's style, mais un autre caractéristique du style ligne clair, l'usage des couleurs vivides et vibrantes sont forcement absent dans cette album de Tintin. Regarde l’épaisseur des traits noirs, c'est toujours la même épaisseur pour les vêtements, personnes, arrière plan (ici totalement noir) ect.... Et un autre trait de Hergé's style, le manque d'ombres et la lumière est apparente ici aussi. Parce que l'album est en noir et blanc on a du mal a faire distinguer le jour et la nuit, et l'absence de ces effets aide pas le lecteur a distinguer le temps de la journée. Pourquoi Hergé n'a jamais utilisé ces techniques je ne sais pas, mais c'est pas parce qu'il manque du talent au niveau de dessin age: un autre aspect de son style est la depiction des arrières plans et les décors détaillées et réaliste contre les personnages/caricatures exagérée (la terme s'appelle la surréalisme). Ici, la planche n'a pas vraiment un décor, et l’arrière plan est tout en noir mais dans les autres planches de la BD cette trait est souvent mis en évidence (par exemple dans la page 53, qui depicte un chasse des bateaux). Tous nous semble d’être situé dans le monde réel mais la depiction des personnages et l'action exagéré donne l'album un atmosphère de BD. Un autre élément du ligne claire est la régularité des strips, il y a pas de débordements du cadre (ou modification de la taille des images) et chaque case et élément dans les cases sont entouré par un simple trait noir. Ça donne l'impression que les images sont pas deux dimensionnelles mais apparaît comme 'plat'.Donc oui on peut dire que Tintin Au Pays Des Soviets est un peu plus rugueux et détacher dans sa structure, spécialement quand on les compare avec les autres albums de Tintin, mais c'est toujours reconnaissable comme Tintin dans sa façon de dessiner et dans la mise en forme. Visuellement, c'est simple et facile a comprendre, on a mémé pas besoin de lire la texte pour comprendre la sub-texte anti-communiste...

3) Contexte Historique:

l’œuvre de Hergé 'Tintin Au Pays Des Soviets' à était dessiné et publié entre Janvier 1927 et Mai 1930. Tintin, le jeune reporter du petit vingtième est envoyé au Russie pour faire un reportage sur un pays 'étrangère'. C'est un période juste avant la crise économique des années 30, et Joseph Staline est au pouvoir. Dans l'album Tintin à découvrir peu à peu l'oppression de l'URSS. Beaucoup de ses faits découvertes par Tintin est présente dans la réalité actuelle du temps, je peux lister plusieurs exemples dans l'album, on va prendre la page 36 par exemple : Ici on voit des soldats devant un foule entraîne de enforcer leur parti politique (communiste) sur le peuple, sous peine de mort. Pendant la régime de Staline le peuple de l'URSS n'avaient souvent AUCUN choix de vote, et le communisme (tout appartient à l'état) à été le seul parti représentative. Pour un enfant, cette scène vont été vus comme rigolo mais malheureusement dans la réalité c’était l'inverse....

Et si on regarde la page 29 : Ici on voit quatre journalistes anglais stéreotypiques (qui porte des chapeau et des pipes à fumée) entraîne d’être montré un usine industrielle de l'Union Soviétique par un guide touristique qui vantent la productivité de leurs usines. Les anglais sont impressionné, qui voit la fumée qui sortes des cheminées comme un confirmation de la travail des russes. Mais quand on regarde la page suivante Tintin trouve que les Anglais sont dupé et en fait la fumée est créer par la brûlage du paille et les sons de l'industrie par la claquage de deux planches de métaux. Le 'beauté' de la régime Soviétique est en effet un illusion, et tous le monde croient que l'URSS est un superpuissance. Encore un fois Hergé à mélangé du fiction avec la réalité car dans les derniers années de 1920 l'Union Soviétique à convaincu les autres pays de croient qu'ils sont entraîne de créer plus de produits agricoles mais en réalité ils n'avaient presque rien à manger, le pays à était ravagé par la famine et la pauvreté. C'était un conséquence de la collectivisation des terres, un régime forcé par Staline comme un moyen de améliorer les productions de l'Union Soviétique, mais ça n'a pas marché et en 1932 presque tout le pays à était touché par la famine! Hergé a clairement montré ces effets dans les pages 78, 97, 104 et 107.

Dans 'Tintin au pays des Soviets', Hergé à représenté l'URSS comme un pays handicapés par la famine et la pauvreté, et contrôlée par des dictateurs qui impose leurs lois brutalement. C'est précis pour la plupart (mais il y a toujours quelques erreurs, par exemple pas tous les noms Russes à -ski ajouté à la fin le leur nom!), et c'est surprenant car tout l'information Hergé a appris sur ce pays à été dans un pamphlet 'Moscou sans voiles' par Joseph Douillet (1878-1954), un anti-bolchevik œuvre crée seulement pour la propagande. Le scène dans la page 29 à été entièrement recopié mot pour mot par Hergé, qui a apparu en premier dans la pamphlet.

Beaucoup plus tard dans sa vie, Hergé a admis que son œuvre a été imposé sur lui avec un vision 'limitée' mais le pays qu'il a réalisé dans 'Tintin au pays des Soviets' à était la réalité de la situation Russe.

4) Analyse de l'Histoire:

l'Histoire dans 'Tintin au pays des Soviets' est à peu prés la même que chaque histoire de Tintin : Ça commence avec Tintin entraîne d'enquêter sur quelque chose (cette fois c'est un reportage sur l'URSS), mais a rencontrer un problème ou un adversaire (armée soviétique) et devais les évader par n'importe quel moyen (voitures, trains, bateaux) ect... Le BD à était publié par la méthode de deux pages chaque semaine, donc l'histoire a été construit d’avoir un rythme très rapide avec beaucoup d'action sur chaque page. C'est pour donner les lecteurs plus d'envie a lire chaque page, d’être excité et prés pour savoir la conclusion de chaque rencontre au prochaine édition. La formule est simple et reste la même : Tintin va découvre un acte fait par les Soviets (discrimination, elections forcées ect...), est trouvée et chassée par l'Union, et il et milou est ensuite propulsé dans un nouvelle situation/partie de l'URSS. C'est simple mais il y a toujours du suspense dans l'histoire. L'album est composé de plusieurs scènes d'action, et Tintin évade les ennemis d'un manière très satisfaisante, souvent par la chance ! Mais entre chaque scène d'action il y a toujours un scène qui montre la brutalité des Soviets, qui renforce la thème global 'Art, état, pouvoir' et sert pour donner la lecteur un mauvais opinion de l'URSS. Hergé a été fasciné par la nouvelle technologie, et a inclus des dessins détaillés de plusieurs avancements techniques dans cette période la, comme la bateaux dans la page 53.

5) Conclusion :

Hergé a créer 'Tintin au pays des Soviets' avec l'idée que c'était du propagande communiste visée envers les jeunes enfants de son époque, et c'est exactement pour cette raison que l'œuvre correspond bien avec le thème 'Art, état, pouvoir'. Ici Hergé a utilisé son Art pour confronter l'état de l'URSS et de dénoncer leur pouvoir. Il est clairement contre la communisme et pour la démocratie, et il utilise son influence pour exercer cette pensée sur les jeunes lecteurs de son époqu. Mais à mon avis il a aussi créer un BD amusante et remplis avec d'action, donc si on enlève l'aspect du propagande il reste toujours un BD de Tintin ! Et il faut remercier 'Tintin au pays des Soviets' aussi, car sans cette album Tintin n'a jamais existé. Grâce a cette BD Hergé a créer un personnage qui a vendus plus de 200 millions d'albums plus tard et a inspiré plusieurs jeunes lecteurs (moi-même) de lire plus de bandes dessinés et commencés a lire des romans. J'ai choisi cette œuvre parce que Tintin occupe un place dans mon cœur et quand j'ai trouver que c'était à la fois le premier album de Tintin ET correspond bien avec le thème de Histoire des Arts, c'était pratiquement irrésistible!

History Of Art: Story Analysis/Historical Context

Tintin's first adventure 'Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets' was drawn and publicized between January 1927 and Mai 1930. Tintin, the young reporter of the newspaper 'Le Petit Vingtieme' is sent to Russia in order to do a story based on a foreign country. It's a period set just before the big financial collapse of the 1930's and Joseph Stalin was in power. For people who don't who Joseph Stalin is, let's just say he was responsible for the deaths of 20 million people, one of his most notable actions being the 'Great Purge' of 1937-1938, were everyone who opposed his regime were tracked down and executed. As the story progresses Tintin slowly discovers the oppressive rule that the USSR have over it's people. Many of the events shown in the album were actually present in the reality of the time. For example let's take a look at page 36:

Here we see Russian soldiers in front of a crowd enforcing their political party (communist) on the population. Those who refuse their political regime are immediately put at gunpoint, although Herge implies that this situation is humorous. During Stalin's regime the people of the USSR often had ZERO choices when it came to voting: you either sided with the communists or...well the communists! The communist party was the only political party allowed, so naturally they won every single election! Of course to the absent minded reader this would just come across as humorous, but unfortunately in real life it was hardly a laughing matter...


Now how about we take a look at page 29 again:

Here we see four stereotypic English men (each wearing a hat and smoking a pipe) being shown around a USSR factory complex by a Russian tour guide who is boasting about the productivity of their factories. The english are impressed, seeing the smoke coming out of the chimney as a clear sign that work is being done. If you look at the next page though:

It seems we've all been fooled, the smoke is actually created by the burning of straw and the sound of machinery comes from some poor bloke whacking metal sheets together with a hammer. The 'beauty' of the Russian regime is shown to be merely an illusion, an act to fool anyone into believing the USSR is a powerhouse. Herge once again blends fiction with reality as in the late 1920's the soviet union mislead and convinced other countries that they were producing far more raw materials than they actually were. They sent immense quantities of wheat abroad in order to prove their power as a nation and increase industrialisation when in reality they barely had any food for themselves and the nation was soon crippled by famine and poverty. This was a consequence of the agricultural collectivisation, a regime enforced by Stalin as a means to improve productivity, which obviously failed seen as by 1932 have the country was starving! Herge quite clearly demonstrates this and it can be witnessed in pages 78, 97, 104 and 107:

In 'Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets' Herge represents the Soviet Union as a country crippled by famine and poverty, not to mention ruled over by a bunch of power hungry tyrants, forcefully imposing their laws with every step they take. The surprising thing is that it's accurate for the most part (there are a few factual errors like adding -ski at the end of every Russian name), despite Herge's ONLY source of information coming from the pamphlet 'Moscou Sans Voiles' or 'Moscow Unveiled' by Joseph Douillet (1878-1954), a anti-Bolshevik propaganda piece in which many of the claims made in the book were of doubtful accuracy at the time.  


While later on in life Herge admitted that his superiors forced him into something with 'limited outlook', but 'Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets' is still a fairly accurate representation of the Soviet Union.  

As for the Story in 'Land Of The Soviets', it's mostly in line with Herge's other Tintin works. Like with any other Tintin album, it starts with Tintin setting out to investigate something for a local newspaper (this time it's  a story on the Soviet Union), getting into trouble and then having to escape his adversaries by any means possible whether it's by car, train, boat ect... The comic was published at a rate of two pages every Week, and because of this the overall story was built to be extremely fast-paced and relentless, as an incentive to keep readers entertained every week. It essentially follows a basic formula: Tintin observes an act made by the Soviet Union (whether it's famine, forced elections ect...) gets caught or found out and has to escape/flee. This situation will then propel him into another locale, where once again he gets caught after observing something and flee....rinse and repeat. The album is action-packed, and Tintin often escapes by luck alone, all the while making remarks about how awful the USSR regime is. Herge was fascinated by  technology, and he included rather detailed depictions of what is to be considered 'cutting 'edge' technology in his drawings like the boat chase on page 53:

Conclusion:


Herge made 'Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets' with the idea that it would be an anti-communist propaganda comic aimed at children. And you know what? He does it well. The comic/album is fast paced, funny and littered with anti-communist propaganda that was (for the most part) rather accurate, considering his limited views on the subject. Not only that but it was the first Tintin comic ever made, which has got to count for something. If it wasn't for 'Le Petit Vingtieme' forcing the story on him, we probably would have never got the Tintin character in the first place. The character that sold over 200 million albums and inspired many young kids (including me) to get into comics and start reading more! Which brings me around to the big question, why did I pick this comic for HDA? Well back last October when I desperately needed a subject for HDA, I happened to stumble upon a documentary on BBC 2 all about Tintin's first album, 'Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets'. It was purely happenstance, and to be honest I couldn't have found a better subject. Tintin has long since occupied a place in my heart, ever since the first Tintin book I ever read 'The Red Sea Sharks', so not only was I passionate about it but it was also ripe with material. It was a match made in heaven, and here I am eight months later applying the finishing touches to my report. A report that is due in for tomorrow, and I also have to do an oral presentation on it! But no worries, as long as I keep to my notes I should be fine...  

History Of Art: Analysis

NOTE: The translated French version of my analysis is a little bit longer, I'll try to update this version when I have the time or post the full French version when I'm finished. Again, comments and feedback are much appreciated! 


Tintin In The land of the Soviets is seen by many people to being a bit crude and primitive by Herge's standards. Some dismiss it entirely as being anti-communist propaganda for kids, not comparable to Herge's later work in the Series. While the comic does mark early days for Herge, I think it can still be sat next to the other Tintin album's without standing out, because it's still undeniably Tintin. For example a lot of Herge's drawing techniques are still apparent, like his famous 'ligne claire' style. 'Ligne claire' (or clear line in English) is a drawing technique applied by Herge and later several other artists of his time like french artist Ted Benoit and Joost Swarte, who invented the name 'ligne claire' in 1977 when he was visiting a Tintin exposition in Rotterdam (this was known as the 'ligne claire' movement). Ligne claire characteristic's are often marked by the use of clear, strong lines of uniform importance that never change or falter in quality throughout the comic. This is largely done because Herge was a perfectionist, often putting extreme care and effort into every one of his panels. Because Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets isn't in colour, the thick black lines are immediately apparent and nothing is done 'sketchy' at all. For example look at this extract from page 29:

English stereotypes aside, the black and white colour palette really suits Herge's style, but another distinct 'ligne claire' trademark, the use of vivid, vibrant colours is of course absent from this work. Notice how the thickness of the black lines are always the same, whether you're looking at the clothing, the backgrounds ect.... And another noticeable trait of the 'ligne clair' style is the lack of lighting or shadows on ANYTHING. So because it's black and white we don't even know what time of day it is. You could also say that the comic lacks atmosphere because of this, and just why Herge never used shadows or lighting effects in his work in unknown to me. It wasn't because Herge was lacking in the drawing department, as another aspect of his style is the detailed, realistic backgrounds set against the cartoon-y looking characters. Everything looks like it could be set in the real world but the characters designs are exaggerated enough to give it that much needed comic book feel. Now notice anything else that stays the same in Herge's style? The panels on each page are all drawn with the same simple black stroke, and nothing steps out of the allotted zone which gives the comic a one dimensional 'flat' feel. So while Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets style is a bit more loose and rough when compared to the other Tintin comic books, it's still recognisably Tintin in it's design, structure and sense of humour, if a bit crude at times. Remember, this was supposed to be anti-communist propaganda!

My Report: 2nd Trimester (25th Nov 2011 - 29th Feb 2012)

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French: 10,54/20

Teacher: Mme Thomas

Comments: The results are still 'correct'. The texts keep getting more and more complex and their analysis is getting more and more literary. Don't be discouraged and continue your efforts.   

Class average: 10,58/20

Highest Score In Class: 14,20/20

Lowest Score In Class: 7,36/20

Personal Opinion: I continue to do just fine in French. Again most of my points come from the comprehension and analysis part of Tests. Anything that is grammar based normally fails miserably, and even then there are times when the text becomes a bit difficult to get the jist of, especially when it's written in French from the seventeenth century! 

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History-Geography: 12,70/20

Teacher: Mme Morvan

Comments: The results have gone down but remain correct. You must continue your efforts.

Class Average: 10,24/20

Highest Score In Class: 13,30/20

Lowest Score In Class: 5,30/20

Personal Opinion: Despite only getting an average score, I'm still 0,50 away from being the best in the Class! History remains a frustration because I'm perfect in the questions part of the Test but mediocre in the argumentative paragraph part. An example: questions based on documents 9/10, argumentative paragraph 5/10 ('The idea's are there, but need to be properly developed'). The reason why I keep failing the argumentative paragraphs is because a) I don't have enough time to complete it, b) It's either lacking idea's or too full of them and c) one mistake can set you back quite a bit, and the Teachers notation has become even more strict. So yeah, I still have to find that perfect balance, but I keep on trying. The Teacher does comment that I need to 'continue my efforts' and that's what I'm doing. Anyway in-Class the two subjects remain interesting and engaging.   

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English: 18,72/20

Teacher: Mme Rouxel

Comments: Very good work in all language activity's. Please continue! 

Class Average: 14,58/20

Highest Score In Class: 18,72/20 (me)

Lowest Score In Class: 11,50/20

Personal Opinion: English keeps things interesting, if we're not watching an extract from a film we're looking at Star Wars or creating fictional characters. It's definitely more pop-culture orientated, and it's fun because of it. As for the imperfect score, I did accidentally miss a question in the Les Epreuves Communes Test. A mistake that I accidentally made two months ago has cost me 1,28. God I hate this scoring system, you slip up ONCE and it looks like you came out worse than last time.  

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German: 14,71/20

Teacher: Mme Guillermic 

Comments: Very good work overall. Timothy is very discreet in Class and could win a few points in oral expression Tests.

Class Average: 12,01/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,04/20

Lowest Score In Class: 9,04/20

Personal Opinion: Still good in German for the most part. I do have a few wrong pronunciations in this subject though, so I did lose points for that. I was also penalized for not being more talkative in Class, but you won't see that again in my next report I can assure you. 

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Maths: 12,80/20

Teacher: Mme Le Merlus

Comments: The results are still correct but have gone down a bit. Timothy must be more careful in written Tests to stop certain mistakes from appearing in the application of exercises.    

Class Average: 12,99/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,73/20

Lowest Score In Class: 8,93/20

Personal Opinion: I've had really good Tests this Trimestre, but really dodgy ones as well (I'm looking at you Epreuves Communes). In the end I've had slightly more 'good' results than 'bad' results. So quality-wise I'm all over the place, but the score would have been higher if I had just finished that Epreuves Communes Test in time! Those nine points have cost me dearly. 

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S.V.T: 13,52/20

Teacher: Mme Gandon-Desbois

Comments: Tim has met the expected efforts. You must preserve this score, bravo!!!  

Class Average: 11,70/20

Highest Score In Class: 15,92/20

Lowest Score In Class: 6,88/20

Personal Opinion: Well to be fair I only had two Tests this Trimester and both of them were pretty easy. I did mess up on a surprise Test though, so that's why you're not seeing a higher result. Again you can't really plan for these things, the very nature of a surprise Test is that it's a surprise! 

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Science: 16/20

Teacher: M. Begoc

Comments: Very good overall. Continue likewise.  

Class Average: 12,99/20

Highest Score In Class: 16,80/20

Lowest Score In Class: 8,20/20

Personal Opinion: Still my most consistent subject, Science is always in the 15-17/20 area. The Test's are well thought out, and really gives you those extra points just because you bothered revising for two hours the night before.  

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Technology: 13,81/20

Teacher: M. Bastide

Comments: Overall correct thanks to serious work in Class. Written Tests seem a bit more delicate.

Class Average: 14,72/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,13/20

Lowest Score In Class: 11,92/20 

Personal Opinion: I think that the way things are structured in technology now does not suit me one bit. Basically, the work seems harder and the Tests keep getting more and more confusing as they go along (I was truly stumped by the 'Name five exterior elements linked to a toaster', I mean who would put THAT question in a Test??).

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Art: 16,50/20

Teacher: M. Riallin

Comments: Excellent trimester result, the work is one of quality. Felicitations! 

Class Average: 14,04/20 

Highest Score In Class: 16,50/20 (me)

Lowest Score In Class: 10,50/20

Personal Opinion: Art is one of my best subjects because I never seem to be lacking in the idea's department. I've always got that idea that no-one else seems to have and corresponds well with the task at hand. 

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Music: 13,20/20

Teacher: Mme Jouet

Comments: Very satisfactory trimester but in decline. Positive attitude in Class, good work.

Class Average: 12,15/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,50/20 

Lowest Score In Class: 10/20

Personal Opinion: No written Tests this trimester so I didn't rack up another 19,5/20 to put on wall (written Tests just require a sh*t ton of revision and you're guaranteed 20/20). One Test felt unfair though, because I genuinely did the best I could in the time limit and still was met with a less-than-fantastic score. 

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Sport: 10/20

Teacher: M. Radenac

Comments: The technical skills in basketball and badminton are average. The work is satisfactory in lessons. Timothy must continue his efforts in the 3rd Trimester. 

Class Average: 13,79/20

Highest Score In Class: 17,50/20

Lowest Score In Class: 10/20

Personal Opinion: I'm crap at Sport. END. OF. STORY.

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Professional discovery (or D.V.P): 16,17/20
Teacher: M. Bastide
Comments: Very good trimester. A student that is curious and serious in his work. Timothy knows when to take initiative, felicitations.
Class Average: 15,06/20 
Highest Score In Class: 17,33/20
Lowest Score In Class: 10/20
Personal Opinion: As a subject, this doesn't really interest me, but as a quick/sure fire way to grab points that helps boost your overall score it serves it's purpose. 
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Overall School Life Score (attitude in Class ect…): 20/20 (still the perfect student)

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Overall School opinion on this Trimester: Thanks to work that is both serious and applicable, Timothy maintains a satisfactory level this trimester. He must continue his efforts, mainly in French and participate more to gain an advantage. The school board gives it's encouragements. 


The school board emits a favourable opinion for passage into seconde generale and technologique (Lycee) if the results stay the same in the 3rd trimester. 
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Overall Personal opinion on this Trimester: Still consistent quality-wise, although I could have been better if I just didn't make a few crucial mistakes at crucial circumstances. Still, life is defined by your mistakes and triumphs, and I remain positive if a little bitter. The only thing I can do is try to do better next time, as always.
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Overall Score: 14,45/20 
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The Fades Series One: My Thoughts

Here's my rough, Episode-by-Episode thoughts on the BBC horror Series 'The Fades' (Blu-Ray version):


The first instalment to the Series did grate with me a bit. The opening sequence and premise of the show has been done to death countless times, and I constantly had a feeling of Deja Vu up until the end. The Episode opens with an unsuspecting victim being pounced on by a Fade (think zombies mixed with ghosts), and the camera cuts to a shot of her screaming face *CUE CHEESY OPENING TITLES*. This trope has been done to death on Doctor Who and in countless other horror classics so right from the start I was pretty much groaning. It picked up after that though, as we were introduced to the two main characters of the Series: Mac and Paul. They come off as being immediately likeable characters, partly because any teenager can relate to them on some level and also because the actors playing these two characters are top notch. Mac (Daniel Kaluuya) is a blast, his inherent geeky-ness comes off as being really charming and spouts one liners off the top of his head like it's nothing. Paul (Iain de Caestecker) is a shy 17-year-old who has trouble blending into society and talking to girls. Oh and did I mention he pees in his pants at night? Like I said, instantly relatable to people that are my age! Anyway we quickly discover that Paul is 'special', because he keeps experiencing dreams that depict the world covered in ash (supposedly it's the end of all things) and he is destined to become a member of the Angelic's, a team of supernatural ghost-busters (who also have powers of their own) and are tasked with keeping the Fades (ghosts that have it in for everybody) in check. Like I said, a lot of these tropes have been done to death in the past, the most notable iterations of 'The Chosen One' genre being Buffy The Vampire Slayer or more recently Harry Potter. But aside from the less-than-original plot, the show does it so well that by the end you've almost forgotten about these similarities entirely. And it's all held together by some great acting and genuinely lovable characters. So while the first Episode is a bit mediocre at times it's still made watchable by the great cast and the writing pen of Jack Thorne. The first Episode is good enough to warrant a viewing of the second Episode, and that's exactly what the first Ep should do: make me WANT to watch more. 7/10.  

For what the Fades is, you can't deny that it's pretty ballsy. This isn't a show that holds all of the cards close to it's chest and it shows in Episode two. After Episode One nearly all of the Angelic's are killed and the only thing stopping the Fades from taking over the world is a kid that can see the future and a partially blind man called Neil. With those odds, it's surprising that they stood a chance in the first place! The Second Ep continues from where the first one left off, but has a slightly slower pace than before. This is largely to the Episode's benefit because the show focuses more on the awkward teenage comedy this time around, which was the best part of the first Ep and continues to be entertaining here. The gore factor starts to kick in as well as the Fades start to capture and eat school kids. The teenage leads continue to be enthralling, and the Episode expertly touches on some...erm...interesting topics. The big bad and the 'Chosen One/End of the World' still feels a bit generic but is done in a slightly more interesting way this time around as the writers decide to give Paul a few more powers to fiddle with. Oh, and Mac is still the best thing about this show. 8/10. 

Things really start to pick up in Episode 3. For one we get introduced to more members of the Angelic's, the big bad starts to get interesting AND the final twist comes as a complete surprise. The Fades are still lingering in the background for the most part, and as a result their threat is a bit more on the tame side. However the show continues to use this extra breathing space to develop the cast and set the groundwork for future events. The show is definitely going for a more 'slow build-up' approach and for the time being it seems to be working. Here's hoping that the pay-off in the last three episodes can live up to that, especially after that cracking reveal at the end...8,5/10. 

Having just watched Episode 4, I can't wait to get into Episode 5. The Fades is turning into something really special now, not to mention unique. At the end of the previous Episode, the big bad of the Fades had burst from his fleshy cocoon to be reborn back into human form. He's on the rampage and looking for his undead girlfriend, with Paul (now in spirit form after a car crash has put him in a coma) helping him! As to be expected, the death count is through the roof (nearly all of the Angelic's have been murdered...again) and the stakes are even higher as the rest of the un-dead are being reborn into fleshy form as well, not to mention their now all immortal (LOP OFF HIS HEAD GODAMMIT)! This is by and large my favourite Episode of the Series so far, I mean it just keeps getting better and better. Skin's star Joe Dempsie is now playing John, the head of the Fades and he plays the part with absolute panache. His tale on the rooftop is truly heartbreaking, and for once I'm starting to sympathise with the bad guy here. The show has basically just flipped everything on it's head half way through and is now racing at 100mph towards the finishing line. The acting is the best it's ever been, the stakes are high, the newly invigorated bad guy is fantastic and Paul has got one tough job on his hands....9,5/10.

Episode 5 is setting things up nicely for the Finale. The gore is once again through the roof, and the horror element is starting to come into it's own. As the Fades are slowly kidnapping, killing and feasting on the population of Paul's home town, the community has declared a state of emergency with everyone regrouping at the nearby school. They're making more and more of themselves and are slowly taking over everyone, so the school is the perfect breeding ground for them now. Paul seems to think that he can save the Fades and force them back into 'Ascension' (essentially send them to heaven) but will his plan work? It's really gripping stuff now, John's plan has taken a much darker slant as he's essentially turning everyone you know into ravenous, immortal undead but hey, all in a days work I guess. Unlike other Episodes, it's generally scary/chilling at points not to mention superbly grim. Characters are still being picked off left, right and centre and it's clear that not everybody is safe, especially Paul's girlfriend. The cast continue to be believable and well thought out, and are continuing to be developed in interesting ways. Mac has taken a bit of a back seat though, which is a shame. But then again his Episode recap's do grate after a while and make absolutely no sense in the context of the show when you think about it so...a blessing in disguise perhaps? I suppose you can have TOO much of a good thing. So, will the world end like Sarah and Paul have predicted? I certainly hope not, cause then there would be no more Fades! 9/10. 

Episode 6, the Finale was pretty darned good. I do wish the story could have been a tad more wrapped up by the end though, seen as the BBC have just announced that they're cancelling season 2. The finale had some brilliant stunt and special effects work (for a BBC 3 budget anyway) and the final confrontation between Paul and John was satisfying. I also liked how they demonstrated that no side in the conflict was the 'right' side or the side of good if you will. Neil's unexpected bout of murder was unessesary, in a good way. Oh, and WHY THE F*CK DIDN'T PAUL KILL NEIL? HE KILLED YOUR GIRLFRIEND, GODAMMIT! If I had any other gripes with the Episode it would be the editing near the end, I mean those Fades were trying to break into that container for AN ETERNITY. I know the show is trying to build up suspense but come on! Anyway back to my gratuitous praise for this Series, which has really turned out to be a diamond in the rough. And a true diamond in the rough at that, the more you watch it, the shinier it will become. It's something that I applaud the show makers for, not to mention their magnificent casting of the main leads. The Series does, like most Series, end on a cliffhanger though, which I'm fine with as long as the BBC recommissions it for a 2nd Series.....Oh yeah, they haven't. Woops. Still the first Season is good enough (and complete enough) to warrant the purchase of the Blu-Ray boxset, even if it's light on extras. 8,5/10.