The latter, daughter of the creator of the comic strip character Gaston Lagaffe, has taken legal action to have the publication of the latest issue of the most popular blunderer of the ninth art suspended. Editions Dupuis had already announced, on May 16, that they were interrupting the pre-publication of Gaston Lagaffe’s latest album, the design of which was entrusted to Delaf (Canadian author Marc Delafontaine), to succeed the creator of the character, André Franquin, who died in 1997. In question, a legal action brought by the daughter of the latter, Isabelle Franquin. She opposes the project, given the last wishes of her father, who had said that he did not want his hero to be taken over by another designer after his disappearance. Several authors and journalists who knew the creator of Gaston and who spoke with him confirmed this desire of the artist.
“Editions Dupuis have spontaneously taken the decision to suspend the launch of the new album in order to allow a calm and objective debate, pending the judicial decision on the merits […]”said the carolo publishing house, now in the hands of the French publishing giant Media-Participations.
On Wednesday, the court made this de facto interim suspension legally valid.
On the merits, an arbitration procedure has been initiated and will be pleaded next August.