History and Politics in French-Language Comics and Graphic NovelsMark McKinney With essays by Baru, Bart Beaty, Cécile Vernier Danehy, Hugo Frey, Pascal Lefèvre, Fabrice Leroy, Amanda Macdonald, Mark McKinney, Ann Miller, and Clare Tufts In Belgium, France, Switzerland, and other French-speaking countries, many well-known comics artists have focused their attention on historical and political events. In works ranging from comic books and graphic novels to newspaper strips, cartoonists have addressed such controversial topics as French and Belgian collaboration and resistance during World War II, European colonialism and US imperialism, anti-Semitism in France, the integration of African immigrant groups in Europe, and the green and feminist movements. History and Politics in French-Language Comics and Graphic Novels collects new essays that address comics from a variety of viewpoints, including a piece from practicing artist Baru. The explorations range from discussion of such canonical works as Hergé's Tintin series to such contemporary expressions as Baru's Road to America (2002), about the Algerian War. Included are close readings of specific comics series and graphic novels, such as Cécile Vernier Danehy's examination of Cosey's Saigon Hanoi, about remembering the Vietnam War. Other writers use theoretical lenses as a means of critiquing a broad range of comics, such as Bart Beaty's Bourdieu-inspired reading of today's comics field, and Amanda Macdonald's analysis of bandes dessinées (French comic books) in New Caledonia during the 1990s. The anthology establishes the French-language comics tradition as one rich with representations of history and politics and is one of the first English-language collections to explore the subject. |
Contents
History Politics and the Bande dessinée Tradition | 25 |
Political Reportage and Globalism in Bandes dessinées | 95 |
Facing Colonialism and Imperialism in Bandes dessinées | 137 |
A French Cartoonists Perspective on the Working Class and Bandes dessinées | 237 |
Bibliography | 259 |
Contributors | 277 |
Index | 281 |
Common terms and phrases
African Algerian American anti-Semitic appears artists bande dessinée Baru become beginning Belgian Belgium boxing called cartoonists chapter character Coeurs colonial color comic book Congo contains contemporary Cosey created critical cultural depicted document documentary dominant drawing drawn edition European example existence face fact fiction field figure frame France French French-language comics graphic novel Hergé Homer important issue Italie Journal L’Association look marked means Menu narrative noted offer original Paris past Peeters period photograph plate political position present production publication published Rastapopoulos reader reality references representation role Saïd space story strip suggests term Tintin tion tradition translations turn vaillants Vietnam visual volume young