Achille Talon is a comic book and the name of the main character, created by Michel Regnier (who is best known by his pseudonym Greg). It began circulation in 1963. This series, which he both wrote and illustrated, presents the comic misadventures of the eponymous anti-hero. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Michel Regnier, (May 5, 1931 - October 29, 1999) was a Belgian comic-book writer and artist, best-known by his pseudonym, Greg. ...

The name derives from "talon d'Achille", the french expression for an "achilles' heel", which suits the character quite well, only the Achilles' heel of Achille Talon isn't his heel, but his nose, which is truly gigantic. The figure was dreamt up by Greg when, due to a clerical error, some pages of Pilote were blank and none of the other authors were available. Pilote was a French cartoon periodical published from 1959 to 1989. ...

The characters

Achille Talon is a somewhat uptight citizen, a bourgeois and an intellectual (or so he likes to think) and very eloquent, albeit not always very honest. He is vain to the extent that he builds a giant statue of himself in his front garden and desperately tries to get on the good side of the local gentry. He sometimes resolves in activism (eg. pro peace or against pollution) or inventions. He is always at odds with his neighbour Hilarion Lefuneste, who loves to argue too.

Well in his forties, Achille is single and lives at home with his father, Alambic Godsent Corydon Talon, who is a beer-fanatic, and his mother. He never tires of trying to seduce Virgule de Guillemets, who brings sophistication to his life. His professional life is spent at the offices of Pilote, where he fills an unnamed position and is mainly dictated to by a small unnamed CEO with huge ego — in which it is not difficult to see a (very unflattering) portrait of René Goscinny. René Goscinny (August 14, 1926 – November 5, 1977) Polish- French author, editor and humorist, who is best known for the comic strip Astérix, which he created with illustrator Albert Uderzo, and the comic strip Lucky Luke. // Early life René was born in Paris in 1926, to Stanislaw Simkha Goscinny...

All that being said, when push comes to shove, Achille Talon can be courageous and magnimonous, a protector of animals and ever vigilant guardian of proper etiquette, so much so that he gets into a huge fight with an author on a book on etiquette over which of them has the honour of giving the other the right of way. A patron of the arts (as long as he is the one portrayed) and even a wise, but apparently tyrannical, head of state, even if it's only for a short while.

• One of Greg's greatest strengths lay in his ability to use the French language to amazing advantage. Everything was fodder for a verbal/written gag to him. However much the exaggerated visual humour may stand out (e.g. phones often do not simply ring, but practically explode,) his plays on words are what makes this strip a real delight. From the story text, to the title of the individual gag pages, to the characters - all are an opportunity for Greg to show off his skill with words. Achille isn't the only character whose name is such a pun. Most are. Consider the recurring character of the local retailer (his business being whatever the plot happens to require it to be for that particular gag) named Vincent Poursan. Looks fine as a normal French name until you realise that, pronounced in French, it sounds like "twenty-hundred percent" ... which is about his usual profit margin by the way.

Typical quotes

• "Bof" or "Hop" are his favorite interjections, especially if things do not turn out as expected.
• "After careful consideration of the facts, I've decided to faint. It may not be very heroical, but it is relaxing. Therefore, zzzzz"

Television adaptation

A television series of fifty-two twenty-six minute episodes was made for Canal+ in 1996 by Saban International. Each episode is broken up into two short stories. It was released in France for the first time on September 3, 1997 in the television show C + Cléo on Canal+. Canal Plus Group (Canal+) is a French film and television studio and distributor. ... Saban Entertainment (also known as Saban International) was an independent/TV production company formed by music and television producers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the animated cartoon, Achille Talon is a very awkward superhero, who offers his services as a hero for hire, replacing the likes of Luke Skywalker and Tarzan when they become unavailable. Talon manages to make justice triumph by pure luck. The series was renamed Walter Melon for English-speaking television. Luke Skywalker (born 19 BBY) is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, portrayed by Mark Hamill. ... James H. Pierce and Joan Burroughs Pierce starred in the 1932-34 Tarzan radio series Tarzan, a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1914 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ... Walter Melon was an 1998 TV show. ...