Zenda

Zenda was a French publishing house specializing in bande dessinée (comics). It was founded in 1987 by Jacques Collin, Frédéric Manzano, and Doug Headline, and operated as an independent publisher until 1994, when it was acquired by Jacques Glénat and integrated into the Glénat group. After that, Zenda ceased to exist as an independent company and continued as an imprint (publishing brand) within the Glénat catalog. During its independent period, Zenda became known for translating Anglo-American comics that were then little-known or undervalued in France. Its catalog included DC Comics (Watchmen, Ronin, The Dark Knight Returns), Dark Horse (Liberty, Aliens), and British comics (V for Vendetta, Judge Dredd, Sláine). The French edition of Watchmen was particularly notable: it was translated by novelist Jean-Patrick Manchette (father of co-founder Doug Headline) and featured original covers drawn specifically for it by Dave Gibbons. Zenda also published complete editions of classic American comic strips such as Little Nemo, Prince Valiant, and Donald Duck. Beyond translations, Zenda discovered original series by then-unknown French creators. Doug Headline himself wrote many scripts (Le Chacal, Le Diable, La Muse, L'Écran), and brought in François Froideval from the role-playing game field, who co-created Les Chroniques de la Lune Noire with artist Olivier Ledroit; and Jean Wacquet, who co-created Le Carnivore with Éric Hérenguel. Other French originals included Dinopop by Jean-Marc Arnaud and Les Désarmés by Pirus and Mezzo. After the 1994 acquisition, Zenda was no longer an independent entity but became a brand within the Glénat catalog. American series were dropped, and among British works only Sláine and ABC Warriors continued. The 'fantasy' line was retained, except for Les Chroniques de la Lune Noire, which moved to Dargaud. Today, Glénat's 'Zenda' collection brings together series from the defunct Zenda publishing house, as well as post-1994 works primarily by François Froideval, such as 6666, Atlantis, Lex, and Succubus. The collection is presented under the name Zenda on the Glénat website, covering genres such as fantasy, adventure, western, and crime.

Zenda was founded in 1987 by Jacques Collin, Frédéric Manzano and Doug Headline. At the time, Frédéric Manzano was a comic-book retailer running the specialised shop Déesse, while Doug Headline had previously worked for the magazine Métal hurlant. The house initially concentrated on translating prestigious Anglo-Saxon series that were unpublished or under-promoted in France. These came from the DC Comics catalogue (Watchmen, Ronin, The Dark Knight Returns), Dark Horse (Liberty, Aliens) and British comics (V for Vendetta, Marshal Law, Sláine). The French edition of Watchmen was especially carefully produced: it was translated by Jean-Patrick Manchette, Doug Headline's father, and featured original covers drawn for the occasion by Dave Gibbons. Zenda subsequently moved into publishing French bandes dessinées by débutant authors. Doug Headline wrote many of the scenarios himself (Le Chacal, Diavolo, Les Muses, Silver Screen) and called on friends such as François Froideval and Jean Wacquet. Froideval came from the role-playing game world, which inspired him to create the Chroniques de la Lune Noire, the first major series by artist Olivier Ledroit. Jean Wacquet, a comic-book retailer at Dangereuses Visions in Lille, wrote Carnivores, drawn by Éric Hérenguel. Other French creations included Dinosaur Bop by Jean-Marie Arnon, in a style close to Jack Kirby, and Les Désarmés by Pirus and Mezzo. In parallel, Zenda continued publishing integral editions of classic American comic strips: Little Nemo (begun by Éditions Milan), Prince Valiant (begun by Slatkine) and Donald Duck. In 1994, Jacques Glénat bought the company and integrated it into his group. Zenda ceased to be a separate entity and became a label in the Glénat catalogue. The American series were abandoned; among the British titles only Sláine and ABC Warriors were continued. The "Fantasy" collection was retained, except for Chroniques de la Lune Noire, which was taken over by Dargaud. At present, the Glénat "Zenda" collection consists of series from the defunct Zenda editions, supplemented by others created after 1994, principally by François Froideval: 6666, Atlantis, Lex and Succubus. The original Zenda also organised its output into named collections. "Écran total" gathered comics extending the universe of Fox films such as Aliens, Predator and Terminator. "Fantasy" covered heroic-fantasy series including 666, Chroniques de la Lune Noire, Allande and Valhalla (based on Norse mythology). "Xanadu" was an attempt to revive the eponymous Humanoïdes Associés collection that published EC Comics anthologies; it amounted to a single album, Science fiction weird fantasy.

• 2006

  6666 Tome 02 published.

• 2004

  6666 Tome 01 published.

• 2001

  Magika Tome 01 published.

• 2000

  Nexus Tome 01 and 666 Tome 06 published.

• 1996

  Sláine Tome 07 and 666 Tome 03 published under the Zenda collection.

• 1994

  Jacques Glénat acquires Zenda and integrates it into the Glénat group as a label.

• 1987

  Zenda founded by Jacques Collin, Frédéric Manzano and Doug Headline.

A French bande dessinée imprint known for prestige Anglo-Saxon comic translations and original fantasy/adventure series; now a curated collection within Glénat.

• Watchmen (French edition)

• 666

• 6666

• Chroniques de la Lune Noire

• Sláine

• Magika

• Succubus

• Dead Hunter

• Nexus

• Little Nemo

• Prince Valiant

• Donald Duck

1. 1Zenda | Page 1 sur 2 | Éditions Glénatglenat.com
2. 2Notre histoire | Éditions Glénatglenat.com
3. 3Zenda — Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
4. 4Zenda — Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5BD Histoire | Page 1 sur 56 | Éditions Glénatglenat.com
6. 6Sciences et Histoire | Page 1 sur 9 | Éditions Glénatglenat.com