Fantagraphics Announces Acquisiton of the Work of Acclaimed Cartoonist Jacques Tardi
Written by: Joey Esposito, Special to CC2K
Fantagraphics announced today that they have aquired the works of critically acclaimed French cartoonist Jacques Tardi. The creator has won dozens of French awards, and has over 30 graphic novels under his belt – and is still consistently putting out work. Series editor for Tardi's work, Kim Thompson – who will also be providing the translations – says “Tardi has always been one of my top favorite European cartoonists. I’ve wanted to do this for many years — pretty much as long as we’ve been publishing — and I think the time is ripe. In today’s graphic-novel world, the audience is finally ready for Tardi.”
Fantagraphics plans what Thompson calls “double-pronged shock-and-awe assault on the American readership, to immediately show off Tardi’s versatility," when the publisher simultaneously releases West Coast Blues, an adaptation of the crime thriller written by Jean-Patrick Manchette, and You Are Here, a satiric graphic novel written by Barbarella creator Jean-Claude Forest, specifically with Tardi in mind. Both titles are scheduled for release this August, which you can see the covers for below.
In the Spring of 2010, Fantagraphics has plans to release It Was the War of the Trenches, a WWI-themed graphic album, chapters of which have appeared previously in RAW and Drawn & Quarterly, as far back as the 1980's and 90's. Tardi is currently working on two new books; another volume of the WWI album, and another adaptation of a Manchette crime novel.
