462 PERSEPOLIS
the revolution against the regime of the Shah in 1979 and ends with Satrapi’s escape
to Western Europe in 1994. Being a descendant of the royal Persian family dethroned
by the father of the last shah, her account is willingly subjective. Th ough the regime of
the shah was autocratic and very repressive towards its opponents, life was much easier
for Marjane’s modern family (her mother for instance did not have to wear a veil). Th e
author presents herself as a child with extremely high aspirations (in her imagination she
was talking to God). Th is enduring sense of superiority may explain her sometimes very
critical tone, even towards family members, though her main target remains the Islamic
dictatorship with its backwards beliefs. Satrapi presents a nuanced picture of her native
country: she shows, for instance, that not all Iranians were so happy about the new
Islamist regime and illustrates how the Iranian people tried to fi nd ways to cope with it
(e.g. organizing illegal parties with alcohol and dancing). She could of course not have
produced this comic in her native country, but living in Paris she found the ideal work-
ing environment in the alternative comics movement: the French artist David B. guided
her and the alternative French printing house L’Association put out the fi rst part in 2000.
Jean-Christophe Menu (Bellefroid, 2005, 13) of L’Association was afraid that they were
taking a huge risk publishing the fi rst volume of Persepolis by a then completely unknown
Iranian artist: “Th e phenomenal success of Persepolis [.. .] is hallucinant. We could not
have expected that. We thought to take a big risk when we published the fi rst volume
of Persepolis at 3,000 copies. Four years later, we had already sold more than 200,000
copies of the four volumes.” By 2004 all four volumes of Persepolis were published in
French; they have now been translated into many languages with similar success. Th e
sequence is easily the best-selling comic of L’Association’s catalogue. Not only are the
sales statistics stunning for a new artist, but the comic has exercised an important infl u-
ence on the fi eld. Like Maus by Art Spiegelman , Persepolis has attracted many readers
who normally would not read comics. Both artists made a comic about a crucial his-
torical and the repercussions on their family situation. Both comics were published in a
format smaller than usual, a format resembling a novel. Th ough both comics were fi rst
published in parts, their fi nal and integral versions each comprise more than 200 pages.
Like Maus , Persepolis came at an opportune moment: just before the most spectacular
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. From that moment on the threat of Islamic
fundamentalists seemed more serious, though it was not their fi rst strike and several
others would follow. Th ose shocking acts have considerably raised interest in Islamic
fundamentalism in Europe and the United States, including the events that are central
to Persepolis. Other factors may also help to explain the success of Persepolis , including
the fact that this comic was made by a young woman who opposes religious dogmatism
and is living as a modern woman in the West, without a veil.
Th at Satrapi is proud of her country does not hinder the appeal of her work; instead
it strengthens her credibility. Th e fact that readers get the events from the perspective
of a young girl works effi ciently and excuses the rudimentary drawing style. Persepolis
proves again that one doesn’t need to have refi ned artwork to sell a comic as long the
content is interesting enough. In 2007 the comic was adapted with critical and public
