BAR2 Lot n° 32

BAR2 JOE BAR TEAM Volume 5, Vents d'Ouest, 2003 Terrifying landscape, original plate no. 9. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 40 × 52.8 cm (15.75 × 20.79 in.) Another plate in which one of our heroes, no doubt overconfident or optimistic, visits the side of the road. And yet another gag whose comic effectiveness relies essentially on bad faith. But why does the bad faith that characterizes Bar2's work figure so prominently in his comics? "Simply because my four lascars are born competitors. In fact, the only thing that matters to them is proving to the world, and to themselves, that when it comes to riding and bravery on the handlebars, they're the best. And if they happen to be clumsy or cowardly, their deranged brains refuse to admit it. Admitting it would do two catastrophic things for them: firstly, they'd lose the esteem of their rivals (or anyone else who witnessed their failure); secondly, it would allow self-doubt to creep in. And a driver who doubts always performs less well. So when Edouard and his three partners make a mistake or show cowardice, they have no choice but to resort to bad faith. And it's in this area that they prove to be the most competent: Jeannot, in this panel, proves it. And, at the same time, he validates the old adage: "Bad faith is to pilots what stupidity is to the vain: an indispensable element in their smooth operation".