Nicolas Juncker makes his putsch. Winner, with François Boucq, of the Grand Prize for the 3rd edition of the Galons de la BD, awarded by the Ministry of the Armed Forces for their hilarious A general, generals, the screenwriter of the album stepped out of the ranks to refuse his reward. “For personal, moral, political reasons, which concern only me: it is impossible for me to accept this prize as it stands”, Nicolas Juncker declared on Facebook on Friday, the day after the ceremony organized at the Hôtel de Brienne and in which he did not participate.
“I have passed the age of playmobils on a motorcycle”, continues the author who announces that he will donate all of his 3000 euros received with the Grand Prize to a solidarity fund with the strikers engaged against the pension reform and to a support fund to the “victims of military violence” in Sainte-Soline. “That, through my meager means, the Minister of the Armed Forces financially support these causes, wondering, perhaps, how to reestablish the “ties which unite a people to its army” rather than seeking to destroy them, that could only to comfort me,” said Nicolas Juncker.
The screenwriter nevertheless praised “the sense of humor of our soldiers and the members of the jury”, which he admits to having underestimated, not thinking for a second that he would see A general, generals win one of the prizes of the Galons de la comics. A satirical comedy that transforms the Algiers putsch of 1958 into a boulevard piece, Un général, des generals was published in February 2022 by Le Lombard editions. Nicolas Juncker also recalled having obtained that another of his titles, Alone in Berlin (Casterman), be withdrawn from the selection of a previous edition of the Stripes of BD. A maneuver that he did not see fit to repeat this year.
Also rewarded for A General, Generals, François Boucq did not fail to congratulate his friend Nicolas Juncker on Thursday and to thank him for his historical insights into the events of May 1958. allowed to see more clearly on this period, which I knew for having lived it as a child, but which was very chaotic”, he admitted. The designer also hailed the incongruity of this Grand Prix awarded by the Ministry of the Armed Forces to “an album which so rigorously mocks the generals in its pages”.
President of the Stripes of Comics jury and deputy director of the communication and audiovisual production establishment of La Défense, Gilles Ciment did not wish to comment on Nicolas Juncker’s decision to refuse his Grand Prix. Among the other prizes awarded by the Galons de la BD, the album 40 men and 12 rifles (Denoël Graphic editions) by Marcelino Truong won the History Prize; After the Rafle, by Arnaud Delalande, Laurent Bidot and Joseph Weismann left with the Prix Jeunesse; finally, a special mention was awarded to The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, by Matz and Jörg Mailliet.
