The Prix de la critique is a prize awarded by the

Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée The ''Association des Critiques et des journalistes de Bande Dessinée'' (ACBD) ( en, Association of Critics and Journalists of Comics) is a French association of comics, critics and journalists, who gave the Prix Bloody Mary from 1984 to 2003 a ...

to the best

comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

album released for a year in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Previously, from 1984 to 2003, it was called ''Prix Bloody Mary'' and awarded at the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lu ...

. Concerned at first with albums of the Franco-Belgian comics school it was eventually interested in works coming from the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

tradition of more distant lands. The winner of the award for that year is listed first, the others listed below are the nominees.

1980s

* 1984: ' by Jean Teulé and

Jean Vautrin Jean Vautrin (17 May 1933 – 16 June 2015), real name Jean Herman, was a French writer, filmmaker and film critic. Life and career After studying literature at Auxerre, he took first place in the Id'HEC competition. He studied French lite ...

, Glénat * 1985: ''Les Pionniers de l'aventure humaine'' by François Boucq,

Casterman Casterman is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, specializing in comic books and children's literature. The company is based in Brussels, Belgium. History The company was founded in 1780 by Donat-Joseph Casterman, an editor and bookseller ...

* 1986: ''Le Bal de la Sueur'' by

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

, and

Ralph Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, EDS * 1987: ''Jacques Gallard 2: Soviet Zig-Zag'' by and , Milan * 1988: ''Stars d'un jour'' by , Delcourt * 1989: ''

Adler (comics) ''Adler'' is a Belgian comic series written and drawn by the Belgian author René Sterne (1952–2006) and colored by his wife Chantal De Spiegeleer. The comic was initially serialized in ''Tintin'' magazine beginning in 1985 and was published a ...

2: Le repaire du Kanata'' by ,

Le Lombard ''Le Lombard'', known as ''Les Éditions du Lombard'' until 1989, is a Belgian comic book publisher established in 1946 when ''Tintin'' magazine was launched. Le Lombard is now part of Média-Participations, alongside publishers Dargaud and Dupuis ...

1990s

* 1990: ''Le Ventre du Minotaure'' by ,

Les Humanoïdes Associés Les Humanoïdes Associés (or simply Humanoïdes) is a Franco-American publishing house specializing in comics and graphic novels, founded in December 1974 by comic artists Mœbius, Jean-Pierre Dionnet, Philippe Druillet, and financial directo ...

* 1991: ''Les Lumières de l'Amalou 1: Théo'' by Claire Wendling, Delcourt * 1992: ''La bretelle ne passera pas !'' by Jean-Luc Abiven, Rackham * 1993: '' 1'' by Jean-Philippe Stassen and ,

Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgium, Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic comics album, albums and magazines. It is ...

* 1994: ''Adam Sarlech 3: Le Testament sous la neige'' by , Les Humanoïdes Associés * 1995: ''L'argent roi'' collective led by

Thierry Groensteen Thierry Groensteen (; born 18 April 1957, Uccle, Brussels) is one of the leading French-speaking comics researchers and theorists, whose work has found influence beyond that field. Career In 1984, Groensteen became the editor-in-chief of the ...

, Autrement * 1996: ''L'Histoire du conteur électrique'' by

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

Dargaud Société Dargaud, doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud (), publishing its first comics in 1943. ...

* 1997: ''Il faut le croire pour le voir'' by and

Jean-Claude Forest Jean-Claude Forest (11 September 1930 – 30 December 1998) was a French writer and illustrator of comics and the creator of character Barbarella. Biography Jean-Claude Forest was born in Le Perreux-sur-Marne, a Paris suburb and graduated f ...

, Dargaud * 1998: ''Un Ver dans le fruit'' by , Vents d'Ouest * 1999: '' 1'' by and

Frank Giroud Frank Giroud (3 May 1956 – 13 July 2018) was a French comics writer. Early life Giroud was born on May 3, 1956 in Toulouse, France. He graduated from the École Nationale des Chartes, and he passed the agrégation in History. Career Giroud ta ...

, Dupuis

2000s

* 2000: '' Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (L'Art Invisible)'' by

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and ''Making Comics'' (200 ...

, Vertige Graphic * 2001: ''

From Hell ''From Hell'' is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published in serial form from 1989 to 1998. The full collection was published in 1999 by Top Shelf Productions. Set during the Whitechapel murders of ...

'' by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...

and

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Chicago. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of ''From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), Campbell is also the creator of the semi-au ...

, Delcourt ** '' Le capitaine écarlate'' by

David B. Pierre-François "David" Beauchard (; born 9 February 1959), also known by the pen name David B., is a French comic book artist and writer, and one of the founders of . Biography After studying advertising at the Duperré School of Applied Arts i ...

and , Dupuis ** '' Déogratias'' by Jean-Philippe Stassen, Dupuis ** '' Gemma Bovary'' by Posy Simmonds, Denoël Graphic ** '' Pleine Lune'' by Christophe Chabouté, Vents d'Ouest * 2002: ''

Stuck Rubber Baby ''Stuck Rubber Baby'' is a 1995 graphic novel by American cartoonist Howard Cruse. He created his debut graphic novel after a decades-long career as an underground cartoonist. It deals with homosexuality and racism in the 1960s in the southern U ...

(Un monde de différence)'' by

Howard Cruse Howard Cruse (May 2, 1944 – November 26, 2019) was an American alternative cartoonist known for the exploration of gay themes in his comics. First coming to attention in the 1970s during the underground comix movement with ''Barefootz'', he wa ...

, Vertige Graphic ** '': Les canons de 18 mars'' by

Jacques Tardi Jacques Tardi (; born 30 August 1946) is a French comic artist. He is often credited solely as Tardi. Biography Tardi was born on 30 August 1946 in Valence, Drôme. After graduating from the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon and the Éco ...

and

, Casterman ** '' Le dessin'' by , Delcourt ** '' Hicksville'' by

Dylan Horrocks Dylan Horrocks (born 1966 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a cartoonist best known for his graphic novel '' Hicksville'' and his scripts for the ''Batgirl'' comic book series. His works are published by the University of Auckland student magazine '' ...

L'Association L'Association is a French publishing house located in Paris which publishes comic books. It was founded in May 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu, Lewis Trondheim, David B., Mattt Konture, Patrice Killoffer, Stanislas, and Mokeït. L'Association i ...

** ' by Étienne Davodeau, Delcourt * 2003: ''

Jimmy Corrigan ''Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Chris Ware. Pantheon Books released the book in 2000 following its serialization in the newspaper ''Newcity'' and Ware's ''Acme Novelty Library'' series. ...

'' by

Chris Ware Franklin Christenson "Chris" Ware (born December 28, 1967) is an American cartoonist known for his ''Acme Novelty Library'' series (begun 1994) and the graphic novels ''Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth'' (2000), ''Building Stories'' (2012 ...

, Delcourt ** '' Le chat du rabbin part 1 and 2'' by

Joann Sfar Joann Sfar (; born 28 August 1971) is a French comics artist, comic book creator, novelist, and film director. Life and career Sfar was born in Nice, the son of Lilou, a pop singer, who died when he was three, and André Sfar, a lawyer well know ...

, Dargaud ** '' Petit polio part 3'' by ,

Soleil SOLEIL ("Sun" in French) is a synchrotron facility near Paris, France. It performed its first acceleration of electrons on May 14, 2006. The name ''SOLEIL'' is a backronym for ''Source optimisée de lumière d’énergie intermédiaire du LURE ...

** '' Quartier lointain part 1'' by

Jirô Taniguchi was a Japanese manga writer/artist. His works belong to the gekiga, or "dramatic pictures", genre of manga. In France he was knighted a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011. Career Taniguchi began his career as an assist ...

, Casterman ** '' Quelques mois à l'Amélie'' by , Dupuis * 2004: '' La Grippe coloniale 1: le retour d'Ulysse'' by

Serge Huo-Chao-Si Serge Huo-Chao-Si (born 1968 in La Réunion) is a contemporary artist and comic book creator. Early life Serge Huo-Chao-Si studied in Saint-Denis, Réunion and in Lille, and graduated in mechanical engineering from high school on his native island ...

and Appollo, Vents d'Ouest * Special 20th Anniversary Award: ' by Jean-Philippe Stassen and Denis Lapière, Dupuis * 2005: ''

Blankets A blanket is a swath of soft cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through convection. Etymology The term ...

(Manteau de neige)'' by

Craig Thompson Craig Matthew Thompson (born September 21, 1975) is an American graphic novelist best known for his books '' Good-bye, Chunky Rice'' (1999), '' Blankets'' (2003), '' Carnet de Voyage'' (2004), '' Habibi'' (2011), and '' Space Dumplins'' (2015). T ...

, Casterman * 2006: ' by Étienne Davodeau, Delcourt * 2007: ''Les petits ruisseaux'' by ,

Futuropolis ''Futuropolis'' is a 1984 American short animated/stop motion science fiction film written and directed by Steve Segal and Phil Trumbo. The film introduces Tom Campagnoli, Mike Cody, Stan Garth, Catherine Schultz and Cassandra Cossitt in lead ro ...

* 2008: ''Seules contre tous'' by

Miriam Katin Miriam Katin (born 1942) is a Hungarian-born American graphic novelist and graphic artist. She worked in animation from 1981 to 2000 in Israel and the United States. She has written two autobiographical graphic novels, ''We Are on Our Own'' (2006 ...

, Le Seuil * 2009: ''

Tamara Drewe ''Tamara Drewe'' is a weekly comic strip serial by Posy Simmonds, which had a 13 month run in ''The Guardian''s Review section. The strip is based upon a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel '' Far from the Madding Crowd''. The stor ...

'' by Posy Simmonds, Denoël Graphic

2010s

* 2010: '' Dieu en personne'' by , Delcourt * 2011: ''

Asterios Polyp ''Asterios Polyp'' is a 2009 graphic novel by American cartoonist David Mazzucchelli. Overview The title character, Asterios Polyp, is a professor and architect of Greek and Italian descent who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. A ...

'' by

David Mazzucchelli David John Mazzucchelli (; born September 21, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer, known for his work on seminal superhero comic book storylines '' Daredevil: Born Again'' and '' Batman: Year One'', as well as for graphic novels in other ...

* 2012: ' by

Bastien Vivès Bastien Vivès (born 11 February 1984) is a French comic book artist. Life and career Born in Paris, Vivès spent his childhood drawing with his younger brother. He took live model classes from the age of 10 years. Vivès studied Applied arts at ...

, KSTЯ * 2013: '' L'Enfance d'Alan'' by ,

* 2014: ' by Chloé Cruchaudet, Delcourt * 2015: '' Moi, assassin'' by Keko and , Denoël Graphic * 2016: ' by , 6 Pieds sous terre * 2017: ' by , Daniel Maghen * 2018: ' by

Gipi Gianni Pacinotti, better known by the pseudonym of Gipi, is an Italian cartoonist, filmmaker, and author. Biography Born in Pisa in 1963, he began his career illustrating for the publishing and advertising industries. He began illustrating stor ...

* 2019: '' My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' by

Emil Ferris Emil Ferris (; born 1962) is an American writer, cartoonist, and designer. Ferris debuted in publishing with her 2017 graphic novel '' My Favorite Thing Is Monsters''. The novel tells a coming-of-age story of Karen Reyes, a girl growing in 1960s ...

Fantagraphics Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

2020s

*2020: ''Préférence système'' by *2021: ' by

Hubert Boulard Hubert Boulard (21 January 1971 – 12 February 2020) was a French comics writer and colorist usually credited mononymously as "Hubert". Biography Boulard attended the École régionale des beaux-arts d'Angers, and began writing comics in the 199 ...

and

Sources

Official website
, last accessed 19 March 2009

References

{{Angoulême International Comics Festival Comics awards Angoulême International Comics Festival