The idea is not new. Read comics to follow in newspapers .... It even proved itself before the arrival of the Internet, from Pilot to Follow through L'Échos des Savanes , Métal Hurlant , Circus , or Pif gadget. .. These times are almost over, even if Spirou, Fluide glacial, Topo, Pandora, La Revue dessinée or DBD are still resisting. Yet in these times of forced confinement, the idea of relaunching an online comic book magazine gained ground at Hachette. What if we published a comic book magazine that would flip through comic series every week on the Internet and social networks?
With "Rhum heritage", the tandem Roulot and Guerrero sign a dense and ambitious family epic, where the history of rum and slavery are intimately linked. Robinson © Hachette 2020
“I have always been passionate about comics, and this since childhood. As a student, I participated in the association "Bande desired" which published the fanzine Mille sabords! at ESCP, the École supérieure de commerce de Paris, recognizes Céleste Surugue, managing director at Hachette Collections. What prompted me to react was the fact of constantly listening on the radio and on the continuous news channels of journalists praising Netflix. I told myself that it was not just platforms and television in life. I have a great love for the comic medium. And right now, it connects comics ... And it also rereads! That's how I came up with the idea of launching Robinson , a digital comic book magazine that will publish five albums from our catalog, as well as other unpublished stories ... ”
A magazine with exoticism and adventures
It is amusing to note that in these times of confinement, where the French (like the others) find themselves isolated in their accommodation as on a desert island, learning a certain solitude, this magazine carrying exoticism and of adventure on the high seas, was baptized Robinson . It was Daniel Defoe who would have been happy with the paradox: that Robinson Crusoe, paragon of the western survivor believing in progress and resilience after sinking, could allow today's confined people to "escape from their island" thanks to comics.
But it must also be remembered that this new digital magazine takes its name from the venerable BD Robinson periodical , created in 1936 by Opera Mundi, in partnership with Hachette editions. "It was a popular children's illustrated book at the time, whose motto was" The weekly magazine for young people of all ages "," says Céleste Surugue. It contained American comic strips, but also unpublished French novels published in episodes. It is Robinson magazine which popularized heroes in France like Flash Gordon , Mandrake , or Popeye . It was read with passion by the young Albert Uderzo and a whole generation of readers who thus discovered comics ... ”
Béja's very refined style does wonders in this comic strip adaptation of the "Club des cinq". Béja and Nataël Le Club des Cinq published by Hachette 2020
Almost 80 years after its last issue, Robinson is now reborn digitally in a new form and revives his heritage: adventure, exploring new territories, and publishing comics for young people of all ages...
From Robinson's first issue , we can follow major sagas such as Rhum Heritage by Roulot and Guerrero, La Maison des Fragrances by Corbeyran, Mot and Kowalski, or a historical comic like Les Guerres d'Albert Einstein by François de Closets, Corbeyran and Chabbert.
We can also read the excellent comic adaptation of the Treasure of the Island , an adventure of the Club of the five of Enid Blyton concocted by the tandem Béja and Nataël.
Funny, quirky, often hilarious, Jean-Yves Ferri publishes daily drawings made on Post-it on what inspires him the health crisis crossed by France. Jean-Yves Ferri, Hachette 2020 editions
"We have also included in this digital magazine the" confined post-it notes "by Jean-Yves Ferri, the screenwriter and designer taking over from Asterix, which I find particularly funny ," concludes Surugue. In the next issues, we will pre -publish the Covid-19 Journal of the designer Védécé, who distinguished himself a few years ago by publishing a collection of his memories of medical student entitled Vie de rifle. Védécé therefore continues his chronicle in bubbles but this time he talks about his everyday fight against the coronavirus ... »
As it should be, each new Robinson could only be published on one ... Friday. To be continued ... here!