In this edition of Entre Nous, we speak to Diane Le Feyer, the illustrator of "Mortelle Adèle" or "Rebel Adèle". We find out more about the creative process behind this much-loved French comic. Le Feyer tells us how she and Mister Tan collaborate and how she got into the comics business.
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00:00Time now for our Entre Nous segment, and today we are going to be telling you about one of
00:05the most beloved graphic novels among children here in France.
00:08Mortel Adèle, or Rebel Adèle, has kept many kids gripped in this country for nearly a
00:13decade.
00:14To talk more about this, we can bring in Diane Lefebvre, who took over as illustrator of
00:19Mortel Adèle.
00:20Thank you so much for joining us on the program today.
00:23What was it like for you taking over as illustrator of this book that is very, very successful
00:28here in France?
00:29Well, first of all, it's like a friendship between myself and the author, Antoine Doll,
00:34aka Mr. Tan, who is the creator of Mortel Adèle.
00:38So he first invented her when he was 14 years old, and since then, it has been like an expanding
00:45story, an expanding universe.
00:47For us, each of us, each of every new project is like a new thing coming up.
00:52It's like a new universe that we develop.
00:55We have the projects, we have comics, we have the magazines, we have the podcasts,
01:00we have music.
01:02Every new project is like a new thing to get ourselves into.
01:08What makes Adèle a rebel?
01:10I think she's her own thing.
01:13She doesn't belong to a group.
01:15She's really herself, and she doesn't need to belong to, you know, to have a specific
01:21pair of sneakers, or she's a little bit rough around the edges.
01:25She speaks her mind, and I think the kids, they enjoy that, to have this kind of freedom
01:29of speaking.
01:30Is that what you think appeals to kids, that she has no holds barred, if you will?
01:39She has her own will.
01:40I think for the kids today, and even when we were kids, the environment and the world
01:46is a very tough place, and as an adult, we always think about childhood like a wonderful
01:52place because we had no bills to pay, but for the kids, it's a hard place to be.
01:57So when you have a character that is very strong-willed, that has the power to say no,
02:03that say it's okay to be you, you are enough, it's okay to have emotions, you matter, it's
02:12a great, I think, yeah, space to exist and to be.
02:18How does it work?
02:19Because now you have taken over as illustrator, Antoine Doll, as you mentioned, who goes
02:26by the alias Mr. Tan, was the brains behind Rebel Adele.
02:30How closely do you guys work together?
02:32We speak to each other on a daily basis, basically we're on the phone or in Zooms or texting
02:38each other, so we're in the middle of a never-ending conversation, really.
02:42So all of the stories and all of the ideas, they come from this place of us talking together.
02:49So tell me, what's Adele's relationship with her parents?
02:54With her parents?
02:55She's like...
02:56She's testy, isn't she?
02:57Yes, it is, but they, well, they made her, so there is a part of them inside of her.
03:05They're rebel inside of themselves, too.
03:07And I think that's the thing that we're also trying to say to parents, because sometimes
03:12parents are like, oh, she's very strong-willed and she has a bit of a temper.
03:17It's OK, you were a kid, too, so remember that time when you were a kid.
03:21So I know that kids like the book.
03:23What about the parents?
03:24The parents, they enjoy the book, too.
03:27As a matter of fact, we receive like letters, like 200 letters per week, basically from
03:32kids and also from their parents.
03:35So yeah.
03:36And it seems that kids in France, not just girls, but boys as well, are hooked on to
03:42Mortel Adele.
03:43Why do you think that is?
03:44I think it's because she's at a very pivotal point between childhood and early teenage
03:50years and the way she is and the way she behaves, it's still at this very magical moment when
03:56you're still a child and you can still have this imagination and fantasy and she can stand
04:03her ground.
04:04And she also has a great sense of humor.
04:07And for the kids, it's very important to have your book and your little thing that you're
04:13discovering and they can, you know, partake that with your parent.
04:16Now, you mentioned that it's more than just this graphic novel, Mortel Adele, but a podcast
04:21and magazine.
04:23Talk to us about those ventures.
04:25We love to develop new projects.
04:29It's always expanding universe.
04:31So what's the podcast about?
04:32The podcast are kids that are asking questions to us and Mortel Adele, we have a comedian
04:38who plays Mortel Adele.
04:40So we receive like everyday questions and we answer on the podcast.
04:45So a kid can say, oh, I'm being bullied at school, for instance.
04:48And what can I do about that?
04:50And we will have a conversation about that.
04:52So and the podcast can be found on Spotify?
04:54It's on Guli app.
04:57Not sure about Spotify.
04:58OK.
04:59Now, Mortel Adele is produced in many languages.
05:02Which languages is it produced in?
05:04Why is it not produced in English?
05:06Well, for the English language, it's I think it's a work in progress right now.
05:10We are, yes, translated into 17 languages.
05:14We have like Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, and many more.
05:21And I think the interesting part is that it's always said that, you know, humor doesn't
05:26translate well.
05:27And yet here we are today with 17 languages, which means more countries, I think.
05:32So there is something going on there.
05:34Like she is a child of the millennium, maybe like she talks to all the kids.
05:40Diane, today, parents struggle with this.
05:43Yes.
05:44Screen, phone addictions.
05:46What's it like to know that you are creating something where which takes kids off of their
05:51screens?
05:52Well, it's very exhilarating for me because when I was a child, I would spend hours reading
05:57books and reading comic books.
05:58So to know that kids can let go of their screen, the screen time and get lost, you know, into
06:05a story, into a great adventure like the one that is out today.
06:10It's just wonderful to think that they are enjoying the reading time on their own.
06:14So what inspired you when you were growing up in terms of graphic novels?
06:19I'm a big lover of everything that is Scrooge and Duck, Donald Duck related.
06:26Don Rosa's and Carl Beck stories are the perfect mix to me for, you know, mysteries, adventures,
06:32wonderful storytelling and great design.
06:34Mafalda also.
06:36Now, Adele, from what I understand, is the colours are very well thought out in the book
06:41and change depending on Adele's different moods.
06:45Was that something that was difficult to come up with?
06:48Well, when I work, everything moves in my head.
06:51Like when I draw her, she's already always, you know, doing something.
06:55And the colours are like music to me.
06:57It's almost like the soundtrack of the drawing that I'm making.
07:00So sometimes you don't need words, you need an atmosphere.
07:04And how old is Adele?
07:05I cannot really say.
07:07Does she age?
07:08She doesn't.
07:09She doesn't age?
07:10No.
07:10And does she keep up with the changing world and changing trends?
07:15Yeah, well, she's not really into a trend, but she is her own thing.
07:20But the funny thing and what I really enjoy doing with Antoine is she always, you know,
07:26take things from her parents from the 80s and create new things with that.
07:30So with like the old game consoles or their own computers.
07:35Or LPs or something.
07:36Yes, she's always creating stuff.
07:38She's a very creative child.
07:40And that's I think that the kids are like, how can she do all of these things?
07:45But is that why people recognise that this girl is fear?
07:49She's a force to be reckoned with.
07:52Yes.
07:52She has this big red hair and she has a bit of a temper.
07:56She has this very intense brow that has been always been there.
08:01Because when Antoine drew her first, when he was 14 years old, she already was drawn like this.
08:08So her face, her whole attitude, the way she is, just kept the same.
08:14Do you have numbers to share with me in terms of approximately how many kids right now are reading it?
08:19In France, we have 20 million books sold.
08:23Yes, 20 million.
08:24That's a lot of zeros.
08:26That's a lot considering that this country has a population of 60 something million.
08:29Yes, it's a lot.
08:32No, but it's great because it means that, you know, the kids still read.
08:36And for us to be authors and to know that our books are in all these bedrooms and they are treasured.
08:43And the kids and the parents are followers.
08:47You know, they commit to the next book that we are going to present to them.
08:52There is one out today called Mortelle Adele sur les traces de Croque-Pote.
08:56And we know that the book has been expected, like they just want to have it.
09:01Anticipation.
09:02Because I have friends who don't have kids and they also know about Mortelle Adele.
09:05So thank you so much, Diane, for coming in and explaining to Mortelle Adele, Rebel Adele to us.
09:12And hopefully soon it'll be out in English, you said?
09:14I hope so. It's in the work in progress.
09:16It's in the works.
09:18So great to have you here on FUN24.