KID BROWN (1941)

Beginning today, I will start covering some French-made comics published in the war-time era French comics magazine Gavroche for the next few posts. Gavroche was put out by Editions Renaudot in occupied Paris and lasted for 66 issues between 1940-42, that is in the early years of the Nazi occupation. It was one of the new comics publications which had sprang to fill the void when most of the major comics weeklies (such as Journal de Mickey) with American connection had re-located to the unoccupied southern coast of the country. It was non-political, neither pro-Resistance nor pro-Occupation.

Above scan is from no. 42 (dated Aug. 14th, 1941). The comics on this first page, 'Kid Brown, le champion', features a boxing hero. It was serialized in issues no. 31 thru no. 48. The art is by Niezab ([Gaston Niezabytowski] 1866-1955), who, after a stint at the Paris Opera as a decorator, had taken up a career initially as a magazine illustrator and then, beginning in the 1930s, as a comics artist. After 'Kid Brown' ended, another work of Niezab titled as "Criquet, gamin de Paris" started in Gavroche.
Judging by the above sample, 'Kid Brown' appears to be a rather mediocre work, but the other comics from Gavroche which I will cover in the coming posts are far more interesting, so stay tuned on..