How can we could tell about JC Menu in a few lines ? Impossible mission, unless to write a giant list of remarkables facts as a biography… Hard to resume Menu’s life and importance in the european contemporary comics field, without falling in the trap to make some long, long list…

Maybe we should just tell that the very young Menu, born in 64 and living in parisian suburbs, created his first comic-book characters and then published his own books (of course, on a one copy “run” !). Then, he graduated an met Stanislas and Mattt Konture and started to show off interest in self-publications, and started many initiatives than influenced a tons of people. You can hardly locate his importance without finding out that back in the days, he was already a locomotive for many authors that were searching for something else to create, for somewhere else to show their creations, for some others publishers to think about when it comes to share works. He also contributed to many magazines from back in the days, where he created some benchmarks for a generation (and more !).

Naturally, Menu and his friends decided to start their own publishing structure. It goes through many crazy adventures before alongside David B., Trondheim, Stanislas, Killoffer, Mokeït and Mattt Konture, Menu creates L’Association in 1990, which quickly becomes one of the more interesting, complex, innovative publishing house that ever existed.

Menu was one of the first major players in the field to show interest to comic art criticism, as some anger to big publishers that quickly understood that this indy scene had things to say, and even more, books to sale. Often imitated, never equalled, L’Association just created some space and light where nobody didn’t mind about before it ; followers are, to this day, plenty, and very few could argue about the opposite…

He was the cofounder of the OuBaPo (the comic-book related experimental deconstructing movement ; he was also its president for years), and later on (in 2011), he became officially “doctor es-bande dessinée”, with the highliest congratulations from the jury, at la Sorbonne, Paris main literature university, with a giant thesis about his own experience being both artist and publisher, two practices from wich he never choose of, and even more, that he see as a complex but natural way of living his own self.

Menu left L’Association, that he cherished for twenty years, after a long intern family-like crisis, but a few months after, he came back in the field with L’Apocalypse, a new inprint he drives on his own : incredible and magnificent books, total freedom of not keeping in the strictly comic-book range, bold choice of stories and authors (from highly acclaimed authors to upcoming unknown artists)… L’Apo is now sleeping for a while but you can tell that the man still got plenty of stuff to accomplish in the little world of progressive comics ; but not only !

After many years of being a fierce and rabid activist, Jean-Christophe Menu is still one of the most important figures of the alternative worldwide scene.

L’Apocalypse : http://www.lapo.fr/

Bibliography :

  • Krollebitches – Souvenirs même pas en bande dessinée (2017, Les Impressions Nouvelles)
  • Lock Groove Comix (2017, Fluide Glacial)
  • Chroquettes (2016, Fluide Glacial)
  • Sainte-Abs (2015, Arbitraire)
  • PFC5 (2015, ChiFouMi)
  • Métamune Comix (2014, L’Apocalypse)
  • La bande dessinée et son double (2011, l’Association)
  • La présidente, Lille 1994 (2010, l’Association, avec Blutch, précédente édition dans Noire est la terre chez Autrement)
  • Lourdes coquilles (2009, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche)
  • Corr&spondance (2009, L’association/Périscopage, collection éprouvette, avec Christian Rosset)
  • Lock groove comix (2008, l’Association, collection Mimolette, 2 vol, 3ème à paraitre)
  • La topographie interne de M. (2007, Les Requins marteaux)
  • Cours de bande dessinée 1997 (2007, l’Association, collection l’Arrière boutique)
  • La marraine des moines (2006, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche)
  • Le vœu (2006, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche, hors commerce)
  • Oupattepo (2005, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche)
  • Oumupo 4 Kid Loco/JC Menu (2005, Ed Ici d’ailleurs, CD)
  • Plates-bandes (2005, l’Association, collection Eprouvette)
  • Mini-mune comix (2003, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche)
  • Mémoire de maîtrise (2003, l’Association, collection l’Arrière boutique)
  • Le livre du mont vérité (2002, l’Association, collection Esperluette)
  • Donjon monster T2 (2001, Delcourt, collection humour de rire, avec Lewis Trondheim)
  • Gnognottes (1999, l’Association, collection Esperluette)
  • Dinozor apokalips (1996, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche)
  • Livret de phamille (1995, l’Association, collection Ciboulette)
  • Omelette (1995, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche)
  • Mune comix#1 à 5 (1993-1995, Cornélius, épuisé)
  • Sélection du Menu’s digest (1992, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche, épuisé)
  • Moins d’un quart de seconde pour vivre (1991, l’Association, collection esperluette, avec Lewis Trondheim)
  • Vert Thépamur#0 et 1 (1990-1994, Automne 67)
  • Meder (1988, Futuropolis, collection Gros nez, réedité à l’Association)
  • Le portrait de Lurie Ginol (1987, Futuropolis, collection X, épuisé)
  • Mort aux chiens (1987, l’Association, collection Patte de mouche, épuisé)
  • Le journal de Lapot (1985, AANAL, épuisé)
  • L’accident de Meder (1985, AANAL, collection Patte de mouche, épuisé)

Collectives/zines :

  • Bento #3 (2018, Radio As Paper)
  • Bédéphile 2 (2016, Bédéphile)
  • Bédéphile 1 (2015, Bédéphile)
  • Rock strips (2009, Flammarion)
  • Mimolette Party (2008, l’Association, collection Mimolette, HC)
  • Tout devient possible (2008, Auto édition)
  • Les colonnes de Gébé (2008, l’Association)
  • Pilote#3, spécial Mai 68 (2008, Dargaud)
  • Toy Comix (2007, l’Association)
  • Cornélius, ou l’art de faire de la mouscaille et du pinaillage (2007, Cornélius/la Ville de Lorient)
  • Tous coupables (2007, éditions du Faciès)
  • The dirty cousin’s GroiXplosion (2007, Périscopage)
  • L’éprouvette#1, 2 et 3 (2005-2007, l’Association)
  • 16 boules de cristal (2005, l’Association, hors commerce)
  • ScrOUBAbble (2005, l’Association, jeu, épuisé)
  • Comix club#1,2 et 9 (2004-2008, Groinge)
  • Fabuleux furieux , hommage à Freak style (2004, Les Requins marteaux)
  • Munographie (2004, Editions de l’an 2, épuisé)
  • Comix mac (2000, Automne 67)
  • Comix 2000 (1999, l’Association)
  • Le pâté de lapin (1999, l’Association)
  • L’association en Egypte (2002, l’Association)
  • Opus#1 à 4 (1997-2005, l’Association)
  • La monstrueuse#1 et 3 (1996, Chacal puant)
  • Fusée , revue de science fiction (1996-2006, Editions Automne 67)
  • Noire est la terre (1996, Autrement, collection Histoires graphiques, épuisé)
  • Jade#1 (1995, Six pieds sous terre)
  • Le retour de dieu (1994, Autrement, collection Histoires graphiques, épuisé)
  • Périphéries (1994, l’Association, épuisé)
  • Lapin#4, 6-35, 37-44 (1993-2011, l’Association)
  • P.L.G#27 (1991, PLG)
  • Réciproquement#16 (1991, Auto édition)
  • Labo (1990, Futuropolis, épuisé)
  • Le banni#2 et 3 (1988, Marcel système)
  • Et Paris ? (1987, Futuropolis, collection X)
  • Psikopat#1-4 (1985, Editions du square)
  • Le petit Psikopat illustré#10 (1984, Calva)
  • Le lynx à tifs#1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 (1982-1986, AANAL)