Angoulême 2023: an ever more elitist prize list which crowns avant-garde and radical works

We could expect it.

The divide between mainstream comics and the prizes awarded in Angoulême continues to grow.

For the 50th edition, we would have hoped for a jump.

At the start of the festival, the election of the Grand Prix de la ville at Riad Sattouf gave some hope.

The creator of the series

symbolized an elegant bridge between a demanding author's comic strip and the greatest number (more than one and a half million albums sold).

This 2023 list, on the contrary, affirms the jury's desire to move away from popular comics.

No more comic book heroes with a big heart from Tintin to Gaston via Bécassine, Natacha, Yoko Tsuno, Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Buck Danny, Blueberry or Spirou (when Dupuis is celebrating his centenary in an exhibition titled

).

No more humorous comics with a drawing stamped "big nose".

Read alsoRiad Sattouf wins the Grand Prix of the Angoulême Comics Festival: “It was unthinkable!”

Gone are the adventure series and other twirling sagas with realistic design: welcome to the avant-garde, to dark, radical, committed, introspective albums whose graphic readability or formal beauty is no longer a major concern.

In addition to the absence of Franco-Belgian comics and major publishers such as Dargaud, Casterman, Dupuis, Delcourt, Albin Michel or Le Lombard, (which emerge on the edge of the awards), we have especially seen the manga rewarded, and especially the victory of a publisher who has an incredible flair, Serge Ewenczyk of Cà et Là editions, publisher of

, who won three major prizes this year, including the Fauve d'or for the best comics.

The 50th edition of the Angoulême festival gave pride of place to manga.

And, as in recent years, to independent creation.

YOHAN BONNET, AFP

In the theater of Angoulême, the electric atmosphere was also at its peak during this award ceremony.

The members of the jury crowned

, by the Swiss author Martin Panchaud, an avant-garde album, all round and square, between the abstraction of a Kandinsky and the formal audacity of a Chris Ware.

Only Les Fauves jeunesse, that of the Youth Grand Jury given to

, by Quentin Zuttion, as well as

, by Leonie Bischoff and Bathleen Karr, escape this experimental research, to favor a narrative and very romantic characters.

Unfortunately, we regret that the jury missed out on the crowning achievement of

, a sumptuous album by Jean-Marc Rochette, at a time when, shocked by the Bastien Vivès affair, the author of the famous

had declared that he wanted to distance himself from the world of comics, and end his career.

We feel it, this radical and elitist list confirms the retirement of some and the rise of a new comic strip from small independent publishers.

Place for young people…

The full list

Fauve d'Or - Best Album Award

The Color of Things,

by Martin Panchaud, Editions Here and There.

Fauve d'Angoulême - Special Jury Prize

Animan,

by Anouk Ricard, Editions Exemplaire.

Fauve d'Angoulême - Revelation Prize

A Rainette in autumn (and more…),

by Linnea Sterte - Translation by Astrid Boitel, Les Éditions de la Cerise.

Fauve d'Angoulême - Prize for the series

Blood Ties T.11,

Shuzo Oshimi - Translation by Sébastien Ludmann, Éditions Ki-oon.

Fauve d'Angoulême - France Télévisions Audience Award

Naphtaline,

by Sole Otero - Translation by Éloïse de la Maison, Éditions Çà et Là.

Fawn of the High School Students

Khat,

by Ximo Abadía – Translation by Anne Calmels and David Schalvelzon, Éditions La Joie de lire.

Fauve d'Angoulême - Heritage Prize

Flowers of Stone,

by Hisashi Sakaguchi - Translation by Ilan Nguyen, Revival Editions.

Fauve Polar SNCF

Hound Dog,

by Nicolas Pegon, Editions Denoël Graphic.

Eco-Fauve Raja Award

Under the sun,

by Ana Penyas - Translation by Benoît Mitaine, Actes Sud L'An 2.

Fauve Alternative Comics Prize

Forn de Calç,

collective, Extinció Edicions (Spain).

Special Fauve of the Youth Grand Jury

All Princesses Die After Midnight

, by Quentin Zuttion, Éditions Le Lombard.

Fawn Youth

The Long March of the Turkeys

, by Leonie Bischoff - Bathleen Karr, Rue de Sèvres Editions.

Honor Beasts

Junji Itō.

Ryōichi Ikegami.

Fauve special of the 50th edition

Hajime Isayama.

Philippe Druillet Prize

La Falaise

, Manon Debaye, Sarbacane Editions.

Konishi Prize

Dai Dark - Volume 1

, by Q Hayashida, Translation by Sylvain Chollet, Éditions Soleil.

René Goscinny Prize - Best Screenwriter

Nightmares ex Machina

, by Thierry Smolderen, Drawing by Jorge González, Éditions Dargaud.

René Goscinny Prize - Young Screenwriter Prize

Skin

, by Mieke Versyp, Éditions Çà et Là.