Europe in a Comic Strip

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For the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Cité Internationale de la Bande Dessinée et de l’Image, wanted to take a look back at the history of European construction in comic strips.

The thirteen comic strip pages that form this exhibition highlight key events in the history of the European Union.

From the first declaration by Robert Schuman in the Clock Room at the French Foreign Ministry on 9 May 1950, to the first European rocket launch into space, and the recent agreement on the Recovery plan for Europe in July 2020, “Europe in a Comic Strip” will show you the great moments that have built the Europe that we know today.

The exhibition will be installed on the bars of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, at the 37 quai d’Orsay, starting May 6th.

After a stint in cinema, Kokopello infiltrated the 2017 presidential campaign with his sketch book, alongside activists from the various political parties. Later, he acquired a pass that allowed him to freely move around the corridors of the National Assembly, sketching the daily lives of the MPs in comic strips. In 2021, the Dargaud Le Seuil publishing house published his first comic book, Palais Bourbon: les coulisses de l’Assemblée nationale (“Palais Bourbon: behind the scenes at the National Assembly”).

Mathieu Sapin, an author and illustrator of comic books, creates illustrated reports (such as Campagne présidentielle and Comédie française) where he questions the notion of power and writes stories for young people with other authors (Akissi with Marguerite Abouet and Sardine de l’espace with Emmanuel Guibert). He has even created his own superhero: Supermurgeman! (In French, “murge” means a drinking session!) He has also directed a comedy on the world of politics called Le Poulain (“The Protégé”).

Colourist Clémence Sapin.

Pictures on Flickr-