Most of René Lévesque’s public life has concerned his political engagement. Comics René Lévesque – Something like a great man, published at the beginning of December, takes a long look at the ideas and transformations he defended in the interest of Quebec and acutely recalls the values that guided him.
Moelle graphik is used to launching comics that are out of the ordinary. The publisher Julien Poitras, who is also dean of the faculty of medicine at Laval University, does not mass-publish books. He is keen to design works that stand out by their craftsmanship and wishes to “work each book according to its author and his aspirations”.
The peculiarity of René Lévesque – Something like a great man is that it was scripted by one person, Marc Tessier, but that it is put into images by about twenty cartoonists. Christian Quesnel, Réal Godbout, Louis Rémillard and Sophie Bédard are among those who sign complete comic book chapters, while Jimmy Beaulieu, François Lapierre and Rupert Bottenberg are part of another group called upon to provide an illustration.
The idea of increasing the number of designers is Marc Tessier himself. Julien Poitras got on board. He is aware that some readers may be drawn to one style and turned off by another, but believes that the character’s “historical interest” acts as a binder.
“There is also a correspondence between the styles of the artists and what is told,” he defends, citing the spontaneous drawing of Jacob Doyon and the horrors seen by Lévesque at the Dachau concentration camp. It’s the same in the last chapter, which talks about René Lévesque’s relationship with Corinne [Côté-Lévesque] and which is very soft in the design of Sophie Bédard. It’s a great demonstration of what can be done with different styles. ”
Excerpts from René Lévesque – Something like a great man
-
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHING HOUSE
Jacob Doyon illustrates the chapter in which René Lévesque, then a reporter, visits what remains of the Dachau concentration camp.
-
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHING HOUSE
Alain Chevarier puts in images the passage on the subject of the Korean War.
-
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHING HOUSE
Réal Godbout, designer of Red Ketchup, puts his clear lines at the service of the chapter recounting René Lévesque’s first electoral campaign.
-
IMAGE PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHING HOUSE
The intimate side of René Lévesque, seen by designer Sophie Bédard
1/ 4
From war to politics
The album begins in 1944 when René Lévesque embarks for Europe as a reporter. We will then follow him during the Korean War, from where he made notable reports, until he takes the helm of his own show, Focus. Little by little, man develops his vision of the world, reflects on injustices and poses as a decryptor of international issues. Little by little, the desire to make the leap into politics is felt, he will eventually give in and join Jean Lesage’s team.
“We take René Lévesque’s point of view in all simplicity”, judges Julien Poitras, who found this project moving in several respects.
For me, he was an important politician. As an individual, I saw the emergence of the Parti Québécois and the first referendum, but I did not know the time of its war reporting and that of the program. Focus.
Julien Poitras
He believes that comics can give the measure.
René Lévesque – Something like a great man is a bushy read. The emphasis is on backstage games, which sometimes become complex, especially in the episode commonly known as “the night of the long knives”, where the premier of Quebec is cheated by the support of other Canadian leaders for the law. Constitution of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau. The event is staged like a play, which, from the publisher’s point of view, makes it more “digestible”.
What he wants to convey through this book is that it is possible to transform things. “When someone arrives with ideas and has the capacity to convince, believes Julien Poitras, it is possible. ”
He also believes that the comic book corrects an unfortunate situation in his eyes. “The tributes paid to René Lévesque so far have been unsuccessful,” he said. We’re coming to correct that a bit. The album is up to the man and, through this pooling of the work of many people, I think we are in line with the values he defended. ”
René Lévesque – Something like a great man
Marc Tessier and collaborators
Marrow graphik
268 pages