Georges Pichard (; 17 January 1920 – 6 June 2003) was a French comics artist, known for numerous magazine covers, serial publications and albums, stereotypically featuring voluptuous, partially exposed women.
Biography
A native of Paris, he was educated at the École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d'art, and after World War II worked as illustrator in advertising before publishing his first cartoon strip in La Semaine de Suzette in 1956, featuring a "girl next-door" character named Miss Mimi.
In the early 1960s he met Jacques Lob, with whom he collaborated on the superhero parodies Ténébrax and Submerman. Ténébrax was first published in the short-lived Franco-Belgian comics magazine Chouchou, and continued its serial run in Italian magazine Linus. In 1967, Submerman was serialised in Pilote magazine, but after a few years Pichard left the family friendly comics genre entirely.
Having collaborated with Danie Dubos on the more daring Lolly-strip which was serialised in Le Rire in 1966, Pichard and Lob began work within the erotic genre of comics as Blanche Épiphanie started serial publication in V Magazine in 1967. There was significant public reaction as this character acted outside the moral boundaries of the times, and at one point emulated Jane Fonda by going to Vietnam. This period saw Pichard develop his style of shaping his female heroines into tall, well-endowed women with excessive eyeliner make-up to create a gothic appearance.
Pichard continued to push the moral boundaries when he collaborated with Georges Wolinski to create a yet more controversial series featuring an eponymous character, Paulette, which began serial publication in Charlie Mensuel in 1970. This development became a target of right-wing politicians of that period, Jean Royer and Michel Debré. Continuing in this genre, Pichard reunited with Danie Dubos to produce Caroline Choléra which was serialised in L'Écho des savanes in 1975. Upon the publication in 1977 of Marie-Gabrielle de Saint-Eutrope, a work almost entirely devoted to sexualized sadism, the explicit nature of Pichard's work led to a ban from bookshops and kiosks.
Less scrutinized for its erotic emphasis are the collaborations Pichard did with science-fiction author Jean-Pierre Andrevon, La Reserve and Édouard from 1974 and Ceux–là from 1977, published in Charlie Mensuel.
Toward the end of his life, Pichard adapted classic erotic stories such as Les Exploits d'un jeune Don Juan by Guillaume Apollinaire, The Kama-Sutra by Vatsyayana, Trois filles de leur mère by Pierre Louÿs, La Religieuse by Denis Diderot and Germinal by Émile Zola.
Bibliography Title Year Vol. Editor Remarks Ténébrax 1963 Serg written by Jacques Lob Submerman 1967 6 Glénat written by Jacques Lob Lolly-strip 1972 Losfeld written by Danie Dubos Blanche Epiphanie 1972 6 Serg/Dargaud written by Jacques Lob Paulette 1971 7 Le Square/Dargaud written by Georges Wolinski Ulysse 1974 2 Dargaud written by Jacques Lob James du Tiers Bond -Ah! ça ira Sahara 1975 ABC written by Françoise Prévost Caroline Choléra 1975 2 Editions du Fromage written by Danie Dubos Marie-Gabrielle de Saint-Eutrope 1977 2 Glénat Édouard + La Réserve 1978 Le Square written by Jean-Pierre Andrevon L'usine 1979 2 Glénat Ceux–là 1980 2 Le Square written by Jean-Pierre Andrevon Les manufacturées 1980 Le Square written by Faraldo Carmen 1981 Albin Michel written by Prosper Mérimée Bornéo Jo 1983 2 Albin Michel written by Danie Dubos La Comtesse rouge 1985 Editions Dominique Leroy written by Léopold Sacher-Masoch Les Sorcières de Thessalie 1985 2 Glénat written by Apuleius La fleur de lotus 1987 Albin Michel from Jin Ping Mei Marlène et Jupiter 1988 Yes Company Madoline 1990 2 CAP Les Exploits d'un Don Juan 1991 Albin Michel written by Guillaume Apollinaire Le Kama Soutra 1991 Curiosa written by Vatsyayana Trois filles de leur mère 1992 Curiosa written by Pierre Louÿs La voie du repentir 1992 CAP La religieuse 1992 Création Art Presse written by Denis Diderot Germinal 1992 Magic Strip written by Émile Zola La perfection chrétienne 2013 Glénat
Footnotes
Sources
Georges Pichard publications in Pilote, Charlie Mensuel, L'Écho des Savanes and Circus BDoubliées Georges Pichard albums Bedetheque
External links Georges Pichard biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia