three women for one grand prize

Since the international meeting of the 9th art offers authors to vote to designate the three finalists, then the grand prize of the city of Angoulême, three women have never eclipsed the men.

In a profession where these gentlemen remain in the majority, on this unprecedented podium, the real novelty lies in the selection of Julie Doucet. Aged 56, discovered here, shortly before the turn of the 2000s, the Quebecer favors an autobiographical comic strip without complacency. Evidenced by the entire Maxiplot just delivered by the Association publishing house.

For Pénélope Bagieu, 40, and now world famous for her portraits of women “breeches“, this is the second appointment to Angoulême.

As for Catherine Meurisse, 42, former Charlie Hebdoelected to the Academy of Fine Arts and who cultivates in her books an intimate relationship with beauty, memory and nature, this is the third time that she has been noticed by her peers.

The name of the winner and therefore of the new grand prize of the city of Angoulême will be known on the eve of the opening of the festival, Wednesday evening March 16, 2022.

Angoulême, this year, honors the American Chris Ware, crowned a year ago. Also not to be missed is the Christophe Blain retrospective, the author of Quai d’Orsay, Isaac the Piratefrom the western series Gusand which in recent months has enjoyed real bookstore success with The endless world (Dargaud), co-signed with Jean-Marc Jancovici.

On the side of the Asian scene, Angoulême will pay tribute to the late master of horror manga, Shigeru Mizuki. The next generation is Tatsuki Fujimoto, 28 years old and already cult. He comes to France for the festival.

Look Backof Tatsuki Fujimoto at Kaze

After Fire Punch and chain saw manTatsuki Fujimoto returns with Look Back, a manga with a totally different style from the previous ones. This one-shot was awarded the prestigious Taishô prize, which has been awarded every year since 2008 to the best manga of the year. The jury is mainly composed of booksellers.

Contrary to chain saw man or at Fire Punch, here no violence, action or bombast. Everything is in the visual, the feeling, there are dialogues but not excessively.

“I wanted to tell a story with as little dialogue as possible and with as few typical manga expressions as possible. As I had more than 50 pages, I could do it very well with little dialogue, and thanks to the cutting and the staging“, he explains.

The mangaka tells the friendship between two young girls, future manga authors. Fujino, a gifted teenager, has absolute confidence in her talent. Kyômoto, she hides in her room and practices tirelessly. Together, they will share a fervent passion for drawing and become closer in an unfailing way.

Sacrifice, obsession for creation, art school, there are many elements that make one think of Tatsuki Fujimoto. He himself admits that “in both characters, we find (his) personality and especially in the character of Fujino“.

Beyond the creative passion, the doubts that assail the artist, the themes of friendship, the desire to progress, to move forward are addressed. In this moving, introspective manga, many readers can find themselves.

During the Angoulême Festival, the L’Alpha media library will host the exhibition Tatsuki Fujimoto: Heroes of Chaos. This eAn immersive exhibition in the author’s universe opens the doors to a baroque world, between disruptive superheroism and overwhelming intimacy.