An original and complete issue of the Journal de Tintin, N° 518, French Dargaud edition, dated 25 September 1958. It is distinguished by a Louis and Fred Funcken cover illustration of the White Knight, a magnificent Funcken double-page illustrated feature on the sinking of the Titanic, a continuing Jean-Michel Charlier Western adventure, and a Tibet Chick Bill episode. It is notable as the second consecutive Funcken cover issue, making N°517 and N°518 a natural collecting pair.
The Cover
The cover is again by Louis and Fred Funcken, a dramatic medieval fantasy scene on a vivid sky blue ground. A white knight in full silver armour rides a rearing white horse, winged helmet raised, lance aloft with yellow and red ribbons streaming, two riders following across a green meadow. The banner announces "LE RETOUR DU CHEVALIER BLANC: L'OMBRE DU GLAIVE", the return of the White Knight medieval adventure series. The sky blue ground is vivid and well-preserved, the colors strong and unfaded.
La Tragédie du Titanic
The interior's most significant content, and the single most important cross-collectible asset in the entire seven-issue 1958 run, is the magnificent "La Tragédie du Titanic" double-page color illustrated feature by Louis and Fred Funcken. In their characteristic military and historical illustration style of meticulous precision and great dramatic power, the Funcken brothers trace the complete story of the Titanic: the departure from Liverpool, the Atlantic crossing, and the fateful night of 14–15 April 1912.
The feature culminates in a magnificent full half-page illustration of the Titanic approaching the iceberg. The ship's bow is visible at right, the vast iceberg looming in a cold pink-purple night sky above black water, the scale of the disaster rendered with quiet, devastating clarity. The wireless operator, the captain on the bridge, the passengers on deck, and the lifeboats being lowered are each rendered with the historical accuracy and narrative economy that defines the Funcken brothers at their best.
The feature was published in September 1958, the same year as the release of Roy Baker's film A Night to Remember, the celebrated adaptation of Walter Lord's 1955 book, which had renewed worldwide public interest in the Titanic disaster. A Funcken-illustrated Titanic feature in its original 1958 publication context is a primary cross-collectible document for the Titanic collector market, one of the largest and most active collector communities in the world, entirely separate from the Journal de Tintin market, and one that pays a significant premium for authentic period Titanic documents of this quality and visual power.
Inside the Issue
The interior also carries a chapter of "Double Scalp — Tempête à l'Ouest", the continuing Western prose adventure by Jean-Michel Charlier, illustrated by Rol. A full-page episode of "Chick Bill — La Tête au Mur!" by Tibet delivers "HAUT LES MAINS!", "BLONF!!!", and "JE SUIS VOTRE COMPLICE!!!" in a slapstick saloon confrontation of great comic energy in Tibet's bold red and black palette. The continuing "S.O.S. Météores!" serialization by E.P. Jacobs also appears.
Condition
Good for age. The sky blue cover ground is vivid and well-preserved, with colors strong and unfaded throughout. A horizontal crease across the lower third of the cover and light corner wear are the primary condition issues, better than N°515 and N°516 and slightly below N°517. Interior pages are complete and intact, age-toned newsprint, with color pages strong and clear. The Funcken Titanic spread and the Tibet strip are in particularly fine color.
Key Details
Type: Original vintage comics magazine — complete issue
Publication: Journal de Tintin — Le Journal des Jeunes de 7 à 77 ans
Publisher: G. Dargaud, Paris (French edition) / Éditions du Lombard, Brussels
Issue: N° 518 (French Dargaud edition)
Date: 25 September 1958
Language: French
Dimensions: 21 × 30 cm / 8 × 12 in
Cover: L. & F. Funcken — White Knight on white horse, sky blue ground; "L'Ombre du Glaive / Le Retour du Chevalier Blanc" announced; vivid colors; horizontal crease lower third; light corner wear
Key content: L. & F. Funcken "La Tragédie du Titanic", double-page color illustrated feature, departure from Liverpool through iceberg collision and rescue, published 1958, the year of the A Night to Remember film; Jean-Michel Charlier "Double Scalp — Tempête à l'Ouest" (10th chapter), Western prose adventure illustrated by Rol; Tibet "Chick Bill — La Tête au Mur!", Western comedy strip, bold red/black palette; E.P. Jacobs "S.O.S. Météores!" (Blake & Mortimer), continuing serialization
Condition: Good — vivid sky blue cover; horizontal crease lower third; light corner wear; interior complete and intact; color pages strong
Collectibility: Funcken Titanic illustrated feature, major Titanic cross-collectible; second consecutive Funcken cover; Jacobs Blake & Mortimer; Tibet Chick Bill; Charlier prose
Why It's Special
This issue pairs the second consecutive Funcken cover with the single most important cross-collectible asset of the 1958 run: a Funcken-illustrated Titanic feature in its original publication context. It appeals to collectors of European comics and to the large, active Titanic collector market alike. N°517 and N°518 together form a natural collecting pair.
One Royal Art
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