EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF COMICS published by ELVIFRANCE - Lot 1

EXCEPTIONAL COLLECTION OF COMICS published by ELVIFRANCE Over 4000 unique titles! No duplicates Complete collection (1 volume missing - single issue of "Macabre") of adult publications from France's most censored publishing house 96 different paperback series + large-format special issues From 1970 to 1992 Very good condition Provenance: more than 30 years of research by a passionate and enlightened comic-book enthusiast Oise Enchères can provide bidders with a file of images detailing the lot, NOT on display; please make yourself known. Elvifrance was a French publisher of small-format adult comics (mostly of Italian origin), founded in 1970 by financiers Renzo Barbieri and Giogio Cavedon in association with French manager Georges Bielec. The stories range in humor from the potty to the eccentric, and deal with many classic themes (SF, fantasy, espionage, adventure...) through the prism of eroticism (and more) and horror. Inevitably, these universes attract censorship commissions. From 1973, publishers were required to submit their publications to the supervisory commission. These were the famous micro-publications (3 copies) published a few months before the commercial release (which would not necessarily take place). With 36 titles banned from all advertising, 176 from exhibition and 532 forbidden to minors, Elvifrance earned the title of "France's most censored publishing house". A fine example of railway station literature, with a predominantly popular readership, Elvifrance nonetheless wanted to appeal to all strata of society, and thus presented - with characteristic humor - the sales argument "De la joie pour toutes les bourses!" (Joy for all budgets!). And "non-stop", we might add; at its cruising speed, the company was releasing between 20 and 25 titles a month! At around 70,000 copies in print, that works out at some 20 million pocket albums a year! "Isabella" and "Jungla" were the first heroines in 1970, followed by the "Jacula", "Goldboy" and "Luciféra" series, and the long-running "Sam Bot" and "Salut les bidasses" collections. Following the example of green libraries, Elvifrance releases series with colorful names: blue, red, white, orange, gray, half-blue, half-yellow... The 1980s were a less prosperous period. The small format was running out of steam, and competition in the adult entertainment sector had grown bolder with the development of televisions, VCRs and the arrival of Canal+ (1984). Georges Bielec was forced to close down in 1992, despite his efforts to fight the headwinds. Today, several hundred works are conserved at the BNF, which is due to complete cataloguing in 2023.