Xavier Dorison, comic book writer: “American superheroes have become a fascist archetype”

When we meet Xavier Dorison this April afternoon, the author is enjoying the first rays of sunshine on the terrace of his house in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine). A laptop is open on the table, a few sheets of paper scattered around. Three meters away, a Jacuzzi gurgles. "Sometimes I work there, I put the computer on the edge and I can stay there for hours," the screenwriter says with amusement. Dorison did have a workshop at the bottom of the garden, but his eldest son has taken over with his girlfriend and his dog, relegating his father to a cramped office on the first floor of the house, also used by his daughter. "It doesn't bother me, I can work anywhere. I like to write in cafes," the comic book artist says with a smile.

Make no mistake. Behind this apparent nonchalance, Xavier Dorison, 52, is a workaholic, a workaholic of the page. In twenty-five years of career, this obsessed with lines has written or co-written nearly 70 albums and has sold some 5 million copies. The Undertaker series, drawn since 2014 by Ralph Meyer (seven volumes, Dargaud, in progress), is him. Long John Silver , with Mathieu Lauffray on pencil (four volumes, Dargaud, 2007-2013), him again. Le Château des animaux , directed since 2019 by Félix Delep (three volumes, Casterman, in progress), him again. Not forgetting memorable single albums, such as the revival of Goldorak , written with Denis Bajram (Kana, 2021), or Ulysse & Cyrano , one of the surprise hits of 2024, written with Antoine Cristau and drawn by Servain (Casterman). His latest opus, Les Gorilles du Général , illustrated by Julien Telo, (Casterman, 96 pages, 21.95 euros), has just arrived in bookstores.

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