'Histoire du Rock en. B.D.' (1986), about Jimi Hendrix.
Serge Dutfoy is a French art educator, jazz pianist and comic artist. His passion for music is expressed in various comics and illustration jobs about jazz and rock. Dutfoy drew biographical graphic novels about jazz legends 'Glenn Miller' (2004) and 'Fats Waller' (2009), but is perhaps best-known for the 1986 book 'Histoire du Rock en BD' ('Rock Toons: A Cartoon History of the First 30 Years of Rock 'n' Roll'), chronicling the history of pop music from 1955 until 1985. The comic book was a huge success, translated in many languages. Dutfoy has additionally made graphic novels introducing the artwork of famous painters like Henri Matisse, Pierre Bonnard and Maurice Denis to younger readers. As a citizen of Saint-Quentin, he has frequently promoted his town with promotional posters, advertising illustrations and comics.
Winning comic by 16-years old Serge Dutfoy, published in Spirou issue #1045 of 24 April 1958.
Early life and career
Serge Dutfoy was born in 1942 in Jeumont, in the northern province of Hauts-de-France. He always enjoyed drawing, a talent he inherited from his mother. His aunt was a graphic designer who encouraged his drawing talent and often visited museums with him. In 1958, the 16-year old Dutfoy won a drawing contest, whereupon a half page with his work was printed in Spirou issue #1045 (24 April 1958). From 1961 on, he studied plastic arts at the Claude-Bernard Lyceum in Paris, where he graduated in 1965. Between 1964 and 2002, Dutfoy worked as art educator at the National Ministry of Education. His main graphic influences have been Jean Bosc, Chaval, Stuart Davis, Walt Disney, Albert Dubout, Albrecht Dürer, André Franquin, Jean Giraud, Floyd Gottfredson, Hergé, Piet Mondriaan, Morris, Pablo Picasso and Ronald Searle.
'Echec à Rouquignol' (unpublished 1970 comic story).
In 1968, Dutfoy drew the medieval comic story 'Histoire du Pauvre Troubadour Solitaire' and presented it to Spirou magazine. Publisher Charles Dupuis looked at the artwork and wanted to know the opinion of his star artist, André Franquin. And so, 'Spirou' artist Jean-Claude Fournier brought Dutfoy and his portfolio to a bar in Brussels, to meet Franquin, or as Dutfoy described him, "God". Franquin liked Dutfoy's work and insisted on showing the pages to his colleague Will. As they drove to his house, Dutfoy was amused that Franquin effectively owned the same vehicle as his signature character Gaston Lagaffe. Although Will was also positive about Dutfoy's comic and Dupuis congratulated him with the professional-looking art, the publisher still felt his pages weren't fit for publication yet. Still, Dutfoy was happy to have met three legendary comic creators in one day.
In 1970, he wrote and drew a long adventure story, 'Echec à Rouquignol' about a young woman, Pamela Pampoodey, who is kidnapped by pirates. Throughout the story, the Hollywood comedian Groucho Marx provided fourth-wall-breaking commentary. The half-finished comic was presented to Pilote magazine, but rejected too.
Comic for Rock et Folk #46, November 1970.
Music magazines
From 1967 on, Dutfoy achieved notability as a long-time cartoonist and illustrator for various music magazines, particularly Jazz Hot, Jazz Magazine and Rock & Folk, where his work appeared irregularly until the mid-1980s. He designed logos, made caricatures of musicians to accompany articles and occasional free posters. In Rock & Folk, he also drew several gag comics, some of which depicted teenagers and pop stars in satirical situations. Other comics were more surreal, like the 1980 story 'Happy End', scripted by chief editor Philippe Paringaux and painted by Dutfoy with an aerograph. Dutfoy wanted 'Happy End' to feature Laurel & Hardy, so Paringaux wrote them into the story, but also included guest roles for Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. As an inside joke, Dutfoy drew his own blue telephone at the time in the background. Paringaux later also penned comic scripts for Catel and Jacques Loustal.
His art for these music magazines was right up Dutfoy's sleeve. Ever since he watched 'The Glenn Miller Story' in theaters as a child, he had always been interested in jazz, singling out Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Fats Waller as his personal favorites. Since 1968, he has been a pianist with The Blue Rhythm Band, for which he also designed several concert posters.
Comic story for Rock & Folk (1977).
Fleurus & Flammarion
In the late 1970s, Dutfoy was a frequent collaborator with the publishing company Fleurus, livening up the pages of the youth magazines Djin and Perlin, as well as Christiane, a magazine for young women. For publisher Flammarion, Dutfoy illustrated an adaptation of 'Cendrillon' ('Cinderella', 1977), which was also translated into English and Japanese. He deliberately based Cinderella's looks on Catherine Deneuve in the film 'Peau d'Âne'.
'Cendrillon' (1977).
Histoire du Rock en B.D.
In 1983, Dutfoy was approached by publisher Francis Van de Velde, who had previously released a three-volume comic book series about the history of classical music, 'Histoire de la Musique en Bandes Dessinées' (Van de Velde, 1978-1980), scripted by dramatist/translator Michael Sadler and drawn by Bernard Deyriès. Van de Velde wanted a similar comic book about the history of pop and rock music, but since Deyriès had gone into animation, he needed a new artist. Dutfoy seemed an appropriate replacement, given his background as an illustrator for Rock & Folk magazine. He drew a try-out page about Jimi Hendrix and was accepted. In between his teaching job and other activities, Dutfoy worked three years on the project.
'Histoire du Rock en. B.D.' (1986). The character Mr. Bird is a nod to the protagonist of Bernard Deyriès' 'Historie de la Musique en Bandes Dessinées'.
All the info and photos for 'Histoire du Rock en B.D' (Hachette, 1986) were provided by music columnist and concert organiser Dominique Farran, who also worked for the radio channel RTL. Michael Sadler adapted everything into a comic book script, to which Dutfoy added his own photographic source material. The chronological journey covers 30 years of pop music, from Bill Haley & His Comets to the 1985 Live-Aid concert. The narration is provided by four anthropomorphic "cool" cats. Cat is a young male greaser, with a large quiff. He mostly focuses on streetwise rock artists. The young girl Cookie is obsessed with Elvis Presley, but also hosts a chapter about female pop stars and one about folk rock, with special attention to Bob Dylan. André is the intellectual, who mostly addresses more "artistic" musicians, like in the prog and symphonic rock movements. Raymond is a sleazy private investigator, who talks about the darker and more hedonistic side of "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll". The odd one out is Mr. Bird, a toucan who actually likes classical music. His high-brow, sometimes snobbish opinions are contrasted with the low-brow, dangerous public image of rock. Unbeknownst to many readers, Mr. Bird was actually a nod to the narrator from the earlier book series, 'Histoire de la Musique en Bandes Dessinées'. Some chapters are not narrated by the cat protagonists, but by guests, like a fairy who tells The Beatles' story and a black cat who explains the rise of soul music.
'Histoire du Rock en. B.D.' (1986), about Sam Phillips discovering Elvis Presley.
The comic book covers many important pop singers, groups and genres, offering key moments from their careers and historical context. The general appeal of rock is explained too. Dutfoy draws everything in a combination of realistic art (caricatures of pop stars) and a more cartoony style with funny animals and anthropomorphic objects. Nevertheless, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll are depicted too, making it anything but family-friendly. The dynamic artwork is supported by inventive lay-outs, witty background details and fourth wall-breaking comedy. For instance, Buddy Holly's life is told in panels that resemble the frames of his glasses. The chapter about The Rolling Stones is disrupted when the group starts messing with the panels and Mick Jagger eventually takes over the narration for a few pages. A section devoted to the underground movement spoofs Robert Crumb's graphic style and has cameos of his characters Mr. Natural, Flakey Foont and Fritz the Cat. The pages devoted to punk are presented as a stitched-together cut-out, with some fans sniffing the glue that holds the book pages together. Dutfoy also gave scriptwriter Mike Sadler a cameo as a mustached police officer holding back an enthusiastic crowd waiting for Elvis.
'Histoire du Rock en. B.D.' (1986), about Bob Dylan.
Originally, the authors assumed that 'Histoire du Rock en B.D.' would also be stretched over three volumes, just like 'Histoire de Musique en Bandes Dessinées'. Instead, the publisher told them to condense it all into a single volume. As a result, artists like Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan receive several pages, while others have to be content with only one or half a page. Soul and the hippie movement are covered in a full chapter, but many genres that emerged during the 1970s, like glam rock, prog rock, heavy metal and disco are only given one or two pages. Unavoidably, there are many artists the authors couldn't spend much time on, but they arrive near the end to complain about it. Understandably, the authors couldn't anticipate the relevance of certain artists and genres either. As a result, some minor, now forgotten, acts are mentioned, while other, more significant performers and genres are notably absent.
Released on 5 May 1986, 'Histoire du Rock en B.D.' was a bestseller, making it Dutfoy's best-known and most widespread work. It received translations in English ('The Cartoon History of Rock and Roll' and also as 'Rock Toons: A Cartoon History of the First 30 Years of Rock and Roll'), Dutch ('De Stripgeschiedenis van de Popmuziek'), German ('Geschichte der Rockmusik in Comics'), Italian ('Storia del Rock'), Hungarian ('Képregényes rocktörténet'), Greek (' Η ιστορία του rock and roll κόμικς'), Danish ('Rock i Striber - Rockens Historie som Tegneserie'), Slovenian ('Zgodovina Rock Glasbe v Stripu'), Japanese and Russian. However, one chapter in the original version was left out in foreign translations, namely the one about "Gallic Rock", documenting the history of French rock music. Most French pop acts had never achieved much notoriety in non-francophone countries, save for Johnny Halliday, Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Jean-Michel Jarre and Magma.
'Histoire du Rock en. B.D.' (1986), about The Rolling Stones.
Because of its success, the idea arose to adapt 'Histoire du Rock en B.D.' into an animated feature film, or an animated TV series. The plot would involve the cat characters travelling through history, intercut with concert footage by famous rock artists. The project ran under the title 'Rockmobile' and was to be produced by DIC Animation, with participation by Bernard Deyriès. Dutfoy drew model sheets, promotional artwork and background art, but eventually the project failed, because getting the rights for the music and video footage proved too expensive.
Although new pop stars and genres have arrived over the decades, Dutfoy and his writers never made a follow-up to 'Histoire du Rock en B.D.'. A similar project came about in 2010, scripted by Vincent Brunner: 'Tunes: A Comic Book History of Rock and Roll' (Universe, 2010). In this collective comic book, different artists tell the career story of one specific artist or group.
Picture puzzle with Beatles songs, from 'Histoire du Rock en B.D.'. One minor mistake is that also a few songs from John Lennon's solo career are included.
Van de Velde music books
In 1995, Dutfoy illustrated a series of educational books for the publishing company Van de Velde, intended for young music students. Written by Sylvie Debeda and Florence Martin, the five-volume 'Hector, L'Apprenti Musicien', visualized everything from musical notation to playing specific instruments. Dutfoy also designed the cover for Daniel Magne's 'Guide Pratique du Piano Pour L'Amateur et Le Professionel' (1992) and illustrated two-volume book set with overtures for flutists, 'La Flûte Traversière' (1995), both by Isabelle Ory.
'Hector, L'Apprenti Musicien'.
Jazz biopics
After the publication of 'Histoire de la Musique en Bandes Dessinées' (1978-1980) and 'Histoire du Rock en B.D.' (1986), it only seemed natural to release a comic book history of jazz too. As a jazz fan and professional pianist, Dutfoy really looked forward to the idea. He had already prepared a few pages about Fats Waller, but unfortunately his publisher was certain that a jazz-themed comic book wouldn't sell as well. Dutfoy suggested a more general approach, namely a comic book about the history of piano music, so he could still use his pages about Waller, but once again the publisher dismissed the plan. For a while, it seemed that Dutfoy could use his 'Fats Waller' comic for the magazine Métal Hurlant, but this plan also fell through. In the end, he wasn't really satisfied with his prepared artwork and so he shelved the project.
'Fats Waller' (2008).
In 2002, the publishing company Nocturne launched the graphic novel collection 'BD Jazz', featuring biographies of legendary jazz musicians, combined with compilation CDs. Dutfoy worked out nine pages about Dizzy Gillespie. Although they were rejected, Nocturne did greenlight a graphic novel by Dutfoy about Glenn Miller, released in 2004. The Miller book brought Dutfoy "in the mood" to dust off and complete his comic book about Fats Waller. The long overdue biopic about the "not-misbehavin'" jazz legend was finally released as 'Fats Waller' (2008).
'Glenn Miller' (2004).
Other creators contributing to Nocturne's BD Jazz publications have been Thierry Alba, Rubén Álvarez, Aurel, Émile Balaguer, Tim Bastian, Jean-Charles Baty, Claire Braud, François Cerminaro, Michel Conversin, José Correa, Stéphane Daniel, Thibault De Chastenet, Olivier Desvaux, Diego Doña Solar, Alexis Dormal, Bertrand Dubois, Grégory Elbaz, Jampur Fraize, Julie Faulques, Jacques Ferrandez, Alain Garrigue, Jean-Claude Götting, Yumiko Hioki, Ghislaine Hillard, Igort, Laura Iorio, Jörg, Louis Joos, Kerascoët, Grazia La Padula, Sylvain Leheu, François Moutin, Lionel Pailler, Philippe Peseux, Noely Ratsimiebo, Emmanuel Reuzé, Roberto Ricci, Frédérik Salsedo, Aude Samama, Camillo Sanin, Jérémy Soudant, Steg, Marcelino Truong, and Pedro Zamith.
'Les Graines Magiques de Matisse' (2024).
Painters' biographies
Besides jazz musicians, Dutfoy has also drawn graphic novels about famous painters, aimed at a young audience. For publishing company Philomele, he drew a comic about painter Henri Matisse, 'Les Graines Magiques de Matisse' (2024), scripted by Géraldine Collet. For Silvana Editoriale, he created graphic novels about painters Pierre Bonnard ('Bonnard, du Côte du Cannet', written by Micaella Felinni, 2021) and Maurice Denis ('Maurice Denis: Une Vie d'Artiste', written by Fabienne Stahl, 2024).
'La Famille Kissonn'.
Saint-Quentin
As a citizen of Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Dutfoy has frequently promoted the historical city and its local events through comics, posters and advertising art. In 1988, for instance, he and Jean-Pierre Barbara released two albums of 'Tintouin à Saint-Quentin', about the adventures of a young boy in many recognizable Saint-Quentin hotspots. Dutfoy and Barbara also collaborated on another children's comic book, 'Maxigolf à Lilipub' (Map Editeur, 1993).
In 1991, Dutfoy established the first edition of the Journées BD, a comic festival in Saint-Quentin, further promoting the event with eye-catching posters. In 2006, he designed posters to promote the Tour de France passing through the city. Between September 2010 and April 2012, he also made illustrations and comics for Saint-Quentin's free tourist magazine L'Écho du Carillon. L'Écho featured the gag comic 'La Famille Kissonn', about a group of anthropomorphic clocks. Several of Dutfoy's cityscape illustrations about his hometown, presented in an Art Deco style, have been collected in the book 'Album de Coloriage Art Déco' (2020), published by the Saint-Quentin local tourist board.
'Tintouin à Saint-Quentin'.
Graphic contributions
Dutfoy has designed covers for the books 'Un Chien de Saison' (JC Lattès, 1979) and 'Pour Amuser de Coccinelles' (JC Lattès, 2003) by Maurice Denuzière, alongside 'C'était Le Pérou' (Libraire General Française, 1980) by Patrick Cauvin, 'Fast English' (JClattès, 1983) by Adrienne and Philippe Baudouin's 'Une Chronologie du Jazz' (Outre Mesure, 2005). In 2011, Dutfoy was one of many contributions to an anti-war-themed comic book, 'Cicatrices de Guerre(s)' (De La Gouttiere, 2011), scripted by Norédine Allam, Jean-François Bruckner and Damien Cuvillier.
Recognition
On 12 May 2025, a sketch by Dutfoy of U.S. jazz bassist Ron Carter was shared by the musician himself on his social media account.
Self-portrait.