Comic Art Museum - Brussels

The Comics Art Museum is delighted to be exhibiting the adventures of Julie Petit-Clou in its Gallery. She is the ‘world expo girl’, and the mischievous heroine of a new series released by the publishing company Les Éditions Grand Angle. She not only has the gift of clairvoyance, but she is also feisty and lives her life on her own terms! Throughout this action-packed story by the pen of Jack Manini, the reader is carried along to Paris of the year 1867, which is so beautifully portrayed by the highly talented Etienne Willem. The selection of original drawings by this Belgian graphic artist draws the visitor into a voyage of discovery to soak up the atmosphere and the spirit of that era. To celebrate this event, Etienne Willem has even produced a special cover, which is a beautiful homage to Art Nouveau greatly welcomed by the Belgian Comic Strip Center, which is looking forward to sharing this with its visitors!

Mélanie Andrieu, Belgian Centre of Comic Strip Art

World exhibitions provide an exciting glimpse into the atmosphere of an era, and the 1867 exhibition is no exception to the rule!

They are all fighting to capture Julie’s heart, the pretty clairvoyant at the entrance to the Exhibition. A romantic bohemian student, two twin anarchist divers, an illegitimate son of a tsar, a peasant stable boy, and Julot, the captain of a bateau-mouche. Julot is a careerist womaniser, and is set on using her to gain influence with a few of people within the emperor’s inner circle, and to gain promotion within the tour boat company. But what other objective could all these suitors have in mind? To use her gift of clairvoyance rather than to win her over? Julie Petit-Clou acts as a link between the spirit world and the living, and she is the only one who can see the tormented souls and speak for those who are seeking justice. She is the main protagonist of this series that explores the Paris World Exhibitions in every comic book covering the era from 1855 to 1937. Jack Manini is not only a scriptwriter, but also a graphic artist and colourist. He has drawn Mycroft (Soleil), Estelle (Carabas), Necromancy (Dargaud). He has written the scripts for Albanie, Hollywood, and Catacombes (Glénat). For the publishing company Les Éditions Grand Angle, he has worked on the series SOS Lusitania, Le Poids des nuages [The Weight of the Clouds] and Tomoë, and in 2018 on Arthur Cravan, Jack Cool and La Pin-Up du B-24. Born in Belgium in 1972, Étienne Willem graduated in history from the University of Liège. He has worked as a story-board supervisor at the animation studio 352 in Luxembourg. He has also written the series Vieille Bruyère [Old Heather] and Bas de Soie [Silk Stockings] (Paquet). In 2018, Willem was signed up by Les Éditions Grand Angle with La Fille de l’Exposition universelle [The World Exhibition Girl].

Les Éditions Grand Angle

With the support of the Brussels-Capital Region