Georges Pichard

Infobox Comics creator
name = Georges Pichard


imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1920|1|17|mf=y
location = Paris, France
deathdate = death date and age|2003|6|7|1920|1|17
deathplace = Paris, France
nationality = French
area = artist, writer
alias =
notable works = "Ténébrax" "Submerman" "Blanche Epiphanie" "Paulette" "Caroline Choléra" "Ceux–là"
awards =

Georges Pichard (January 17 1920 - June 7 2003) was a French comics artist, known for numerous BD magazine covers, serial publications and albums, stereotypically featuring partially exposed voluptuous women.

Biography

A native of Paris, he was educated at the École des Arts Appliques, and after World War II worked as illustrator in advertising before publishing his first cartoon strip in "La Semaine de Suzette" in 1956, featuring a "girl next-door" character named Miss Mimi.

In the early 60s he met Jacques Lob, with whom he collaborated on the superhero parodies, "Ténébrax" and "Submerman". "Ténébrax" was first published in the short-lived comics magazine "Chouchou", and continued its serial run in Italian magazine "Linus".cite web | last = coolfrenchcomics.com | title =Ténébrax | url =http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/tenebrax.htm] In 1967, "Submerman" was serialised in "Pilote", but after a few years Pichard left the family friendly comics genre entirely.

Having collaborated with Danie Dubos on the more daring "Lolly-strip" which was serialised in "Le Rire" in 1966, Pichard and Lob began work within the erotic genre of comics as "Blanche Épiphanie" started serial publication in "V Magazine" in 1968.cite web | last = BdZoom | title = La mort de Georges Pichard | date =June 8, 2003 | url = http://www.bdzoom.com/index.cfm?page=display&class=info&object=info20030608113827&rub=coulisse|language=French] There was significant public reaction as this character acted outside the moral boundaries of the times, and at one point emulated Jane Fonda by going to Vietnam. This period saw Pichard develop his style of shaping his female heroines into tall, well-endowed women with excessive eyeliner make-up to create a gothic appearance.cite web | last = Lambiek Comiclopedia | title = Georges Pichard | url =http://lambiek.net/artists/p/pichard.htm ]

Pichard continued to push the moral boundaries when he collaborated with Georges Wolinski to create a yet more controversial series featuring an eponymous character, "Paulette" which began serial publication in "Charlie Mensuel" in 1970.cite web | last = Perrone | first =Pierre | title =Obituary: Georges Pichard | publisher = The Independent | date =July 28, 2003 | url =http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article36830.ece ] This development became a target of right-wing politicians of that period, Jean Royer and Michel Debre. Continuing in this genre, Pichard reunited with Danie Dubos to produce "Caroline Choléra" which was serialised in "L'Écho des savanes" in 1975. Upon publication of "Marie-Gabrielle de Saint-Eutrope" in 1977, the explicit nature of Pichard's work led to a ban from bookshops and kiosks.

Less scrutinized for its erotic emphasis are the collaborations Pichard did with science-fiction author Jean-Pierre Andrevon, "La Reserve" and "Édouard" from 1974 and "Ceux–là" from 1977, published in "Charlie Mensuel".cite web | last = Damned Productions | title = Andrevon | url = http://daniel.gerber1.club.fr/scenaristes_ac/andrevon_bio.htm |language=French]

Toward the end of his life, Pichard adapted classic erotic stories such as "Les Exploits d'un jeune Don Juan" by Guillaume Apollinaire, "The Kama-Sutra" by Vatsyayana, "Trois filles de leur mère" by Pierre Louÿs, "La Religieuse" by Denis Diderot and "Germinal" by Emile Zola.

Bibliography

ources

* [http://bdoubliees.com/journalpilote/auteurs4/pichard.htm Georges Pichard publications in "Pilote"] , [http://bdoubliees.com/charliemensuel/auteurs4/pichard.htm "Charlie Mensuel"] , [http://bdoubliees.com/echodessavanes/auteurs5/pichard.htm "L'Écho des Savanes"] and [http://bdoubliees.com/circusvecu/auteurs5/pichard.htm "Circus"] BDoubliées fr_icon
* [http://www.bedetheque.com/auteur-956-BD-Pichard-Georges.html Georges Pichard albums] Bedetheque fr_icon;Footnotes

External links

* [http://lambiek.net/artists/p/pichard.htm Georges Pichard biography] on Lambiek Comiclopedia