In March 2022, the publishing house Dupuis created the event by announcing the return of “Gaston Lagaffe”, in new adventures, revealing at the same time that the designer Delaf would take over from André Franquin. After some legal disputes with the daughter of the creator of the comic strip, the release of a new volume is officially scheduled for November 22.
This is an opportunity to (re)discover Delaf’s pencil stroke. If his name means nothing to you, it could be that you have already seen some of his drawings.
From animation to comics
Delaf, whose real name is Marc Delafontaine, is a Quebec cartoonist who has managed to find a place for himself in the French-speaking comic strip world. After beginning his professional life in animation and school illustration, it was in 2004 that he really got into comics with “The junior guide to raising your parents well” published by Vent d’Ouest. He also participated in the illustration of two collections: “La Galerie des illustrés” in 2013 and “La Galerie des gaffes” in 2017, both published by Dupuis.
The success of the “Navels”
But it is above all thanks to the “Navels” that Delaf manages to find his place in the world of comics. A series scripted by his former partner Maryse Dubuc which depicts the adventures of three girlfriends. It was first published in the magazine “Safair” in 2004, then in Dupuis editions from 2006.
“Les Nombrils” was a real phenomenon in the world of comics. The eight volumes have sold more than 2.5 million copies – according to the publisher – raising the series to the rank of bestsellers in the same way as “Asterix”. In 2017 and 2019, the duo also produced two other volumes from the same universe: “Les vacheries des Nombrils”. But since the separation of the screenwriter and the designer in 2021, the fate of Jenny, Vicky and Karine is still uncertain. What we are sure of is that with “Gaston Lagaffe”, Delaf’s career is far from over.
