SelfMadeHero is delighted to announce the publication of JOSEPHINE BAKER, a new graphic biography by Catel Muller and Jose-Louis Bocquet.
Written and drawn by the creators of the acclaimed Kiki de Montparnasse, this is breezy, mammoth 568-page graphic novel on the life of of the pioneering dancer, French Resistance fighter and civil rights campaigner. With over 100 pages of supplementary background material (translated by Mercedes Gilliom), it is among the most comprehensive biographies of its subject.
Working on this book was an enlightening and tumultuous experience, and I spill some beans about that process in the most recent episode of the monthly Eurocomics podcast at The Comics Alternative. Catel Muller pulls off some first-rate cartooning, capturing the essence of the volatile Josephine in motion, while maintaining admirable clarity as the chronicle of the superstar’s life sweeps through every era of the 20th century. Smash Pages: The Comics Super-Blog, ran a fascinating interview I translated with the creators, where they share stories of their hopes for the book, how it got started, and the extensive visual research they did.