On November 13, 2024, a docu-BD devoted to “The Great History of FC Nantes”, published by Petit-à-Petit and which brings together 21 cartoonists, will be released in all good bookstores.
It all starts from a meeting. The La Maison Jaune association contacted Olivier Petit, comic book publisher, to offer him the creation of a comic book about FC Nantes. Editions Petit-à-Petit, house of the publisher in question, specialize in the production of docu-BDs, works which alternate educational pages and comic strips.
A comic book on the history of FC Nantes
So why not a docu-BD on FC Nantes? The story of the Nantes club, often little known, deserves to be told in this unique medium. Eighteen chapters are not too many to cover eighty years of history.
Thus from the first pages we find ourselves plunged into the dark hours of the Occupation where a few men sitting at a table in a bistro defy the curfew to found a football club. Thierry Jollet and Laurine Lestrat give us the privilege of witnessing this founding moment.
The second chapter jumps back seventeen years to witness, under the pencil of Bruno Bazile and the colors of Robin Millet, the arrival of José Arribas within a club which seems to drag on in the second division. Despite some difficult situations, the new coach will impose his ideas and revolutionize Nantes football.
Then came the first titles, those of 1965 and 1966 when FC Nantes reached the summits of French football with Jacky Simon and Philippe Gondet. The drawing of Thomas Balard and the colors of Laurine Lestrat look back on these great moments. And then came Henri Michel, the greatest player in the history of FC Nantes, magnificently drawn by Laurent Seigneuret and colored by Joël Odone.
A ball, a pencil
The following pages, designed by Jocelyn Bodin and Joël Odone, return to the genesis of the training center, a true keystone in the history of FC Nantes initiated by two builders, Louis Fonteneau and Robert Budzynski. The first fruits of the training matured during the Jean Vincent era, who came to replace José Arribas and continue his work by winning new titles and especially the Coupe de France which had until then eluded the Nantes club. Rich hours captured in images by Yves Magne.
Between two epics, Wyllow and Robin Millet bring to life a beautiful story told by Jean Vincent, where it is about sand, Africa and invincibility. And then Nantes begins to dream of the European Cup. Jack Domon picks up his pencil to recount the Canaries’ first continental epic, which will take them to the semi-finals all the way to Valencia where a certain Mario Kempes was waiting for them.
Little by little, if we dare say so, we arrive at the Jean-Claude Suaudeau era with his two magnificent titles won twelve years apart, that of 1983 sketched by Anthony Cocain and that of 1995 illustrated by Baptiste Tanguy . In the meantime, the club moved from Marcel-Saupin to the Beaujoire stadium, a discovery by Jack Domon, yes, him again.
We then move to the 21st century to see Raynald Denoueix’s kids conquer an eighth star under the amused pencil of Fred Coicault and the bright colors of Joël Odone. Captain Mickaël Landreau is then the subject of a few panels where Sophie and Jean-Marie Michaud seek to unravel the secret of the man who stopped penalties.
From Brittany to Vendée
Then came the more difficult years when the club fell to the second division for the first time, before rising again a few years later. Antoine Tassel recreates the special atmosphere of this era, where the supporters never gave up on their team. These supporters are then the subject of another comic strip signed Mathieu Gaudin and Laurine Lestrat.
In the meantime, Jean-Marie and Sophie Michaud return to the tragic story of Emiliano Sala, the stadium’s new idol who disappeared at sea when he had just been transferred to a Welsh club. The 2022 Coupe de France brings balm to the hearts of the people of Nantes who have not experienced such joy for more than twenty years. An epic told through the story of coach Antoine Kombouaré, drawn by Rachid Nawa and colored by Maxime Germain. The book ends with the emergence of the FCN women’s team which reached the national elite under the pencil of Marty Planchais and Laurine Lestrat.
The educational pages which alternate with the comic strips give many additional elements on the history of the club and the men who shaped it. The texts are written with love by the La Maison Jaune team. The album design is by Franck Dugast and the cover is by Maxime Germain. Great teamwork with which coach Olivier Petit can be satisfied.
- “The great history of FC Nantes – The Nantaise game” (Petit-à-Petit editions 2024). 120 pages. 190x260mm. €19.90. Available in all good book libraries and on the Petit-à-Petit editions website.
