Jacques Tardi (; born 30 August 1946) is a French comic artist. He is often credited solely as Tardi.
Biography Tardi was born on 30 August 1946 in Valence, Drôme. After graduating from the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon and the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris, he started drawing comics in 1969, at the age of 23, in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote, initially illustrating short stories written by Jean Giraud and Serge de Beketch, before creating the political fiction story Rumeur sur le Rouergue from a scenario by Pierre Christin in 1972. Tardi especially gained fame and recognition with his graphic novels about the horror and misery of The First World War, like It Was The War of the Trenches.
In the English language, many of Tardi's books are published by Fantagraphics Books, edited and translated by Fantagraphics' co-founder Kim Thompson.
In 2013, Tardi was nominated as a Chevalier in France's Legion of Honour, the country's highest distinction.Décret du 31 décembre 2012 portant promotion et nomination However, he turned down the distinction, citing that he will "remain a free man and not be held hostage by any power whatsoever."AFP, via Le Figaro: "Jacques Tardi refuse la légion d'honneur", 2 January 2013.
Awards 1974: Grand Prix PhénixBiography at Casterman 1975: Award for Best French Artist at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, France – Grand Prix for Black Humor 1977: Best Foreign Artist at the Prix Saint-Michel, Belgium 1982: Award for best comic by "l'Association 813" at the Festival du Polar in Reims 1985: Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême, France – Knighted in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France 1986: Adamson Award, Sweden 1990: Best German-language Comic/Comic-related Publication at the Max & Moritz Prizes, Germany 1991: Special mention at the Best Promotional Comic Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival 1994: Audience Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival – Best German-language Comic/Comic-related Publication at the Max & Moritz Prizes, Germany 1998: nominated for the Award for Best Comic Book at the Angoulême International Comics Festival 2002: Audience Award and Award for Artwork at the Angoulême International Comics Festival – nominated for the Prix de la critique and the Canal BD Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival 2003: nominated for the Audience Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival 2004: nominated for Best American Edition of Foreign Material at the Harvey Awards, U.S.Harvey Awards official site 2005: nominated for Award for a Series at the Angoulême International Comics Festival 2006: nominated for the Award for Best Comic Book and the Audience Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival 2006: Special Prize for outstanding life's work at the Max & Moritz Prizes, Germany – nominated for the Grand Prix Saint-Michel 2007: nominated for the Grand Prix Saint-Michel 2010: nominated for the Press Prize at the Prix Saint-Michel 2011: winner of two Eisner Awards 2022: winner of Einhard-Preis
Bibliography Scenario and artwork followed by La Fleur au fusil (Casterman, 1974) Le Démon des glaces (with characters by Léo Malet) (Casterman, 1974), (Futuropolis, 1974) (Yellow Submarine, 1979) Déprime (Futuropolis, 1981) (Imagerie Pellerin, 1984), C'était la guerre des tranchées (Casterman, 1993), Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (Casterman, 1976–2022) "Adèle et la bête" (1976), "Le Démon de la tour Eiffel" (1976), "Le Savant fou" (1977), "Momies en folie" (1978), "Le Secret de la salamandre" (1981), "Le Noyé à deux têtes" (1985), "Tous des monstres !" (1994), "Le Mystère des profondeurs" (1998), "Le Labyrinthe infernal" (2007), "Le Bébé des Buttes-Chaumont" (2022). (Casterman, 2008), Moi, René Tardi, Prisonnier de guerre – stalag IIB (Casterman, 2012),
Adaptations , based on novels by Léo Malet (Casterman, 1982–2000) (Casterman, 1982), (Casterman, 1988), Une gueule de bois en plomb (Casterman, 1990), (Casterman, 1996), (Casterman, 2000), Jeux pour mourir based on a novel by Géo-Charles Véran (Casterman, 1992), Le Der des Ders, based on a novel by Didier Daeninckx (Casterman, 1997), , based on a novel by Jean Vautrin (Casterman, 2001–2004) Les canons du 18 mars (2001), L'espoir assassiné (2002), Les heures sanglantes (2003), Le testament des ruines (2004), (Les Humanoïdes Associés, 2005), based on a novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette (Casterman, 2006), based on a novel by Pierre Siniac La Position du tireur couché (Futuropolis, 2010), based on a novel by Manchette (Futuropolis, 2011), based on a novel by Manchette
Artwork (scenario by Pierre Christin) (Gallimard, 1976) (scenario by Philippe Picaret) (Futuropolis, 1977) (scenario by Jean-Patrick Manchette) (Square, then Dargaud, then Casterman, 1978) (scenario by Jean-Claude Forest) (Casterman, 1979), (scenario by ) (Casterman, 1984), Grange bleue (scenario by ) (Futuropolis, 1985) Le sens de la houppelande (scenario by Daniel Pennac) (Futuropolis, 1991), Un strapontin pour deux (scenario by Michel Boujut) (Casterman, 1995) L'évasion du cheval gris (scenario by Claude Verrien) (Sapristi, 1996) Sodome et Virginie (scenario by Daniel Prevost) (Casterman, 1996), (scenario by Didier Daeninckx) (L'Association, 1999), (scenario by Daniel Pennac) (Futuropolis, 2000), New York mi amor (fr) (Dominique Grange, Benjamin Legrand) (Casterman, 2008)
Scenario Le voyage d'Alphonse (artwork by Antoine Leconte) (Duculot, 2003)
Sketchbooks Mine de plomb (Futuropolis, 1985) Chiures de gommes (Futuropolis, 1985) Tardi en banlieue (Casterman, 1990), Carnet (JC Menu, 2001),
Illustrated novels Céline adaptations: Voyage au bout de la nuit (Futuropolis, 1988), Casse-pipe (Futuropolis, 1989), Mort à crédit (Futuropolis, 1991),
Jules Verne adaptations: Un prêtre en 1839 (Cherche Midi, 1992), San Carlos (Cherche Midi, 1993),
Novel Rue des Rebuts (Alain Beaulet, 1990)
In English Adèle and the Beast – Adèle et la bête (NBM Publishing 1990), The Demon of the Eiffel Tower – Le Démon de la tour Eiffel (NBM Publishing, 1990), The Mad Scientist and Mummies on Parade – Le Savant fou and Momies en folie (NBM Publishing, 1996), The Secret of the Salamander – Le Secret de la salamandre (NBM Publishing, 1992) The Bloody Streets of Paris – 120, rue de la Gare (iBooks, 2003), West Coast Blues – Le petit bleu de la côte ouest (Fantagraphics, 2009), You Are There – Ici Même (Fantagraphics, 2009), It Was the War of the Trenches – C'était la guerre des tranchées (Fantagraphics, 2010) The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Vol. 1: Pterror Over Paris and The Eiffel Tower Demon – Adèle et la bête and Le Démon de la tour Eiffel (Fantagraphics, 2010), The Arctic Marauder – Le Démon des glaces (Fantagraphics, 2011) Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot – La Position du tireur couché (Fantagraphics, 2011), The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec Vol. 2: The Mad Scientist and Mummies on Parade – Le Savant fou and Momies en folie (Fantagraphics, 2011), New York Mon Amour – Collects Cockroach Killer, It's So Hard..., Manhattan, Hung's Murderer, (Fantagraphics, 2021), Goddamn This War – Putain de Guerre! (Fantagraphics, 2013), Run Like Crazy Run Like Hell – Ô dingos, ô châteaux! (Fantagraphics, 2015), Fog Over Tolbiac Bridge: A Nestor Burma Mystery – Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac (Fantagraphics, 2017), I, Rene Tardi, Prisoner of War in Stalag IIB (Fantagraphics, 2018), I, Rene Tardi, Prisoner of War in Stalag IIB Vol. 2: My Return Home (Fantagraphics, 2019), I, Rene Tardi, Prisoner of War in Stalag IIB Vol. 3: After the War (Fantagraphics, 2020), Streets of Paris, Streets of Murder: The Complete Noir Stories of Manchette & Tardi Vol. 1 – Collects Griffu, West Coast Blues, Unfinished Stories, Fatal, and Nada (Fantagraphics, 2020), Streets of Paris, Streets of Murder: The Complete Noir Stories of Manchette & Tardi Vol. 2 – Collects Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot & Run Like Crazy Run Like Hell (Fantagraphics, 2020), Farewell, Brindavoine (Fantagraphics, 2021), Elise and the New Partisans (Fantagraphics, 2024), ISBN 978-1683967552
Notes
References Tardi publications in Pilote, (A SUIVRE) and Métal Hurlant BDoubliées Tardi albums Bedetheque
Further reading Olivier Maltret, Presque tout Tardi (Sapristi, 1996), Michel Boujut, Tardi par la fenêtre (Christian Desbois, 1996) Numa Sadoul, Tardi. Entretiens. (Niffle, 2000)
External links Tardi official site on Casterman Tardi biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia Les Aventures Extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec Fan site, dead link