'Mortelle Adèle': The hit French comic that gets kids reading

FRANCE 24 English

In this edition of Entre Nous, we speak to Diane Le Feyer, the illustrator of "Mortelle Adèle" or "Rebel Adèle". We find out more about the creative process behind this much-loved French comic. Le Feyer tells us how she and Mister Tan collaborate and how she got into the comics business.  A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.  Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Time now for our Entre Nous segment, and today we are going to be telling you about one of

00:05the most beloved graphic novels among children here in France.

00:08Mortel Adèle, or Rebel Adèle, has kept many kids gripped in this country for nearly a

00:13decade.

00:14To talk more about this, we can bring in Diane Lefebvre, who took over as illustrator of

00:19Mortel Adèle.

00:20Thank you so much for joining us on the program today.

00:23What was it like for you taking over as illustrator of this book that is very, very successful

00:28here in France?

00:29Well, first of all, it's like a friendship between myself and the author, Antoine Doll,

00:34aka Mr. Tan, who is the creator of Mortel Adèle.

00:38So he first invented her when he was 14 years old, and since then, it has been like an expanding

00:45story, an expanding universe.

00:47For us, each of us, each of every new project is like a new thing coming up.

00:52It's like a new universe that we develop.

00:55We have the projects, we have comics, we have the magazines, we have the podcasts,

01:00we have music.

01:02Every new project is like a new thing to get ourselves into.

01:08What makes Adèle a rebel?

01:10I think she's her own thing.

01:13She doesn't belong to a group.

01:15She's really herself, and she doesn't need to belong to, you know, to have a specific

01:21pair of sneakers, or she's a little bit rough around the edges.

01:25She speaks her mind, and I think the kids, they enjoy that, to have this kind of freedom

01:29of speaking.

01:30Is that what you think appeals to kids, that she has no holds barred, if you will?

01:39She has her own will.

01:40I think for the kids today, and even when we were kids, the environment and the world

01:46is a very tough place, and as an adult, we always think about childhood like a wonderful

01:52place because we had no bills to pay, but for the kids, it's a hard place to be.

01:57So when you have a character that is very strong-willed, that has the power to say no,

02:03that say it's okay to be you, you are enough, it's okay to have emotions, you matter, it's

02:12a great, I think, yeah, space to exist and to be.

02:18How does it work?

02:19Because now you have taken over as illustrator, Antoine Doll, as you mentioned, who goes

02:26by the alias Mr. Tan, was the brains behind Rebel Adele.

02:30How closely do you guys work together?

02:32We speak to each other on a daily basis, basically we're on the phone or in Zooms or texting

02:38each other, so we're in the middle of a never-ending conversation, really.

02:42So all of the stories and all of the ideas, they come from this place of us talking together.

02:49So tell me, what's Adele's relationship with her parents?

02:54With her parents?

02:55She's like...

02:56She's testy, isn't she?

02:57Yes, it is, but they, well, they made her, so there is a part of them inside of her.

03:05They're rebel inside of themselves, too.

03:07And I think that's the thing that we're also trying to say to parents, because sometimes

03:12parents are like, oh, she's very strong-willed and she has a bit of a temper.

03:17It's OK, you were a kid, too, so remember that time when you were a kid.

03:21So I know that kids like the book.

03:23What about the parents?

03:24The parents, they enjoy the book, too.

03:27As a matter of fact, we receive like letters, like 200 letters per week, basically from

03:32kids and also from their parents.

03:35So yeah.

03:36And it seems that kids in France, not just girls, but boys as well, are hooked on to

03:42Mortel Adele.

03:43Why do you think that is?

03:44I think it's because she's at a very pivotal point between childhood and early teenage

03:50years and the way she is and the way she behaves, it's still at this very magical moment when

03:56you're still a child and you can still have this imagination and fantasy and she can stand

04:03her ground.

04:04And she also has a great sense of humor.

04:07And for the kids, it's very important to have your book and your little thing that you're

04:13discovering and they can, you know, partake that with your parent.

04:16Now, you mentioned that it's more than just this graphic novel, Mortel Adele, but a podcast

04:21and magazine.

04:23Talk to us about those ventures.

04:25We love to develop new projects.

04:29It's always expanding universe.

04:31So what's the podcast about?

04:32The podcast are kids that are asking questions to us and Mortel Adele, we have a comedian

04:38who plays Mortel Adele.

04:40So we receive like everyday questions and we answer on the podcast.

04:45So a kid can say, oh, I'm being bullied at school, for instance.

04:48And what can I do about that?

04:50And we will have a conversation about that.

04:52So and the podcast can be found on Spotify?

04:54It's on Guli app.

04:57Not sure about Spotify.

04:58OK.

04:59Now, Mortel Adele is produced in many languages.

05:02Which languages is it produced in?

05:04Why is it not produced in English?

05:06Well, for the English language, it's I think it's a work in progress right now.

05:10We are, yes, translated into 17 languages.

05:14We have like Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, and many more.

05:21And I think the interesting part is that it's always said that, you know, humor doesn't

05:26translate well.

05:27And yet here we are today with 17 languages, which means more countries, I think.

05:32So there is something going on there.

05:34Like she is a child of the millennium, maybe like she talks to all the kids.

05:40Diane, today, parents struggle with this.

05:43Yes.

05:44Screen, phone addictions.

05:46What's it like to know that you are creating something where which takes kids off of their

05:51screens?

05:52Well, it's very exhilarating for me because when I was a child, I would spend hours reading

05:57books and reading comic books.

05:58So to know that kids can let go of their screen, the screen time and get lost, you know, into

06:05a story, into a great adventure like the one that is out today.

06:10It's just wonderful to think that they are enjoying the reading time on their own.

06:14So what inspired you when you were growing up in terms of graphic novels?

06:19I'm a big lover of everything that is Scrooge and Duck, Donald Duck related.

06:26Don Rosa's and Carl Beck stories are the perfect mix to me for, you know, mysteries, adventures,

06:32wonderful storytelling and great design.

06:34Mafalda also.

06:36Now, Adele, from what I understand, is the colours are very well thought out in the book

06:41and change depending on Adele's different moods.

06:45Was that something that was difficult to come up with?

06:48Well, when I work, everything moves in my head.

06:51Like when I draw her, she's already always, you know, doing something.

06:55And the colours are like music to me.

06:57It's almost like the soundtrack of the drawing that I'm making.

07:00So sometimes you don't need words, you need an atmosphere.

07:04And how old is Adele?

07:05I cannot really say.

07:07Does she age?

07:08She doesn't.

07:09She doesn't age?

07:10No.

07:10And does she keep up with the changing world and changing trends?

07:15Yeah, well, she's not really into a trend, but she is her own thing.

07:20But the funny thing and what I really enjoy doing with Antoine is she always, you know,

07:26take things from her parents from the 80s and create new things with that.

07:30So with like the old game consoles or their own computers.

07:35Or LPs or something.

07:36Yes, she's always creating stuff.

07:38She's a very creative child.

07:40And that's I think that the kids are like, how can she do all of these things?

07:45But is that why people recognise that this girl is fear?

07:49She's a force to be reckoned with.

07:52Yes.

07:52She has this big red hair and she has a bit of a temper.

07:56She has this very intense brow that has been always been there.

08:01Because when Antoine drew her first, when he was 14 years old, she already was drawn like this.

08:08So her face, her whole attitude, the way she is, just kept the same.

08:14Do you have numbers to share with me in terms of approximately how many kids right now are reading it?

08:19In France, we have 20 million books sold.

08:23Yes, 20 million.

08:24That's a lot of zeros.

08:26That's a lot considering that this country has a population of 60 something million.

08:29Yes, it's a lot.

08:32No, but it's great because it means that, you know, the kids still read.

08:36And for us to be authors and to know that our books are in all these bedrooms and they are treasured.

08:43And the kids and the parents are followers.

08:47You know, they commit to the next book that we are going to present to them.

08:52There is one out today called Mortelle Adele sur les traces de Croque-Pote.

08:56And we know that the book has been expected, like they just want to have it.

09:01Anticipation.

09:02Because I have friends who don't have kids and they also know about Mortelle Adele.

09:05So thank you so much, Diane, for coming in and explaining to Mortelle Adele, Rebel Adele to us.

09:12And hopefully soon it'll be out in English, you said?

09:14I hope so. It's in the work in progress.

09:16It's in the works.

09:18So great to have you here on FUN24.

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