CÉLEG
History
The first French association dedicated to the study of comics was "Le Club des bandes dessinées" (French for "The Club of Comics"). The club was founded March 29, 1962, born from a discussion held in 1961-1962 in issues 90-98 of the magazine "Fiction". The first board consisted of: Francis Lacassin (président), Alain Resnais (vice-président), Guy Bonnemaison (vice-président), Alain Doremieux (secrétaire général), Jacques Champreux (trésorier), Maurice Zimmerman (secrétaire adjoint), Jean-Claude Forest (directaur artistique), Pierre Couperie (archiviste), Jean Francois Theveon (conseiller) and Henri Grelardon (conseiller).
In 1964 the Club was renamed the Centre d'études des littératures d'expression graphique (CELEG or "Center for Studies of Graphic Literary Expression").
In February 1965, with the Italian "l'Instituto di scienza della communicazioni di massa", CÉLEG organized the first International Exhibition of Comics (Salone Internazionale dei Comics) in Bordighera. This Comics Convention was dedicated to the memory of Phil Davis and headed by the legendary Professor Luigi Volpicelli. At June 9, 1964, Alain Resnais was in New York and made an interview with Lee Falk for Giff-Wiff #12 and invited Lee Falk to Bordighera. The congress (the 21st and 22th) was attended by eminent culture personalities such as Alain Resnais, Federico Fellini, Umberto Eco, Alberto Giordano, Evelyne Sullerot, Roberto Giammanco, Fausto Antonini, Francis Lacassin and a court of fans. Among the comic artist were Lee Falk, Al Capp, David Pascal and Alfred Andriola. CÉLEG organized the second edition in Lucca at September 1966.
In 1966 Claude Moliterni and Pierre Couperie broke away from CÉLEG to form the la Société civile d'étude et de recherche des littératures dessinées (Socerlid), and to produce the review "Phénix".
Due to, among other things, financial problems, the CÉLEG was closed down in 1967. According to a rumor overthrown by Francis Groux, the money had been used by Alain Resnais to fund an American tour to work with a movie adaptation of Mandrake the Magician.
Publications
Collector Editions
Various numbered albums printed for members of CÉLEG. In addition 26 issues were numbered from A to Z for founder members.
Le Fantôme
(175 numbered issues)Mandrake #1
(250 numbered issues)Mandrake #2
(426 numbered issues)
Giff-Wiff
The first bulletin of "Le Club des bandes dessinées", Giff-Wiff was released in July 1962. It run for 23 issues, with an album version of issues 1-4 to celebrate the two year anniversary of the club.
Supplement
CÉLEG Exhibitions
- June 3-15 1966: Mandrake & Le Fantôme, Centre culturel américain de Paris.
Sources
- Charles Ameline, Généalogie d'un interdiscours sur la bande dessinée, January 9 2009
- Lacassin Francis et Tercinet Alain (1964), Pour prendre conge de Phil Davis, Giff.Wiff no 12 1964, 11-16
- About 1965 Bordighera Exhibition [1]
- About the French 1966 Exhibition [2]
References
- Giff-Wiff est, à l'origine, un animal imaginaire apparu dans la bande dessinée Pim, Pam et Poum en 1935
- Entre la plèbe et l'élite, les ambitions contraires de la bande dessinée, J.-N. Lafargue, éd. Atelier Perrousseaux 2012. pp96-105. ( ISBN 9782911220425 )
- Mémoires: sur les chemins qui marchent, par Francis Lacassin, éd. du Rocher, 2006, ( ISBN 2268059898 )
External links
- Wikipedia: Le Club des bandes dessinées
- Wikipedia: Centre d'études des littératures d'expression graphique (French)
- Giff! Wiff! #1
- Fondazione Franco Fossati: Giff-Wiff
- anafbd: Giff-Wiff issues 1 and 2