A humor and drawing master, admired by André Franquin himself
Christian Debarre, known as Bar2, born on April 18, 1960, in Meudon, is the creator of Joe Bar Team. From his teenage years, he divided his time between two passions: drawing and motorcycles. In 1977, he made his debut in the magazine Plein Pot, a monthly motorcycle magazine featuring comic strips. After working as an illustrator at Moto Crampon, Bar2 joined Moto Journal, where he created the first Joe Bar Team pages that were later published by Vents d’Ouest. Bar2 authored the first album in the series, entrusting the rest to Fane. In 2003, he took over Bar2 for Volume 5, for which he wrote the script and did the artwork.
To my knowledge, none of the heirs of that great master of comic art, André Franquin, has succeeded as well as Debarre in capturing all that makes up the energy, the elegance, the expressiveness of the great master's line. Yet he is no mere copyist; instead, he infuses his artwork (yes, indeed) with the full extent of his talent in his second passion: motorcycles. Like the patriarch of the Marcinelle school, Debarre has pulled off a masterstroke, making his oil-scented machines as alive as the characters who ride them!
Yoann (artist) – Excerpt from the Daniel Maghen auction catalog, June 2023
Credits :
Bar2 © Vents d'Ouest 2026 (banner) © Romuald Meigneux (portrait)
