The French Association of Comics Critics (ACBD) has announced its longlist for its esteemed 2024 Grand Prix de la Critique (Grand Critic’s Prize). Translated editions of Kate Beaton’s Ducks: Two Years in Oil Sands (Environnement Toxique, translated by Alice Marchand, published by Casterman) and James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, and Jordie Bellaire’s The Nice House on the Lake (translated by Maxime Le Dain, published by Urban Comics) made the list of fifteen works favoured by comics critics in the French-language world. The longlist will be pared down to five finalists on November 18, with the winner announced December 5, 2023.
The Association des Critiques et Journalistes de Bande Dessinée (or Association of Comics Critics and Journalists) – ACBD – is a French-language collective of those who cover comics in the media (print, online, TV, radio etc). Formed in 1984, it has over a hundred members worldwide, predominantly from France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada. Annually it hands out five awards celebrating the medium – including their kids market award (Prix Jeunesse), work from French-Canada (Prix Québécoise), translated work from the English-language (Prix Comics), translated work from across Asia (Prix Asie). Its highest honour is the Grand Prix de la Critique (Grand Critics Prize) which is as old as the organisation itself.
Eagle-eyed readers of our awards coverage these past few weeks will have a bit of déjà vu – both Ducks and The Nice House on the Lake have already received much awards attention and buzz in the French market. A few weeks ago they made the selection for another award – the annual Prix de la BD of French retailer Fnac and France Inter radio station. Interestingly enough, six other titles that made the Fnac-France Inter shortlist also won the favour of the dedicated French-language comics press – one of which is the only other translation in the longlist: Spanish thriller Contrition, by Keko & Carlos Portela (French translation by Alexandra Carrasco).
Another spot is that two of the works are adaptations of novels – L’été des charognes [tr. ‘Carrion Summer’] by Sylvain Bordesoules is based on a 2020 French novel of the same name by Simon Johannin; and Les évaporés [tr. ‘The Evaporated’] by Isao Moutte is based based on a 2015 novel by Thomas B. Reverdy.
LONGLIST FOR THE ACBD GRAND PRIX DE LA CRITIQUE 2024
Note those that appeared in the Fnac-France Inter Prix de BD list have been marked (*)
Ceux qui me touchent [tr. ‘Those Who Touch Me’], by writer Damien Marie & illustrator Laurent Bonneau (Bamboo – Grand Angle) *
Chumbo, by Matthias Lehmann (Casterman) *
Le ciel dans la tête [tr. ‘The Sky’s The Limit’], by writer Antonio Altarriba, artist Sergio Garcia Sanchez, colourist Lola Moral (Denoël Graphic)
Contrition, by Keko & Carlos Portela, Spanish-French translation by Alexandra Carrasco (Denoël Graphic)*
Environnement toxique [tr. ‘Toxic Environment’, original English title: Ducks: Two Years on the Oil Sands], by Kate Beaton, French-translation by Alice Marchand (Casterman)*
L’été des charognes [tr. ‘Carrion Summer’], by Sylvain Bordesoules, based on a 2020 novel by Simon Johannin (Gallimard)
Les évaporés [tr. ‘The Evaporated’], by Isao Moutte, based on a 2015 novel by Thomas B. Reverdy (Sarbacane)
La femme à l’étoile [tr. ‘Woman with a Star’], by Anthony Pastor (Casterman)*
Frontier, by Guillaume Singelin (Rue de Sèvres – Label 619)*
Je suis leur silence [tr. ‘I Am Their Silence’], by Jordi Lafebre (Dargaud)*
Loire, by Etienne Davodeau (Futuropolis)
The Nice House On The Lake (vol 1), by writer James Tynion IV, artist Martinez Alvaro, colorist Jordie Bellaire; French-translation Maxime Le Dain (Urban Comics)*
La petite lumière [tr. ‘The Small Light’], by Grégory Panaccione (Delcourt)
L’université des chèvres [tr. ‘University of Goats’], by Christian Lax (Futuropolis)
Le visage de Pavil [tr. ‘The Face of Pavil’], by Jérémy Perrodeau (2024)
Related
Source link