History Characters / GastonLagaffe

* BrilliantButLazy: He's too demotivated and distracted for any serious work. But on one occasion, when warned that Mr Boulier was going to check on his work, he proved to be so efficient at his work that Boulier ended up wanting to test him for doping.

* DitzyGenius: It can't be denied that Gaston is a ''very'' gifted, multitalented innovateur and inventor. He invents and builds complex devices in his spare times that sometimes invert the laws of physics, he's supremely creative and can find an unorthodox solution to just about any problem he decides to tackle... The problem is that he completely lacks common sense, never takes precautions and never considers the consequences of his actions. Ideas that work great in theory inevitably fail in the real world because Gaston has overlooked obvious details or didn't consider the problem from more than one angle.
* DubNameChange: Since he's got a PunnyName, it often gets changed in translation. In the English Cinebook albums he has been named "Gomer Goof."

* LethalChef: Zig-zagged. Gaston is a passionate hobby chef, but his cooking ranges all the way from "really good" to "literal poison." Sometimes it's just his [[CordonBleughChef weird tastes]] that makes his food inedible; like he can't understand why other people don't like sardines in strawberry jam... and sometimes he's grabbed the wrong ingredients by mistake, like the time he mistook plaster for flour, resulting in some very bad crepes.

* PunnyName: “La gaffe” (“The goof”). The English translation makes his name “Gomer Goof.”

[[folder:Leon Prunelle]]

* CatchPhrase: "Rogntudju!" (a mangled version of "Nom de Dieu").
** The English translation changes it to “Fragmaggots!”

* DubNameChange: Since his name, like Gaston's, is a PunnyName (and was in fact the punchline of the very first comic in which he appeared), it tends to get changed in various translations. In the English translations he's "Bertie Blunder."

[[folder:Mr Aime De Mesmaeker]]

[[/folder]]

* PunnyName: “La gaffe” (“Disaster”). The English translation makes his name “Gomer Goof.”

* TheCameo: He's made a couple of brief cameos in ''Spirou & Fantasio,'' most substantially in the 20|6 album ''Wrath of the Marsupilami,'' where he unwittingly provides a clue as to what exactly had happened to the Marsupilami.

* DeadpanSnarker: No matter the situation, he's got a wisecrack for it. He's less deadpan and more cheerful about about it than Fantasio; he has been known to [[TheHyena laugh hysterically at his own jokes]] from time to time.

* DitzyGenius: It can't be denied that Gaston is a ''very'' gifted, multitalented innovateur and inventor. He invents and builds complex devices in his spare times that sometimes invert the laws of physics, he's supremely creative and can find an unorthodox solution to just about any problem he decides to tackle... The problem is that he completely lacks common sense, never takes precautions and never considers the consequences of his actions. Ideas that work great in theory inevitably fail in the real world because Gaston has overlooked obviousl details or didn't consider the problem from more than one angle.

* AscendedExtre: In the comic's early years, he was TheGhost; he was often mentioned, and occasionally Gaston would be seen speaking to him on the phone (when he was supposed to be working, of course), but he was never actually seen. As the comic developed, though, and the supporting cast expanded, Jules started making on-screen appearances until he was among the more prominent characters in the comic.

[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jules_8.png]] aston's friend who works at Smith-across-the-street.
* BestFriend: He and Gaston are best friends and they tend to do a lot of antics at works together.

Gaston's friend who works at Smith-across-the-street.

%%* GlassesGirl

[[folder:Joseph Longtarin]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To Fantasio. After Fantasio left the comic, Prunelle stepped into the role as Gaston's immediate superior, and the one who gets into the most conflicts with Gaston.
* HairTriggerTemper: He's ''very'' easily angered.

[[folder:Gaston Lagaffe]]

[[folder:Bertrand Labévue]]

[[folder:Leon Prunelle]]
The editor at Spirou magazine.

* CatchPhrase: "Rogntudju!" (a mangled version of "Nom de Dieu").
** The English translation changes it to “Fragmaggots!”
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: To Fantasio. After Fantasio left the comic, Prunelle stepped into the role as Gaston's immediate superior, and the one who gets into the most conflicts with Gaston.
* HairTriggerTemper: He's ''very'' easily angered.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In his earliest appearances, Prunelle is a calm, jovial and friendly guy who mostly stands around in the background and makes the occasional comment. Then, Fantasio left the comic and Prunelle had to step up and take on his duties (and subsequently his role in the comic). While at first he tried to make a conscious effort to be more reasonable than Fantasio, it didn't take long at all before that resolve failed in the face of Gaston's mishaps, and he ended up even more temperamental and violent than Fantasio had ever been, and there's a notable lack of the VitriolicBestBuds dynamic that Gaston had with Fantasio.

[[folder:Yves Lebrac]]
A cartoonist at Spirou magazine.

* BerserkButton: While he’s the most laidback and tolerant member at Spirou magazine, his breaking point is anyone tampering with his artwork and tools.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Usually he's friendly and upbeat, he gets along with everyone, and is by far the most likely to see the humorous side of Gaston's antics (even joining in on occasion). Push him too far though, and he can flip out worse than Prunelle.
* DeadpanSnarker: No matter the situation, he's got a wisecrack for it. Sometimes he's less deadpan about it; he has been known to [[TheHyena laugh hysterically at his own jokes]] from time to time.

[[folder:Jeanne]]
A secretary at Spirou and Gaston's LoveInterest.

* ArtEvolution: She started out as unattractive, but gradually became more pretty and homely as the comic progressed.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: With a side-order of ThePollyanna, at least where her relationship with Gaston is concerned. No matter how much he goofs up, how obvious it is that his latest idea is a terrible one, or how bad a situation she ends up in thanks to him, she never loses her boundless admiration for him and never stops praising his brilliance.
%%* GlassesGirl

[[folder:Jules]]
Gaston's friend who works at Smith-across-the-street.
* BestFriend: He and Gaston are best friends and they tend to do a lot of antics at works together.
* TheSlacker: He's implied to be as lazy as Gaston.

[[folder:Bertrand Labévue]]
Gaston's second friend.
* TheEeyore: At some point in the comics, he becomes very depressed and cynical. The first time we see it, he's crouching inside a trash bin.
* FlatCharacter: Before becoming depressed, he didn't really have any particular characterization besides being Gaston's second friend.

[[folder:Mr Aime De Mesmaeker]]
A rich businessman that Spirou magazine constantly courts for lucrative contracts.

* ButtMonkey: He is doomed to get into a scrape whenever he appears in the comic.
* {{Jerkass}}: While his temper and negative attitude are generally justified (he tends to get put through the wringer whenever he dares to step into the Spirou offices), he also always assumes the worst of everyone, never listens to explanations, and can get directly sadistic in his retaliations. The only times you see him smile tend to be when someone ''else'' is suffering. His movie incarnation is worse, lacking the humanizing moments that he after all did occasionally have in the comics.
* RunningGag: Whenever he comes to the office with a lucrative contract, no matter what the staff do to contain Gaston, that contract will be destroyed.

Gaston's friend who works at Smith-across-street

%%* Manchild:

* TookALevelInJerkass: In his earliest appearances, Prunelle is a calm, jovial and friendly guy who mostly stands around in the background and makes the occasional comment. Then, Fantasio left the comic and Prunelle had to step up and take on his duties (and subsequently his role in the comic). While at first he tried to make a conscious effort to be more reasonable than Fantasio, it didn't take long at all before that resolve failed in the face of Gaston's mishaps, and he ended up even more temperamental and violent than Fantasio had ever been.

* {{Jerkass}}: While his temper and negative attitude are often justified (he tends to get put through the wringer whenever he dares to step into the Spirou offices), he also always assumes the worst of everyone, never listens to explanations, and can get directly sadistic in his retaliations. The only times you see him smile tend to be when someone ''else'' is suffering.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: With a side-order of ThePolyanna, at least where her relationship with Gaston is concerned. No matter how much he goofs up, how obvious it is that his latest idea is a terrible one, or how bad a situation she ends up in thanks to him, she never loses her boundless admiration for him and never stops praising his brilliance.

* PunnyName: “La gaffe” (“Disaster”). The English translation makes his name “Gomer
Goof.”

A secretary at Spirou.

%%* HairTriggerTemper

[[folder:Gaston LaGaffe]]

* Manchild: He

* TheSlacker: Could very well be the TropeMaker.
* WalkingDisasterArea: The whole comic centers on Gaston being this.

* HairTriggerTemper

[[folder:Lebrac]]

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: She is played by incredibly beautiful actress Alison Wheeler in the 2018 film adaptation.

* GlassesGirl

[[foldercontrol]]

Catchphrase:

* PunnyName: “La gaffe” (“Disaster”). The English translation makes his name “Gomer the Goof.”

* Catchphrase: "Rogntudju!" (a mangled version of "Nom de Dieu").