Cecil

Cécil (Christophe Coronas) developed a passion for drawing and a desire to tell stories at a very early age. In 1984, he enrolled at the Bordeaux School of Fine Arts, before beginning his career as an artist in advertising and children’s illustration, notably for Bayard. In 1990–1991, he published his first artwork, L’Empreinte des chimères (The Imprint of Chimeras), under the name Christophe Coronas, based on a script by Mathieu Gallié. While reading a novel by Serge Brussolo, an idea for a story came to Cécil. He worked on and developed it for four years before discussing it with Éric Corbeyran: Le Réseau Bombyce (The Bombyce Network) was born. In an imaginary Paris of the early 20th century, heavily influenced by steampunk aesthetics and Art Nouveau architecture, Mouche and Eustache form the Bombyce Network, a duo of virtuoso and elusive acrobatic burglars. During one of their heists, the safe of one of their victims yields only a few bills and a mysterious film reel – a snuff movie -  which draws them into a spiral of blackmail, violence, and death. The story, which depicts deeply immoral and sordid acts, is brought to life by Cécil’s majestic artwork and his mastery of color. Captivating, unsettling, and haunting, Le Réseau Bombyce (The Bombyce Network) brings out the best in the Corbeyran/Cécil duo. Critical acclaim was immediate: upon the release of the first volume in 1999 by Les Humanoïdes Associés, they won the prestigious Prix Canal BD awarded by booksellers. Three more albums would follow, bringing this dense story—which took Cécil twelve years to complete—to a close.