A few days before the 50th edition of the Angouleme festival, the most anticipated comic of the moment is not a Franco-Belgian album, but the paper version of a webtoon (the name given to Korean digital comics). With 6 million unique readings online, colossal by Diane Truc et Rutile arrives from this Thursday to bookstores.
colossal follows the story of Jade, the daughter of an aristocratic family forced to study at a prestigious high school and participate in social events to save her parents from ruin. The only problem, Jade has only one obsession, which she keeps secret: bodybuilding. Everything changes when she meets a handsome boyfriend…
Often more attractive and more easily accessible than manga and Franco-Belgian comics, webtoons have become one of the most dynamic trends in 9th art. In France, its stars are Diane Truc and Rutile. In a few years, colossal established itself as a model of the genre while renewing the codes of romantic comedy.
The two authors are the first surprised to contribute to the “advent of a new medium”: “I had lost faith in comics,” Rutile emphasizes. “I couldn’t find my place. And there it is. I finally feel like there’s a business model, there’s an audience, there’s something to do.”
“It happened very fast”
Ode to bodybuilding and the difference together with a critique of the gender codes dictated by society, colossal it quickly found success despite stiff competition as one of the top webtoon titles. “He was chained up very quickly,” Diane Truc continues to be surprised. “I was convinced to finish colossal and go back to work in animation”.
This beautiful story began on the Webtoon platform, where colossal It was published from December 2020 to February 2022. I recited it inspired by Diane Truc’s own passion for bodybuilding: “Je m’y étais mise et j’avais envie d’en parler, parce que j’avais découvert énormément stuff.” The rest of the story followed naturally:
“As in all good shōjo [manga destiné au public féminin, NDLR] For the heroine to achieve her goal, you have to put obstacles in her way. I found that putting her in a universe where gender codes are mandatory and extremely pronounced, like the French aristocratic milieu, was perfect.”
It’s this code-breaking, as well as her “healthy talk” about bodybuilding, that got screenwriter Rutile excited: “Diane’s going to start a movement!” she exclaims. “Many readers told me they were back in the room,” confirms Diane Truc. “Muscle girls are exploding on the internet right now!”
new imaginary
In line with The secret of superhuman strengthwhere the designer Alison Bechdel confides her passion for fitness, or the character of Luisa in CharmA new imaginary of non-sexualized muscular women is forming in the collective imagination. colossal it is the latest manifestation of this silent revolution.
“The appearance of the body has little to do with physical strength,” Rutile insists. “There’s a lot of emphasis in our society on a specific look and mold that women should adhere to.”
“The main purpose of colossal is to talk about strength, that physical strength leads to mental strength and not at all to physical attractiveness,” adds Diane Truc, who opposes conventional portrayals of muscular women: “The femininity of the character is often emphasized to counteract the fact that she looks too much like a man.
To represent their heroine’s strength, the duo outfitted her with red hair. “The redheaded characters convey a sense of strength,” notes Diane Truc. “And redhead is seen from afar, it’s practical in comics. Spirou is red. Lanfeust is red. All comic book heroes are red!” laughs Rutile.
Like “Buffy” and “Doctor Who”
The webtoon is often afraid of showing flawed heroines. A cliche that colossal stomps happily: “I learned that by watching buffy Y doctor whoRutile exclaims. “And it’s not because she’s the main character that our heroine can’t be wrong. We have to question her, let her take it seriously.”
colossal it was designed week after week, on the model of the soap opera of yesteryear. “It takes the author back to the origins of popular comics. You have to have a spirit of synthesis to get right to the point,” says Rutile. The publication on paper, however, allows you to modify certain less successful drawings and clarify some dialogues.
Characters had also changed their first name from one chapter to another, as in The Three Musketeers. Shells that are not to displease Rutilo, a great admirer of the work of Alexandre Dumas. “We had no control over the publication,” specifies the screenwriter. “There was a Korean publisher.”
colossal It is available in two editions, including an “Extra Armored” Collector’s Edition. Five 200-page volumes are planned, the publication of which is distributed throughout the year. Despite the release of the paper version, the webtoon is still accessible for free. “On the Internet, first we give and then people follow us out of loyalty,” the authors conclude.
Source: BFM TV
