BAR2

BAR2 JOE BAR TEAM Volume 5, Vents d'Ouest, 2003 Sleeves, original plate no. 41. Signed. India ink on paper 34 × 42.5 cm (13.39 × 16.73 in.) Among other things, this story teaches us that verbal challenges and bragging rights are not the exclusive preserve of the Joe Bar Team. Clearly, other "sporty" bikers don't shy away from them either. And oddly enough, Edouard, usually so quick to criticize his fellow bikers, doesn't join in the conversation. Clearly, he's more absorbed by the purchase of his anti-cold mantles than the pretentious dialogue of his red-light neighbors. Was Bar2 trying to send a message with this gag? "Let's just say that I wanted to gently tease sportbike fans, who are often more obsessed with the power of their bike, or its looks, or the excellence of its chassis (or all three), than with the riding. And yet, when it comes to motorcycling, everyone knows that, except on the straights, it's the man who makes the difference, and more rarely the machine. And then I thought that the contrast between these ultra-prepared machines, with their aggressive, sporty look, and Édouard's poor muffs, which have absolutely nothing sporty about their appearance and function, would serve the comic effectiveness of this gag quite well. Which I quite like, if you must know."