Cultural journalists and comics specialists, Sarah Clément and Gilles de Diesbach deliver their ten favorite comics published in 2024. From the road trip to the initiatory tale via the Tarantinesque western, there is something for everyone.
SARAH CLEMENT’S PICKS:
Carole Lobel, “In enemy territory”, The Association
Descent into hell, force of words, this comic book on male domination will not leave you unscathed! Raised by a Catholic and anti-abortion mother, Carole is a shy and lonely young girl. Upon entering the Nantes School of Fine Arts, she meets the handsome Stéphane and falls under his charm (and his influence).
The collapse will be gradual: isolation, sexual brutality, narcotics. If Carole maintains an openness to the world thanks to her work, Stéphane will get stuck in paranoia, the extreme right and masculinist discourses.
Marzena Sowa and Geoffrey Delinte, “Hey Djo!”, Gallimard BD
When she was little, Marzena Sowa dreamed of being a truck driver. Geoffrey Delinte is the son of a truck driver. Between them, they made “Hey Djo!”, a delicate road trip about the profession of truck driver.
At the time of the summer holidays, Djo, 13, finds himself obliged to accompany his father on the roads of Belgium and France. Initially reluctant, he will discover the daily life of a trucker, between loading on the docks, traveling on all types of roads and the famous nap/meal breaks. In addition to the adventurous aspect, the road is also conducive to encounters.
Olivier Bocquet and Anlor, “Ladies with guns”, Dargaud
If you’re looking for a new comic book series to complete your collection, check out the three volumes of “Ladies with Guns” (the fourth is in preparation), a female western with a Tarantino flavor.
In the American West, a young runaway slave, a widow from the bourgeoisie, a prostitute, a retired teacher and an angry Indian woman are forced to unite to face men as stupid as they are violent. “Ladies with guns” are five exceptional women who handle repartee as well as guns.
MarieMo, “Pied à terre: an expedition aboard the Ocean Viking”, Antipodes
“Pied à terre” is MarieMo’s ultra-detailed, meticulous and touching logbook. Passionate about the sea, the Neuchâtel artist has always drawn the causes that are close to her heart. After global warming, she plunged into the migration crisis in the Mediterranean Sea. The 25 days spent aboard the Ocean Viking allowed him to portray the mission and the daily lives of those who work every day aboard the humanitarian ship. An island of humanity in the face of general indifference.
>> Listen to an interview with MarieMo:
>> Also read: “Pied à terre” by MarieMo, a beautiful and touching comic book about the Ocean Viking
Fabien Vehlmann and Jean-Baptiste Andreae, “The kitchen of ogres: Three times dead”, Rue de Sèvres
An initiatory tale, “La cuisine des ogres” is an aesthetic jewel in blue and gold tones that will appeal to fantasy lovers.
Blanchette, a skinny orphan, is captured with other children by the bogeyman, in order to be devoured by gourmet ogres. Narrowly escaping the chopper, the little girl will join forces with Brèche-tooth, a slightly cowardly kid, to try to save her friends. Between angry dwarves and kraken, will you dare to taste the nail soup or the bacon of good children?
GILLES DE DIESBACH’S CHOICES:
Marc Toricès, “Cornelius: the joyful life of the sad dog”, Acte Sud
This anthology of fanzines is a decoy. It is not the work of a collective of authors as it claims, but that of Marc Toricès alone. A feat as the author multiplies graphic genres and narrative ingenuities to illustrate a story of an anthropomorphic dog.
That of Cornelius, a maintenance boy in a sports center, the only witness to the kidnapping of his boss’s niece. Except he panics instead of saving her. Not accepting his cowardice, he flees and sinks into his imbecility. Or how to put the absurd on a pedestal? Never seen before!
Luz, “Two naked girls”, Albin Michel
At the beginning, the page is blank, only a few speech bubbles from a discussion between the expressionist Otto Müller and his model. Then, the first brushstrokes reveal the face of the painter in full creation. Finally, the painting takes shape, but we never see it. No, because each page shows what the canvas perceives: its despoliation by the Nazis, the “Degenerate Art” exhibition of 1937, its successive owners until its restitution. A work to express the importance of art through the imbecility and violence of the fascist regime. Fantastic!
Frederik Peeters and Serge Lehman, “Saint-Elme T05: Thermopylae, Delcourt
Frederik Peeters is undisputed class. Undeniable! There is only one author of this caliber to conclude this dark series, a violent thriller created with Serge Lehman. The time has therefore come for the settling of scores, with a breathtaking final confrontation, of fascinating graphic mastery. A pure action scene, cut with a straight line.
With “Saint-Elme”, the duo of authors aimed to create a new pop culture reference, far from clichés, in a mountain setting close to home. They succeeded. Undeniably.
>> Also read an article from 2022 on the “Saint-Elme” series: “Saint-Elme”, the pop thriller by Genevan cartoonist Frederik Peeters
Alix Garin, “Impenetrable”, Le Lombard
What a exposure! “Impenetrable”, to say her vaginismus. Taboo disease that Alix Garin carried in her flesh and her relationship for two years. Impossible for her to have sexual relations with her partner whom she loves so much. Each time, she tensed up. Pain, then abstinence. And her healing journey that she shares with so much sincerity, from the depths of her being.
There are so many of these life stories in comics! “Impenetrable” is apart. Because he sends us back furiously! To our desires, our sexuality, our fulfillment in love.
>> Listen to an interview with Alix Garin:
>> Also read: In her comic “Impénétrable”, Alix Garin recounts the little-known sexual disorder of vaginismus
Victor Hugo and Marcel Durant, “The workers of the sea”, Glénat
This very first comic book adaptation of the novel written by Victor Hugo in 1866 exudes the scent of old books. Those whose story was episodically illustrated by engravings.
Marcel Durant takes up this graphic principle here, and increases it tenfold to stunning plates, entirely created in hatching. A bias to blend perfectly with the romantic writing of Victor Hugo and his era. He thus succeeds in creating a form of narration in total symbiosis with the original work. A pure delight!
