The one-page stories first appeared frequently in 1977, in the brief run of the Spirou magazine supplement, Le Trombone illustré.

After this initiative was cancelled, Idées noires resumed publication in the magazine Fluide Glacial, upon Gotlib's suggestion, where it remained a fixture until 1983.

As the title Idées noires might suggest, these stories explore depressive and horrific fantasies, all drawn with dramatic use of black on white.

Suicide, execution, industrial recklessness, ecological disaster and hunting accidents are some of the themes darkly illustrated in this body of work.

[4][5] A few pages were translated in Kitchen Sink's short-lived comics magazine "French Ticklers" under the title "Dark Designs".