Ah ! Nana Editor(s) Janic Guillerez Publisher(s) Humanoïdes Associés First issue Ah ! Nana #1 (October 1976) Last issue Ah ! Nana #9 (September 1978)

Ah ! Nana was a French comics magazine published from October 1976 to September 1978, running nine issues. It was published by Humanoïdes Associés, best known as the publishers of Métal Hurlant, or Heavy Metal. It was the first French publication featuring work almost entirely by women (though it occasionally featured male contributors) at a time when comics were still almost exclusively male environments. It included work by such French cartoonists as Chantal Montellier, Florence Cestac, and Nicole Claveloux, as well as Americans such as Trina Robbins. It sold 15,000 copies on a print run of 30,000, before the ban on sales to minors proved fatal, due to its frequent taboo and controversial material.

The title is a play on words, "nana" being slang for a young woman, and "Ah Nana" being pronounced the same as "ananas", the French word for "pineapple".

Contents show]

History Edit

Though the magazine was the brainchild of a man, Humanoïdes founder and co-publisher Jean-Pierre Dionnet, it lived up to its slogan "fait par et pour les femmes" ("made by and for women"). It fully embraced both the culture of the French feminist movement and the American underground scene.

At the time, French feminism was starting to use the media to both shock and satirize contemporary society, and French comics (bande dessinée or BD) were reaching maturity and attracting more adult audiences. Ah ! Nana entered the scene at a perfect time for such material. Comics were also an overwhelmingly male environment; many women were shunted into children's illustration, and the few women that broke into the mainstream BD publications were routinely excluded from conferences.

In addition to comics, it carried a feature called "Histoire de la BD féminine", which profiled female cartoonists from all over the world. Its text features covered other female-centric media, including books, television, film, and music. It also did not hesistate to address the pressing social and political issues of the day. From issue 3 on, each issue revolved around a particular, often provocative, theme (for example, issue 3 itself billed itself as about "Naziism Today", though it dealt more broadly with contemporary racism and anti-Semitism).

Issues Edit

Add an image

Issue 1 Edit

Cover art: Keleck

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text Articles

"Éditorial" by Edith Orial

"Cinéma" by Marj Marlowe

"Instantane" by Paula Jacques

"Images de Patti" by Marjorie Alessandrini

"Les Runaways" by Marjorie Alessandrini

"Viera da Silva: Peintre Portuguais" by Hélène Rosenberg

"Marie Duval: Il y en avait déjà!" - Histoire de la BD Féminine

"Une Histoire Très Personnelle des Comics Underground" by Trina Robbins

"Le Poisson Rouge" by Arlette Stroumza

"Théâtre" by Zelda Gardaud

"Karaté: Jean-Pierre Vignau" by Claudine Conin

"Amazones: Radclyffe Hall et Le Puit de Solitude" by Celia Gordon and François Rivière





Issue 2 Edit

Cover art: Florence Cestac

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text Articles

"Éditorial" by Edith Orial

"Cantatrice" by Sylvaine Pasquet

"Une Nuit à Rungis" by Paula Jacques

"Cinéma des Femmes" by Marj Marlowe

"Théâtre" by SOTHA

"Gazette" by Marianne Leconte, Anne Delobel, Janic Guillerez, Marjorie Alessandrini, and Claire Paillet

"Pages Arrachées au récit secret d'un voyage enn Inde" by Gabrielle Wittkop

"Labelle" by Marjorie Alessandrini

"Histoire de la BD féminine: Tove Jansson" by Pierre Couperie

"Agatha, le Mystère..." by Celia Gordon and François Rivière





Issue 3 Edit

Danger: Nazisme Aujourd'hui (Naziism Today)

Cover Art: Fevre

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text Articles

"Editorial" by Edith Orial

"Dossier: Nazisme Aujourd'hui" by Paula Jacques, Jocelyne Signoret, Charlotte R., Sotha Aline Issermann, and Myriam Anissimov

"Une Plainte Continue Mont du Fond des Ergastules" by Adélaïde Blasquez

"Histoire de la BD féminine: Grace Drayton" by Pierre Couperie

"Gazette" by Janic Guillerez, Marjorie Alessandrini, Carole Pither, Marcia Tucker, Claude Mangin, and Celia Gordon





Issue 4 Edit

Dossier: La Mode Démodée (Unfashionable Fashion)

Cover Art: Nicole Claveloux

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text Articles

"Éditorial" by Edith Orial

"Dossier" by Marlène Jarlegan, Paula Jacques, Claire Paillet, Wanda Makowski, Sylvaine Pasquet, Kriss, Claude Mangin, Aline Issermann, and Jocelyne Signoret

"Histoire de la BD féminine: Shary Flenniken" by Pierre Couperie

"Dritto filo - enquête autour d'un patron" by Huguette Champroux

"Gazette" by Marjorie Alessandrini, Janic Guillerez, Celia Gordon, Barbara Graille, Marlène Jarlegan, Claude Mangin, Sylvie Moinet, Claire Paillet, Jocelyne Signoret, Claire Clouzot





Issue 5 Edit

Dossier: Hommes (Men)

Cover Art: Lili Whitecat

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text Articles

"Editorial"

"Le mystère masculin" by Kriss

"Omar Sharif" by Claude

"Si vous étiez une femme?" by Sylvaine Pasquet

"L’oiseau rare" by Claire Paillet

"Le nouveau mâle amoureux" by C. G.

"Le M.L.H. de guerre" by Paula Jacques

"Le mâle tricolore" by Sylvie Moinet

"Il était grand, il était beau" by Sotha

"Un = (homme + femme)" by Wanda Malowski

"Les dents du verre" by Thérame

"Gazette" by Paillet, Leconte M., Pither, Thérame, Clouzot, Mangin, Moinet, Graille, Porot, Signoret J.

"Histoire de la BD féminine: Grazia Nidasio" by Pierre Couperie





Issue 6 Edit

Le Sexe et les Petites Filles (Sex and Little Girls)

Cover Art: Liz Bijl

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text Articles

"Editorial: Le sexe et les petites filles"

"Page de Sotha" by Sotha

"Une petite fille comme les autres à peu près" by Kriss

"Les enfants de la nuit" by Jones

"Les enfants d’un autre siècle"

"Danger petite fille" by Bouteille

"Autobio" by Sylvanie Pasquet

"Le droit de votre enfant à la sexualité" by Marianne Leconte

"The Runaways" by Jones

"Histoire de la BD féminine" by Pierre Couperie

"Gazette" by Marianne Leconte, Thérame, Sylvie Moinet, Celia Gordon, Clouzot





Issue 7 Edit

La France Cruelle (Cruel France)

Cover by Liz Bijl

Editorial Staff

Comics

Text articles

"La France cruelle"

"Page de Sotha" by Sotha, Fevre

"De Sade à Masoch en passant par Grillet" by Isabelle Sacuto

"Le cuir et le baston" by Marianne Leconte

"L’encre rouge" Janie Jones

"Une semaine à la télévision"

"La violence plate" by Nancy Huston

"La France bardée de cuir" by Emilie Labroux

"Ciné–meurtres" by Janie Jones

"Une bande d’impuissants" by Marianne Leconte

"Les femmes, créatures inférieures? C’est la faute à Moïse" by Emilie Labroux

"Slits" by Janie Jones

"Gazette" by Françoise Grassin, Isabelle Sacuto, Evelyne Caron–Lowins, Sylvie Moinet, Lenfant, Victoire Thérame





Issue 8 Edit

Homosexualité – Trans sexualité (Homosexuality - Transexuality)

Cover by: Fevre

Comics

Text articles

"Un peu d’histoire" by Alice

"Témoignage" by Anne

"Ces amants et ces amantes" by Sacuto

"Transe, transe, transe!" by Grassin

"Homos" by Lenfant

"Et vice versa"

"Esclaves aux enchères" by Lenfant

"Ces amants et ces amantes" by Sacuto

"Gay USA" by Lenfant

"Tous des pédés" by Sotha

"Bobonettes" by Thérame

"Glissements progressifs du plaisir" by Chris

"Gazette" by Caron–Lowins, Jones, Sylie Moinet, Sacuto, Jocelyne Signoret , Thérame, Wanda

"Docteur renaissance Miss Smith" by Jocelyne Signoret





Issue 9 Edit

L’Inceste (Incest)

Cover Artist: Liz Bijl

Comics

"Le plus grand amour" by Cécilia Capuana

"Untitled" by R. Crumb

"Vampir" by Marie-Ange Le Rochais

"La courageuse super Betty" by Luc Cornillon

"Game over" by Chantal Montellier

"On a volé Gloria" by Barbetti and Pelissier

"La drogue démoniqaue de la martienne" by Trina Robbins

"Sandrine un cœur blessé" by Yves Chaland

"Doris et compagnie" by Cecile de Filippi

"Histoire d’eau" by Nicole Claveloux and Cothias

"Fantasmez, fantasmez, il en restera toujours quelque chose!" by Daniel Ceppi and Vepy

Text articles

"AH! NANA interdit par des hommes" by Lenfant and Chantal Montellier

"Exogamie"

"Lettre ouverte à la rédaction" by Sotha

"Ciné tabou" by Grassin

"Rêves de chair" by Sacuto

"J’inceste donc je suis!" by Thérame

"Feminoscope" by Sacuto

"Histoire de la BD féminine: Fanny Y. Cory" by Pierre Couperie

"Gazette" by Jones, Thérame, Sacuto, Moinet, Jocelyne Signoret, Caron–Lowins

Collections & Reprints Edit

In 1982, Swedish publisher Medusa collected and translated a selection of comics from the whole series as Spegelns ansikte.[1][2]