Le Club des bandes dessinées
- About this subject, see too separate article : "CÉLEG
Le Club des bandes dessinées or CBD (="The Comic Strip Club) was an association, officially formed on March 29, 1962 and devoted to the study of comics. In November 1964, it was renamed "Centre d'études des littératures d'expression graphique" (CÉLEG) (="Center for Studies of Graphic Literary Expression").
The club was born out of a debate (articles, readers' letters, advertisements) which took place in 1961-1962 in issues 92 to 98 of the French review “Fiction” after an article by the Swiss author Pierre Strinati starting from a certain nostalgia for the pre-war science fiction comic strip.
From then, it was decided to found a club of comics amateurs, notably dedicated to the reissue of disappeared works. Amongst founder-members were movie directors of the “Nouvelle Vague” (“New Wave”) movement like Alain Resnais, Alain Robbe-Grillet and as well as artists like Delphine Seyrig, comics creators like Jean-Claude Forest (author of comics work "Barbarella").
The Club was chaired by Francis Lacassin, with the director Alain Resnais, it was the first European organization of its kind, aims to affirm the importance and legitimacy of comics. During its existence, the club published the magazine "Giff-Wiff", a review will be the starting point for the recognition of comics as “The 9th Art”, and which was edited by themselves at first before to have, in 1966, a more commercial release when distributed by the editor Jean-Jacques Pauvert for ensuring a wider distribution.
The Club action is also marked, amongst various exhibitions, by the organization of the first international festival of comic strip in Bordighera, Italy, in February 1965 – festival moved to Lucca from 1966.
One of these exhibitions was the concerning “Mandrake the Magician” and “The Phantom”, held on June 3-15, 1966 in Paris with the presence of “Lee Falk”.
Under the name of CÉLEG, the club also released pre-war classics, especially American ones such as “Mandrake the Magician”
Unfortunately, the CÉLEG club had financial problems and ceased its activities in mid-1967.
It’s worth to note that the name “Giff-Wiff” was chosen in tribute to a fantastic animal, that feeds exclusively on precious pearls and appeared in Mickey comics in October 1935.