Line #63 ComicBook/BenoitBrisefer


1	[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Benoit_Brisefer_4551.png]]
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3	''Benoit Brisefer'' (''Steven Strong'' or ''Benny Breakiron'' or ''Benedict Ironbreaker'' in English, depending on the translation) is a {{Franco Belgian comic\|s}} created by Pierre Culliford a.k.a. {{Creator/Peyo}} (''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'', ''ComicBook/JohanAndPeewit''), and drawn with the assistance of François Walthéry (author of ''{{ComicBook/Natacha}}'') and scenaristic input from Ivan Delporte.
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5	The comic follows the adventures of the titular Benoit, a young, incredibly well-behaved and polite boy with [[SuperStrongChild super strength]], though he loses said super strength whenever he has a cold. It ran from 1960 to 1978, with increasing [[ScheduleSlip schedule slips]] as time went on due to ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' taking up most of Peyo's time. It was revived from 1993 to 2004 by Peyo's son.
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7	Papercutz published four books in the series in English -- ''The Red Taxis'', ''Madame Adolphine'', ''The Twelve Trials Of Benny Breakiron'', and ''Uncle Placid''.
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9	A live-action film based on the character's first story was released in France on December 17, 2014 and starred Léopold Huet, Creator/JeanReno, Creator/GerardJugnot, Creator/ThierryLhermitte and Hippolyte Girardot. It is distributed by [[Creator/{{Disney}} Walt Disney Studios]] in the US.
10	----
11	!!''Benoit Brisefer'' provides examples of:
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13	* AdultsAreUseless: Boy, are they ever.
14	* AIIsACrapshoot: Madame Adolphine II.
15	* AlliterativeName / AlliterativeTitle: '''B'''enoit '''B'''risefer.
16	* AndroclesLion: Benoit saved the life of an albino gorilla. Later, the gorilla helps Benoit to take out a gang of poachers.
17	* BeardOfEvil:
18	** The BigBad of "Tonton Placide".
19	** The blackmailer in "Le Cirque Bodoni".
20	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Benoit might be the nicest boy in the world, but unless he has caught a cold, you ''don't want'' to make him angry. Especially visible in "Les Taxis Rouges". Fortunately, he is responsible and it takes a lot to actually make him mad.
21	* TheBigGuy: Benoit's uncle is a bodyguard and has a frame to match.
22	* BearsAreBadNews: Averted. The bear in the Bodoni Circus is harmless.
23	* BiggerStick: Played for laughs. Madame Adolphine is waging a turf war with a rival gang. From the first panel, we go from a knife attack, followed by firearm attacks of progressively heavy caliber. This culminates in the last panel with some of thugs trying to buy a howitzer from a museum.
24	* BlackBeadEyes
25	* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Attempted by embattled gangsters in "Lady d'Olphine", who try to purchase a heavy UsefulNotes/WW2-era howitzer from a local museum.
26	* BroughtDownToNormal: Happens to Benoît whenever he catches a cold.
27	* TheCameo:
28	** De Mesmaeker from ''ComicBook/GastonLagaffe'' makes a cameo in "Tonton Placide". And yes, [[RunningGag he loses his contracts]].
29	** [[ComicBook/JohanAndPeewit Peewit's goat]], Biquette, has a small appearance in a market in "L'Île de la désunion". Also present is the merchant from whom Peewit gets the Smurf's magic flute.
30	** Captain Haddock of ''The Adventures of Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' can be seen when Benoit arrives by car at a port in "L'Île de la désunion".
31	** Johan can be seen signing in to a hotel in "Hold-up sur pellicule". In "L'Île de la désunion", a newspaper mentions him appearing in a movie.
32	** ComicBook/{{Natacha}} and Walter are seen at the airport when Benoit takes a flight.
33	* CaptainCrash: John Breakwood. Every time he flies an airplane, it wont be long before it crashes.
34	* CassandraTruth: Nobody ever believes Benoît when he tries to tell them he's superhumanly strong, mostly because he has trouble explaining himself and his adult friends are are always absent or incapacitated when Benoit uses his strength.
35	* CarChase: The climax of "Lady d'Olphine", complete with destroyed FruitCart.
36	* CircusBrat: Mona Bodoni.
37	* ComicallyInvincibleHero: Benoit.
38	* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Except when in school or travelling with his uncle, Benoit's life is free of any adult supervision.
39	* CoolUncle: Placide, Benoît's uncle whom he idolizes. He is a bodyguard who protects visiting foreign officials and celebrities.
40	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The management of [[MegaCorp Big Petroleum Company]].
41	* DarkestAfrica: Mulundi is an African country plagued with dangerous poachers and [[EvilChancellor a treacherous adviser]]. However, it's still a decent place to live. The president fights the poachers, is benevolent and is well-loved by his people.
42	* DarkIsEvil: The professional blackmailer has black hair, a black beard and is completely dressed in black.
43	* DeceptivelyHumanRobot: Madame Adolphine II is a robot designed to look like an old lady also named Madame Adolphine.
44	* DesertedIsland: Benoit and his friend Jules were stranded on deserted island. They try to make a distress fire so they can be rescued, but a castaway came and extinguished the fire. The castaway explained that he doesn't to be rescued because he has found a paradise on the island. Jules gives in on the the idea of remaining there for the rest of his life while Benoit wants to leave to stop [[CorruptCorporateExecutive the bad guys]].
45	* DieLaughing: In a BananaRepublic, the benevolent president died laughing after reading an album of ComicBook/TheSmurfs.
46	* DistaffCounterpart: Later in the series, a young girl named Eglantine is introduced and she has the same powers as Benoit.
47	* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: The reason that other kids wouldn't play with Benoit is because he constantly breaks their toys. They mistakenly think he's clumsy.
48	* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[CorruptCorporateExecutive An evil promoter]] wanted to buy an old village to razed it and build a modern apartment complex. After he received a refusal from the owner, he called smugglers to blow-up a dam. However, the smugglers have kidnapped Benoit and John-John. They plan to ransom the boys and place the blame on the promoter. When learning of the kidnapping, he was shocked and decide to cooperate with the authorities, even if it means compromising himself.
49	* EvilChancellor: Aristide Matata is the prime minister of Mulundi. He plots to get rid of the president and take power for himself.
50	* FatCamp: Ran alongside the SummerCampy in one story.
51	* FieryRedHead: Eglantine has red hair, freckles and is quick to abuse her super powers to violently resolve her problems.
52	* TheFilmOfTheBook: The ''Benoit Brisefer: Les Taxis Rouges'' live-action film released in 2014.
53	* {{Foil}}: Eglantine is this to Benoit. While the latter is polite and calm, Eglantine is cocky. She doesn't hesitate to use her super strength and violence against people she doesn't like, while Benoit prefer to use his powers for helping people and beating up bad guys.
54	* FreakLabAccident: How Eglantine gained her powers. We're never revealed if Benoit's powers were gained the same way.
55	* [[FreeRangeChildren Free Range Child]]
56	* FlushingToiletScreamingShower: Minus the "toilet" part: in "Le Fétiche", one of the villains' attempts to get Benoit to catch a cold (and thus loose his strength) involves them sabotaging the school gym showers by cutting off the warm water supply and adding ice cubes to the cold water. The result is a massive scream and all of the boys catching a cold [[spoiler: EXCEPT Benoit since he wasn't in the shower yet]]
57	* FullCircleRevolution: Benoit ends up in a BananaRepublic where the generals of the army, navy and air force are in a permanent three-way struggle for power, with the palace changing hands every two days or so, not helped by the general incompetence of the soldiers. The citizens have grown used to this ("How much are the watermelons?" "Fifty pesos." "They've gone up again." "Those don't have bullet holes in them").
58	* GettingTheBoot: A professional blackmailer has framed the Bodoni circus for drug smuggling and demand 100,000$ in exchange for the compromising photos. Bodoni violently kicked him out of the wagon followed by a myriad of insults.
59	* GoodAngelBadAngel: When Benoit got hungry, a Devil Benoit pops up and tempts Benoit into using someone else's money to buy chocolate. Benoit briefly considers it, but ultimately refuses. The Devil Benoit then keeps tempting him by telling him how yummy eating candy could be, but Benoit firmly rejects him, by punching him square in the nose. Defeated and dejected, the Devil Benoit then sits down on the sidewalk and sulks, cursing the bad luck that he in particular got the job as Benoit's shoulder devil when there are thousands of actually naughty children out there.
60	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Benoit.
61	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Big greedy showbiz owner, Choesels. He was Bodoni's rival in the business. Choesels wanted nothing more than have Benoit on his show and wouldn't take no for an answer. He had an associate blackmail Bodoni in return for Benoit joining Choesels's circus. At the end of the story, his schemes fell apart and he lost a great deal of money to the blackmailer. Then Bodoni and Benoit enter his office. Choesels gets angry and think they're here to gloat. In truth, they were here to return his stolen money, even thought they never had any obligation to do so. Choesels was so moved by the gesture that he decided to make peace with Bodoni. They then enter in a partnership, creating the Bodoni-Choesels circus.]]
62	* HelicopterParents: John-John's father is very protective of his son because of the accidental death of his wife.
63	* HomeBase: Vivejoie-La-Grande, Benoît's home village.
64	* IBrokeANail: A rare male version, played for laughs, occurs when Benoit punches his way through a boulder to escape a collapsed mine.
65	-->'''Benoit:''' Crud. I broke a nail.
66	* IllnessBlanket: Benoit is wrapped in one in "Madame Adolphine" after catching a cold.
67	* InASingleBound: Benoît can leap great heights and distances.
68	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Benoît is a very nice well behaved boy.
69	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: one of Choesels' men is reduced to tears by Benoit and Mona's antics.
70	* InexplicablyAwesome: The series never explained where Benoit's strength came from.
71	* InvisibleParents: No mention is ever made of Benoît having parents or guardians of any kind. His uncle Placide appears to be the closest he has to a relative.
72	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Between Benoit and M. Dussiflard. And with M. Vladlavodka. And with Mrs Adolphine. Benoit is just a sweet kid.
73	* IronicName: The professional blackmailer's first name is "Angel".
74	* KarmaHoudini: [[VillainExitStageLeft Demonia and her goons get away from police at the end of the story.]] OK, so they got a flat tire, but they're still at large...
75	* KidHero: Benoit of course.
76	* LimitedWardrobe: Black short pants, a white shirt, a red blazer, a blue scarf and a black beret are the only clothes Benoit is ever depicted with.
77	* LongList: When Benoit is stranded with his friend on a DesertedIsland, a castaway tells them a long list of things he happily won't be missing. The stuff he mentioned goes on many panels up and include things like taxes, pollution, traffic and so on.
78	* MeaningfulName: Brisefer means "ironbreaker." Reflected in his current English name Benny Breakiron.
79	* MissingMom: Years ago, John-John mother died accidentally because of paparazzo.
80	* MuggingTheMonster: The various villains in the series frequently underestimate Benoit because he looks like an ordinary young boy, and find out the hard way he is anything but.
81	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Demonia, the BigBad in "Le Fétiche".
82	* NiceGirl: Mona is this. She always behave and is friendly with everyone.
83	* NoAntagonist: ''Eglantine's secret'': Benoit meets a girl with powers similar to him and has issues with his friends on a holliday camp. This counts as a BreatherEpisode and OddballInTheSeries.
84	* ObviouslyEvil: Benoit's uncle, Placide, comment how the prime minister of Mulundi, Aristide Matata, is cold and unfriendly. Even the president of Mulundi think so. It's so surprise when [[EvilChancellor Aristide Matata plans to get rid of the president and rule in his place]].
85	* OncePerEpisode:
86	** Benoit catching a cold and losing his strength.
87	** [[NarratingTheObvious The narrator will remind the readers that Benoit is very strong.]]
88	* OutGambitted: Choesels hires a professional blackmailer to force Benoit to leave the Bodoni circus and work for him. However, the blackmailer manipulates Benoit to crack Choesels' safe and runs off with Choesels' money.
89	* PintSizedPowerhouse: Benoit, again. Also Eglatine.
90	* PlotAllergy: Eglantine, Benoit's DistaffCounterpart, is extremely allergic to roses. Not only do they take away her strength, but they also make her dizzy.
91	* PoliceAreUseless: Whenever Benoit tries to report wrongdoing to the local police precinct, he is [[NotNowKiddo ignored and escorted out]].
92	* PrimaryColorChampion: Benoit wears blue, white, red and has blonde hair.
93	* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Since Benoit is as strong as Superman, then this will inevitably happen to a lot of bad guys.
94	* PunnyName: Vladlavodka (V'là d'la vodka) could be translated as Havesomevodka.
95	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: Madame Adolphine II, a.k.a. Lady d'Olphine. a robot created by Vladlavodka based on the real Madame Adolphine.
96	* RobotMe: Madame Adolphine II, a.k.a. Lady d'Olphine again, since she is a robotic double of the real Madame Adolphine.
97	* RoboticReveal: Madame Adolphine.
98	* ScarfOfAsskicking: Benoit wears a scarf and kick some ass. The scarf is to keep him from catching cold.
99	* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: When Eglantine sits next to Benoit, her father teases her by saying she found a fiance. Eglantine flatly denies it while [[LuminescentBlush Benoit couldn't help blushing]].
100	* ShoePhone:
101	** One secret agent was seen using one. Then when it started ringing later, it was in closet full of ordinary shoes.
102	** In the same story, a secret agent's gun conceal a hidden phone. To talk, you need to aim the end of the gun at your head.
103	* ShoutOut:
104	** In ''Bodoni Circus'', Benoit and Mona run into a shopping mall named ''Galeries Lafaillite'', a spoof of real life ''Galeries Lafayette'' in Paris. "Faillite" means bankrupt in French.
105	** Lady d'Olphine [[ComicBook/TheSmurfs opens a gift that exploded in her face]].
106	** In the album ''The Twelve Trials'' Benoit is traveling by train. Some criminals uncouple it so the last wagon comes loose and slides back down the rails. Benoît immediately decides to take action and shouts: "This ain't "The Adventures of Franchise/{{Tintin}}", in reference to a similar incident in the Tintin adventure ''Prisoners of the Sun''.
107	** President Plata Costa died laughing. He was reading [[ComicBook/TheSmurfs ''The Jewel Smurfer'']].
108	* SmoochOfVictory:
109	** Mona gives a big one to Benoit for saving her life and the circus from bankruptcy.
110	** [[spoiler:Eglantine gives one to Alexander after he saves her and Benoit from drowning.]]
111	* StatusQuoIsGod: In "Le Cirque Bodoni", Benoit's super strength was disclosed to the media as a publicity stunt. In later adventures, it was once again a secret.
112	* SummerCampy: Benoit end up in the same camp as Eglantine. She is not amused to see him.
113	* SuperSerum: Eglantine's strength came from her accidentally drinking an experimental plant growth formula, unlike Benoit who was apparently born with his powers.
114	* SuperSpeed: Boy, can Benoit run.
115	* SuperStrength: Benoit's superpower, unless he catches a cold.
116	* SuperStrongChild: Benoit, again. And Eglatine of course.
117	* SurroundedByIdiots: The smugglers in ''John-John''. The leader of the duo is exasperated by [[DumbMuscle his partner]] who keeps blurting out their secrets and can't understand simple orders.
118	* TakeThat: There's one to the oil industry in ''The Twelve Tasks of Benoît Brisefer''. The ''Big Petroleum Company'' relies on dirty tactics such as theft, murder, kidnapping, sabotage, spying and bribery just to steal the deed for a land rich with oil. Benoit destroys their office building with just two kicks.
119	* TheTaxi: Benoit's best adult friend, M. Dussiflard, is a taxi driver, and his first adventure involved a criminal gang fronting as a taxi company.
120	* TightropeWalking: Mona Bodoni from "Le Cirque Bodoni" specializes in this. It helps her and Benoit escape a group of criminals after Benoit catches a cold and loses his strength.
121	* TookALevelInKindness: [[spoiler:After Alexander saves Eglantine's life, she's much nicer to him and to Benoit.]]
122	* UngratefulBastard: Mister Chnik, the irate Finance Minister of [[{{Ruritania}} Furengrootsbadenschtein]]. At the end of the mission, despite Placide and Benoit saved his life countless of times, he keeps yelling at them, calling Placide incompetent and promise to lodge a formal complaint. Sure, the ride was bumpy and unusual, but the gangsters after him were far from being conventional.
123	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: When there's a revolution in [[BananaRepublic Plata Costa]], Benoit is startled but the commoners on the market go by their business as nothing happened. The fruit seller explains that there's [[MeleeATrois a three-way revolution]] 3-4 times every week and [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy the soldiers are so badly trained that they miss their mark most of the time]].
124	* VacationEpisode: "Le Secret d'Églantine" is set in a summer camp.
125	* VoodooDoll: The title artefact in "Le Fétiche" is a magic doll from Africa which can be used to afflict people with an incurable disease.
126	* WeaksauceWeakness:
127	** Benoit loses all his strength whenever he catches a cold. In "Le Fétiche", the villains are aware of his weakness and deliberately try to get him sick in order to abduct him safely.
128	** Eglantine's weakness is the smell of roses.
129	* WilliamTelling: One of Benoit's circus stunts in "Le Cirque Bodoni" is shooting an apple ''off his own head'', firing a crossbow, then using his SuperSpeed to run past the bolt and position himself so that it hits the apple.
130	* YesMan: In ''Hold-up on Film'', the movie producer surrounded himself with sycophant assistants who wouln't stop praising their boss at every turn.

Context ComicBook / BenoitBrisefer