Zep (Philippe Chappuis aka) *1967

Zep (Philippe Chappuis aka) *1967
Titeuf and the rear of things
The career counselor

Felt pen on paper for this page reproduced in this album published in 1996 by Glénat editions. "It was long one of my favorite pages. The theme of the character who doesn't want to grow up. It echoes my own childhood. And that's probably why I created a ten-year-old double of myself" (Zep).
42 x 29.7 cm

The question is terrifying, even more terrifying than solving a math problem, listing the great dates of French history, or giving a small gift to Nadia to tell her she's the prettiest. "What would you like to do when you grow up?" Well... How can such a young child answer that, especially when you think of all the constraints weighing on an adult's life, and he, who already struggles with his school stories, grades never good enough, fights in the playground, a room to tidy up, things he's not allowed to do because he's too small, is hard-pressed to imagine. Because there's a whole collection of them that one would gladly do without, and, when one is naive enough to believe that one has become a responsible, exemplary adult in all respects, that's when the sky begins to darken dangerously, and daily, professional, or family annoyances, small or large, begin to pour down. The enchanted world of grown-ups can wait.