# Imbattable Vol.1 (2017): An Inspiration for Comics Studies

Imane Ghebache

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Imane Ghebache. Imbattable Vol.1 (2017): An Inspiration for Comics Studies. Journée d'études des doctorants d'EMMA, EMMA, Jun 2025, Montpellier (Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier), France. hal-05111453

HAL Id: hal-05111453

https://hal.science/hal-05111453v1

Submitted on 19 Jun 2025

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*Imbattable* Vol.1 (2017): An Inspiration for Comics Studies

This conference paper recounts my early discovery of comics as a complex and intellectually rich medium, by highlighting French artist Pascal Jousselin's *Imbattable* as a turning point. The comic features a superhero whose power lies in manipulating the comic's layout, offering a unique and insightful case study into the formal potential of the comics medium.

The central inquiry of this presentation explores how *Imbattable* leverages the structural elements of comics as narrative tools and what this reveals about the artistic and thematic capabilities of the medium.

**Key Points of Analysis**

1. **The Medium as Superpower**

Drawing on Thierry Groensteen's concept of “iconic solidarity” and Scott McCloud's comparison of space in comics to time in film, the talk argues that *Imbattable* literalizes these theories. The protagonist breaks narrative conventions by interacting with panels non-linearly, embodying metanarrative awareness. This transforms the mechanics of comics: space, sequence, and layout, into the character's actual powers.

2. **Expanded Cast, Expanded Metafiction**

Jousselin introduces other characters whose powers also depend on manipulating formal comic elements:

* **Cochonnet** distorts language as a visual object.

* **Two-D** controls the 2D space of the comic itself.

* **Le Plaisantin** disrupts narrative continuity by leaping between pages.

These powers challenge narrative norms and emphasize the medium's formal malleability.

3. **Comics as an Intermedial Medium**

By referencing Irina Rajewsky's theory of intermediality, I underscore how *Imbattable* blurs boundaries between the different media. The comic integrates elements from cinema (visual gags), poetry (typographic play), and video games (non-linear progression). Furthermore, intertextual allusions, such as Le Plaisantin's resemblance to the Joker, link the work to the broader global mythology of superheroes.

**Conclusion**

*Imbattable* demonstrates that in comics, form and content are inseparable. Its use of structural play as a narrative device not only entertains but also calls for a serious academic reading of comics.
**Works Cited:**

Groensteen, Thierry. *The System of Comics*. Translated by Bart Beaty and Nick Nguyen, University Press of Mississippi, 2007.

*(Original French edition: Système de la bande dessinée, 1999.)*

Hatfield, Charles. *Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature*. University Press of Mississippi, 2005.

Jousselin, Pascal. *Imbattable: Justice et légumes frais*. Vol. 1, Dupuis, 2017.

McCloud, Scott. *Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art*. Harper Perennial, 1993.

Rajewsky, Irina O. "Intermediality, Intertextuality, and Remediation: A Literary Perspective on Intermediality." *Intermédialités*, no. 6, 2005, pp. 43–64.

DOI: 10.7202/1005505ar.