Secret History: Charley's War – The French Connection

Delirium publisher launched such a massive marketing campaign, Charley’s War even received an excellent review on the French Ministry of Defence website.

Welcome to my Secret History of Comics: my new book serialised on Substack. The first section was on Marshal Law: now it’s all about Charley’s War.

If you’re joining me for the first time, you can read the intro to the Secret History here, it’s available for everyone, and so is the intro to Charley’s War.

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French publisher Delirium’s publicity for Charley’s War at Angoulême 2014

The French editions of the Titan versions of Charley, La Grande Guerre de Charlie (22 Euros, Delirium), have sold phenomenally well, possibly better than the British editions, and the reasons are worth exploring.

Firstly, there’s the French passionate interest in the Great War when their country was invaded, and appreciation of great art. So the series was listed as noteworthy at Angouleme international comic convention and also recommended by the prestigious magazine Science and Vie : Guerres & Histoire.  

Secondly, the Delirium publisher Laurent Lerner launched a massive marketing campaign, so that I was signing endless copies in Paris bookshops and elsewhere in France, talking about the series to national magazines and newspapers, attending various French conventions during the centenary years, visiting the battlefields, meeting and interviewing Tardi – the incredible French artist who is the Gallic equivalent of Joe, and in 2014 I took part in a major exhibition of Joe’s Charley’s War art at the Museum of the Great War in Meaux, which is the equivalent of the Imperial War Museum in London.

Charley’s War even received an excellent review on the French Ministry of Defence website.

On this side of the Channel, Sandhurst has been a bit quiet.