Archives : Chaland

January 1993 is dedicated to Yves Chaland, the master of nostalgia. The “jeune Albert” illustrations are on exhibition at the Salon International de la BD in Angoulême; the escapades of the young prince of malevolent humour will be published in their entirety by Les Humanoïdes Associés, and now Champaka publishes “Les Inachevés”, a boxed set comprising three volumes (“Les Inachevés”, “Bob Fish II, version 1” and “Bob Fish II, version 2”). The special collectors’ edition of “Les Inachevés” (11,350 copies, of which 950 are reserved for France, Belgium and Switzerland) presents the work produced for the second “Bob Fish” and the special-edition album “Spirou et Fantasio” commissioned by Dupuis. Several reasons lay behind Yves Chaland’s decision to set aside those projects in order to concentrate on “Freddy Lombard” and “Jeune Albert”. (For further background, see Jean-Luc Fromental’s preface to “Bob Fish II” and Yann le Pennetier’s preface to “Spirou et Fantasio”.) The material featured in this collection (sketches, character studies, plate drafts) and its sometimes provisional state (some plates are finished, and often prepared for inking) hint strongly at what the finished works would most likely have been: albums of cult status. There are surprises to be found in the various versions. Bob Fish kills, or dies. “Jeune Albert” might never have seen the light of day, or might have become a hero in the style of “Bob Fish.” Chaland was once again ready to trick the unsuspecting reader. “Les Inachevés” brings together the key elements necessary to an understanding of the progression of this most individual of authors. Chaland’s own hesitations are apparent (as in the two versions of the “Bob Fish II” scenario). He was poised between the readers’ expectations of him and his own developing instincts. Not yet thirty years old, he was at the height of his powers. All he had to do was harness those gifts to nurture the creative shoots that had begun to grow (“Jeune Albert” being the first flower). A great work was not too much to hope for. It would have been full of artistry, and also joyful, modern, acutely observant and complex. It would surely have explored, without pedantry, the many winding pathways of the human soul. It was not to be, and intelligent, wise comic art is all the poorer.