Bidspirit auction | “The Beast Is Dead! –

“The Beast Is Dead! – The War of the Animals” - a high-quality comic created during World War II documenting its events. Published at the end of the war - Paris, 1945 - “La bête est morte ! – La guerre mondiale chez les animaux” - “The Beast Is Dead! – The World War Among the Animals” – a French comic by Edmond-François Calvo (Calvo), with texts by Victor Dancette and Jacques Zimmermann. Part one: “Quand la bête est déchaînée” – “When the Beast Is Unleashed” – the rise of Nazism and the outbreak of the war. Published by Éditions G.P., Paris 1944 - First edition. French. Extremely rare. One of the most important political comics published in France under Nazi occupation during the major battles of World War II, influenced by Disney animation. The war was still raging when Victor Dancette and Calvo secretly joined forces to express their response to its horrors. The work presents, through comic figures, all the nations and forces involved in the war as animals. Each animal carries symbolic power corresponding to the nation it represents. The wolves - ferocious and cruel (the Germans) - slaughter brave rabbits and courageous squirrels (the French) with the full force of their artillery, not hesitating to invade the territory of proud lion cubs (the Belgians). Yet resistance is organized by the determined bulldogs (the British). Despite attacks by snarling hyenas (the Italians) and treacherous monkeys (the Japanese), they ultimately prevail thanks to the powerful intervention of the mighty bison (the Americans), while the bears (the Russians) fiercely defend their territory. Adolf Hitler himself is portrayed in caricature as both violent and ridiculous. Calvo’s work is not easy to digest and does not spare younger readers certain disturbing imagery, such as the depiction of the railway station at Con-le-Bruyère, vividly conveying the horrors of war. While patriotic, in line with its intended audience, the authors remain clear-eyed about the origins of the war and the mistakes made by France, such as the bypassing of the Maginot Line by German forces. Numerous historical and cultural references are incorporated. Calvo is considered one of the greatest illustrators in Europe of the period, and some regard him as having had a direct influence on the development of European animation and even on later creators. The use of animals made it possible to circumvent censorship restrictions and to produce sharp criticism without stating it explicitly. Calvo’s success was immediate and so significant that Walt Disney contacted him to offer a position in his studios. Calvo declined and instead devoted himself to various personal projects: “Rosalie, ” “Cricri Journal, ” and “Moustache et Trotinette.” In 2024, the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) announced its intention to acquire the original artwork and launched a public fundraising campaign for this purpose; the acquisition was completed in 2025. See also next item. Extremely rare. Only one copy is recorded in the WorldCat global library catalog, in a library in England. [32] pages. 32 cm. Good condition.