In The Moron Who Won the Cold WarJean-Yves Le Naour and Cédrick Le Bihan create a spicy comic strip where we rediscover, from a satirical angle, the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Between unbridled comedy and enlightened rereading of the end of the Cold War, this 64-page album, published by Bamboo, paints the portrait of an atypical head of state who, despite his shortcomings, imposed his style on History.
Is he authentically ignorant or does he know how to hide his game? Jean-Yves Le Naour and Cédrick Le Bihan plant this question at the heart of their story, inviting the reader to delve behind the scenes of an America led by the former western star, Ronald Reagan. Since his election in 1980, the 40th President of the United States imposed a method that was unique to say the least. Barely installed in the White House, he is already deserting it to spend late mornings and long weekends on his Californian ranch, leaving his advisors to tackle difficult issues. In this album tinged with irony, Ronald Reagan appears above all as a communications virtuoso, who prefers to memorize tasty jokes – collected and learned by heart – rather than study official reports.
With mischief, the authors highlight a lazy politician, too little cultured, but endowed with unparalleled public charisma. His spontaneity surprises even Mikhail Gorbachev, who strives to only negotiate with his advisors. However, the American’s grotesque posture benefits the West: by launching a costly “space program” (and forcing the USSR to follow it), Ronald Reagan accelerates the bankruptcy of his Soviet rival. As troublemaker as he is effective, this “moron” triumphs over the Cold War and can boast of having restored peace. The comic strips are full of funny scenes where Reagan’s nonchalance is revealed: we see him unscrupulously slashing social programs – no big deal, this affects African-Americans above all – or even sweeping away the storm of the scandal of the Irangate with a shrug, or almost.
The strength of Moron who won the cold war is ultimately as much about its historical reconstruction as it is about its scathing humor. The dialogues, generous, follow one another at a lively pace, punctuated with lines that hit the mark. The duo of authors also summons a certain Donald Trump, then a real estate mogul, eager to see a businessman one day access the White House. Through this strong nod, the album weaves links with the current era and shows that, sometimes, History seems to repeat itself in various forms. Isn’t Ronald Reagan, in fact, a kind of Donald Trump in a watered-down form?
Far from an angry pamphlet, the comic strip offers a distanced and critical look at a historical character more complex than it seems. From comic posture to unexpected triumph, she brilliantly depicts a Reagan as manipulative as he is braggart, whose lightness nevertheless shaped part of the 20th century. The reader can only come away both amused and intrigued, wondering if this political cowboy was not, ultimately, smarter than he let on. What Jean-Yves Le Naour and Cédrick Le Bihan only half-solve, since in the end, a diminished old man, an unconditional lazy person, succeeded where so many others would have failed miserably.
The Moron Who Won the Cold WarJean-Yves Le Naour and Cédrick Le Bihan
Bamboo, January 2025, 64 pages
