WebFind: Charting D-Day, Editions OREP’s graphic novels
Quite by chance, thanks to a discussion about British war comics charting factual events during major conflicts, I discovered the work of Normandy-based Editions OREP, who have published a number of their graphic novels about D-Day in English
Some of their titles can be found on online bookstores such as AmazonUK, but you may have to try and order them direct from the publisher if unavailable there, which may incur postage costs. The Editions OREP catalogue entries are included here as their pages include strip sample spreads, albeit at bizarrely small size. Their current comics catalogue, including titles published only in French, is here
6th June 1944: Overlord by Serge Saint-Michel and Mister Kit (ISBN: 978-2912925534, available here from OREP, and here from AmazonUK, Affiliate Link) is probably the lead title of these specialist graphic novels, set around D-Day and the battles following the initial assault. “It tells the story quite accurately from the German, British, Canadian and US sides,” notes former TV Comic editor John Lynott. “There may be a disproportionate representation of the small French commando unit involved in Operation Overlord but it’s forgiveable given the book’s French origins. The book chimed with me as a fan of strip illustrations and as a student of military history.”
(Not to be confused, of course, with Operation: Overlord, by writers Michael Le Galli and Bruna Falba and Star Wars artist David Fabbri, published in English by 2000AD publisher Rebellion as a four-issue mini series, also available in collection)
Super-Soldier by Jean-Blaise Dijon and Jean-Marc Laine(ISBN: 978-2815107495, available here from OREP and available here from AmazonUK, Affiliate Link), published in black and white, is set in 1943
On a farm in Arkansas, two brothers, Eddy and Johnny Collins, receive their mobilisation letter: one will disembark at Omaha Beach, while the other will have to climb a cliff, held by the enemy. Will the two brothers end up reunited?
The D-Day Landings by Sébastien Corbet and Isabelle Bournier (ISBN: 978-2815109338, available here from AmazonUK, Affiliate Link) documents the landings for younger readers, focusing on the individual stories of the young British, American and Canadian soldiers about to be thrust onto the Normandy beaches on 6th July 1944
The dramatic story of the key events during the Normandy landings have also been realised as individual graphic novels, but of these, onlyNormandy June 44 – 1 – Omaha Beach (ISBN: 978-2815109062 | OREP | AmazonUK), by J.B. Djian, J. Felix, A. Paillou, C. Moreau and I. Bournier appears to have been translated into English
Founded in 1987, OREP (Organisation, Régie, Édition, Publicité) originally produced municipal and tourist magazines, before becoming a communications agency
Their publishing activity began in 1994, the year commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings, with the production of the first historical map of the Battle of Normandy, followed by a monograph devoted to the port of Arromanches
Anchored in the region, Editions OREP publishes specialised works on Normandy and its specific features, distributed in France and internationally. Works on the Second World War and the D-Day Landings in particular, feature prominently in their catalogue. The publishing house also offers children’s books and historical comics, as well as a collection of publications on World War One
The publishing house also co-publishes and distributes several edutainment board games (Monopoly D-Day, Monopoly 14/18, Tri, Apocalypse Défi de la Grande Guerre, and more)
Based in Nonant, the OREP also has its own “Made in Normandie” shop on site, which, in a vast space, offers the works it publishes as well as those of other publishing houses it distributes. The exclusive brand of souvenirs developed by OREP, “Boujou de Normandie”, is also available, as are other objects derived from the books
You can also find copies of some of their titles in the Overlord Museum, located close to the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer and the famous beach of Omaha Beach, which traces the history of the Battle of Normandy until the liberation of Paris. The six armies present are staged there thanks to life-size reconstructions, associating personal effects of soldiers and more than 40 vehicles, tanks and guns
• OREP Editions is online at orepeditions.com/en/ and can be found at 14 rue des Longues Haies, Sortie 36 dans les deux sens sur la RN13, 14400 Nonant, France
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John Freeman
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood
- WebFind: Charting D-Day, Editions OREP’s graphic novels
- Original Don Heck Iron Man art ignites Heritage Auctions sale in $3 million-plus sale
- Phil-Comics eBay Auction Picks
- Crowdfunding Spotlight: subCULTURE: On In-Crowds & Outliers, from Shelly Bond
- Hulk Out! (at the Northern Collection comic sale, today)
Categories: downthetubes News
