Jean-Pierre Gibra is a French comics author and illustrator.
Born April 14, 1954 in Paris. In the 70s, he received a bachelor's degree in philosophy, then studied graphic design and worked in advertising for a while. Only in the second half of the 70s he devoted himself to the fine arts.
Gibra has always had an active interest in history, and this is reflected in the themes of his comics. In 1977, the magazine Pilote published his first works in collaboration with Jacques Berroyer. Their creative tandem lasted until 1985. Gibre's most famous works are "Respite" and "Flight of the Raven". Both comics are set in Paris during the Nazi occupation. In 2014, Gibra completed the Matteo cycle dedicated to the First World War.
The farther a person is from a historical event, the less significant the day becomes, torn from the calendar grid. The time frame of the Second World War is known to every student. Inside the universal drama, separate beacons of the most significant dates are blazing. And we, traveling between these points, completely lose sight of the fact that the tragedy of one person is in no way tied to a common chronology. It is we who live here and now who know that the landing in Normandy will eventually lead to the liberation of France. But for the inhabitants of Paris, captured by Nazi Germany, that news was just a ray of hope. Hope that the nightmare will end soon. However, until "soon" still need to live. And it’s completely unbelievable when, during a search, weapons and forged documents are found in your apartment. It was in this situation that Jeanne found herself - the main character of the comic book (well, well, "drawn tape", before us is still a representative of BD) by Jean-Pierre Gibre "Flight of the Raven".
However, everything is not as gloomy as it seems at first glance. Together with the girl, the charming thief Francois turns out to be behind bars, to whom everything that happens around seems like a funny adventure. He managed to get out and not from such troubles. Moreover, here is a wonderful opportunity to play gallant knight. Yes, the views on war and peace of a young member of the Resistance and a thief are not exactly the same, but feelings are usually in the irrational area, and they do not care about any manifestation of logic. Love is born contrary to ideological convictions. After all, no matter how calm the hometown may seem, the war is still walking along its streets, howling warning signals at the next airstrike. At such moments, the manifestation of simple human care seems to be something out of the ordinary. And for these moments you can forgive a lot, because they give much-needed faith in a person.
Actually, faith becomes the main theme of the book. Vera gives Jeanne the strength to search for her sister, who, most likely, ended up in the hands of the Nazis after a treacherous denunciation. François's belief that almost all mistakes can be corrected turns him from a petty thief, shrouded in a light veil of romance, into a hero capable of self-sacrifice. And only thanks to faith, the heroes of the comic book, who survived the war, are trying to weave their names into the post-war history. After all, the war does not end at the snap of a finger with the signing of an act of surrender. It doesn't even end with the last buried soldier. Nightmares that once appeared in daylight still have their power at night. Yes, and too much turned out to be broken and destroyed, and the construction of a new post-war world requires strength, which our heroes almost did not have left. The desire to survive at any cost inevitably digs into the question “for what?”
Indeed, while the war was going on, Jeanne and her fellow Resistance members had a definite purpose. Everything was divided into “alien” and “ours”, and in such a polar version the world was quite simple, albeit dangerous. The appearance in the life of the girl Francois with his ideas of non-intervention and the principles of life for himself somewhat diluted the existing colors, giving them depth, but left the overall picture of the worldview without much change. "Find a sister, reach victory." A simple mantra, which became the meaning of existence for the next few months. After all, after the victory, Jeanne is waiting for a completely different world. A world where hostility will be forgotten. A world where there is no need to be afraid. A world where everyone can get a piece of personal happiness. Having gone through all the trials, they suffered and deserved it. They became stronger at the break, as Hemingway wrote in the novel A Farewell to Arms.
But this very world has come. And he turned out to be completely different from what he appeared in dreams and fiery conversations. There is still a lot of injustice in him, but the main thing is that there is almost no hope left in him. There, behind the next point on the time axis, behind the next date on the calendar, there is nothing. If earlier a clear sky overhead was enough for happiness, now there is a need for much more. But the world is not yet ready to return to a state of serenity, it has not yet healed the wounds left by the war. And hardly ever will. At a time like this, you need a loved one. True, life sets its own rules, which, according to Gibre, obey the bizarre laws of karma. Yes, at some point it may seem that any, even the biggest mistake, can be corrected. But in fact, its consequences will overtake the heroes at the most inopportune moment, turning a romantic story played out in military scenery into a serious local drama.
However, Zhibra is merciful to his characters and the reader. Understanding and feeling the pain and fear that Jeanne and Francois had to endure, he leaves them a grain of hope. Not much, but it turns out to be enough for a spark to ignite a new belief that everything can still end well. Yes, there are not so many chances for a happy ending, but it doesn’t matter anymore. The reader himself finishes the fabulous ending to the story. The ending that both the characters and the reader deserve. And here, for sure, "no one will leave offended."
This article was sponsored by Yasmin Abuzid
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