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Comics might just be the perfect medium for non-fiction. Words and pictures can combine with a narrative to allow for better communication. Graphs, photos, maps, schematics… all can be used to great effect. Couple this with the reader’s ability to set the pace of reading and comprehension, and the option of referring to previous pages and […]

Recently, right before BookExpo America commenced, the French Embassy sponsored an invitation-only symposium on French comics, the American market, and how both can benefit from the other.

Heidi has already posted statistics and video from the event, so I’ll just post a smattering of bandes dessinées which were featured at the event.  If  I can a public edition of the PDF, I’ll link to it as well! Otherwise, click on the links in each title! Many publishers offer previews!

Casterman

Founded in 1780, Casterman, a Belgian publisher, started publishing comics in 1930! Since the publication of the first Tintin, which is still the pride of its prestigious catalogue, Casterman has remained faithful to its initial approach: to make quality books available to everyone, and published artists such as Tardi, Hugo Pratt or François Schuiten and Benoit Peeters. Casterman also publishes children’s books with novelties, pictures books and characters, from Ernest & Celestine to Émilie or Martine

Year of creation: 1780
Titles in catalogue: 3000
Titles published annually: 250

[Their website]  [Their Foreign Rights Guide for Spring 2015]
—
Billie Holliday, Édition du Centenaire/ Billie Holliday, Centennial Edition
Munoz, Sampayo
On the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of Billie Holiday’s birth, Munoz and Sampayo tell the story of the legendary American jazz singer, in a context of widespread racism and the emergence of the blues culture in the US. Munoz transcends his art to convey all the intensity of Billie Holliday’s larger-than-life personality.
Rights sold in Spain, Italy, Serbia.
Biographies, graphic novels, non-fiction, jazz
240 × 320 mm / 80 pages / 20 €
One shot
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Egon Schiele
Xavier Coste
Egon Schiele (June 12, 1890–October 31, 1918) was an Austrian painter. A protégé of Gustav Klimt, Schiele was a major figurative painter of the early 20th century. His work is noted for its intensity, and the many self-portraits the artist produced. The twisted body shapes and expressive line that characterize Schiele’s paintings and drawings mark the artist as an early exponent of Expressionism.
Rights sold in Germany, Spain, Korea.
Biographies, graphic novels, non-fiction, arts
240 × 320 mm / 64 pages /18 €
One shot

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Le piano oriental / The Oriental Piano
Zeina Abirached
In The Oriental Piano, Lebanese author Zeira Abirached writes and draws about one particular member of her family: her uncle. He worked as a civil servant (or at least he pretended to); in fact he spent all his working time on the invention of a very special piano. Abirached captures the atmosphere of Lebanon in peace of the 60s, before civil war tore the country apart for two decades. A touching tale, surprisingly poetic. Zeina Abirached has won numerous awards: A Game for Swallows was named an ALA Notable Children’s book and a Yalser Great Graphic Novel for Teens, as well as being shortlisted in the Angouleme 2008 selection.
Graphic novels, non-fiction, historical testimonial
200 pages / 16 €
One shot

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Niki –Le jardin des secrets /
Niki –The Garden of Secrets
Dominique Osuch, Sandrine Martin
A biography of Niki de Saint-Phalle (1930-2002), sculptor, painter and film maker. She was famous for her “shooting paintings” in the 1960’s and her “Nanas”, illustrations of women’s status in society at the time. A unique personality that inspired fascination and controversy all through her life.
Biographies, graphic novels, non-fiction, arts
200 × 260 mm / 200 pages / 20 €
One shot

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Rose Profond/Deep Pink
Dionnet, Pirrus
Malcolm is a cartoon character who looks like Mickey Mouse. But he does not share his ethics and good manner! He has a problem with alcohol and he can be violent. The fun is based on a host of famous cartoon characters depicted with a touch of irony. Despite its charming and colourful artwork, Rose Profond is NOT a children’s book; rather the strange encounter of Mickey Mouse and Crumb’s Fritz the Cat.
Fiction, drama, survival
165 × 345 mm / 96 pages /25 €
One shot

Dargaud–Dupuis–Le Lombard/Mediatoon

Dargaud, Le Lombard and Dupuis are among the oldest publishers of comic books in the French language. The three brands are now imprints of the Media-Participations group, the European leader in comic book publishing and animated series production. Their catalogues are jampacked with best-selling series, such as Dupuis’ Spirou and Marsupilami, Le Lombard’s Thorgal and Yakari, and Dargaud’s Lucky Luke and XIII. The group has already penetrated the US market with titles such as Blacksad, The Rabbi’s Cat and The Photographer. The list of 2.000 series and more than 6.000 titles can be viewed on the website http://mfr.mediatoon.com/en/

Year of creation: 1898 (Dupuis) 1936 (Dargaud–Le Lombard)
Titles in catalogue: 3000 (Dupuis) 5000 (Dargaud–Le Lombard)
Titles published annually: 175 (Dupuis) / 170 (Dargaud)/ 160 (Le Lombard)

[The Dupuis catalog, en English]  [Dargaud’s site Web]  [Le Lombard]

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Les Campbell/The Campbells
Munuera
After the murder of his wife, Campbell, a legendary pirate, quits the business in the hope of raising his daughters far from the painful memories of his past. But of course, no such luck. The man who murdered Campbell’s wife, Inferno, wants to be rid of the entire Campbell family, once and for all. Campbell and his daughters flee, but it’s just a matter of time before Inferno catches up with them…
Adventure, action / All ages
Dupuis / 220 × 290 mm / 56 pages / 13,95 €
2 titles in the series

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Les Esclaves oubliés du Tromelin/
The Forgotten Slaves of Tromelin Island
Savoia
In 1760, the Utile, a slave ship sailing from Africa, is abandoned by her crew and shipwrecked on a tiny, remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The surviving slaves inhabit this desolate land for fifteen years. Two hundred years on, the artist Sylvain Savoia accompanies the first archaeological mission to find out how these men and women survived. This is the story of that mission, and the slaves of many years ago.
Graphic novel, non-fiction / 16+
220 × 290 mm / 120 pages/20,50 €
1 title in the series

—

Pascale Bourgaux, grand reporter /
Pascale Bourgaux,
International Correspondent
Campi, Bourgaux, Zabus
For ten years, she followed the story of Mamour Hasan, a warlord in northern Afghanistan. In 2001, he put his personal army at the service of the famous commander Massoud to fight against the Taliban. Pascale Bourgaux, TV journalist, was only ever behind the camera. This comic turns the camera around to take a look at Bourgaux’s experiences, feelings, and the difficulties she faced as, against all odds, Hasan’s fighters switched sides in favour of the Taliban.
Graphic novel / 16+
220 × 290 mm / 80 pages / 16,50 €
1 title in the series

—

Superdupont/Super-Dupont
Gotlib, Boucq
Super-Dupont is back, rising up like a phoenix from the ashes! The unique and truly French super hero is here to save France once again! Superdupont’s reboot gets a kick-start with the birth of his son who, astonishingly, has inherited his father’s supernatural powers. Perhaps together they can finally bring down the enemies of their beloved country: finance and globalization!
Comedy/ All ages
235 × 310 mm / 46 pages /13,99 €
1 title in the series

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Glenn Gould
Sandrine Ravel
This is the biography of the prodigious Canadian pianist. At three years old, he gave his first recital. At five, he played one of his own compositions in public for the first time. At twelve, he passed the professional soloist exam and gave his first professional concert. This man, signed up by Columbia, was a musician through-and-through. However, in 1964, he decided to withdraw from public life, his sole aim being to live the life of a true artist.
Graphic novel / 16+
210 × 280 mm / 128 pages / 21 €
1 title in the series

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Violette autour du Monde/
Violette around the World
Turconi, Radice
Through the wanderings of the “Moon Circus” at the end of 1800, Viola travels Europe, America and Asia. During her travels she runs into all sorts of magic and intrigue. Accompanied by her animal friends and the circus family, Viola meets Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, and later Antonin Leopold Dvorak. This is a real coming-of-age story which celebrates art and beauty on every page.
Kid comics / 8-12 years
210 × 278 mm / 48 pages / 9,99 €
2 titles in the series

[Charmant!  Take a look!]

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Yallah Bye
Safieddine, Kyungeun
24 years ago, Mustapha was forced to let go of his revolutionary ideologies and flee his native Lebanon for France. He finally returns in 2006 for what is supposed to be a family holiday, only to find himself with his French wife and children in the midst of conflict once again, as Israel drops bombs in the name of the fight against Hezbollah. He sees a chance to vindicate his flight all those years ago. A poignant eyewitness account of Israel’s actions from an Arab perspective.
Graphic novel, non-fiction / 16+
237 × 310 mm / 168 pages / 20,50 €
1 title in the series

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Nietzsche
Le Roy
A century after Nietzsche’s death, we have yet to fully examine the revolutionary implications of his philosophy. A philosophical biography is not a substitute for reading the philosopher’s own work, but it does offer a unique perspective on the origins and meaning of his thought. Here, the much-discussed philosopher Onfray and the artist Leroy offer a portrait, or a pre-sketch for a portrait. This is Nietzsche as poet, as traveller, as loner, and as free-thinker.
Biography/ 16+
227 × 318 mm / 126 pages / 19,99 €
1 title in the series

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Le Soldat / The Soldier
Efa, Jouvray
Henry Fleming is a peasant with dreams of adventure and glory, just like any other young man. He enlists as a soldier for the Union and spends several months playing out the role he has created for himself. But now that the Confederate cannons have started firing, and his friends are dropping like flies, the time for dreaming is over. Henry must decide what he really wants: a heroic fantasy, or his life. An adaptation of The Red Badge of Courage
by Stephen Crane.
Action, adventure / 16+
241 × 318 mm / 62 pages / 16,45 €
1 title in the series

—

Les Crocodiles /Crocodiles
Thomas Mathieu
Thomas Mathieu retells true stories as told to him by young women, about issues surrounding street harassment, machismo, and sexism. His thoughtful and feminist approach prompts us to pause and reflect on some of the ways that men, and women, behave in today’s society.
Comedy/ 16+
202 × 268 mm / 176 pages /17,95 €
1 title in the series

[More information on the project!]

Delcourt

Ranked as the 1st publisher of comics in France, Delcourt seeks to embrace the full spectrum of creativity within the comic genre, with authors from all over the world. Our list caters to all ages, covering the entire gamut of styles in all categories from fiction to non-fiction. Editions Delcourt is part of the Groupe Delcourt, 1st independent publisher of comics in the French language.

Year of creation: 1986
Titles in catalogue: +5000
Titles published annually: 350

[The website, in French]

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Les Secrets du chocolat /
The Secrets of Chocolate
Franckie Alarcon
A journey into the fabulous world of chocolate with one of the greatest French chocolate masters. Passion, an educated sweet tooth, tips and recipes from the chef! For an entire year, the author followed Jacques Génin. From selecting the cocoa beans in the plantations to supervising their roasting, researching new flavours at his Parisian boutique –every moment is an opportunity for the reader to follow the master almost from his childhood, to share his experience and his passion.
15 +
198 × 263 mm / 112 pages /15,95 €
1 title in the series

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Ce n’est pas toi que j’attendais/
Unexpected Encounter
Fabien Toulmé
In this autobiographical account, Fabien Toulmé speaks with emotion, humour and humility about an unexpected encounter, that of a couple facing the birth of a handicapped child – an experience like a sudden storm, a hurricane. When his little girl is born with an undiagnosed trisomy, Fabien’s life completely falls apart. Oscillating from fury to rejection, from acceptance to love, the writer tells us about discovering what it is like to be different.
15 +
165 × 230 mm / 256 pages / 18,95 €
1 title in the series

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Au fil de l’Art /Travelling through Art
Gradimir & Ivana Smudja (Script),
Gradimir Smudja (Art)
A little girl, accompanied by her mischievous cat, discovers successively the Caves of Lascaux, flying machines, Leonard de Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s murals in the Sistine Chapel, Albrecht Dürer’s famous Hare and Velasquez’ famous painting Las Meninas. She then moves on to famous works by Brueghel, Rubens, El Greco, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Monet, Goya, Van Gogh and Picasso… An enchanting and instructive journey, gleaned through the graphic virtuosity of Smudja.
9+
240 × 320 mm / 192 pages / 19,99 €
2 titles in the series

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S.E.N.S.
Marc-Antoine Mathieu
Without a word, from frame to frame in a comic presentation, Marc-Antoine Mathieu shows us the initiatory voyage of a man. What is he looking for? Where is he going? This anonymous walker wanders through a stark labyrinth where only arrows guide him. Time, space, chance: the writer offers us a poetic story, exploring once again the limits of the comic book genre, closer than ever to the other major art forms.
15 +
172 × 237 mm / 256 pages / 25,50 €
1 title in the series

Futuropolis

1974: Étienne Robial founds Futuropolis. 2005: Futuropolis is reborn, with an ambitious and renewed program and the same undimmed desire to promote authors both renowned and as yet undiscovered in pursuing their dreams and creations. Instead of following schools and fashions, Futuropolis features only original works, free from preconceived styles and assumptions. Futuropolis loves books with a strong sense of personality, books that move readers’ hearts and minds, make them think and feel. To better support the varied approaches and intentions of its creators, Futuropolis publishes books whose design reflects their diversity of content: black and white, color, paperback, hardcover, formats large and small.

Year of creation: 2005
Titles in catalogue: 300
Titles published annually: 30

[The French website]

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Catharsis
Luz
On January 7, 2015, Luz lost not only friends in the attack on Charlie Hebdo, but also his desire to draw. At first there was tragedy, pain, rage, grief. And then, little by little, Luz’s need to draw returned —not the desire to bear witness, but to bare himself, free himself. From this came Catharsis, a book from the therapeutic process where, in brief vignettes, Luz shares what his life has been like since the day it was turned upside down. An instant classic.
For grown-ups
195×265 mm / 128 pages / 14,50 €
One-off

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Énergies extrêmes/ Extreme energies
Sylvain Lapoix, Daniel Blancou
Extreme Energies is a thoroughly researched look into shale gas and the consequences of fracking. An absolutely essential book for all readers. In Extreme Energies, Sylvain Lapoix and Daniel Blancou explain how shale gas came to be, and how major American developed an interest in it after the fuel shortages of the 1970s. Readers will also learn about the role of lobbies on both sides. This book shoes us how this new energy source is reshaping geopolitics on a global scale.
For grown-ups
195×265 mm / 128 pages / 19 €
One-off

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I comb Jesus
Jean-Philippe Stassen
I Comb Jesus is a book of five dispatches composed by Stassen between July 2007 and September 2013, from Rwanda, the Congo, Belgium, Spain, Morocco, France, and South Africa. At the heart of all these reportages are the migrations of victims of war and poverty. Stassen refutes clichés right off the bat, in order to tell of places he knows, especially the African Great Lakes, with a sharp eye for observation; simple, splendid writing; and subtle, finely honed art.
For grown-ups
195×265 mm/160 pages/22,50 €
One-off

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Le Journal d’un fantôme/
Diary of a ghost
Nicolas de Crécy
A new edition of one of the most important works by de Crécy, whose sketchbook is his traveling companion… In Diary of a Ghost, the actual journey the author offers us is that of the creative process –the most liberating of journeys. How to reconcile artistic creation and commissioned work? With inimitable humor Nicolas de Crécy uses the occasion as a springboard to ask a few important questions about reality and mimesis, as well as the status not only of images in our society, but of creators.
For grown-ups
195×265 mm/224 pages/ 25 €
One-off
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Un Certain Cervantès
Christian Lax
Back from Afghanistan, where he left an arm, Mike Cervantes discovers Don Quixote, the novel by his famous namesake, and it proves a revelation! The book by Miguel de Cervantès inspires Mike to become a new Don Quixote, taking up arms against all modern day inquisitions –economic, political, intellectual, and religious– while fighting injustice in all its forms… Joyous and despairing, tender and violent, tragic and funny, A Certain Cervantes is an ambitious graphic adventure of unusual evocative force.
For grown-ups
195×265 mm/208 pages/26 €
One-off
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Le Vieil Homme et la mer /
The Old man and the sea
Thierry Murat,
based upon Ernest Hemingway
Published in 1952, The Old Man and the Sea won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, and paved the way for Hemingway’s Nobel win for his body of work a year later. Thierry Murat has elegantly adapted this masterpiece with images that transcend the writer’s words while respecting his style and rhythm.
For teens & grown-ups
195×265 mm/128 pages/19 €
One-off

Gallimard

Gallimard has developed three lines of graphic novels:
–“Bayou”: directed by Joann Sfar, a series that offers authors 100 pages or so, and allows them to embark on long adventures
–“Fétiche”: every author has his heart set on a text: a childhood memory or a recent discovery, a great classic, a forgotten masterpiece or a contemporary work, a text he enjoyed adapting for a graphic novel
–“Hors-collection”: a variety of formats, adapted to the many facet of the graphic novel, from children’s stories to culinary books or detective stories.

Year of creation: 2006
Titles in catalogue: 110
Titles published annually: 20

[Their catalog]
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Les Rêveurs Lunaires/Lunar Dreamers
Cédric Villani, Edmond Baudoin
Virtuosic portraits of four geniuses who changed the course of World War II: Werner Heisenberg, Alan Turing, Leó Szilárd, and Hugh Dowding. The poetic force of Baudoin’s brush meets the miraculous mind of mathematician Cédric Villani, winner of the 2010 Fields Medal. A thrilling account of the dramatic roles scientists play in our society. How did they see themselves in the twilight of their lives? Were they proud, ashamed, bitter, distraught?
For grown-ups
190 × 260 mm / 192 pages / 22 €
One-off

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L’Étranger / The Stranger
Jacques Ferrandez,
based on the book by Albert Camus
The Stranger, by Albert Camus, has fascinated millions of readers the world over: Jacques Ferrandez delivers an exciting new comics interpretation of the classic that preserves every ounce of its enigmatic power. Expert mise en scène, luminous watercolours, richly detailed settings: Ferrandez, a specialist of colonial Algeria, faithfully and powerfully recreates all the drama and symbolic reach of Camus’ essential novel.
For teens & grown-ups
210 × 280 mm / 136 pages / 22 €
One-off

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Dispersés dans Babylone/Scattered in Babylon
Jérémie Dries
A return to origins investigating the ties between Judaism and black people. A quest for identity from Ethiopia to the U.S., by the author of We Won’t See Auschwitz. Halfway between reportage, memoir and non-fiction comics. Why does reggae reference Judaism so often? This question soon becomes an obsession for Dres, leading him from Addis-Ababa to New York in an exciting quest where individual fates and larger-than-life myths collide.
For grown-ups
190 × 260 mm / 184 pages / 22 €
One-off

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Hasib et la Reine des serpents /
Hasib and the Queen of the Snakes
David B, based upon
The Thousand and One Arabian Nights
David B. turns his genius to The Thousand and One Arabian Nights to bring us a sublime adaptation of a vast epic tale, a mythological world full of fantastical creatures and deities. Heir to Daniel, the Grecian sage, Hasib is a young woodcutter destined for great things. When his comrades –out of greed– abandon him in the middle of the woods, he meets the Queen of the Snakes. She tells him her story, a fabulous adventure full of gods and demons, princes and prophets…
For teens & grown-ups
230 × 310 mm / 64 pages / 15 €
1 title in the series (will be in 2 volumes)

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À boire et à manger/Eating and Drinking
Guillaume Long
Eating & Drinking is a cookbook for all ages, given a humorous spin by a comics creator. How do you stew a rabbit in beer, make perfect cannelloni sushi rolls with leeks, or order coffee in Paris? Building his book around such existential questions fundamental to any self-respecting gourmand, Guillaume Long continues his exploration of everyday food and cooking with unflagging humour.
For grown-ups
225 × 295 mm / 144 pages /21 €
3 titles in the series

[I discovered this in German, specifically, his article on coffee and Moka Pots.]

Glénat

Founded in 1969, Glenat is one of the largest independent comic book and graphic novel publishers in France with average sales of 7 million copies a year. Its list ranges from mass market humour to intimate graphic novels with something for every reader. Glenat also publishes children’s illustrated books and picture books on mountaineering, sailing, travel, food & wine and cultural heritage.

Year of creation: 1969
Titles in catalogue: 8000
(4000 Graphic novels)
Titles published annually: 650

[The website]
—
Ils ont fait l’histoire/ They Made History
They Made History is a collection of 48-pages biographies of important historical figures. Each story is written jointly by a comic book artist and a noted historian to ensure that the works are factual representations of these great historic figures’ lives and achievements. Each volume also contains 8 bonus pages written by the historian, to give more insight on the character.
History / 12 +
240 × 320 mm / 48+8 pages / 14,50 €
10 titles in the series (more to come)
—
Operation Overlord
Michaël Le Galli (text),
Davide Fabbri (Artwork)
This series looks at battles on strategic D-Day locations:
–Omaha Beach, where the first American division disembarked and experienced the bloodiest battle of the landings.
–Sainte-Mère-L’Eglise, the first French town liberated by the GIs of the 82nd Airborne.
–The Merville Battery, heroically taken from the Germans by the 9th Battalion of the British Parachutists (6th Airborne).
History / 12 +
240 × 320 mm / 48 pages / 13,90 €
3 titles in the series (volume 4 to come)
—
La leçon de pêche/ The Fishing Lesson
Heinrich Böll (original short story),
Bernard Friot (adaptation),
Émile Bravo (Artwork)
Adapted from a short story by Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll. In a small harbour, an old fisherman is taking a nap in his old boat when a tourist wakes him up and starts chatting. The tourist is thinking big: he explains to the old man how going out to sea again would mean catching more fish, making more money, buying bigger boats, catching even more fish, and eventually being able to… take a nap!
5+
262 × 198 mm / 40 pages / 12,20 €
1 title in the series

—

Love in Vain –Robert Johnson, 1911-1938
JM Dupont (text), Mezzo (artwork)
A graphic novel portrait of Robert Johnson, father of the blues and a music legend. Robert Johnson is known as one of the best guitar players ever. They say he sold his soul to the Devil at a crossroads in exchange for his extraordinary talent. Against a background of segregationist Mississippi in the 1930s, this master guitarist and poet leads his rambling life until its tragic end –supposedly poisoned by a love rival.
Graphic Novel, biography
305 × 196 mm / 72 pages / 19,50 €
1 title in the series

—

Le roman de Boddah–Comment j’ai tué Kurt Cobain /Boddah’s Diary–How I Killed Kurt Cobain
Nicolas Otero
Kurt Cobain is one of the most influential music and pop-culture characters of the end of the 20th century. Boddah knew him well. He was his best friend. Boddah tells us Kurt’s story: the consuming relationship with Courtney Love, drugs, fame and the difficulty of coping with them, the ups and the downs… and by the way, Boddah was Kurt’s imaginary friend…
Graphic Novel, biography
195 × 278 mm / 152 pages / 25,50 €
1 title in the series

Rue de Sèvres

Since our creation in 2013, our main concern has been to give special attention to every book we publish and to present ambitious stories within beautiful objects. This is why we publish a restricted number of titles each year. Our intention is to not put any limits on genre, but rather to welcome into our catalogue books as varied as they are essential. We want our readers to discover high-quality books they can enjoy and read many times throughout the years.

Year of creation: 2013
Titles in catalogue: 50
Titles published annually: 30

[Their website.]

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Le château des étoiles / Castle in the Stars (series)
Alex Alice
What if space exploration had begun one century earlier? A stunning universe that unites the styles of Jules Verne and Hayao Miyazaki with the theme of the conquest of space! In the first volume, Séraphin is invited to visit the Bavarian king who wants to finance the research on ether, a substance that would allow the exploration of the skies. We follow Séraphin and his friends in their quest to build an Ethership, escape from their enemies and take off to the Moon!
All public
240 × 320 mm / 64 pages/13,50 €
1 title in the series

—

Julio Popper
Matz, Léonard Chemineau
This story takes us to Argentina, where we follow Julio Popper, an engineer and adventurer with an exceptional destiny. Capable of thinking quickly and accurately and putting words into action, he had big ideas and plenty of them, and nothing could stop him. He liked ridiculing his enemies and was afraid of nothing and no-one. He enjoyed a fight right to the finish. Born in 1857 in Romania, he died under strange circumstances at the age of 35, after making a fortune in gold from Patagonia and founding a state within a state.
Adults
210 × 275 mm / 104 pages / 18 €
One shot

[Wow. ]

—

Astrid Bromure/ Astrid Bromide
Vol 1: How to Wipe Out the Little Mouse
Fabrice Parme
Astrid is a spoiled little girl who feels very lonely in her palace: her only goal is to find friends! She has just lost a tooth and discovers the legend of the little mouse, but she doesn’t believe one single word! She needs proof, and decides to set some clever traps to capture it. She fails, but to her stupefaction, the little mouse leaves a tube of toothpaste under her pillow. So it does exist! Extremely motivated, Astrid will do anything to catch her first friend!
Children
210 × 275 mm / 40 pages /10,50 €
1 title in the series

Sarbacane

Editions Sarbacane: twelve years of creation, of passion shared with astonishingly talented authors, and a list renowned for its quality and diversity, openness and selectivity. With more than 450 titles, the catalogue proposes picture books, young adult fiction, comics for adults and children, game books, cross-over titles, illustrated classics and graphic novels, many of them with unusual formats.

Year of creation: 2003
Titles in catalogue: 100
(comics and graphic novels)
Titles published annually: 10
(comics and graphic novels)

[The website]

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Emmett Till
Arnaud Floc’h
This enlightening and necessary book tells a true story. Emmett Till, a black boy of fourteen from Chicago, comes to spend his vacation in Mississippi. When he gets off the train on August 24, 1955, he has no idea he only has five more days to live. He has the misfortune of walking into a grocery store “reserved” for Whites and behaving in a “provocative manner” to grocer Roy Bryant’s wife. Bryant, along with his half-brother, goes on a manhunt. After kidnapping Emmett, the pair torture him before tossing his body in the river…
For teens & grown-ups
215 × 290 mm / 80 pages / 19,50 €
One-off

—

Black Face Banjo
Frantz Duchazeau
Duchazeau turns his talent to the myths of rural America with a powerful style and black and white graphics. His perfect, free-flowing line packs a great emotional punch. USA, late 19th century. Roaming acts called “Minstrels” or “Medicine Shows” are proliferating throughout the country, with whites made up as clowns, caricatures of blacks. Our hero, a young black vagrant with a wooden leg, is hired as a dancer and sideshow curiosity after an act in the street…
For teens & grown-ups
200 × 280 mm / 144 pages /23,50 €
One-off

[Yes… this is problematic on a wide variety of levels…subject matter, cartoony abstract style, fiction…]

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The Corner
Lorenzo Palloni, Andrea Settimo
1920, Boston. Dozens of bodies stretched out on the pier: poor Italian immigrants who died during the crossing. Italo Serpio is summoned by the police to identify his brother’s body. Serpio, an anarchist who infiltrated the Mafia in order to destroy it, is convinced his brother was murdered, and wants revenge… Chases, unexpected twists, reversals, betrayals: non-stop pulse-pounding suspense! In this game, there’s no telling cat from mouse, cop from gangster from anarchist.
For grown-ups
210 × 285 mm / 152 pages / 23,50 €
One-off

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Le Pont des arts
Catherine Meurisse
Catherine Meurisse surrounds herself with her favourite authors and artists, highlighting the intimate ties between writing and painting. Proust and Vermeer’s View of Delft, Zola and Cézanne (and the Impressionists), George Sand and Delacroix, Apollinaire and Picasso… they can all be found at Le Pont des Arts! Her way with words, her sure hand, her lively, quick, evocative line work: Catherine Meurisse could capture Balzac’s entire Comédie Humaine in a single sketch.
For grown-ups
210 × 285 mm / 112 pages / 19,90 €
One-off

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Râ & Co
Matthieu Roda
Children’s favourite mythological universe: Egypt at the time of pyramids! In the beginning, there was nothing… Then came a cry from the silence and darkness: Râââââââ! The God of all Gods was born. When you’re a God, you must do everything: create the sky, the birds, the sea; create other Gods and a People to worship them. No small task! With humour and rigor, Roda tells us the painful (and hilarious) story of the creation of the World according to ancient Egyptians.
For 6 +
210 × 285 mm / 48 pages / 12,50 €
1 title in the series

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A.S.T. /The Apprentice Lord of Darkness
Ced, Jean-Philippe Morin
In an anachronistic fantasy realm, a tiny antihero dreams of becoming the most feared and dreaded Lord of Darkness of all time! Not easy when all you have for henchmen are a dumb, hunchbacked goblin and a monster as sweet as he is gentle. For fans of hilarious medieval settings, à la Monty Python, a graphic novel full of unbridled whimsy and anachronistic comedy: guaranteed reading pleasure!
For 8 +
210 × 285 mm / 48 pages /12,50 €
2 titles in the series

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Jess Ruliffson is an illustrator and non-fiction graphic novelist, increasingly wearing the hat of a comics-medium journalist. She’s working on a graphic novel based on interviews with veterans of the war in Iraq and conflicts in Afghanistan for the Joe Bonham Project, giving wounded vets a chance to tell their own stories of trauma and resilience (as seen above). Ruliffson took part in the Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency in October 2012 and became one of the founding members of Studio YOLO, a confederacy of artists who pose monthly comics-drawing challenges. Her art work is heavily based on realism in line-drawing, but also possesses a unique stillness and reflective quality suited to personal narratives, either her own or drawn from shared stories. You can view her ongoing work at both her website and blogspot.

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We’ve told you a few times about Symbolia is here, a new app-based magazine of non fiction comics journalism, edited by Erin Polgreen . The first issue is now available at iTunesor via PDF for non tablet users. A 6-issue subscription is $11.99, but a preview issue is available. Contributors include:

◦ Susie Cagle’s thoughtful exploration of California’s Salton Sea.
◦ A look at life in Iraqi Kurdistan by Sarah Glidden.
◦ Kat Fajardo and Audrey Quinn on evolution and a fish called “The White Man’s Office” in the Lower Congo River.
◦ The bold history of Zambian Psychadelic Rock, by Chris A. Smith and Damien Scogin.
◦ Andy Warner and Lauren Sommer tour the millions of microflora in our guts. 

We’ve been excited Symbolia since we first heard about it—another solid non-fiction comics platform seems like just what we need with all the passionate journalist-cartoonists emerging. And they are also open to  pitches.

This week has been taken up with writing some longish piece on the controversies of the day, which, sadly take a long time, and in the scrum I didn’t get a chance to write up Saturday’s Comics Journalism event at Union Docs, so this rushed little blurb will have to do.

Josh Neufeld, Seth Tobocman, Matt Bors, Brooke Gladstone and Bill Kartalopoulos took part in a lively and informative look at what everyone is calling “the emerging field of comics journalism.” It was a very full evening — everyone had a presentation and then there was a Q&A so the whole things came to nearly 2 1/2 hours, but it was a packed 2 1/2 hours. Kartalopoulos presented a fascinating slideshow of journalistic/editorial cartoons going back to the 18th century. Tobocman talked about his activist comics from the squatter movement of the 80s to Occupy Wall Street. Matt Bors showed some of the work he’s running on Cartoon Movement which is absolutely one of the best comics sites out there—don’t miss the current ARMY OF GOD by David Axe and Tim Hamilton about the Congo, Kony and more (above). We’ve been fans of Bors for a while, and seeing him get so much recent attention (and awards) is gratifying. Neufeld talked about both A.D. his GN about Katrina and THE INFLUENCING MACHINE, his collaboration with Gladstone. The latter is the co-host of NPR’s IN THE MEDIA, and the explained that she had often been asked to write a book about her grand media theory but the graphic novel format is the one she felt was the most appropriate.

The whole evening presented a solid timeline for comics journalism, and even if the lines between editorial cartooning, memoir and comics journalism are kind of blurred, the attention being paid to it is growing and there seem to be more outlets— editor Joan Hilty was in attendance and noted she’s joined the board of Symbolia, Erin Polgreen’s new tablet magazine that will contain more examples of cartoon reporting.

Amélie Garin-Davet put the event together and did a great job; listening to stories of cartoonists protesting and hitting the hotspots of the world—from Afghanistan to Haiti to New Orleans — was a reminder, as Kartalopoulos showed, that cartooning has always been tied closely to social commentary and world events. It’s an immensely powerful and influential aspect of the comics artform; one that we don’t talk about enough in the usual comics outlets.