Print

[crashryan]

Can someone give me a good translation of "le Matamore" in this context? Google Translate says "the bully," which probably isn't what the publishers had in mind.

Link to the book: La Patrie - Section Comique (1944-08-13)

[The Australian Panther]

I was wondering the same thing. I can't speak much french, but when I search 'le Matamore'  definition it tells me the term is from the Spanish meaning 'The Braggart' The thought occurs to me that in this context it may me slang or a pun. If I have it right, 'le Matamore' is the french Brick Bradford and in English the word 'Brick' has several connotations. As in , 'As thick as a brick' Hey, I'm probably totally wrong.
As an aside, can I recommend DuckDuckGo over Google. Just as good but it does not track you.

https://duckduckgo.com. I know the name sounds silly, but so is Google but we are used to it.
If you are really security conscious try startpage. https://www.startpage.com

cheers

[crashryan]

Brick is an old-fashioned nickname for a redhead, which Bradford is supposed to be. Luc  Bradefer is my favorite foreign name for Brick..."Iron Arm."

[paw broon]

I've not come across the word before so it's time for the giant Collins Robert.  But the book has little to say, giving only the definition, "bully boy". Matamore can be used as a verb phrase, "faire le matamore", meaning to throw one's weight around. 
There's also a note relating the word to "fanfaron" which is an adjective meaning, "boastful".
I have to admit that I have always thought that Brick Bradford was Luc Bradefer in French.
So we're really no further forward.
Re thick as a brick, here we also say, thick as mince and, a bit rude, thick as the s***e at the neck of a sauce bottle. Sorry to bring the tone of the conversation down.
Just occurred to me, La Patrie was printed during Nazi occupation (the indicia must be on the excised pages so we don't know where it was published or whether there is a censor's stamp on it, as was the case with some comics published during W.W.2) and by that time, the publishers might have needed a new name for Brick/Luc because of Nazi censorship.
Starman's site has no mention of Le Matamore.  Interesting. Hmmm.

[crashryan]

So maybe it's supposed to be "Brick, the Tough Guy" (in a non-perjorative sense).