Bande dessinée (BD). Although the Swiss school-teacher Rodolphe Toepffer is perhaps the inventor of the strip cartoon (Histoire de M. Vieux-Bois, 1827, pub. 1837), the French BD had its origin in La Famille Fenouillard (1889) of Christophe (Georges Colomb). The following years saw the appearance of other legendary figures—Pinchon and Caumery's Bécassine (1905), Louis Forton's La Bande des Pieds Nickelés (1908)—but these were still narratives with illustration, the text running below the vignette; it was only in the relatively fallow 1920s that the integrated bulle (balloon) made its appearance, in Alain Saint-Ogan's Zig et Puce (1925) which, together with Hergé's Tintin (1929), gave a new impetus to the medium. But the Franco-Belgian BD still had two obstacles to overcome: its restriction to a child readership [see Childrens' Literature], and American imports—the 1930s were the decade of superheroes, from Mickey Mouse to Flash Gordon. These challenges were partly met by Pello's Futuropolis (1937-8), an adult science-fiction series. After the war, and the censorship law of 16 July 1949 designed to stem American indoctrination, the gap was filled not so much by the French BD as by the Belgian: the success of the weekly Tintin stimulated the talents of E. P. Jacobs (Blake et Mortimer, 1946-72) and J. Martin (Alix l'intrépide, 1948), while Spirou drew on J. Gillain (Jigé) (Jerry Spring, 1954), A. Franquin (Gaston Lagaffe, 1957), Peyo (Les Schtroumpfs, 1958), and Morris (Lucky Luke, 1949). On the French side, the left-wing journal Vaillant owed its success to P. Gillon (Fils de Chine, 1950), Gire (Pension Radicelle, 1947), Coelho (Ragnar, 1954). The shift towards ideological and stylistic pluralism, and an adult readership, continued in René Goscinny's Pilote (1959) and Astérix (1959); Gotlib, Rubrique-à-Brac (1968); Mandryka, Le Concombre masqué (1965); Gir, Blueberry (1963, with Charlier); Greg, Achille Talon (1963)—and in Hara-Kiri (1960, then Hara-Kiri Hebdo, 1969, and Charlie-Hebdo, 1970), founded by Georges Bernier and Cavanna. Ironically the BD became a social fad, just when its function was fifth column, and drugs, counter-cultures, civil rights, and sexual liberation its preoccupations. The appearance of Charlie mensuel (1969), L'Écho des savanes (1972), Métal hurlant (1975), Fluide glacial (1975), and Circus (1975) confirmed the underground value of the BD. But with the popularity of the album (publication in volume form), and the corresponding decline of the serial, the journals have equally declined; merchandizing, take-overs by large publishers, and BD in paperback (1986) have put an end to subversion; the superhero has returned, and with him other species of the roman d'aventures: science fiction and thriller. Noteworthy among recent albums are: historical adventure—François Bourgeon's Les Passagers du vent (1978-84) and Les Compagnons du crépuscule (1982-90), and André Juillard's Les Sept Vies de l'épervier (with P. Cothias) (1982-9); political fantasy—Enki Belal's Partie de chasse (with P. Christin) (1982-3); detective stories—Jacques Tardi's Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac (1981) and 120 rue de la gare (1987-8); science fiction—Luc Schuiten's Cités obscures (with B. Peeters) (1982- ); fantasy—François Boucq's La Femme du magicien (with J. Charyn) (1984-6).
[Clive Scott]
Bibliography
- P. Fresnault-Deruelle, La Bande dessinée: Essai d'analyse sémiotique (1972)
- P. Masson, Lire la bande dessinée (1985)
- S. Tisseron, Psychanalyse de la bande dessinée (1987)
