Abstract
Japan was ostracized as a nation after the Second World War, and one of the ways it paid for its defeat was in the way it was portrayed in the comic strips that flourished in post-war France and around the world. Over the course of a generation, however, there has been an evolution towards rehabilitation, based in large part on a revival of previously accepted ideas, to which has been added, for reasons yet to be explained, the imaginary project of a modernity that Japan would be the bearer of. French-language comics faithfully reflect this development, which was surprising at the time, while films such as Blade Runner have trivialized the notion.
We will present four French-language comics from this period, in reverse chronological order, which illustrate the reversal of the role assigned to Japan. The presentation will be rounded off with a brief reference to the spy novel, contrasting the characters of Mr Moto and Mr Suzuki. It will be suggested that the genre undoubtedly exerted an important influence in this process.
