New Wave French comics - an overview

Here's another Amazon shopping list of mine. This is a list of most new wave French comics currently available in English... now updated with a few titles that will be out this fall. Many of these now legendary cartoonists - Trondheim, Satrapi, Sfar, Guibert etc - got started through the publishing house L'Association, which was kind of a French version of North American independent Publishers Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly.

1. The Complete Persepolis: Now a Major Motion Picture by Marjane Satrapi The list author says: "Haunting story about a young girl growing up in Iran. Now a major animated film."

2. Epileptic by David B. The list author says: "Acclaimed autobiographical masterpiece."

3. The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar The list author says: "Brilliant magical realism about people in Algeria in the 1930s - a Rabbi, his daughter and his cat."

4. The Rabbi's Cat 2 by Joann Sfar The list author says: "Great sequel."

5. Little Nothings: The Curse of the Umbrella (Little Nothings) by Lewis Trondheim The list author says: "Autobiographical strips about everyday life. Sweet and funny. You'll relate!"

6. Aya by Marguerite Abouet The list author says: "autobiographical story about growing up in Africa."

7. Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar The list author says: "Sweet and funny book about a vampire and his messed up love life."

8. Mister O by Lewis Trondheim The list author says: "Hilarious pantomime strips."

9. Mister I by Lewis Trondheim The list author says: "More pantomime strips"

10. A.L.I.E.E.E.N.: Archives of Lost Issues and Earthly Editions of Extraterrestrial Novelties by Lewis Trondheim The list author says: "Even more pantomime stories from Trondheim. This book looks cute, but it's quite sinister and disturbing."

11. Klezmer: Tales of the Wild East by Joann Sfar The list author says: "Another major series from Sfar, a great companion piece to The Rabbi's Cat."

12. Alan's War: The Memories of G.I. Alan Cope by Emmanuel Guibert

13. Get a Life by Philippe Dupuy

14. Kaput and Zosky by Lewis Trondheim The list author says: "Funny book about two wannabe invaders from space."

15. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

16. Maybe Later by Philippe Dupuy

17. Haunted by Philippe Dupuy

18. Isaac the Pirate: To Exotic Lands (Isaac the Pirate (Graphic Novels)) by Christophe Blain

19. Isaac The Pirate: The Capital (Isaac the Pirate (Graphic Novels)) by Christophe Blain

20. Bourbon Island 1730 by Lewis Trondheim

21. The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar

22. Glacial Period (Louvre) by Nicolas De Crecy

23. Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle

24. Shenzhen: A Travelogue From China by Guy Delisle

25. Little Vampire by Joann Sfar The list author says: "Great book for children and goths everywhere."

26. Harum Scarum: The Spiffy Adventures of McConey Vol. 1 by Lewis Trondheim

27. Ordinary Victories by Manu Larcenet

28. Ordinary Victories: What Is Precious (Ordinary Victories) by Manu Larcenet

29. The Speed Abater by Christophe Blain

30. Remembrance of Things Past: Combray (Remembrance of Things Past) by Stephane Heuet

31. Sardine in Outer Space by Emmanuel Guibert The list author says: "Space pirates! Yay! Great for kids."

32. Dungeon: Zenith : Duck Heart (Dungeon) by Joann Sfar The list author says: "The "Dungeon" fantasy series is a collaboration between several of the key cartoonists of the new wave. "Zenith" is the main series, "Early Years" is about (you guessed it) the early years of the dungeon, "Twilight" about the twilight years."

33. Zenith: The Barbarian Princess (Dungeon) by Joann Sfar

34. Dungeon, Twilight: Dragon Cemetry (Dungeon Vol. 1) by Kerascoet

35. Dungeon 2: Twilight: Armageddon (Dungeon) by Lewis Trondheim

36. Dungeon Parade 1: A Dungeon Too Many (Dungeon) by Joann Sfar

37. Dungeon the Early Years 1: The Night Shirt (Dungeon) by Christophe Blain

38. Unpopular Culture: Transforming the European Comic Book in the 1990s (Studies in Book and Print Culture) by Bart Beaty The list author says: "Book about the new French comic book boom"