“She laughs, she’s a great audience!» This little sentence is taken from the black-and-white INA TV archive of the Court Circuit show of September 20, 1973 by Marcel Gotlib. He talks about his daughter, aged 4, who was present, laughing and looking mischievous, an interview with her father by Christiane Favrat, a young student with an uninhibited tone.
Half a century later, he is still “laughing at” Ariane! Black hair, jacket and ripped jeans… the Gotlieb girl (with an E, real name Marcel) has a rock and timeless teenage side. The mischievous little glint that flashes in his eyes as soon as we refer to his father’s particular humor is also there to remind us that he can’t lie.
In the office of the edition Fluide Glacial (published monthly by her father in 1975) in Paris, amidst stacks of albums and copies of the magazine “d’Umour et bandesinées” full of excitement, posters, photographs and archives, glasses on the tip of her nose and pen in hand, Ariane continues her dedication “to friends” on a copy of “Gotlib Œuvre complete – 1967”, co-edited by Fluide Glacial and Dargaud for publication this Thursday, November 13…
“Huge job”
“This album is more than a masterpiece! », said Ariane, putting down her pen. “Jean-Louis (Editor’s Note: Jean-Louis Gauthey, comic publisher and screenwriter, close to Gotlib and his daughter since childhood, and publishing director of this complete work) started thinking about it immediately after his father died, ten years ago. There has never been a complete collection of his work in chronological order, only albums of unpublished material that slightly mix all eras and registers.”
What would a man who knew how to self-deprecate well present himself as an emperor, his head crowned with a laurel wreath, think?
“Father would be very proud,” assured Ariane without hesitation. “Of course he was very shy and showed great humility. He only really realized that he occupied an important place in comics history when writers started claiming credit for him, to say how much he had inspired them. And there are a lot of them nowadays. But he would have loved to see his work put together in this way, he said, before adding: I’m very proud of that myself.”
Ariane’s help was invaluable. He still lives at Le Vésinet in Yvelines, not far from his childhood family home, immersing himself in the various archives that still exist there. He also helped Jean-Louis Gauthey in his search, who scoured libraries and museums, contacting gallery owners, collectors or followers on social networks to find as many original and forgotten drawings as possible, in order to include them, sometimes after very careful restoration work, into a 1967 album.
1967, an important year
“We chose that year to start, even though it is not the beginning, because it is a very important year, and the stories published can touch the hearts of many people,” explained Ariane.
There we find the first comic strip by Jujube and Gai-Luron, dogs with English humor, published in the weekly Vaillant. Then the hilarious Dingodossiers by Pilote, for “learning while having fun” covering various subjects such as road signs, the hard life of double films, or how to make your parrot talk… First written by Goscinny and illustrated by Gotlib, a few episodes later would be signed exclusively by Gotlib, with a strange and unusual tone that we would find in 1968, in the famous Rubrique-à-Brac.
“We laughed a lot with him”
But apart from the brilliant comic book writer and publication boss, memories of his father, of course he has many memories. “Don’t expect me to say anything bad about it. In personal life, as in work, dad was really great! I’ve never seen him really angry. I remember, as a child, I went to his workshop and made a mess. They were everywhere. But he never said anything to me. He wasn’t a typical dad. The only time he took me to school, in kindergarten, was when he wore slippers.”
He also remembers a happy group of men, playwrights and designers such as Gossens, Edika, Bretécher, Binet, Alexis and Solé who often met at home. “We laughed a lot with him, he was very cheerful,” recalls Ariane. Sometimes he hides words under my pillow, just for fun… Even if he also has a dark side, related to his family history, he sighed.
Since her father’s death, Ariane has made efforts to keep his memory alive, with publishers but also on social networks with her Facebook and Instagram pages. Three years ago, he launched the Gotlib awards, which annually honor young writers of funny comics. Manu Larcenet, Mo/CDM and François Boucq were the first three winners.
“Gotlib has left its mark for generations, but we are starting to have a generation of young people in their twenties who don’t know about it. My goal is for Gotlib to be discovered or rediscovered so that it is not forgotten, so that it is not lost a second time,” he concluded.
However, by the end of 2025, the goal appears to have been achieved. Gotlib’s spirit will not be extinguished. And, like Ariane, we’re not done having fun turning the pages of her complete works.
Gotlib – Complete works 1967, edition with Dargaud – Fluide Glacial. 240 pages. Price €34.90. Released on Thursday 13 November 2025. Two other volumes will follow in 2026, in 1968 and 1969.
And because good news doesn’t come alone, another album will be released on Wednesday November 19, 2025 by Fluide Glacial. Entitled “Gotlib, life in a comic strip”, or how Marcel became Gotlib, signed Julien Solé (Jean’s son) and Arnaud Le Gouëfflec, with an afterword by Ariane Gotlib. 88 pages. €19.90.
An exhibition of original boards by Julien Solé and Gotlib from 18 December to 17 January at the Huberty et Breyne gallery, 9 rue Chapon, Paris IIIe.
