Death of comic book writer Frank Giroud, great storyteller

Comic writers are most often men in the shadows. And yet, it is their stories that shine the best albums of its kind. Frank Giroud was in this category. A prolific writer of graphic novel, a long illness ended up winning at the age of 62 on July 13. To salute his memory, and his communicative pbadion for history, Le Figaro wanted to pay tribute to him.

Funny, cultivated, with that little hint of Toulousan accent, singing, which shone in his stories he was telling in front of a delighted and captivated public, Frank Giroud had just delivered a new comic, which we made ourselves echo in our summer selection 2018, Churchill and me (Casterman). In the wake of the film The Dark Hours and following also the tracks of the series The Crown where John Lithgow plays an old Churchill, the writer Frank Giroud delivers his own vision of this political monster . His idea is great: he lets go of Winston a young commoner catchy who is not cold to the eyes! Churchill and I devouring themselves as an exciting social and historical fresco

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Born on May 3, 1956 in Toulouse, an badociate of history, Frank Giroud will have led first two or three careers: that of a former student of the school of the Charters of Paris, aggregated history, then professor at the Lycée Français of Milan and teacher of history in Grenoble, and finally, that of tour guide. This allowed him to visit countless countries, from Israel to India, from Tunisia to Thailand.

It is undoubtedly this curiosity, and this temperament of a traveling writer, that will push him to to become a cartoon writer by pbadion. He first became known with the publication of the diptych Azrayen in collaboration with the designer Lax, who discusses the war in Algeria in 1957. While France gets bogged down in this conflict, the lieutenant Messonnier, as well as the two men of his regiment, have been missing for two weeks. No trace, no body. What happened? Would it be an ambush? Starting from this fascinating plot, Frank Giroud, son of a soldier who took part in the conflict, builds a strong history. He won the BD Critics' Prize in 1999 in Angoulême.

Outstanding Historian and Storyteller

An outstanding historian and storyteller, Giroud knew how to change his register with great ease. With Jean-Paul Dethorey, he starts at Glénat from 1982, on Louis La Guigne . This long-term series features a certain Louis Ferchot – known as "Louis la Guigne" – who returns to France after spending a few years in the prison of Cayenne. The country has changed and the ex-conscript, mutinous and convict hardly recognizes this France of 1922, whose landscape is covered with plants and concrete …

Giroud then attacks his "opus magnum " The Decalogue he made with ten different designers, between 2001 and 2003. Behé, Michel Faure, Franz, J.-F. Charles, or TBC illustrate ten thrilling stories all linked together by a book mysterious named "Nahik", which contains the last wishes of the prophet Muhammad. This book would be likely to completely upset the foundations of our civilization …

According to one of its publishers The Lombard, "Frank Giroud was a pbadionate person, in turn actor, author of short stories, graphic designer and much more . In addition to his immense talent, we will never forget his kindness, his availability, nor the exemplary courage he has always shown. The management and all the Lombard writers badociate themselves with the pain of his companion and his daughter as well as that of their family. "

A series sold over a million copies. [19659008] Once again at the Angoulême Festival, in 2002 he won the prestigious "Max und Moritz" for best international screenwriter, succeeding Alan Moore, Pierre Christin and Jean Van Hamme. According to publisher Jacques Glénat, "he was able to deal with political intrigues and family stories through the polar or the western, he explored the most varied fields and provided scenarios to nearly fifty cartoonists." [19659003] »READ ALSO – Comic Strip Art: Tomorrow Never Dies

Family dramas on the far side of history, from great adventure to intimate stories to the world of espionage aviation, Giroud explored the most varied fields and provided scenarios to more than fifty designers. His stories are translated into a dozen languages ​​and, with The Decalogue Giroud holds a "Golden Album", which crowns the rare series sold more than a million copies. 19659003] The publisher Dupuis also pays tribute to this expansive screenwriter. "Frank's career as a talented screenwriter highlights his humanity, his generosity and his curiosity about the history of men and women. The historian brings together the documentation of the screenwriter, the traveler discovers the world that the author tells in the manner of a reporter. "

On the site Actua BD, Tristan Martine estimates that the work of Frank Giroud is similar to that of "a Alexandre Dumas of the ninth art". We offer our sincere condolences to his family, his wife Virginie Greiner and their daughter Thaïs.