View source for Lewis Trondheim

{{Short description|French cartoonist}}
{{Infobox comics creator
| image         = FIBD2015LewisTrondheim.jpg
| imagesize     = 
| caption       = Lewis Trondheim in 2015
| birth_name    = Laurent Chabosy
| birth_place      = [[Fontainebleau]], France
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| nationality   = French
| art           = y
| write         = y
| alias         = Frantico
| notable works = ''[[The Spiffy Adventures of McConey|Les formidables aventures de Lapinot]]''<br/>''[[Dungeon (comics)|Donjon]]''
| awards        = [[#Awards|full list]]
| website       = 
| birth_date={{Birth date and age|1964|12|11}}
}}
'''Laurent Chabosy''' ({{IPA|fr|ʃabɔzi|lang}}; born 11 December 1964),<ref>{{cite news |lang=fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/municipales/article/2014/02/27/lewis-trondheim-genie-grognon-de-la-bd_4373916_1828682.html |title=Lewis Trondheim, génie grognon de la BD |first=Frédéric |last=Potet |work=[[Le Monde]] |date=27 February 2014 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> better known as '''Lewis Trondheim''' ({{IPA|fr|lewis tʁɔ̃dɛm}}), is a French [[cartoonist]] and one of the founders (in 1990) of the independent publisher [[L'Association]]. Both his silent comic ''La Mouche'' and [[Kaput and Zösky]] have been made into animated cartoons.

A figure in [[Franco-Belgian comics]] whose career began in the early 1990s, Trondheim is mostly known as the author of ''Les formidables aventures de Lapinot'' (translated to English as ''[[The Spiffy Adventures of McConey]]'') and the co-creator of [[comic fantasy]] series ''[[Dungeon (comics)|Dungeon]]'' with [[Joann Sfar]], as well as his autobiographical series ''Les petits riens'' (translated to English as ''Little Nothings'').

As an artist, Trondheim is known for his "potato-shaped" characters and [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] animals, in a [[Minimalism|minimalistic]] style reminiscent of ''[[ligne claire]]''.<ref>{{cite web |lang=fr |url=https://www.du9.org/dossier/trondheim-avant-les-carottes/ |title=Trondheim avant les Carottes |first=David |last=Turgeon |website=du9.org |date=March 2008 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref><ref name="RadioFrance">{{cite news |lang=fr |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/les-nuits-de-france-culture/lewis-trondheim-j-ai-un-systeme-de-dessin-tres-minimaliste-et-animalier-un-peu-comme-disney-mais-encore-plus-simple-et-plus-pour-adulte-9446001 |title=Lewis Trondheim : "J'ai un système de dessin très minimaliste et animalier un peu comme Disney mais encore plus simple, et plus pour adulte" |work=[[France Culture]] |date=4 July 2020 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> His works often feature witty dialogue and characters in surreal or [[darkly humorous]] situations, where comedy may [[Tragicomedy|intertwine]] with tragedy. Working with several genres such as fantasy, the supernatural, experimental, autobiographical, or children's stories, Trondheim has contributed to than 150 books, both as an artist and a writer.<ref name="RadioFrance" /><ref>{{cite news |lang=fr |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/culture/les-25-ans-d-autobiographie-de-lewis-trondheim-13-04-2018-2210372_3.php |title=Les 25 ans d'autobiographie de Lewis Trondheim |publisher=[[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] via [[Le Point]] |date=13 April 2018 |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Debut and rise to fame===
Lewis Trondheim was first known as the author of ''Les formidables aventures de Lapinot''. He invented the character in the late 1980s as a way to learn cartooning. The result was an initial 500 page graphic novel, ''Lapinot et les carottes de Patagonie''. All the while, he was publishing short stories for the satirical French magazine ''Psikopat''.

After his book ''Slaloms'' was awarded what was then called the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for First Comic Book|Alph'Art Coup de coeur]] (First comic book prize) in 1993, Trondheim was offered to bring his burgeoning series to a major publisher, [[Dargaud]], while he continued churning out more personal books for [[L'Association]] and other independent French publishers such as Cornélius. From there onwards, Trondheim began to enjoy a steady rise in popularity.

The following years represented a period of increasing activity, as Trondheim began to work on many different projects. He first created ''La Mouche'' ("The Fly") for the Japanese market, and then redrew a French version from scratch, after which the character was adapted as an [[Fly Tales|animated cartoon]].

Trondheim's greatest breakthrough after ''Lapinot'' is arguably ''Dungeon'' (in French, ''Donjon''), an ambitious series which he created with [[Joann Sfar]], and which has enjoyed a fair amount of popular success.

==="Retirement" and online projects===
In 2004, after a long and intensive period during which he steadily released new books at a frantic pace, Lewis Trondheim announced he was more or less retiring from the world of comic strips, stating he did not want his passion to become a "job". He did draw and write a few stories within the following year, including a book reflecting on his decision to slow down, though the releases occurred at a much slower pace.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

At that time, in 2005, Trondheim began ''[[Le blog de Frantico]]'', which was a [[blog BD]] (French [[webcomic]] in [[blog]] format) published daily on the web for a whole year under the pseudonym Frantico. The webcomic was presented as an autobiographical work, chronicling the daily life of a single 30-year-old graphic designer and aspiring cartoonist, living in Paris. In interviews and on his web sites, Trondheim alternately admitted and denied having written ''Le blog de Frantico'', while graphic designer [[Sébastien Lesage]] stepped up and claimed to be the real author, saying he had asked Trondheim to help him maintain the mystery. Trondheim went on and authored other webcomics under the alias Frantico, such as ''Nico Shark'' and ''Mega Krav Maga''. The true identity of Frantico remained a subject of speculation until a retrospective [[exhibition]] in 2020 confirmed Trondheim as the author of ''Le blog de Frantico''.<ref>{{cite web |lang=fr |url=http://www.citebd.org/spip.php?article10167 |title=Lewis Trondheim fait des histoires |publisher=[[:fr:Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image|Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l'image]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304053605/http://www.citebd.org/spip.php?article10167 |archive-date=4 March 2020 |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |lang=fr |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/evenement/exposition-lewis-trondheim-fait-des-histoires-a-angouleme-1609776 |title=Exposition "Lewis Trondheim fait des histoires" à Angoulême |work=France Culture |date=14 January 2020 |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref>

Another recent Trondheim occupation{{When|date=October 2024}} is that of editorial director at [[Delcourt (publisher)|Delcourt]], where he manages Shampooing, a [[Collection (publishing)|collection]] of comic books for young readers.

In 2006, Trondheim was awarded the [[Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême]] at the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival]], one of the most prestigious awards in the field. That same year, Trondheim began the autobiographical webcomic ''Les Petits Riens'' (''Little Nothings''), published on his personal website, in line with his earlier works ''Approximativement'' and ''Carnets de bord''.<ref>{{cite news |lang=fr |url=https://www.tdg.ch/lewis-trondheim-un-ton-unique-et-des-petits-riens-incontournables-884446408987 |title=Lewis Trondheim? Un ton unique et des "Petits Riens" incontournables |last=Muri |first=Philippe |work=[[Tribune de Genève]] |date=11 May 2018 |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref> ''Les Petits Riens'' was eventually published as books by Delcourt, in Trondheim's own collection Shampooing; as of 2024, the series counts nine volumes.

===Recent works===
Beginning in the late 2000s, Trondheim worked as a writer for several graphic novels and comics, such as ''Célébritiz'' with artist [[Ville Ranta]], ''Omni-visibilis'' and ''Wichitas'' with artist [[Matthieu Bonhomme]]. He also stepped down from his role as artist on the series ''Donjon Zénith'', to work as a writer along with Joann Sfar, while [[Boulet (comics)|Boulet]] took over as artist.

In 2011, Trondheim began a new fantasy series ''Ralph Azham'', which as of 2024, counts ten volumes.

In 2016, he began the science fiction comics series ''Infinity 8'', initially published in a format inspired by [[American comic books]], with Trondheim working as a writer in collaboration with other writers and artists.

==Personal life==
Trondheim explained his choice of [[pseudonym]] after the Norwegian city of [[Trondheim]] as follows: "As a last name I wanted to use a city's name, but Lewis [[Bordeaux]] or Lewis [[Toulouse]] didn't sound so good. Then I thought about this city, Trondheim… Maybe someday I will publish a book under my real name, in order to remain anonymous."<ref>Translated from [http://www.reprodukt.com/creator_info.php?creators_id=2 Trondheim's presentation page (in German)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709102434/http://www.reprodukt.com/creator_info.php?creators_id=2 |date=2007-07-09 }} on the website of his German publisher</ref>

In 1993, he married Brigitte Findakly, a comics colorist and writer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1005082/bio|title=Lewis Trondheim|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-08-18}}</ref>

==Awards==
* 1994: '''[[Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for First Comic Book|Award for First Comic Book]]''' at the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival]], France
* 1999: 2 nominations for the [[Harvey Award]] for Best American Edition of Foreign Material<ref>[http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_1999nom.html Harvey Awards site, 1999] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928210957/http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_1999nom.html |date=2011-09-28 }}</ref>
* 2000: '''Best German-language Comic—Import''' at the [[Max & Moritz Prizes]], Germany
:: - '''[[Inkpot Award]]''', United States
:: - nomination for the Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material<ref>[http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2000nom.html Harvey Awards site, 2000] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829073717/http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2000nom.html |date=2010-08-29 }}</ref>
:: - nominated for Best Long Comic Strip at the [[Haxtur Award]]s, Spain
* 2001: nomination for the Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material<ref>[http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2001nom.html Harvey Awards site, 2001] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829073729/http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2001nom.html |date=2010-08-29 }}</ref>
:: - nomination for the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival Humour award|Humour Award]] at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
:: - nomination for Outstanding Story at the [[Ignatz Awards]], USA
* 2002: nomination for the Harvey Award for Best Presentation of Foreign Material<ref>[http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2002nom.html Harvey Awards site, 2002] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005125452/http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2002nom.html |date=2008-10-05 }}</ref>
:: - nomination for the [[Former prizes of the Angoulême International Comics Festival|Dialogue Award]] at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
* 2004: '''Best International Series''' at the [[Prix Saint-Michel]], Belgium
:: - nomination for the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for a Series|Series Award]] at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
* 2005: '''Series Award''' at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
:: - nomination for the [[Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Artwork|Prize for Artwork]] at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
* 2006: '''[[Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême]]''', France
* 2007: nominated for the [[Ignatz Awards]] for Outstanding Series
* 2008: nominated for the [[Eisner Award]]s for Best Short Story and Best Lettering<ref>[http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml#nominees Eisner Awards 2008 nominations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010161714/http://comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml |date=2008-10-10 }}</ref>
* 2010: nominated for the Eisner Awards for Best Publication for Kids and [[Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material|Best U.S. Edition of International Material]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_10nom.php#nominees|title=The 2010 Eisner Awards: Eisner nominations|year=2010|publisher=Comic-Con 2010|access-date=9 April 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301060002/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_10nom.php#nominees|archive-date=1 March 2011}}</ref>
:: - nominated for the Award for Best Youth Comic at the Prix Saint-Michel<ref>{{cite web |url=http://files.comicsfestivalbelgium.webnode.com/200000253-199c11a968/Saint-Michel%202010%20Nomin%C3%A9s%20FR.pdf |title=Les nominés 2010 |access-date=2010-09-14}}</ref>
*2016: Rudolph-Dirks-Award for Best Scenario for ''Ralph Azham'' and ''Herr Hase''<ref name=Dirks2016>[http://www.comic.de/2016/12/die-gewinner-des-rudolph-dirks-award-2016/ "Die Gewinner des Rudolph-Dirks-Award 2016"]. December 3, 2016.</ref>

==Bibliography==
Trondheim has written or drawn more than a hundred titles, spanning a large spectrum of genres; some of the most notable are:

* ''[[The Spiffy Adventures of McConey]]'' (''Les formidables aventures de Lapinot''; 10 official volumes), which mix satire and fantasy. The main characters are all animals: for instance McConey is a shy and easygoing rabbit, while Richard is an engaging cat with a loud mouth and a knack for getting into trouble. The stories alternate between modern France and stock historical settings. The recurring characters in the series can be thought of as actors who don't always play the same people, but always play the same type of roles.
* ''[[Dungeon (comics)|Dungeon]]'' (''Donjon''; more than 30 volumes), co-written with [[Joann Sfar]], an extremely ambitious series which attempts to chronicle a [[Dungeons & Dragons]]-like dungeon through three separate epochs.  The tone varies from heroic to comic to rather dark.
* Several children comics, among them: ''Le roi catastrophe'' (8 volumes), drawn by Fabrice Parme, a series about a boy king; ''Monstrueux'' (3 volumes), featuring a young French family resembling Trondheim's, and their pet monster Jean-Christophe; ''[[Kaput and Zösky]]'' (2 volumes), featuring space aliens, which in recent years, has been converted into a [[television program]]; and more recently ''A.L.I.E.E.E.N.'', an "alien children book" Trondheim jokingly claims to have found in a country field while on vacation.
* Collections of short, modern comic strip fables, sometimes starring simplified, potato-shaped characters, the bulk of which has been published by L'Association (''Genèses apocalyptiques'', ''Non, non, non'', ''Le pays des trois sourires'', etc.)
* Autobiographical comics, such as those collected in ''Approximate Continuum Comics'', which later formed his book ''Approximativement''; as well as his more recent ''Carnet de bord'' series (3 volumes).  Newer autobiographical comics are regularly published on his blog under the title ''Les petits riens'' (serialized in English paperback volumes as ''Little Nothings'').
* Various conceptual comics, such as ''Le dormeur'' and ''Psychanalyse'', both of which were created entirely with a single photocopied panel, while ''Bleu'' and ''La nouvelle pornographie'' are both billed as "abstract comic books". After ''Psychanalyse'', Trondheim was challenged by J.C. Menu to write a story with only 4 different panels, drawn by Menu. After some strips, Trondheim asked for four more panels,  and wrote the highly dense comic book, ''Moins d'un quart de seconde pour vivre''. Such [[constrained writing]] achievements, reminiscent of [[OuLiPo]] writers, were a huge incentive for [[Oubapo|OuBaPo]]'s creation.

===English translations===
Two volumes of ''McConey'' have been published in English by [[Fantagraphics]] in editions close to the original. In 2018, [[Dargaud]] also began releasing English translations with the title ''The Marvelous Adventures of McConey'' under the [[Europe Comics]] label. As of April 2018, three volumes have been published.

Fantagraphics has additionally published a range of shorter pieces by Trondheim in the comic ''The Nimrod''. [[NBM Publishing|NBM]] has published ''Dungeon'', both in comic book and graphic novel formats, as well as ''Little Nothings'', a collection of autobiographical one-page vignettes.  English versions of ''A.L.I.E.E.N.'' (retitled ''A.L.I.E.E.E.N.'') and ''Le Roi Catastrophe'' (retitled ''Tiny Tyrant'') have been published by [[First Second Books|First Second]].

The complete Ralph Azham series has been published in four volumes by Super Genius, an imprint of [[Papercutz (publisher)|Papercutz]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lewis Trondheim}}
*[http://www.lewistrondheim.com/ Lewis Trondheim official site] {{in lang|fr}}
*[http://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/trondheim.htm Lewis Trondheim biography] on Lambiek Comiclopedia
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060321200505/http://www.fantagraphics.com/artist/trondheim/trondheim.html Lewis Trondheim biography] at Fantagraphics.com
*[http://www.nbmpub.com/humor/trondheim/dungeon/dungeonhome.html ''Dungeon'' catalogue] NBM Publishing
*[[The Comics Journal]]: [http://tcj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=639&Itemid=48 Interview with Lewis Trondheim] (Long excerpt from TCJ #283)
{{Inkpot Award 2000s}}

{{ACArt}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trondheim, Lewis}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Fontainebleau]]
[[Category:Artists from Île-de-France]]
[[Category:French comics artists]]
[[Category:French comics writers]]
[[Category:French satirists]]
[[Category:French satirical comics writers]]
[[Category:French satirical comics artists]]
[[Category:Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême winners]]
[[Category:French male writers]]