'Barbarella'.
Jean-Claude Forest was a true innovator of the comic scene of the 1960s and the 1970s, mainly because of the classic 'Barbarella' series. He made his debut at the publishing house Élan, where he drew comics like 'Le Vaisseau Hanté', 'Hyppolite et les Diamants de Pésetas-City'. He then worked for the magazines O.K., Caméra 34 and Vaillant. For the latter, he created the 'Copyright/Copyrit' (1952-1953). This particular series later inspired Nikita Mandryka's 'Le Concombre Masqué'.
Forest joined the S.P.E. ('Société Parisienne d'Édition) in 1952, where took over the 'Charlot' character and began series like 'Mike Hagarth'. Throughout the 1950s, he was an illustrator for numerous magazines and pocket books.
'Le Seigneur des Îles'.
In the second half of the 1950s, Forest drew for Mireille ('Princesse Étoile' and 'Cendrillon', written by Marijac), Suzette, and Nano et Nanette. After drawing three episodes of the Martin Branner creation 'Bicot' ('Winnie Winkle', written by Raymond Maric), Forest created his cult classic 'Barbarella' for V. Magazine in 1962.
'Hypocrite'.
'Barbarella' could be named the forerunner of both erotic and adult comic art. The series became so famous that Roger Vadim made it into a 1968 movie, starring Jane Fonda, which itself became cult classic. Also in 1962, Forest became artistic director of the C.B.D. (Club des Bandes Dessinées).
Comic art by Jean-Claude Forest.
Editor-in-chief of Chouchou magazine since 1964, Forest created 'Bébé Cyanure' and wrote 'Les Naufragés du Temps (art by Paul Gillon) for the magazine. He developed 'Marie Mathématique' for the Dim Dam Dom television series in 1965 and produced the photo novel 'Le Magiciennes' in Plexus. He returned to Vaillant publishers in the early 1970s and created 'Mystérieuse, Matin, Midi et Soir' and an adaptation of Jules Verne's 'L'Île Mysterieuse' in Pif Gadget. At the same time, he created 'Hypocrite' for France-Soir and later Pilote, a series that featured another erotic heroine. Forest also began working for television and writing poems and songs. In addition, he drew 'Les Contes de la Barque Saoule' in Métal Hurlant and Fluide Glacial.
'Barbarella'.
Forest worked for À Suivre since the magazine's first issue in February 1978. There, he wrote the scripts of 'Roman de Renart' (art by Max Cabanes) and 'Ici Même' (art by Jacques Tardi) and drew several comics of his own. In 1981, he wrote a final episode of 'Barbarella', published in L'Écho des Savanes and this time drawn by Daniel Billon. In the late 1980s, he came in charge of the comics section of Okapi magazine. After writing the novel 'Lilia entre l'Air et de l'Eau', he wrote the long comic 'Il Faut y Croire pour le Voir' (about 100 pages, drawn by Alain Bignon) for the Long Courrier collection of the publishing house Dargaud.
Jean-Claude Forest was one of the artists making a graphic contribution for 'Pepperland' (1980), a collective comic book celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Pepperland comic book store. He paid tribute to Nikita Mandryka in the collective comic book 'Tronches de Concombre' (Dupuis, 1995).
Jean-Claude Forest's 'Barbarella' inspired several sexy female protagonists in erotic stories, often set in science fiction, fantasy or otherwise highly psychedelic universes. In France, Barbarella influenced Jean Rollin and Nicolas Devil's 'Saga de Xam' (1967). Belgian artists who drew imitations were Guy Peellaert's 'Les Aventures de Jodelle' (1966) and Jean Van Hamme and Paul Cuvelier's 'Epoxy' (1968). Even Jacques Van Melkebeke made an attempt to imitate the series with 'Sérafine', a comic that, however, was only published several years later. In The Netherlands, Jan Godschalk and Ton Kooreman made the one-shot 'Sadine' (1968). In Czechoslovakia, Milos Macourek and Kaja Saudek created 'Muriel a Andele' ('Muriel and the Angels', 1969). In the United States, Forrest J. Ackerman and Trina Robbins' 'Vampirella' and Gil Porter & James McQuade's 'Misty' (1972, 1983) were clear copies, while in Turkey, Suat Yalaz' 'Futurella' (1984-1985) and 'Satarella' (1982-1986) were also cut from the same mold. In Italy, 'Barbarella' rip-offs were so popular that it was practically a subgenre: Giorgio Gich's 'Alika' (1965), Victor Newman and Marco Rostagno's 'Selene, La Ragazza delle Stelle' (1965-1966), Guido Crepax' 'Valentina' (1965), Pier Carpi, Michele Gazzari and Floriano Bozzi's 'Auranella' (1966-1968) and Sainz Cidoncha and Alfonso Azpiri's 'Lorna y su Robot Lascivo' (1979).
In the first issue of Fluide Glacial (1975), Marcel Gotlib drew a long parody of 'Barberella', mixing it with plot elements from Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'. Paul Arne Kring also spoofed 'Barbarella' as 'Weneethryl Axthryl' (1974).
When João Mottini had to create a mascot for the Ipiranga petrol stations, he named her Ipirela and based her on Jane Fonda in 'Barbarella'.
Serge Gainsbourg mentioned Barbarella in his song 'Qui Est "In", Qui Est "Out" (1966). Belgian pop singer Lio (best-known for her hit 'Le Banana Split', 1979) based her artistic pseudonym on a side character in the 'Barbarella' story 'Les Colères du Mange-Minutes', since they shared a physical resemblance. The 1980s pop band Duran Duran based their name on the 'Barbarella' character Dr. Duran and also named one of their songs 'Electric Barbarella'. Another British band, Arctic Monkeys, namedropped Barbarella in their song 'Arabella'. The Canadian all-female rock band Barbarella, of which Gisèle Lagacé was a member, also took its name from the character.
Jean-Claude Forest was also a strong influence on Cor Blok, F'murr and Richard Sala.
'Barbarella'.