Marie-Noëlle Pichard

• Born 1955-04-27

Born in Paris, Marie-Noëlle Pichard is the daughter of comic book artist Georges Pichard. Her father's influence on her was significant, even though she didn't always readily listen to his advice and he wasn't enthusiastic about her pursuing comics. She also colored several books for him in addition to Blanche Épiphanie (1984), including Marie-Gabrielle en Orient (Glénat, 1981)—although she was not credited. Marie-Noëlle Pichard studied art history at Paris I and wrote a thesis on history painting in the 19th century (1871 to 1914). After graduating, she taught this subject for several years at the University of Paris III and in programs for American students (1984–2008). At the same time, she was drawing and began building a portfolio. Her first published comics were in Ah! Nana in 1977. A team she no doubt met through Jacques Lob or perhaps Annie Goetzinger… In 1988, she wrote the comic book adaptation of Jacquou le Croquant, drawn by Pierre Frisano and colored by Marie-Paule Alluard for the "Aventure d'Okapi" collection. She spent a few days at the congregation of the Sisters of Charity in Besançon to prepare an album on Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret (1988), which prompted her to say: "It's a bit odd, considering what my father drew, and when my religious education had stopped at baptism!" The biography of Giovanni Maria Boccardo is one of the religious comics she drew and colored in her early years, based on a script by Miguel Martinez (1991). A project initially proposed to Annie Goetzinger, who refused it and advised Pichard to present his application. The album was translated into Italian and Spanish. Several comics of this style followed, commissioned by religious congregations and published by Fleurus in collaboration with Éditions du Rameau (L’Étonnante Aventure de Julie, 1994). The comic strip Yann and Farida was originally created by Jacqueline Cohen and François Daniel under the title Les copains des tilleuls. She joined the duo in October 1991, and the adventure continued until 2000 under the title Yann et Farida dans Astrapi. The work meetings to concoct the scripts took place at François Daniel's or her own home. The Astrapi adventure began after Okapi. It was Forest, then editor-in-chief of the comics section of the Okapi newspaper and a friend of her father, who encouraged her to write scripts and introduced her to the scene. After Forest's departure, she continued to write a number of scripts based on true stories, under the guidance of Marie-Françoise Husson, who had taken over the comics section. Still at Bayard, she then worked for the magazine Grain de soleil, where, among others, Saint Louis and Sainte Claire appeared before being collected in an album. She also contributed to: Robin des Bois et la fabuleuse histoire des châteaux forts, a series of booklets published by Atlas in 1997, in which she illustrated an aspect of daily life in the Middle Ages on a double page. This publication brought together numerous contributors, all coordinated by Bruno Lesourd, who also worked at Fleurus. It was by showing him her portfolio that she was able to join the Atlas project. In the field of medical comics, it was thanks to Jean-Louis Fonteneau, author of the scripts for L’Inspecteur Bayard, for Astrapi, that she met Michel Souchard, who was then an editor at Doin and had launched medical comics. Souchard then created Narratives editions and she continues her collaboration with him for other albums for the scripts or the drawing. In 2009, she wrote in collaboration with Aurélie Souchard Un Corps en trop drawn by Fabrice Meddour. The book deals with eating disorders in adolescents. She turned to illustration from the late 1990s until around 2013. In the early 2010s, she worked for Larousse publishing. She notably wrote books on plants, well-being, and practical life. It was around this time that she also began a career as a translator for Larousse and other publishers, which gradually led her to abandon comics and illustration.