Nancy Peña

Nancy Peña (born 13 August 1979, Toulouse) is a French bande dessinée (BD) comics author and children's literature illustrator.

Biography Originally from Toulouse, she studied drawing there, notably with Catherine Escudié. She attended the École normale supérieure de Cachan where she obtained an Agrégation in applied arts in 2003. She taught for a few years before devoting herself solely to drawing. Her influences come from different arts, including Will Eisner in comics or Rembrandt or Calot in engraving.

Based in Besançon since 2004, she is the author of several comic series, including Le Chat du kimono at the publisher, La Boîte à bulles, distinguished as a selection at the 2010 Angoulême International Comics Festival.

With as writer, Peña illustrated a graphic novel retelling of the mythological character of Medea. The 4-volume series met with critical success notably cited as one of the 100 BD of the century at the 2020 Angoulême International Comics Festival. The series was collected in complete form in 2021. An English version of Medea was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2024.

Peña is also the author of a series "Madame", broadcast mornings on the website of the newspaper Le Monde and published by its historic publisher La Boite à bulles, with a fourth volume released in the summer of 2022.

Among the numerous children's publications illustrated by Peña, Les Guerriers de glace (Nathan, 2019) by Estelle Faye received the at the 2019 Epinal book festival.

Awards and honours 2008 : Midi-Pyrénées high school comic strip prize: script prize for Le Chat du kimono 2019 : Prix Imaginales (Imaginales Children's Book Prize) at the 2019 Epinal Book Festival for Les Guerriers de Glace

Selected works Bande-dessinée Le Cabinet chinois, La boîte à bulles, coll. « Contre-jour », 2003 La Guilde de la mer, La boîte à bulles, coll. « Clef des Champs » Au point de devant, with Gally and Jean-Marie Jourdane (colorist), 2006 Au point d'entre-deux, with Maëla Cosson (colorist), 2007 Mamohtobo (scénario), with Gabriel Schemoul (drawing and colorist), Éditions Gallimard, coll. « Bayou », 2009 Nancy Peña, art-book, Éditions Charrette, coll. « 12 x 16 », 2011 Les Nouvelles aventures du chat botté, "6 pieds sous terre", coll. « Lépidoptère » La montagne en marche, 2006 Le Basilic, 2007 Mortefauche, 2012 Intégrale, 2015 Le Chat du kimono, La boîte à bulles, coll. « Contre-jour » Le Chat du kimono, 2007, new edition, June 2020 Tea Party, with Drac (Pascale Wallet) (colorist), 2008 It is not a piece of cake, 2011 Les Carnets du kimono - recueil de dessins, 2011 Médée, with Blandine Le Callet (scriptwriter), Casterman L'Ombre d'Hécate, 2013 Le Couteau dans la plaie, 2015 L'épouse barbare, 2016 La Chair et le Sang, 2019 Intégrale, 2021 Madame, La boîte à bulles L'Année du chat, 2015 Un temps de chien, 2016 Grand Reporter, 2018 Bébé à bord, 2022

Children's literature (illustrator) Jimbal des îles, by Klaus Kordon, Bayard Jeunesse, coll. « Estampillette », 2009 The And, by Angil (Mickaël Mottet), We are unique records, booklet made with Guillaume Long, 2010. La princesse Cornélia veut aller à l'école, by Nathalie Dargent, Milan Jeunesse, coll. « Albums Milan », 2010 Un cirque dans une petite boîte, by Dina Sabitova, Bayard Jeunesse, coll. « Estampillette », 2010 Le Bestiaire de l'Olympe by Anne Jonas, éditions Milan, 2011 Quelle épique époque opaque ! by Anne Pouget, Casterman, 2013 Wilma Tenderfoot by Emma Kennedy, four volumes, éditions Casterman, 2012–14 Les Saisons du Japon, zen and haiku coloring pages, Éditions Issekinicho, 2015 Oh Pénélope by Moka, eight volumes, éditions Playbac, 2015–19 La barbe de mer, éditions Scutella, 2017 Les Guerriers de glace, éditions Nathan, with Estelle Faye, 2017

Participant Tribute to Popeye, Éditions Charrette, coll. « 12 x 16 », 2010 Axolot, vol. 1, script by Patrick Baud, segment Le faiseur de chimères et le vrai Frankenstein with Yannick Lejeune,[Delcourt, 2014