Carte Blanche Philippe Vuillemin
A singular figure in contemporary French comics, Philippe Vuillemin has been building, since the 1970s, an immediately recognizable body of work, blending black humor, provocation, and graphic freedom.
His beginnings in 1977 in L'Écho des Savanes, Hara-Kiri and Charlie Mensuel were influenced by Reiser as much as American underground comics, notably by Crumb and Shelton. His coarse outlines, voluntarily rough and excessive, added to his regressive and often scatological humor, wouldl become one of the emblematic expressions of the ligne crade (“dirty line”) movement.
His albums, such as Saine Ardeur (Wholesome Ardor), Frisson de Bonheur (Shivers of Joy) or Tragiques Destins (Tragic Destinies), are unrestrained explorations of human flaws. He’s collaborated with many figures of the French satirical press, notably Jackie Berroyer, Jean-Marie Gourio and Professeur Choron, with whom he remained particularly close. After Reiser’s passing, he picked up the series Les Sales Blagues (Dirty Jokes), created with Coluche, and became a strong contributor to its lasting success. In 1986, with Gourio, he published the album Hitler = SS, a controversial work that attracted much criticism but that also showed his will to push satire to its limits, and fully exploit the cathartic dimension of art, where excess becomes a means of exorcizing the demons of the times.
He has often been reduced to his taste for provocation. And yet, behind the darkness of his humor, the rawness of his drawing style, and the excess of certain situations, lies a constant attention to his characters, their weaknesses, and a scathing outlook on humanity.
Faithful to the libertarian spirit of Hara-Kiri, he is part of the magazine’s renaissance in 1993, before rejoining Charlie Hebdo after the January 2015 terrorist attack. He still works there today as a cartoonist.
Alongside comics, Philippe Vuillemin has explored other forms of artistic expression. A musician with the band Dennis’ Twist and Les Ambassadeurs, he’s also been an actor. His portrayal of Camille/Alexina in René Feret’s Le Mystère Alexina reveals a more discreet but just as remarkable aspect of his talents.
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Angoulême Bande Dessinée Festival, Philippe Vuillemin remains one of the most free and unclassifiable voices of the 9th Art. Always attentive to current events, he likes to sum up his method*: “I get my inspiration from watching CNews (the French equivalent of Fox News) because the bullshit is already predigested for me.”
* leparatonnerre.fr/2026/02/07/vuillemin-dessins-et-humanite/
His beginnings in 1977 in L'Écho des Savanes, Hara-Kiri and Charlie Mensuel were influenced by Reiser as much as American underground comics, notably by Crumb and Shelton. His coarse outlines, voluntarily rough and excessive, added to his regressive and often scatological humor, wouldl become one of the emblematic expressions of the ligne crade (“dirty line”) movement.
His albums, such as Saine Ardeur (Wholesome Ardor), Frisson de Bonheur (Shivers of Joy) or Tragiques Destins (Tragic Destinies), are unrestrained explorations of human flaws. He’s collaborated with many figures of the French satirical press, notably Jackie Berroyer, Jean-Marie Gourio and Professeur Choron, with whom he remained particularly close. After Reiser’s passing, he picked up the series Les Sales Blagues (Dirty Jokes), created with Coluche, and became a strong contributor to its lasting success. In 1986, with Gourio, he published the album Hitler = SS, a controversial work that attracted much criticism but that also showed his will to push satire to its limits, and fully exploit the cathartic dimension of art, where excess becomes a means of exorcizing the demons of the times.
He has often been reduced to his taste for provocation. And yet, behind the darkness of his humor, the rawness of his drawing style, and the excess of certain situations, lies a constant attention to his characters, their weaknesses, and a scathing outlook on humanity.
Faithful to the libertarian spirit of Hara-Kiri, he is part of the magazine’s renaissance in 1993, before rejoining Charlie Hebdo after the January 2015 terrorist attack. He still works there today as a cartoonist.
Alongside comics, Philippe Vuillemin has explored other forms of artistic expression. A musician with the band Dennis’ Twist and Les Ambassadeurs, he’s also been an actor. His portrayal of Camille/Alexina in René Feret’s Le Mystère Alexina reveals a more discreet but just as remarkable aspect of his talents.
Winner of the Grand Prize at the Angoulême Bande Dessinée Festival, Philippe Vuillemin remains one of the most free and unclassifiable voices of the 9th Art. Always attentive to current events, he likes to sum up his method*: “I get my inspiration from watching CNews (the French equivalent of Fox News) because the bullshit is already predigested for me.”
* leparatonnerre.fr/2026/02/07/vuillemin-dessins-et-humanite/
