The Gallic War

Vincent Pompetti & Tarek



The authors

Vincent Pompetti / illustrator, screenwriter and painter

Email: pompettiv@gmail.com / Website: https://pompetti.wordpress.com/

Italian born in Belgium, Vincent Pompetti studied art at the institute St-Luc and graduated in 1998
from the comics section. Two years later, he published his first comic book as a complete author
at Glénat (Divine Planet), then began a collaboration with the writer and graffiti specialist Tarek
(Paris Tonkar). The result is several series like Sir Arthur Benton (second cycle) or recently
Conquest: Julius Caesar's Gallic War, and a story of pirates (The Corsair). Both are involved in an
independent publishing house, Tartamudo, with José Jover, and create an association of artists
(Pegasus). Vincent collaborates with the urban art magazine "Paris Tonkar", and at the same time
develops a career as a painter and illustrator, exhibiting in Switzerland (Starkart), Canada (Gallery
203), Italy (2016 and 2017) and France mainly. He teaches sketching and painting classes in
Rennes where he has been living for ten years. His latest publications are the release of two
graphic novels (June 2015 and June 2017), Les Anciens Astronautes and Constellation, produced
in full author, and who is developing a science fiction / fantasy universe

Bibliography

The Corsair / Black Panell Press

Conquest, Julius Caesar’s Gallic war / Black Panell Press


Trabocchi / Pegasus

Pineto. Dolce vita / Pegasus

Almanach XXe et XXIe / Pegasus

Constellation / Tartamudo

Artbook / Pegasus

Constellation / Black Panell Press

Ancient Astronauts / Black Panell Press

Constellation / Tartamudo

Les Anciens Astronautes / Tartamudo

Le carnet de La guerre des Gaule / Tartamudo

La guerre des Gaules / Integral / Tartamudo

The Gallic Wars / volume 1 / Tartamudo
La guerre des Gaules / 2 volumes / Tartamudo

Le Malouin / Tartamudo

Sir Arthur Benton cycle II / 3 volumes / EP

Sir Arthur Benton cycle II / integral / EP

Raspoutine / 3 volumes / EP

Œil brun, œil bleu / EP

Planète divine / 2 volumes / Glénat




Tarek / writer, photographer & painter
Email: elzar58@hotmail.com / Website : www.tarek-bd.fr

A graduate of the Sorbonne (University Paris I) in medieval history and art history, Tarek released
the book Tonkar Paris on July 1991 at the age of 20: first art book devoted to graffiti in Paris
published in Europe! It has become a reference work for all urban art lovers as well as for Hip-Hop
specialists. Subsequently, he exhibited his first paintings in 1992 at the space Chapon (Paris)
during the great exhibition Paris Graffiti, a milestone event since the magazine 1Tox is launched at
the same time. He participated actively in the organization of this exhibition and the launch of the
magazine: the graffiti then knows its first hours of glory.

Tarek preferred, for a time, to leave this environment to better devote himself to his studies. Thus,
he was able to finish the writing of his memoir devoted to neo-Platonists in Baghdad during the
golden age of the Abbasids and then went to the Bourguiba Institute of Tunis from 1992 to 1993
where he studied the language. Arab. Between 1995 and 1997, he lived in Damascus where he
taught French and gave lectures at various French cultural centers in the country and the Latakia
School of Fine Arts. He has made many reports throughout the region (Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon,
and Syria) ... This photographic work is partly exposed in Latakia and Damascus, and in France in
many places including the Syrian Cultural Center in Paris and various cultural spaces in the
province.

Since July 1999, Tarek has written more than 70 albums for various publishers for which he has
met with public support and has won numerous awards including the St. Michael's Best
Screenplay in 2007 for his series Sir Arthur Benton. That year, his work on this series was the
subject of a large exhibition of 200 m2 at the Memorial of Caen for four months with nearly
180,000 visitors. It was the first time that a comic strip was thus highlighted in a place of history
and memory! His comic strip albums have been regularly used in schools and reading courses
since 2004. He regularly gives lectures on comics, history and contemporary art. In 2009, he even
participated in a symposium on the Cold War at the Caen Memorial by presenting his work on
propaganda and comics during this period.

2010 marked a turning point in his artistic career since he began directing Paris Tonkar magazine,
a magazine devoted to urban art and graffiti, but also to collaborate regularly with International
Hip-Hop, Cosmic Hip-Hop, and Fatcap magazine. The same year, he co-wrote the script of a pilot
for an American TV series and exhibited in Zurich (Switzerland) and Montreal (Canada) before
proposing his pictorial and photographic work again in France. For twenty years, he has worked
and reflected on different artistic expressions: comics, graffiti, street art, photography, video,
Arabic calligraphy. He has also collaborated in many magazines like Bédéka, Meuriad or Ya! as a
journalist or comic writer.

The comic book is not neglected so far: he has scripted new series including one dedicated to a
superhero Blateman and Bobine with Vhenin drawing (published in December 2015), another on
The War of Gaul (in 2 volumes, the first was presented in preview at the FIBD of Angoulême in
2012) and Turcos, a story about the Indians in the trenches between 1914 and 1918, at
Tartamudo. This album was nominated for the 2012 Tournesol Prize at the FIBD where Tarek
presented his documentary, Turcos the making-off.

Tarek also published an album with Seb Cazes in the drawing edition of the waffle mold called The
Concierge. The reception of the public and the press were unanimous to salute the daring and the
quality of this history. At the same time, he exhibited in France in new art galleries, participated in
auctions in Lyon and Paris at Artcurial ... The Philippe Gelot gallery supports him in his work and
represents him in Paris since 2012. He has participated in many events of urban art in France: his
collages are visible in the four corners of the world. Since September 2013, the 203 gallery in
Montreal represents him in Canada ... Concerning comics, this year also marks a new stage since
some of his albums are available in English and Flemish.

Between 2013 and 2014, he exhibited his paintings twice in New York where he went for live
painting. Many of his works have joined private collections of companies and public institutions.
He participated in new auctions still in Paris and Lyon. The online gallery Newarty's integrated
some of his creations in 2013: his work was immediately a great success with their collectors.

In 2015, Tarek participated in the Parcours Aucwin in Saint-Denis and also relaunched the
dynamics of the Urban Partitions collective: with the latter, he exhibited in numerous galleries in
France and realized urban performances, mainly in Paris and Rennes. His comic series has
continued to generate excitement among the public: the Gallic Wars won the prize for the best
historical series at the comic strip show Rive de Giers and the plates of this series are exhibited in
many public institutions and museums. The gallery L'œil ouvert (Paris) began to defend his work
and he began an artistic collaboration with the gallery Jed Voras (Paris): collective exhibition,
happening during the regional election ...

The Depôt art gallery in Athens (Greece) proposed to Tarek to become a resident artist and a large
group exhibition in December of this year formalized this new collaboration. Regarding his writing,
Tarek has embarked on several projects including the story of Hannibal with Vincent Pompetti
drawing (planned at Tartamudo) and the suite of Blateman and Bobine with Vhenin.

Since 2016 in Hamburg (Germany), Tarek has exhibited his works in several places and two
galleries (MS Stubnit Cultural Boat, at the Kunsthaus an der Alster and Studio Longboard): he
became known to the French community living in this city. He also participated in Festiv'art in
Kribi (Cameroon) during which he painted many walls with Simon Binna, Rostand Pokam, and
other Cameroonian painters. In 2017, several personal and collective exhibitions punctuated his
work of painting and comics: from Rennes to Lyon, from Moulins to Paris via Hamburg, Sao
Paulo, Brussels, Montreal or Andenne, the public was able to appreciate and buy his productions.
New galleries now offer his works: Superposition (Lyon), No gallery (Rennes), Sub galeria (Sao
Paulo), Gallery JPHT (Paris 3rd) and Anthony Roth Gallery Contemporary (Paris 4th). Some of his
paintings joined the collection of the MoLA Museum following an auction at Drouot (Paris) at the
end of the year.

The year 2018 began at the contemporary art fair of Villiers-le-Bel, Tarek was the guest of honor
and sponsor of it where he performs performances and meetings with the public. Espace
Christiane Peugeot and Crowne Plaza Neuilly also exhibited their work for the first time. The city
of Moulins offered him to participate in the Cow Parade for which he customized a cow and then
exhibited at the Galerie Atelier 17 works of his next series on this theme. With his collective Urban
Sheet Music, he made in-situ paintings at ENC Bessière during February and then at Chauny and
Saint Aubin du Pavail ... The end of the year was just as intense as it painted walls in Brooklyn in
October and on his return he exhibited in the galleries Lehalle (Paris 7th) and BDMC (Paris 15th)
and the Appart # 4 with his friend Mat Elbé. New works have joined the MoLA Museum following
an auction at Drouot in November.

Bibliography

The Corsair / Black Panell Press

Les aventures du Tsar fou / Tartamudo

Conquest, Julius Caesar’s Gallic war / Black Panell Press


Le carnet de la Guerre des Gaules / Tartamudo

La guerre des Gaules / Integral / Tartamudo

The Gallic Wars / volume 1 / Tartamudo
Le Concierge / Le Moule-à-gaufres

Le Malouin / Tartamudo

La guerre des Gaules / 2 volumes / Tartamudo
Turcos / Tartamudo

Sir Arthur Benton cycle I / 3 volumes / EP / translated into Swedish and Flemish

Sir Arthur Benton cycle I / integral / EP / translated into Flemish

Sir Arthur Benton cycle II / 3 volumes / EP

Sir Arthur Benton cycle II / integral / EP

Le Tsar fou / 3 volumes / EP

Tengiz / 3 volumes / EP / translated Into turkish

Raspoutine / 3 volumes / EP

Lawrence d’Arabie / 2 t volumes / EP

Ubupolis / EP

Baybars / EP

Œil brun, œil bleu / EP

Baudelaire ou le roman rêvé d’E.A. Poe / Mosquito

Les cavaliers de l’Apocalypse / Théloma

Les cavaliers de l’Apocalypse / Black and white print / Théloma

Le prophète de Tadmor / 2 volumes / Vents d’Ouest

Schizophrénie sanglante / Pointe Noire

La boîte de Pandore / Soleil

Blateman et Bobine / Tartamudo


Circus / Idées+

Le roi des singes / Soleil

Les trois petits cochons / EP

Les sept nains et demi / EP

Monsieur Lune / 1st edition at Soleil kids / EP / translated into Breton

Rufus le loup et le chaperon rouge / 1st edition at Soleil kids / EP / translated into Breton

Le petit Mamadou Poucet / EP

Le grimoire de la forêt des contes imaginaires / EP

La véritable histoire du Chat Botté / EP

Le petit bûcheron / 1st edition at Soleil kids / EP

Trois petites histoire(s) de monstres / EP / translated into Breton

Supernain / EP

Les chaussettes trouées / 3 volumes / EP

Les Poussins de l’espace / 2 volumes / EP

Chamouraï / 2 volumes / Pointe Noire

Le Professeur Stigmatus / Pointe Noire / translated into Breton

Cyrill et les ombres du bois cendré / Soleil

Nos rêves en bulles / La ville aux livres, Ville de Creil

Résidence d’écrivain / CCL

Paris Tonkar / Florent Massot éditions

Hajimé / Ludendo + FFK

La parité homme-femme / Mutualité française

Solidaribulles n°10 / Secours Populaire Français

Press

Paris Tonkar magazine / 19 numéros (available in kiosks and online)

International Hip-Hop

Espèce

Seizh, l’actualité de la Bretagne

Cosmic Hip Hop

Planète BD / Hachette

Bedeka / Posse press

Revue 1 TOX / Florent Massot éditions

Meuriad / publications of several stories in Breton

Ya !  / publications of several stories in Breton

Dogan Kardes / Tengiz In turkish / Turquie

Manga kids + / Tengiz en noir et blanc



Conquest: Julius Caesar's Gallic War

"Pompetti and Tarek have produced a

visually intoxicating work whose sense of
grandeur is difficult not to get swept up in."
- A Place to Hang Your Cape

Based on Julius Caesar's influential work

"Commentaries on the Gallic War", "Conquest:
Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars" is a 136 page
graphic novel account of Julius Caesar's
conquest of Gaul from 49 B.C. to 52 B.C. 

Painstakingly painted by hand in watercolor

and meticulously researched using the most
recent archaeological data available, this book
is one of the most accurate accounts, both
visually and textually, of this period in history. 

"The whole of Gaul is divided into three parts:

one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani
another, and the third a people who in their
own language are called 'Celts,' but in ours,
'Gauls.' They all differ among themselves in
respect of language, way of life, and laws...." 

Thus begins one of the major works of humanity, "The Gallic War," written by a man who marked
our history and subconscious, Julius Caesar.

Publisher: Black Panel Press

ISBN: 978-1775101543
Pages: 136

Awards and nominations
Prize for the best historical album, Rive de Gier 2015

Nominated for best album, Conches 2012

Documentaries
"La Bataille des Vénètes", France 3 Bretagne, 2019 (France)

"Sur les traces de Jules César", RTBF, 2018 (Belgium)

Publication
Tumulte Gaulois, Page, 2014

Exhibitions
Exposition histoire et BD au château de Dampierre / Dampierre-sur-Boutonne, 2019

« La Guerre des Gaules » à la galerie Philippe Gelot / Paris, 2018

Alliance Française de Chisinau / Moldavie, 2017

Musée Saint-Romain-en-Gal, Vienne, 2016

Les Imprimeries réunies, Moulins, 2016

83e salon d’art d’Étampes, Étampes, 2015

Créabulles, Bruxelles, 2015

Librairie Forbidden Zone, Bruxelles, 2015

Le Miramare, Bruxelles, 2015

Espace Eric Tabarly, Paray, 2015

Salon SoBD, Paris, 2014

Musée Bargoin, Clermont-Ferrand, 2014

Musée Anne de Beaujeu, Moulins, 2014

« La guerre des Gaules », Serre-Chevalier, 2014

Journées du patrimoine, Niederbronn-les-Bains, 2012

Salon Gaulgauda, Nice, 2012

Salon Archéo’ culte, Bavay, 2012


Contacts

Founder: Andrew Benteau


Black Panel Press Inc.
1 Yonge Street, Suite 1801

Toronto, ON M5E 1W7, Canada

email: andrew@blackpanelpress.com

Website: www.blackpanelpress.com/