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| L'Association (comics) | |
|---|---|
| Name | L'Association |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Jean-Christophe Menu; Lewis Trondheim; David B.; Mattt Konture |
| Country | France |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Publications | Comics albums; graphic novels; anthologies |
| Genre | Independent comics; avant-garde; alternative |
L'Association (comics) is an independent French comics publisher founded in 1990 in Paris by a collective including Jean-Christophe Menu, Lewis Trondheim, David B., and Mattt Konture. It emerged as a hub for alternative bande dessinée alongside movements represented by creators such as Marjane Satrapi, Joann Sfar, and Thierry Groensteen, promoting auteur-driven work and experimental formats. The publisher became central to debates involving institutions like Centre Pompidou, Festival d'Angoulême, and Bibliothèque nationale de France while influencing international creators and publishers including Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, and Top Shelf Productions.
L'Association was created in 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu, Lewis Trondheim, David B., Mattt Konture, Stanislas, Emmanuel Guibert, and Patrice Killoffer partly in reaction to mainstream publishers such as Dargaud, Dupuis, and Lombard. Early activities connected with magazines and anthologies like Lapin and Comix 2000 intersected with events such as Festival d'Angoulême, Salon du Livre, and exhibitions at Centre Pompidou and Maison des Auteurs. Interaction with critics and historians including Thierry Groensteen, Benoît Peeters, and Paul Gravett framed debates on authorship, originality, and seriality; legal and commercial disputes involved Société des Auteurs des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques and various booksellers. Over the 1990s and 2000s the collective expanded its catalogue, engaged with international festivals such as Angoulême, Small Press Expo, and SPX, and influenced archives at Bibliothèque nationale de France and Musée de la Bande Dessinée.
The editorial line emphasized authorial control and the graphic novel as art object, reflecting theoretical positions associated with Thierry Groensteen, Paul Gravett, and Scott McCloud. L'Association foregrounded self-publishing traditions related to Zap Comix, Raw, and underground comix while dialoguing with institutions such as Centre Pompidou and Palais de Tokyo. Influences and affinities linked to creators like Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, Robert Crumb, and Will Eisner informed debates about form, pacing, and page architecture, alongside European peers including Hergé, Jacques Tardi, and Moebius. The collective championed experimental layouts, monochrome printing choices akin to classic newspapers like Le Monde and Libération, and distribution strategies contrasting with retail chains such as FNAC and book fairs like Salon du Livre.
Seminal publications included David B.'s "L'Ascension du Haut Mal", Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" (published domestically and internationally), Lewis Trondheim's ZOO series, Joann Sfar collaborations, and the anthology Comix 2000. Other notable series involved Emmanuel Guibert's "Le Photographe", Jean-Christophe Menu's "Plates-bandes", and the "Petite" and "L'Association 16/24" collections which engaged with formats seen in American publishers Drawn & Quarterly and Fantagraphics. Collections and albums intersected with exhibitions and retrospectives at Musée d'Orsay, British Library, and MoMA while translations circulated through publishers such as Pantheon Books, Random House, and Gallimard.
The label published a roster including David B., Lewis Trondheim, Marjane Satrapi, Joann Sfar, Emmanuel Guibert, Jean-Christophe Menu, Mattt Konture, Jacques Tardi (collaborations), Christophe Blain, Riad Sattouf, Marjane Satrapi, Claire Brétécher, and Boulet. International connections extended to Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, Robert Crumb, and Harvey Pekar through dialogues, festivals, and translations. Critics and curators such as Thierry Groensteen, Benoît Peeters, and Paul Gravett often wrote about or curated shows featuring L'Association authors, while institutions like Centre Pompidou and Bibliothèque nationale de France archived materials from its catalogue.
L'Association reshaped perceptions of bande dessinée, contributing to the rise of graphic novels as museum-worthy art and literary objects, echoed in exhibitions at Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, MoMA, and Musée d'Orsay. It impacted publishers including Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Top Shelf, and Fanfare/Ponent Mon, and influenced creators across Europe and North America such as Seth, Chester Brown, Marjane Satrapi, and Chris Ware. Academic inquiry by scholars like Thierry Groensteen, Benoît Peeters, Hillary Chute, and Nicholas Ong examined its role in authorship, seriality, and visual narrative, while festivals including Angoulême and Small Press Expo featured panels and retrospectives. Its approach to small press distribution and collective publishing informed later initiatives like Study Group, Broken Frontier, and independent comic book fairs globally.
Works from the publisher received numerous awards: David B.'s "L'Ascension du Haut Mal" won prizes at Festival d'Angoulême; Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" earned the Angoulême Coup de Coeur and was adapted into a César-winning animated film at César Awards and won the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival. Contributors were recognized by institutions such as Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, Grand Prix de la Ville d'Angoulême, Prix du scénario, and Eisner Awards nominations and wins through English-language editions published by Drawn & Quarterly and Pantheon. Collections entered exhibitions at Centre Pompidou and Tate Modern and were acquired by Bibliothèque nationale de France, British Library, and Museum of Modern Art.
Category:French comics publishers Category:Graphic novel publishers Category:Independent publishing houses