Jacques Tardi

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Tardi
Birth name Jacques Tardi
Born August 30, 1946 (1946-08-30) (age 61)
Valence, Drôme, France
Nationality French
Notable works Adieu, Brindavoine
Adèle Blanc-Sec
Griffu
Ici Même
Tueur de cafards
Awards full list

Jacques Tardi is a French comic strip artist, born August 30, 1946 in Valence. He is often credited solely as Tardi.

Contents

[edit] Biography

After graduating from the École nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris, he started writing comics in 1969, at the age of 23, in the comics magazine Pilote, initially illustrating short stories written by Jean Giraud and Serge De Beketch, before creating the political fiction story Rumeur sur le Rouergue from a scenario by Pierre Christin in 1972.[1][2]

A highly versatile artist, Tardi successfully adapted novels by controversial writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline or crime novelist Léo Malet. In Malet's case, Tardi adapted his detective hero Nestor Burma into a series of critically acclaimed graphic novels, though he also wrote and drew original stories of his own.

Tardi also created one of French comics' most famous heroines, Adèle Blanc-Sec. This series recreates the Paris of early 20th century where the moody heroine encounters supernatural events, state plots, occult societies and experiments in cryogenics.

Another graphic novel was Ici Même which was written by Jean-Claude Forest, best known as the creator of Barbarella. A satire, it describes the adventures of Arthur Même who lives on the walls of his family's former property.

Tardi's obsession with the First World War and the pitfalls of patriotism spawned several albums (Adieu Brindavoine, C'était la guerre des tranchées, Le trou d'obus...) and was brought on by his inability to come to terms with his grandfather's involvement in the day-to-day horrors of trench warfare. He also completed a four-volume series on the Paris Commune, Le cri du peuple.

His style can at times seem similar to Hergé's early ligne claire style (clear line), paired with meticulous research and typically featuring an asexual hero (Adèle Blanc-Sec can be quite a misandrist at times), but Tardi's work also satirises the concept of the flawless hero by using a series of inept, naive or anti-heroic main characters. His audience is mainly the literary, French-speaking adult public.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Scenario and artwork

C'était la guerre des tranchées (1993), an example of the Tardi's preoccupation with World War I
C'était la guerre des tranchées (1993), an example of the Tardi's preoccupation with World War I

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] Artwork

[edit] Scenario

  • Le voyage d'Alphonse (artwork by Antoine Leconte) (Duculot, 2003)

[edit] Sketchbooks

[edit] Illustrated novels

Céline adaptations:

Jules Verne adaptations:

[edit] Novel

  • Rue des Rebuts (Alain Beaulet, 1990)

[edit] Books about Tardi

  • Olivier Maltret, Presque tout Tardi (Sapristi, 1996), ISBN 2-911429-01-X
  • Michel Boujut, Tardi par la fenêtre (Christian Desbois, 1996)

[edit] Awards

- Grand Prix for Black Humor[2]
- Knighted in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France
- Best German-language Comic/Comic-related Publication at the Max & Moritz Prizes, Germany
- nominated for the Prix de la critique and the Canal BD Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
  • 2003: nominated for the Audience Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
  • 2004: nominated for Best American Edition of Foreign Material at the Harvey Awards, U.S.[3]
  • 2005: nominated for Award for a Series at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
  • 2006: nominated for the Award for Best Comic Book and the Audience Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
  • 2006: Special Prize for outstanding life’s work at the Max & Moritz Prizes, Germany
- nominated for the Grand Prix Saint-Michel
  • 2007: nominated for the Grand Prix Saint-Michel[4]

[edit] References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Lambiek Comiclopedia. Jacques Tardi.
  2. ^ a b c d Biography at Casterman
  3. ^ Harvey Awards official site
  4. ^ Les nominés 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.

[edit] External links