Les Beaux Étés
Comic book characters who lead mundane lives, with designs by Jordi Lafebre.
Les Beaux Étés is a series of seven comic books (BD or bandes dessinées in French) featuring an ordinary family whose members work hard all year in order to pay for their summer holidays. Pierre (R) and Mado (D) are the parents, with their children Julie-Jolie, Nicolas, Louis and Pépète appearing on the four Jacks (V). They and their family car, a Renault 4L Rouge Esterel, are depicted on the Jokers. There is repetition of design on the kings and queens, with merely a change of clothing colour on each suit. For the books, Zidrou (b.1962) provided the stories while Jordi Lafebre (b.1979) created the coloured images.
Above: 'Les Beaux Étés' playing cards published by Editions Dargaud, Paris, France, 2017. 52 cards + 2 (identical) Jokers in tuck box. Size: 55 x 84 mm. © Zidrou – Jordi Lafebre / Dargaud Benelux 2017. The box looks the same front and back.
• See the box►
By Roddy Somerville
France • Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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