European Comic Book Artists, European Comics Artists
European Comic Book Writers are included too. European Comics Creators, European Cartoonists, European Graphic Novelists, European Webcomic Creators, European Comic Strip Artists, European Graphic Humorists, autores de cómic europeos.
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Tove Jansson was born on 9 August 1914 in Helsinki, Finland. She was a writer and cinematographer, known for The Summer Book, Mûmin (1969) and Mumintrollet (1969). She died on 27 June 2001 in Helsinki, Finland.- Director
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Born in Yugoslavia, his mother was Czech and his Bosnian father used to be Tito's tailor. His family fled the country to France in 1960, where Enki learns French and discovers cinema and comic books. In 1971, he wins a contest organized by the famous comics magazine Pilote with his first story "L'appel des étoiles". It's published in Pilote and later re-released under the title "Le bol maudit", and it allows Enki Bilal to start working for the magazine by drawing politicians. He then meets Pierre Christin (at the time scenarist of "Valérian" for Pilote) and starts his collaboration with him in 1975 with "La croisières des oubliés". In 1979, they release "Les Phalanges de l'Ordre Noir", which receives great critics and a Prix RTL. Bilal also draws "Exterminateur 17" in 1978 for magazine Metal Hurlant, with a scenario by Jean-Pierre Dionnet (later released as an album in 1989).
Enki Bilal releases his first solo comic book, "La foire aux immortels", in 1980, which is the first episode of his famous "Nikopol Trilogy" (followed by "La Femme piège" in 1986 and "Froid équateur" in 1993, which will be the first comic book to be chosen as best book of the year by the litterature magazine Lire). He also designs the poster for Alain Resnais's _Mon onlce d'Amérique (1980)_. Two years later he collaborates with Resnais again but not only for the poster: he also imagines the costumes and creates a part of the production design of Life Is a Bed of Roses (1983), using glass painting technics. He also continues his collaboration with Christin for Dargaud Editions, mainly releasing "Partie de Chasse", which receives many eulogistic critics in the French press in 1983. In 1985, he makes some graphic researches for Jean-Jacques Annaud 's The Name of the Rose (1986). He then meets Patrick Cauvin (aka Patrick Cauvin) with whom he collaborates for "Hors jeu" (1986), book of texts and illustrations on the theme of sports. In 1987, he receives the prestigious First Prize at the comic books festival of Angoulême. The year after, he exhibits his work at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris), among works of photographer Josef Koudelka and artist Guy Peellaert.
The next step in his cinema ambitions is Bunker palace hôtel (1989), his first film as a director, co-written with Christin, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Carole Bouquet. He also works for the first time for stage shows, creating the costumes and production design of Denis Levaillant's contemporary opera "OPA mia" in Avignon in 1990, and for Sergei Prokofiev's ballet "Roméo et Juliette » (choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj) in Lyon in 1991. After some few album releases or re-releases and exhibitions ("Transit" at the Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris in 1992; "Bleu Sang" in Paris in 1994), Bilal directs his second film, Tykho Moon (1996), again starring Trintignant, but also Julie Delpy, Michel Piccoli and Richard Bohringer. This time, the scenario is co-written by Dan Franck and the music is composed by Goran Vejvoda. Bilal also releases a graphic book based on his movie. In 1998, he starts a new trilogy with "Le Sommeil du montre" (Editions Les Humanoïdes Associés), then the graphic book "Un siècle d'amour" with Dan Franck in 1999, "Le Sarcophage" with Christin in 2000 and the second episode of his trilogy, "Trente-deux Décembre", in 2003. He also makes several exhibitions: "Magma" (Naples, 2000), "Le Sarcophage" (Paris, 2000), "enkibilalandeuxmilleun" (Paris, 2001, then Sarajevo, Belgrade, Lièges, Cherbourg and Barcelona).
Producer Charles Gassot, who's a fan of Bilal's work, decides to produce a risky project and allows Bilal to have a bigger budget (about 22 millions Euros) for his new film: Immortal (2004). The movie is based on the first two episodes of the "Nikopol Trilogy" and Bilal asks sci-fi writer Serge Lehman to help him for the scenario. The film is a daring combination of digital and live characters, featuring Linda Hardy, Thomas Kretschmann and Charlotte Rampling. Bilal also casts Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédéric Pierrot and Yann Collette for the third time, and Vejvoda for the music again.- Art Department
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Jean Giraud had one of the most interesting double lives in comics history. Under his own name, he co-created the legendary western comic 'Blueberry' (1963-2012) with writer Jean-Michel Charlier. He also used the shortened signature of "Gir" for this series. This cowboy series was noted for its highly realistic artwork and more gritty, complex and adult story lines, which had a tremendous impact on several other European western comics from the late 1960s on. Giraud also created another western series with Charlier, 'Jim Cutlass' (1979), but later wrote the stories himself while Christian Rossi provided artwork. As Moebius, he was one of the most innovative and influential comic artists of the 20th century, known for groundbreaking science-fiction and fantasy works like 'Arzach' (1975), 'The Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius' (1976-1979) and 'The Incal' (1980-1985). He experimented with graphic styles, lay-out, dialogue, visuals and plot development. Its themes, highly influenced by philosophical writings and hallucinogenic drugs, elevated adult comics to another level. Moebius was at the forefront of a new wave of experimental comic authors, who gathered in the comics magazine Métal Hurlant (Heavy Metal) and the publishing label Les Humanoïdes Associés. He was active as a comics writer, screen writer, storyboard and concept designer too. Last but not least, superhero fans may know him from his mini-series based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's 'The Silver Surfer' (1988-1989). Both as Giraud and as Moebius he is one of the most important comics authors of all time, whose influence can be felt in several fantasy and science fiction films and video games too.
Early life Jean Henri Gaston Giraud was born in 1938 in Nogent-sur Marne, a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris. Giraud was largely raised by his grandparents, with whom he lived in Fontenay-sous-Bois since his parents' divorce in 1941. He grew up reading comics and watching American B-Westerns, while developing a passion for drawing. His mother encouraged him to further pursue his artistic ambitions, and he took art courses from an early age. He enrolled at The Duperré School of Applied Arts in Paris, where he studied alongside Jean-Claude Mézières, who became a close friend, and Pat Mallet for two years. While feeling no desire for designing wallpaper and furniture, he started drawing his own western comic strips, inspired by Belgian artists like André Franquin and Morris. He also published his first illustrations in Fiction magazine. Other artistic influences of Giraud were were Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Winsor McCay, Harold Foster, Jijé, Jack Kirby and Robert Crumb.
After leaving the Academy in 1955 he went to live with his mother in Mexico for eight months. There, he was exposed to mind-expanding substances, sex and the desert for the first time. The experience had an enormous impact on his future life and career, both as Giraud and as Moebius. Back in France in 1956, he sold his first comic story ('Les Aventures de Frank et Jérémie') to Far West, a western magazine edited by Marijac. Through Mézières he subsequently got the opportunity to work for the children's publications of Éditions Fleurus, such as Fripounet et Marisette, Coeurs Vaillants and Âmes Vaillantes between 1956 and 1958. His contributions were mainly short stories of an educational and historical nature, and he also provided artwork to a publication called Sitting-Bull. He spent his military service in Algeria and Germany, where he made illustrations and comic strips for the army monthly 5/5 Forces Françaises. Another contributor to this magazine was André Chéret.
Assistant of Jijé Back in civilian life, Giraud became an apprentice of Joseph Gillain, the classic Belgian comic artist known as Jijé. He inked the episode 'La Route de Coronado' of Jijé's western series 'Jerry Spring', which was published in Spirou magazine in 1961. Jijé learned Giraud the finer points of the comics profession, training him in creating simple lay-outs, effective usage of black, rhythm in storytelling and working with photo documentation. He also worked on comic stories for Bonux-Boy (1960-1961) and Total Journal (1966-1968), two advertising comic magazines edited by Jijé's son Benoît, who had become a close friend of his. In 1961 and 1962, Giraud and Mézières were artists at Studio Hachette, where they participated in collections like 'L'Histoire des Civilisations'.
Blueberry When scriptwriter Jean-Michel Charlier proposed Jijé to create a new western series for Charlier's magazine Pilote, Jijé suggested Giraud for the assignment. The first story, 'Fort Navajo', premiered in Pilote on 31 October 1963. The initial set-up featured an ensemble cast, but the character of Lieutenant Mike S. Donovan, a.k.a. Blueberry, quickly took the centre stage. Along the way, he received two sidekicks, namely the boozing gold prospector Jimmy McClure and Redneck, an expert on Indian matters. However, Dargaud, the original publisher of the books, continued to use the series title 'Fort Navajo, une Aventure du Lieutenant Blueberry' until 1973.
The first 'Blueberry' cycle dealt with the American Indian Wars, and consisted of more basic adventure stories in the tradition of Charlier's other series, such as 'Buck Danny', 'La Patrouille des Castors' and 'Barbe-Rouge'. Giraud based Blueberry's original looks on the French western actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, while his artwork in general was still heavily inspired by Jijé. As the series evolved, Giraud became more and more influenced by the gritty western movies of Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci and Sam Peckinpah, American comic artists Milton Caniff and Hal Foster, and Western painter Frederic Remington. Giraud's brushwork became grittier too, and his involvement in Charlier's scripts increased. Giraud let Blueberry age as the stories progressed, which was highly unusual in comic series at the time. The stories and the action became more hard-boiled after Pilote began to focus on a more mature readership from 1968 on.
The series gained full maturity when Giraud and Charlier made a cycle about a hidden treasure of Confederate gold in Mexico. This story arc consists of the albums 'Chihuahua Pearl' (1973), 'L'Homme qui Valait 500.000 $' ('The Half-A-Million Dollar Man', 1973), 'Ballade pour un Cercueil' ('Ballad for a Coffin', 1974), 'Le Hors-la-loi' ('The Outlaw', 1974) and 'Angel Face' (1975). The flawless hero of 'Fort Navajo' had by now transformed into a normal human being, one who wasn't safe from being manipulated, betrayed and tortured. Giraud's explicit graphic portrayals of the dirty and sweaty Far West with all its violence and dangers paved the way for other European western comics, such as 'Comanche' by Hermann and Greg, 'Jonathan Cartland' by Michel Blanc-Dumont, 'Durango' by Yves Swolfs and even the later 'Jerry Spring' stories by Jijé. A dispute over royalties with publisher Georges Dargaud led to a more complex publication history of 'Blueberry' stories after 1973. Stories were prepublished in Nouveau Tintin (1975), Métal Hurlant (1979), Super As (1980), L'Écho des Savanes (1981) and Spirou (1983), before they were published directly in albums. The books were published by Fleurus, Novedi and Alpen, before Giraud returned to Dargaud in 1995. In addition, Giraud and Charlier had been presenting scenes from Blueberry's younger years in Super Pocket Pilote from 1968. Dargaud published three books with these stories in 1975 and 1979. Three new installments of 'La Jeunesse de Blueberry' ('Young Blueberry') were created by Charlier and New-Zealand artist Colin Wilson at Novedi between 1985 and 1990. During their dispute with Dargaud, Giraud and Charlier created 'Jim Cutlass', another western comic of which one album was published by Les Humanoïdes Associés in 1979. Giraud revived the series in 1991 and wrote six more books for artist Christian Rossi at Casterman until 1999.
Moebius While Giraud and Charlier had basically renewed the western comics genre with 'Blueberry', Giraud embarked upon even more innovative territory under his pen name Moebius. He had first used the name for a couple of short stories in the satirical monthly Hara-Kiri in 1963-1964. Starting in 1969, Moebius made a series of science fiction illustrations for sci-fi novels published by Opta, which marked the beginning of Giraud's exploits outside of the mainstream. Giraud further developed his Moebius persona while on a hiatus from 'Blueberry' between 1974 and 1979. With comic artist Philippe Druillet, journalist/writer Jean-Pierre Dionnet and financial director Bernard Farkas he launched the revolutionary comics anthology Métal Hurlant in December 1974. The men gathered under the collective name Les Humanoïdes Associés, which also became the name of the associated publishing house. Métal Hurlant published mainly avant-garde science fiction and fantasy comics. Besides aforementioned authors, it also ran work by international creators like Richard Corben, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Enki Bilal, Caza, Serge Clerc, Alain Voss, Berni Wrightson, Milo Manara, Jordi Bernet, Antonio Segura and Frank Margerin. A licensed US edition called Heavy Metal was launched in April 1977. The final issue of the original run of Métal Hurlant appeared in 1987, but Les Humanoïdes Associés has continued to publish comics and graphic novels in France since then.
The Airtight Garage Moebius experimented with every aspect of the comics medium. He switched from drawing with a brush to a pen, which resulted in more open drawings with influences from the "Clear Line" style. He crafted highly imaginative worlds and creatures, while his narratives are mainly based around improvisation and character development instead of plot. An essential character in Moebius' output is Major Grubert, a rather stereotypical explorer inspired by Frank M. Buck's 1930 novel 'Bring 'm Back Alive'. The character had first appeared in a short story for Pilote, and then in experimental and surreal stories for France-Soir and Fluide Glacial. He was also instrumental in one of Moebius' masterpieces, 'Le Garage Hermétique' ('The Airtight Garage', 1976-1979). In this series of often confusing short stories, Major Grubert encounters several entities seeking to invade an asteroid in a pocket universe. Another notable character is Jerry Cornelius, a secret agent created by sci-fi and fantasy author Michael Moorcock as a sort of "open source" character for other authors to work with.
The Airtight Garage
'Le Garage Hermétique' was serialized in Métal Hurlant from 1 March 1976 to 1 June 1979., and in the US edition Heavy Metal from 1977. The original French book version was published in black-and-white under the title 'Major Fatal' in 1979. The story was colorized for the US publication, and has been published both as a graphic novel (Titan Books, 1989) and a 4-issue comic book series in 1992. The comic is widely praised because of its improvised nature, which makes the reader a witness of the artistic process of story development, while it also leaves a lot open to the reader's own interpretation. Therefore, 'The Airtight Garage' is not only a journey through a fictional world, but also through an artist's mind. In later years, Moebius created sequels like 'L'Homme du Ciguri' ('The Man from the Ciguri', 1995) and 'Le Chasseur Déprime' (2008), while the first Moebius book at Éditions du Fromage, 'Le Bandard Fou' ('The Horny Goof', 1974) can be considered a prequel. Major Grubert has continued to appear in Moebius' work throughout his career, and was also the central character in the "sketchbook graphic-novel" 'Le Major' in 2011.
Arzach Moebius' talent for creating strange and desolate landscapes was even more showcased in 'Arzach', a collection of short comic stories about a silent warrior riding on a pterodactyl-like creature. The stories have no balloons, captions or onomatopoeias, which makes up for a surreal and psychedelic reading experience. Even the main character's name seems disturbing, as Moebius spelled it differently in every story (Arzak, Arzach, Harzac, Harzach, Harzack). The installments appeared in Métal Hurlant between 1 April 1975 and 1 January 1976 and were collected in book format in 1976. Moebius returned to this character at the end of his life, when he planned to explore the character's origins in a trilogy. Only the first book was published under the title 'Arzak: L'Arpenteur' ('Arzak: The Surveyor') by Glénat in 2010. The second and third installment were never created because of the author's death in 2012.
L'Incal Moebius' first collaboration with avant-garde comics writer and film director Alejandro Jodorowsky was in 1975, when he did creature and character designs and storyboards for Jodorowsky's planned movie adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic sci-fi novel 'Dune' in 1975. The project was never completed, but Moebius and Jodorowsky continued to work together on comics projects. After releasing the comic book 'Les Yeux du Chat' at Les Humanoïdes Associés in 1978, they created a comics classic with 'L'Incal' ('The Incal'). The saga focuses on P.I. John Difool, who receives the Light Incal, a crystal of enormous powers. The original series by Moebius and Jodorowsky was prepublished in Métal Hurlant from December 1980 on and then made available in six books by Les Humanoïdes Associés between 1981 and 1988. It was the first installment in Jodorowsky's own sci-fi universe known as the "Jodoverse", which also includes 'Meta-Barons' (drawn by Juan Giménez), 'The Technopriests' (drawn by Zoran Janjetov) and 'Mégalex' (drawn by Fred Beltrán). A sequel called 'Après L'Incal' was started by Jodorowsky in 2000. Moebius drew only the first book; the second and third installments were drawn by José Ladrönn. The character's early years were explored in 'Avant l'Incal' by Jodorowsky and Zoran Janjetov (1988-1995) and a final cycle called 'Final Incal' was produced by Jodorowsky and Ladrönn (2008-2014).
Moebius was highly influenced by drugs and the philosophies of French New Age guru Jean-Paul Appel-Guéry and Swiss nutritionist Guy-Claude Burger for his next major work, 'Le Monde d'Edena' ('The Aedena Cycle'). The artist's journeying lifestyle also left its mark on the comic; the installments were drawn in Tokyo, California and France. The cycle had its origin in a promotional comic Moebius had made for French car manufacturer Citroën in 1983 ('Une Croisière Citroën sur l'Étoile'), in which two characters are transported to a "Garden of Eden" in another galaxy. Éditions Casterman collected the rest of what has to be Moebius' most philosophical series in four books between 1988 and 2001. Main themes are dreams, nutrition, health, biology and sexuality, structured societies and the archetype of good and evil. The series was published in English by Marvel/Epic comics between 1988 and 1994. Moebius and Jodorowsky also made 'Le Coeur Couronné' (1992-1998), a comics trilogy about the affair of a Philosophy professor with a delusional student, as well as the erotic one-shot 'Griffes d'Ange' (1994).
Another notable comic by Moebius is 'The Long Tomorrow' (1976), a futuristic crime noir short story written by Dan O'Bannon, who also did the special effects on Jodorowsky's 'Dune' project. The story has been a huge source of inspiration for George Lucas' 'Star Wars' film 'The Empire Strikes Back', Ridley Scott's sci-fi film 'Blade Runner' (1982) as well as the fashion in the videoclip for 'Firestarter' by The Prodigy (1996). Compilations of Moebius' other short stories were published by Les Humanoïdes in books like 'Double Évasion' (1981), 'La Citadelle Aveugle' (1989) and 'Escale sur Phargonescia' (1989).
From 1983, Moebius was active in merchandising his properties. He co-founded the publishing label Aedena in 1984, while his wife Claudine Giraud oversaw Starwatcher, a company specialized in publishing and distributing related products. Based in Los Angeles, Moebius got most of his graphic novels published in the US through Marvel Comics. He furthermore worked with Stan Lee on a two-issue mini-series starring the 'Silver Surfer' for Marvel's Epic imprint in 1988 and 1989. Under his own Aedena label, he produced the portfolio 'La Cité-Feu' (1985) with Geoff Darrow, and he published 'La Nuit de l'Étoile' (1986), a sci-fi comic written by Moebius and drawn by Marc Bati.
Writings Giraud had been writing comic stories for other artists since the early 1970s. For Pilote, he wrote the initial episodes of the post-apocalyptic comic 'Jason Muller' for Claude Auclair in 1970, as well as a couple of short stories for Jacques Tardi. His further scriptwriting work includes six books of 'Altor' with Marc Bati, a comic initially published under the title 'Cristal Majeur' (Dargaud, 1986-2003), and 'Little Nemo', a sequel to the classic American newspaper comic 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' by Winsor McCay, which was drawn by Bruno Marchand (Casterman, 1994-2002). Giraud and Bati have also made a comic book based on George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' ('La Ferme des Animaux' at Novedi in 1985). In 2005 Moebius wrote the French manga story 'Icare' for Jirô Taniguchi (Éditions Kana). With Jean-Marc Lofficier, who also translated most of his works to English, he worked on the scripts of a couple of stories set in the same universe as 'The Airtight Garage'. 'The Elsewhere Prince' was drawn by and Eric Shanower and published by Epic Comics in six issues in 1990, while Jerry Bingham did the art for 'The Onyx Overlord', which was published in four issues in 1992. Witch scriptwriter Jean-Luc Coudray, he made 'Les Histoires de Monsieur Mouche' in 1994.
Not surprisingly, 'Blueberry' also changed into a different direction because of Giraud's work under his alter ego Moebius. Especially after Jean-Michel Charlier's death in 1989, Giraud further developed the character's background and deeper emotions. He completed the final story he had started with Charlier, 'Arizona Love' (Alpen, 1990), and wrote and drew five more albums, which form the 'Mister Blueberry' cycle (1995-2005). Instead of following Charlier's plan of rehabilitating Blueberry and sending him back to the army, Giraud decided to turn his protagonist into a loafing civilian who spends his days playing poker. He also added another spin-off to the 'Blueberry' universe, which focused on Blueberry's adventures as a marshal in the war against the Apaches prior to the Confederate gold storyline. The first two books of 'Marshal Blueberry' were drawn by William Vance (Alpen, 1991, 1993), while the third one was drawn by Michel Rouge (Dargaud, 2000). In the meantime, the 'Young Blueberry' series was still continued by François Corteggiani and Michel Blanc-Dumont, although with no creative input from Giraud.
A third planned spin-off about an elderly Blueberry was called 'Blueberry: 1900', and was supposed to be drawn by François Boucq. Giraud wanted Blueberry to reside with the Hopi tribe and meditate under the influence of mind-expanding substances, while a comatose President McKinley is levitated in his bed. The project was halted by Philippe Charlier, the son and heir of Jean-Michel Charlier, who found this new direction too far away from the creative integrity and legacy of his father. However, the psychedelic hallucinations did end up in the 2004 movie 'Blueberry, l'expérience secrète' starring Vincent Cassel, Michael Madsen and Juliette Lewis (with Jean Giraud in a cameo role). The film was no commercial success, but did gain a certain cult status as a "trip film". Since it deviated so much from the source material, the Charlier heirs demanded that their family name should be removed from the credits.
Film work Besides the abandoned 'Dune' project, Jean Giraud/Moebius has participated in the development of several movies. He did storyboards and concept designs for Ridley Scott's movie 'Alien' (1977), 'Tron' by The Walt Disney Company (1982), René Laloux's 'Les Maîtres du Temps' ('Time Masters', 1982), James Cameron's 'The Abyss' (1989) and Luc Besson's 'The Fifth Element' (1997). A comic album with stills from 'Les Maîtres du Temps' and a companion book with storyboard drawings and photos were published by Les Humanoïdes Associés in 1982. In 1985 Moebius headed for Tokyo to work on the script and conceptual art for 'Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland' (1989), an animated film based on Winsor McCay's 'Little Nemo in Slumberland'. Giraud also made original character designs and did visual development for the Warner Bros movie 'Space Jam' in 1996. In the 1990s, Giraud worked on a planned movie adaptation of 'The Airtight Garage', which remained unreleased due to financial problems. The Chinese 3D-CGI feature film 'Thru the Moebius Strip' (2005) was based on an original story and designs by Jean Giraud.
Later career & recognition Several artbooks with Moebius' drawings and paintings have been published, such as 'Starwatcher' (1986), 'Made in L.A.' (1988), 'Quattre-vingt huit' (1990), 'Chaos' (1991), 'Chroniques Métalliques' (1992), 'Fusion' (1995), 'Une jeunesse heureuse' (1999). He additonally made illustrations for books and magazines, including an edition of Paulo Coelho's novel 'The Alchemist'. He also worked with Coelho on the video game 'Pilgrim' in 1997. In 1999, Giraud released 'Giraud/Moebius - Histoire de mon double', which featured a biography of Giraud by Moebius and vice versa. From 2004 to 2010, Stardom published 'Inside Moebius', an illustrated autobiographical fantasy featuring many of his longtime characters, such as Major Grubert, Blueberry and Arzak. The project covers 700 pages and was published in six hardcover volumes.
Jean Giraud was invested with a knighthood in the Ordre National du Mérite in 2011. He died in Paris, on 10 March 2012 at the age of 73, after a long battle with cancer. One of his final comics created under his own name was 'La Version Irlandaise', the first of a two-part volume in the 'XIII' series, which was released at the same time with its companion piece by the regular authors William Vance and Jean Van Hamme in November 2007.
An interview that Numa Sadoul had with Jean Giraud was published under the title 'Mister Moebius et Docteur Gir' at Albin Michel in 1976. It was reprinted by Casterman in 1991 in 'Moebius : Entretiens avec Numa Sadoul', which also contained later interviews. A large career retrospective called 'Trait de Génie Giraud/Moebius' was on exhibit in the Comics Museum in Angoulême, and an extensive catalogue edited by Thierry Groensteen was published for this occasion.
Legacy and influence With an oeuvre fuelled by mind-expanding drugs and New Age philosophies, Moebius has created a legacy which remains an inspiration to science fiction and fantasy authors to this day. He is considered one of the most influential comic artists since Hergé, and among his many and diverse admirers are comic authors like Hergé, Stan Lee and Marc Sleen, film directors Federico Fellini, George Lucas, Ridley Scott and Quentin Tarantino, and novelists Paulo Coelho, Neil Gaiman and William Gibson. He was an influence on the work of Hayao Miyazaki, William Stout, Emmanuel Roudier, Arno, Georges Bess, Dominique Hé, André Juillard, François Boucq, Geof Darrow, Louis Paradis, Martin tom Dieck, Milan Misic, Katsuya Terada, Jean-Jacques Sanchez, Zalozabal, Karel Verschuere, Jan Bosschaert, Stedho, François Schuiten, Frank and Thierry Van Hasselt. 'Arzach' was a major influence on the development of the 'Panzer Dragoon' video game by Team Andromedia in 1995. 'The Airtight Garage' inspired by the name for a San Francisco-based bar and video game parlor and for a band from Washington DC (1993-1996).- Writer
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Alan Moore was born on 18 November 1953 in Northampton, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), From Hell (2001) and Watchmen (2019). He has been married to Melinda Gebbie since 12 May 2007. He was previously married to Phyllis B. Dixon.- Writer
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René Goscinny was a French comic book writer, of Polish-Jewish descent. His parents were Stanislaw Simkha Goscinny and Anna "Hanna" Beresniak-Goscinna. The family name Goscinny means "hospitable" in the Polish language. Stanislaw was a chemical engineer from Warsaw, and Anna was from a small village called Chodorków, in the vicinity of Zhytomyr. Warsaw is currently part of Poland, and Zhytomyr part of Ukraine.
Both of Goscinny's parents were born in the Russian Empire, but migrated to the French Third Republic prior to the end of World War I. They met each other in Paris, and were married there in 1919. René was born in Paris in 1926, as the second son of the couple. He received French citizenship at birth.
In 1928, the Goscinny family migrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, as Stanislaw had found employment there. René was primarily raised in Buenos Aires, where he attended French-speaking schools. He reportedly a shy boy, but often acted as the "class clown" to seek attention. He enjoyed reading illustrated stories, and practiced drawing as a hobby.
In 1943, Stanislaw Goscinny suffered from cerebral hemorrhage and died. René was forced to quit school and find a job. He first worked as an assistant accountant, then as an illustrator in an advertising agency. In 1945, René migrated from Argentina to New York City, United States, to join his older brother who lived there. In 1946, René returned to France for his mandatory military service. He served in the 141st Alpine Infantry Battalion, and was discharged with the rank of a senior corporal.
In the late 1940s, Goscinny returned to New York City to seek employment there. He worked in various small studios, but managed to befriend a number of comics writers and artists who worked in the City at that time. Among them were Joseph Gillain (pen-name Jije, 1914-1980), Maurice De Bevere (pen-name Morris, 1923-2001), Will Elder (1921-2008), Jack Davis (1924-2016), and Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993).
In 1951, artist and publisher Georges Troisfontaines hired Goscinny to head the Paris office of the "World Press" agency. In his new position, Goscinny met and befriended a French-artist of Italian descent, Albert Uderzo (1927-). The two collaborated in a number of early comics works, most notably the comedy-adventure series "Jehan Pistolet ". It featured a good-natured French privateer leading a crew of misfits into adventure.
During the 1950s, Goscinny collaborated with various writers and artists in producing new series of comics and children's books. He created characters like "Le Petit Nicolas" (a mischievous schoolboy) and "Oumpah-pah" (a heroic Native American caught up in 18th-century warfare), and took over the writing or older series like "Lucky Luke". However, few of his creations were particularly popular.
In 1959, Goscinny and Uderzo co-created the new series "Asterix" and its main characters. Featuring heroic Gauls fighting in the historic Gallic Wars (58-50 BC), the series mixed historical fiction with fantasy elements and satire. It soon became one of the most popular European comics, and Goscinny continued writing the series until his death.
In the 1960s, Goscinny became one of the most prolific writers of French comics. In 1962, he had a second major hit when collaborating with Jean Tabary (1930-2011) for the series "Iznogoud". The series features a villain-protagonist, the evil vizier Iznogoud who serves in the royal court of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258) in Baghdad, and spends most of his life trying to depose and replace the incompetent Caliph.
In 1967, Goscinny married Gilberte Pollaro-Millo. In 1968, they had their only daughter, Anne Goscinny. She would grow up to become a professional writer, following her father's footsteps.
In 1977, Goscinny was going through a routine stress test at the office of his doctor, when he suffered a cardiac arrest. He died instantly. He was only 51-years-old. His main legacy remains with his most popular series: "Asterix", "Iznogoud", "Lucky Luke", and "Le Petit Nicolas", which have all received several adaptations.- Director
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Marjane Satrapi was born on 22 November 1969 in Rasht, Iran. She is a director and actress, known for Persepolis (2007), The Voices (2014) and Chicken with Plums (2011). She is married to Mattias Ripa. She was previously married to Reza.- Writer
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Born under the name Georges Remi on May 22, 1907 in Brussels, Belgium. As a child, Herge had a gift for drawing but never had any formal training in the visual arts. He attended both school and the boy scouts during the World War 1 and post-World War 1 Era. After he finished school Herge published his first ever cartoon: "The Adventures of Totor" for Le Boy-Scout Belge (a scouting magazine).
In 1928, he became in charge of the producing material for Le Petit Vingtieme (The Little Twentieth) a youth supplement newspaper. He began illustrating "The Adventures of Flup", "Nenesse", "Poussette", "Cochonnet", etc. January 10, 1929, Herge introduced a cartoon about a traveling Belgium reporter (Tintin) accompanied by his fox terrier (Snowy) traveling the Soviet Union. By 1930, Herge published the very first Tintin book: "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets". Tintin soon became Herge's "ligne claire" (French for clear line) legacy.
The later adventures of Tintin involved other locations of the world from China all the way to America. Within the next 50 years Tintin became one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, due to its well-researched plots, appealing characters, humor, political thrillers, & real world settings. After completing 23 books, Herge passed away on March 3, 1983, leaving "Tintin and Alph-Art" (the 24th book) unfinished. Despite Herge not being able to give his Tintin series the proper end, all of his works along with Tintin will continue to inspire artists and enchant readers from the years to come.- Writer
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Hugo Pratt was born on 15 June 1927 in Rimini, Italy. He was a writer and actor, known for Corto Maltese, Corto Maltese (2003) and Jesuit Joe (1991). He was married to Anne Frognier and Gucky Wogerer. He died on 20 August 1995 in Lausanne, Switzerland.- Actress
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Claire Bretécher was born on 17 April 1940 in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, France. She was an actress and writer, known for Roads to the South (1978), Alertez les bébés (1978) and La grande Paulette (1974). She was married to Guy Carcassonne. She died on 10 February 2020 in Paris, France.- Writer
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Grant Morrison was born on 31 January 1960 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Grant is a writer and producer, known for Happy! (2017), Brave New World (2020) and All-Star Superman (2011).- André Franquin was born on 3 January 1924 in Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium. He was a writer, known for Fais gaffe à la gaffe! (1981), Gaston Lagaffe (2018) and HOUBA! On the Trail of the Marsupilami (2012). He was married to Liliane Servais. He died on 5 January 1997 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Alain Saint-Ogan was born on 7 August 1895 in Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was a writer and director, known for Prosper et le concours de beauté (1932), Zig et Puce sauvent Nénette (1955) and L'invité du dimanche (1968). He died on 22 June 1974 in Paris, France.
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Pierre Culliford (pen name:Peyo) was a Belgian comics writer and artist. He contributed to several series, but his main claim to fame is creating the sword-and-sorcery series "Johan and Peewit" (1947-2001) and its spin-off, the adventure comedy series "The Smurfs" (1963-). His works have received several animated adaptations.
In 1928, Peyo was born in Schaerbeek, a municipality within the Brussels-Capital Region. In the early 20th century, Schaerbeek was a booming suburb with a large middle-class population. Peyo's father was an Englishman, while his mother was Belgian. Peyo received his art training at the "Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts", an art school located in Brussels.
Early in his career, Peyo worked for the animation studio "Compagnie belge d'actualités" (CBA). The studio folded after World War II, and Peyo decided to seek work as a comics artist. He was hired by the sports-oriented newspaper "La Dernière Heure" (The Latest Hour, 1906-). His salary was meager, and he supplemented his income through providing artwork for advertisements.
In 1947, Peyo created the character Johan for the "La Dernière Heure". The character was a heroic page of the Middle Ages, skilled in swordsmanship and aspiring to become a knight. Peyo had the character involved in fantasy-style adventures. In 1949, Peyo was hired by the newspaper "Le Soir" ("The Evening", 1887-), transferring the Johan comic strip to it. He created for this newspaper the comic strip "Poussy" ("Pussy"), featuring a cute black cat as the protagonist. This comic strip developed in a typical gag-a-day format.
In 1952, Peyo was hired by the comics magazine "Spirou" (1938-). He was reportedly recommended for hiring by his old friend André Franquin (1924-1997), who already worked for the magazine. Peyo transferred Johan to this magazine, and started writing longer adventures for him.
In 1954, Peyo retooled the "Johan" series to "Johan and Peewit", by adding a comic-relief sidekick for Johan. Peewit was a dwarf, depicted as a reformed thief, a professional court jester, and an inept musician. Unlike Johan, Peewit was a reluctant hero. But his cunning, his capacity for outwitting opponents, and his fighting skills made him a useful companion for the hero.
In 1958, Peyo wrote an adventure story called "The Flute with Six Holes", where Johan and Peewit seek a magical flute which was stolen. They meet the flute's creators, a race of blue-skinned gnomes, called the Smurfs. Peyo designed them as wearing traditional Phrygian caps (conical cap used in antiquity by various peoples of Anatolia and the Balkans), a developed a peculiar language and habits for them.
By 1959, the Smurfs had become popular enough to inspire merchandising of their own. Peyo was asked to create a spin-off comic strip for them. The characters supplanted Johan and Peewit in popularity, though Peyo preferred writing the original series. In 1960, Peyo founded his own studio, allowing him to have trained assistants work on Smurf-inspired stories, and other comics projects (such as "Steven Strong" and "Jacky and Célestin"). Peyo's most notable assistant during the early 1960s was François Walthéry (1946-), who would later create a number of successful series of his own.
In 1963, the first comics album devoted to the Smurfs was published. It was the story "The Purple Smurfs", featuring an infectious disease which turns the affected Smurfs into "violent, irrational and uncontrolled" beings with an urge to bite others. The album was successful, and ensured the production of further albums. By the time of Peyo's death in 1992, 16 comics albums had been completed.
Peyo remained active in the 1970s, but his work output diminished. He did, however, provide a script for the animated film "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute" (1976). He also was tasked with overseeing production aspects of the film. In the 1980s, Peyo authorized an adaptation of his work by the American studio Hanna-Barbera. He served as a story supervisor for the animated series "The Smurfs" (1981-1989). A notable hit of its era, the series lasted for 9 seasons and introduced the Smurfs to a wider international audience.
Until 1989, all Smurf stories were published by Dupuis due to a long-standing contract with Peyo. In 1989, Peyo decided to terminate their business relationship and to establish his own publishing house, Cartoon Creation. It turned out to be a failed business venture. Peyo had been facing recurring health problems throughout the decade, and was unable to properly handle the affairs of the new company. Within a few years, the company folded "due to management problems".
In 1992, the publishing rights to the Smurfs were sold to Le Lombard, a publisher known for holding the rights to "Tintin" since 1946. Peyo tried working with his new publisher, but his career was ending. On Christmas Eve 1992, Peyo died of a heart attack in Brussels at the age of 64.
A number of Peyo's series have been continued by other writers and artists. New Smurfs-related comics albums were published into the 2020s, often with input by Peyo's son, Thierry Culliford. The popularity of the Smurfs has endured, decades after the demise of their creator.- Writer
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Albert Uderzo is a French comic book writer and artist, of Italian descent. Albert was born in 1927 in the town of Fismes, in the Marne department of north-eastern France. Marne was created from the remains of the older province of Champagne, and the local capital is Chalons-en-Champagne.
Alnert's parents were Silvio Uderzo (1888-1985) and Iria Crestini. They had met in 1915, during World War I. Silvio was at the time serving in the Royal Italian Army, and Iria was working at the arsenal of La Spezia, Liguria, where she was maintaining and repairing weapons and ammunition. Silvio was discharged from military service in 1919, and the couple married in 1920. Silvio returned to his civilian job as a carpenter, and the Uderzo family soon migrated to the French Third Republic, where there were more job opportunities.
Albert was named after his older brother Albert Uderzo, who had been born in 1925 . The older Albert had died of pneumonia when he was only 8-months-old, and the grieving parents wanted a replacement. The official name of the younger Albert at the birth registry was Alberto Aleandro Uderzo, due to a misunderstanding between Silvio and the employee at the registry. The family rarely used this "official" name.
Albert was born an Italian citizen, and officially gained French citizenship 1934. He experienced racism against Italian immigrants as a child, though he was both born and raised in France. He recalled people blaming him for Benito Mussolini's policies and spitting at him.
In the 1930s, Albert developed a fascination for American comic and animated cartoons, and was particularly impressed with the works of Walt Disney. He was a poor student at school, but received good grades in sketching and art-related lessons. He had been practicing drawing as a hobby since he was in kindergarten, and he was good at it. When he was 11 or 12 years old, his parents realized that Albert was color-blind. It had not affected his sketches, because most of them were black-and-white.
During World War II, Albert was too young to serve in the conflict, but his older brother Bruno was conscripted and fought in the Battle of France (1940). By the 1950s, Albert had become a professional artist, and he met his partner René Goscinny in 1951. During the 1950s, Uderzo provided the artwork for moderately successful series such as the historical fiction series "Oumpah-pah" and "Jehan Pistolet" (both written by Goscinny) and the aviation comic series "Tanguy et Laverdure" (written by Jean-Michel Charlier).
Uderzo and Goscinny created the historical fiction series "Asterix" in 1959, featuring heroic Gauls fighting in the historical Gallic Wars (58-50 BC). It became one of the most successful European comic book series, with Uderzo serving as its main artist from 1959 to 2004. When Goscinny died in 1977, Uderzo decided to take over the writing duties as well. While writing several successful stories of his own, Uderzo is mostly considered an inferior writer to Goscinny. There was a perceived decline in the writing quality of the series over the decades.
In 2005, Uderzo released "Asterix and the Falling Sky", the only science-fiction entry in this historic fantasy series, and intended to serve as a parody of then-popular anime and manga series. The story was widely mocked for its dated humor, and the use of anti-Japanese stereotypes dating back to World War II. It was the last Asterix story written by Uderzo.
In 2007, Uderzo sold his shares of the company "Editions Albert René" (which owns the rights to Asterix) to the publishing company Hachette. He had a public falling out with his daughter Sylvie Uderzo who also owned shares of the original company and disagreed with her father's decision. After a few years of mostly working on short-stories and comic strips, Uderzo announced his retirement in 2011. He died in 2020.
According to UNESCO's Index Translationum, Uderzo was the 10th most often translated French-language author, with Goscinny being the 4th one. He was the third most often translated French-language comics author behind René Goscinny and Hergé.- Additional Crew
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Jacques Tardi was born on 30 August 1946 in Valence, Drôme, France. He is a writer and actor, known for The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010), April and the Extraordinary World (2015) and Association de bienfaiteurs (1994).- François Bourgeon was born on 5 July 1945 in Paris, France.
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Jean-Michel Charlier was born on 30 October 1924 in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. He was a writer and director, known for The Aeronauts (1967), Les dossiers noirs (1974) and Les nouveaux chevaliers du ciel (1988). He was married to Christiane. He died on 10 July 1989 in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, France.- Animation Department
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Nikita Mandryka was born on 20 October 1940 in Bizerte, Tunisia. He was a director, known for Zeaux productions: Bande de présentation (1989), Je veux être... toi (1977) and Tac au tac (1969). He died on 13 June 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland.- Writer
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Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and films. He is best known for the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book.
As a child and a teenager, Gaiman read the works of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, Mary Shelley, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allan Poe, and Alan Moore.
Gaiman also wrote episodes of the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, during Matt Smith's as the Doctor.- Writer
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Maurice De Bevere (pen name: Morris) was a Belgian comics writer and artist. He was best known for creating the long-running Western comedy series "Lucky Luke" (1946-), and serving as its main artist from 1946 to his death in 2001. Lucky Luke is one of the best-selling comics series in Europe, and has been translated into 23 languages.
In 1923, Morris was born in the city of Kortrijk, located in West Flanders. It is an on old city, starting out as the Gallo-Roman settlement of Cortoriacum. It has served as a center for the flax and wool industry since the Middle Ages. Morris was educated at a Jesuit school in Aalst, East Flanders. He was bored there, and liked to draw doodles while in class.
After gaining a college degree, Morris was hired by the animation studio "Compagnie Belge d'Actualités" (CBA). Several other stars of Belgian comics started out as staff for this studio. The studio shut down following World War II. Morris then found work as an illustrator for the newspaper "Het Laatste Nieuws" (1888-), and the magazine "Moustique" (1924-). He specialized in drawing caricatures of then-famous movie stars.
In 1946, Morris created the "Lucky Luke" series for the comics magazine "Spirou" (1938-). It is a long-running Franco-Belgian comics magazine, that publishes stories in anthology format. The eponymous character of Morris' new series was a solitary cowboy and gunslinger who traveled across the 19th-century Wild West, persistently helping those in need. The series typically combines adventure themes with humorous situations, and a satirical view of Western tropes.
Early in his work for "Spirou", Morris became closely associated with the magazine's leading artists of this period. They were Jijé (Joseph Gillain, 1914-1980), André Franquin (1924-1997), and Will (Willy Maltaite, 1927-2000). Together, they became known as "La bande des quatre" ("Gang of Four").
In 1948, Morris temporarily moved to the United States, along with Jijé and Franquin. He was interested in finding out what remained of the Wild West, and he also wanted to meet and interact with American comics artist. Morris remained in the United States until 1954. He befriended the American artists Jack Davis (1924 - 2016), and Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993). He helped his new pals launch the humor magazine "Mad" (1952-2018) for the publisher EC Comics.
During his stay in the United States, Morris became acquainted with the French expatriate comics writer René Goscinny (1926-1977). Following their return to Europe, they decided to collaborate in the "Lucky Luke" series. Goscinny served as the series' main writer from 1955 to his death in 1977. He developed a supporting cast for the main character, which helped the series in gaining popularity.
Until 1968, nearly all Lucky Luke adventures and comic albums were printed by the publishing house Dupuis, the parent company of "Spirou". The company had a series of financial difficulties in the late 1960s, and Morris decided to switch publishers. In 1967, the "Lucky Luke" series started being printed in the comics magazine "Pilote" (1959-1989), the flagship publication of the publisher Dargaud.
In 1984, Morris allowed the adaptation of the "Lucky Luke" series into an English-language animated series by the studio Hanna-Barbera. Though it was not the first adaptation of the series in animation, it helped introduce the series to an American audience. It was released in syndication in the United States.
Until the 1980s, Morris focused all his efforts in the "Lucky Luke" series. In 1987, he launched the spin-off comic book series "Rantanplan" (1987-2011), focusing on a dimwitted, accident-prone, and gluttonous guard dog that had served as a supporting character for Lucky Luke since 1960. The character is a spoof of Rin Tin Tin. The spin-off series had the guard dog traveling the world, getting involved in misadventures, and always misunderstanding the world surrounding him.
In 2001, Morris suffered an accidental fall while trying to repair the roof of his residence. He was hospitalized, but suffered a pulmonary embolism while he was bedridden. He died in July 2001, at the age of 77. The "Lucky Luke" series has since continued under other writers and artists. Several of Morris' key characters have remained popular over the decades, and have starred in an ever-increasing number of adaptations.- Writer
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Guido Crepax was born on 15 July 1933 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. He was a writer and actor, known for Valentina (1989), I Am What I Am (1967) and Baba Yaga (1973). He was married to Luisa Mandelli. He died on 30 July 2003 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.- Writer
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Dave Gibbons was born on 14 April 1949 in England, UK. He is a writer, known for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Watchmen (2009) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017).- Writer
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Brian Bolland was born on 26 March 1951 in Butterwick, Lincolnshire, England, UK. He is a writer, known for Batman: The Killing Joke (2016), Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death (2003) and The Killing Joke (2016). He has been married to Rachel S. Birkett since 1981. They have one child.- Art Department
Carlos Giménez was born on 16 March 1941 in Madrid, Spain. He is known for Talk to Her (2002), The Devil's Backbone (2001) and Pan's Labyrinth (2006).- Writer
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Miguel Gallardo was born in 1955 in Lleida, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. He was a writer and director, known for María y yo (2010), El viaje de María (2012) and Arts i oficis (2015). He died on 21 February 2022 in Spain.- Writer
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Carlos Vermut was born on 6 March 1980 in Madrid, Spain. He is a writer and director, known for Quién te cantará (2018), Magical Girl (2014) and Manticore (2022).- Art Department
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Joe Kubert was born on 18 September 1926 in Jezierzany, Tarnopolskie, Poland [now Ozeryany, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for They Spoke Out: American Voices Against the Holocaust (2010), G.I. Joe: Sgt. Savage and His Screaming Eagles: Old Soldiers Never Die (1994) and The Legends Behind the Comic Books (2007). He was married to Muriel Fogelson. He died on 12 August 2012 in Morristown, New Jersey, USA.- Writer
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Joann Sfar was born on 28 August 1971 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He is a writer and director, known for Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010), The Rabbi's Cat (2011) and Thomas Fersen: Hyacinthe (2005).- Art Department
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Warren Ellis was born on 16 February 1968 in Essex, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Iron Man 3 (2013), RED (2010) and RED 2 (2013).- Carlos Ezquerra was born on 12 November 1947 in Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. He was a writer, known for Judge Dredd (1995), Dredd (2012) and Judge Dredd: Mega City One. He died on 1 October 2018.
- Mills started his career as a sub-editor for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, where he met Wagner. In 1971 both left to go freelance, and were soon writing scripts for IPC's girls' and humor comics. After D.C. Thomson launched Warlord, a successful war-themed weekly, Mills was asked in 1975 to develop a rival title for IPC. Based in the girls' comics department to avoid the attention of the staff of the boys' department, Mills, along with Wagner and Gerry Finley-Day, worked in secret to create Battle Picture Weekly. Battle's stories were more violent and its characters more working class than IPC's traditional fare, and it was an immediate hit. Having made the comic ready for launch, Mills resigned as editor. He would later write the celebrated First World War series Charley's War, drawn by Joe Colquhoun, for the title.
After launching Battle, Mills began developing a new boys' title, Action, launched in 1976. Action's mix of violence and anti-authoritarianism proved controversial and the title lasted less than two years before being withdrawn in the face of media protests. It was briefly revived in neutered form before being merged into Battle.
His next creation was the science fiction-themed weekly 2000 AD, launched in 1977. As with Battle and Action he developed most of the early series before handing them over to other writers. He took over the development of Judge Dredd when creator John Wagner temporarily walked out, and wrote many of the early stories, establishing the character and his world, before Wagner returned.
In 1978 IPC launched Starlord, a short-lived companion title for 2000 AD. Mills contributed Ro-Busters, a series about a robot disaster squad, which moved to 2000 AD when Starlord was canceled. Ro-Busters was the beginning of a mini-universe of interrelated stories Mills was to create for 2000 AD, including ABC Warriors and Nemesis the Warlock. Artist Kevin O'Neill was involved in the creation of all three. Nemesis in particular, featuring a morally ambiguous alien hero fighting a despotic human empire, allowed Mills to work out his feelings towards religion and imperialism. Another strand of his 2000 AD work was Sláine, a barbarian fantasy based on Celtic mythology and new-paganism, which he co-created with his then wife Angela Kincaid (with whom he also created the children's series of books, The Butterfly Children).
Mills also had a hand in IPC's line of Horror comics aimed at girls such as Chiller.
He has had little success in American comics, with the exception of Marshal Law, a savage superhero satire published by Marvel Comics' Epic imprint in the late 1980s, drawn by O'Neill.
In 1986 he edited the short-lived comic Dice Man, which featured characters from 2000 AD. He wrote nearly every story.
In 1988 he was involved in the launch of Crisis, a politically aware 2000 AD spin-off aimed at older readers. For it he wrote Third World War, drawn initially by Carlos Ezquerra, a polemical critique of global capitalism and the ways it exploits the developing world. The title lasted until 1991 and launched the careers of talents such as Garth Ennis, John Smith and Sean Phillips.
In 1991 Mills launched Toxic!, an independent color newsstand weekly comic with a violent, anarchic tone, perhaps as a reaction against the politically worthy Crisis, and a creator-owned ideal. Many of the stories were created by Mills and co-writer Tony Skinner, including Accident Man, an assassin who makes his hits look like accidents. Toxic! lasted less than a year, but gave a start to talents such as Duke Mighten and Martin Emond.
In 1995, he broke in the French market, one of his life's goals, with Sha, created with French artist Olivier Ledroit.
He continues to write Sláine, Bill Savage, Black Siddha and ABC Warriors for 2000 AD, and also the Franco-Belgian comic Requiem Vampire Knight, with art by Olivier Ledroit and its spin-off Claudia Chevalier Vampire, with art by Franck Tacito.
Two new series, Greysuit, a super-powered government agent drawn by John Higgins, and Defoe, a 17th-century zombie hunter drawn by Leigh Gallagher, began in 2000 AD issue 1540.
Mills has formed Repeat Offenders with artist Clint Langley and Jeremy Davis "to develop graphic novel concepts with big-screen potential" and the first project is a graphic novel called American Reaper, serialized in the Judge Dredd Megazine (#316-ongoing as of October 2011). It has been optioned by Trudie Styler's Xingu Films and Mills has written the screenplay.
He has also written two Doctor Who audio plays, "Dead London" (2008) and "The Scapegoat" (2009) for Big Finish Productions, featuring the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller. The first audio play was released as the first part of the second season of the Eighth Doctor Adventures and the second as part of the third season. In 2010 Mills adapted a story that had been started by him and Wagner for Doctor Who in the 1980s and was produced by Big Finish as "The Song of Megaptera". - Art Department
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Simon Bisley was born on 4 March 1962. He is a writer, known for Galaxy Quest (1999), Heavy Metal: Geomatrix (2001) and Heavy Metal 2000 (2000).- Writer
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David Lloyd was born in 1950 in Enfield Town, London, England, UK. He is a writer, known for V for Vendetta (2005), Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics (2010) and Superhero Nation.- Writer
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Lorenzo Mattotti was born in 1954 in Brescia, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily (2019), Fear(s) of the Dark (2007) and 76th Venice Film Festival: Opening Sequence (2019).- Art Department
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François Schuiten was born on 13 April 1956 in Brussels, Belgium. He is a writer and production designer, known for Mr. Nobody (2009), The Golden Compass (2007) and Mars and April (2012). He has been married to Monique Toussaint since 1980.- Art Department
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Bryan Talbot was born on 24 February 1952 in Wigan, Lancashire, England, UK. He is known for Ragnarok (1983), Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD (2014) and There's Something About Alice (2022).- Writer
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Jean-Claude Forest was born on 11 September 1930 in Le Perreux, Paris, France. He was a writer and director, known for Barbarella (1968), Barbarella and Marie Mathématique (1965). He was married to Petra Fores. He died on 30 December 1998 in Paris, France.- Actor
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Art Spiegelman was born on 15 February 1948 in Stockholm, Sweden. He is an actor and writer, known for In the Shadow of No Towers (2011), The Simpsons (1989) and No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (2021). He has been married to Françoise Mouly since 1977. They have two children.- Actor
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Jordi Bernet was born on 14 June 1944 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He is an actor, known for Atolladero (1995), Batman: Black and White (2008) and Històries de Bruguera (2012).- Purita Campos was born on 18 August 1937 in Barcelona, Spain. She was married to Francisco Ortega. She died on 19 November 2019 in Spain.
- Guillem Cifré was born in 1952 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He was a director, known for Històries de Bruguera (2012), Ànima (2009) and L'hora del lector (2007). He died on 16 May 2014 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Fernando de Felipe was born in 1965 in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. He is a writer and director, known for Oedipus (1997), Palabras encadenadas (2003) and Darkness (2002).- Writer
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David Muñoz was born on 10 October 1968 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. He is a writer and director, known for The Devil's Backbone (2001), The Minions of Midas (2020) and Mapa de recuerdos de Madrid (2014).- Frédéric Aristidès was born on 5 March 1931 in Paris, France. He was a writer, known for Philemon, Tac au tac (1969) and Pourquoi l'étrange Monsieur Zolock s'intéressait-il tant à la bande dessinée? (1983). He died on 2 April 2013 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
- Guido Buzzelli was born on 27 July 1927 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor, known for Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970). He died on 25 January 1992.
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Milo Manara, the well-known illustrator of adult graphic novels, began his career working on "fumetti", the cheap illustrated paperbacks popular in 1950-60s Italy. In 1976, his career took off after his work for the illustrated magazine Pilote. He also became known for his work designing posters for the films of _Federico Fellini_. The two later collaborated on comic books versions of some of Fellini's films.
In the 1980s, Manara turned towards the field of erotic graphic novels, writing and illustrating such titles as "Click!", "Butterscotch", and "Gullivera", (an erotic version of "Gulliver's Travels"). Manara's work is characterized by a playful (some would say juvenile) approach to sex- his women are almost impossibly sexy and their relationships are
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Gérard Lauzier was born on 30 November 1932 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was a writer and director, known for Le plus beau métier du monde (1996), Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar (1999) and Petit Con (1984). He died on 6 December 2008 in Paris, France.- Yves Chaland was born on 3 April 1957 in Lyon, Rhône, France. He died on 18 July 1990 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
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Miguel Ángel Martín was born in 1960 in Leon, Spain. He is a writer, known for Neuroworld (2014), Snuff 2000 (2002) and ¡Soy un pelele! (2008).- Animation Department
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Miguelanxo Prado was born on 16 July 1958 in A Coruña, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. He is a writer and producer, known for De profundis (2007), Os vixilantes do camiño (1999) and A biblioteca da iguana (2006).- Writer
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Chris Claremont was born on 25 November 1950 in Ealing, London, England, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).- Francesc Capdevila was born on 17 September 1956 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He is a writer, known for CARBÓN (Una historia de MAX y Cesc Mulet) (2022), Estoc de pop (1984) and Bosch: The Garden of Dreams (2016).
- Actor
- Writer
Manuel Vázquez was born on 24 January 1930 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. He was an actor and writer, known for Spy Time (2015), The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962) and Historias de amor y masacre (1979). He died on 21 October 1995 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Ramón Tosas 'Ivá' was born on 28 April 1944 in Manresa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He was a writer and actor, known for Historias de la puta mili (1994), Historias de la puta mili (1994) and Makinavaja, el último choriso (1992). He died on 22 July 1993 in Briones, La Rioja, Spain.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Miguel Gila was born on 12 March 1919 in Madrid, Spain. He was an actor and writer, known for El ceniciento (1955), El hombre que viajaba despacito (1957) and The Adventurer of Seville (1954). He was married to Maria Dolores Cobo. He died on 13 July 2001 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Manu Larcenet is known for Ordinary Victories (2015), Schmol (2004) and Oggy and the Cockroaches (1997).
- Martin Veyron is known for L'amour propre ne le reste jamais très longtemps (1985), Move Along, There is Nothing to See (1983) and Bains de minuit (1987).
- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Alberto Vázquez was born on 13 October 1980 in A Coruña, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. He is a writer and director, known for Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (2015), Unicorn Wars (2022) and Birdboy (2011).- Writer
Jan was born on 13 March 1939 in Leon, Spain. Jan is a writer, known for Superlopez (2018).- Francisco Ibáñez was born on 16 March 1936 in Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain. He was a writer and actor, known for La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón (2003), El sulfato atómico: Una aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón (1998) and Mortadelo y Filemón. Misión: Salvar la Tierra (2007). He was married to Remedios Solera Sánchez. He died on 15 July 2023 in Barcelona, Spain.
- Director
- Visual Effects
- Writer
Dave McKean was born on 29 December 1963 in Taplow, Slough, Berkshire, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Mirrormask (2005), Luna (2014) and N[eon] (2002). He is married to Clare. They have two children.- Pierre Christin was born on 27 July 1938 in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, France. He is a writer, known for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), Hard to Be a God (1989) and Bunker palace hôtel (1989).
- Writer
- Director
- Cinematographer
José Escobar was born on 22 October 1908 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He was a writer and director, known for Zapirón busca empleo (1947), Los tambores de Fu-Aguarrás (1945) and La sartén de civilón (1942). He died on 31 March 1994 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Arturo Moreno was born on 10 May 1909 in Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain. He was a writer and director, known for The Enchanted Sword (1945), A Happy Vacation (1948) and High School (1954). He died on 25 June 1993 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- José Cabrero Arnal was born on 6 September 1909 in Huesca, Aragón, Spain. He was a writer, known for Pif le chien (1965) and Spiff and Hercules (1989). He died on 7 September 1982 in Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
- Writer
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
John Byrne was born on 6 July 1950 in Walsall, England, UK. He is a writer, known for New Warriors (2017), Young Justice (2010) and Harley Quinn (2019). He was previously married to Andrea Braun.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Nicolas de Crécy was born on 29 September 1966 in Lyon, Rhône, France. He is a production designer, known for DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Steamboy (2004) and TaleSpin (1990).- Writer
- Art Department
- Script and Continuity Department
Andrea Pazienza was born on 23 May 1956 in San Benedetto del Tronto, Marche, Italy. He was a writer, known for Fiabeschi torna a casa (2013), Paz! (2002) and Lontano da dove (1983). He died on 16 June 1988 in Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy.- Actor
- Art Department
- Writer
Tanino Liberatore was born on 12 April 1954 in Quadri, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), RRRrrrr!!! (2004) and Trancado por Dentro (1989).- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Garth Ennis was born on 16 January 1970 in Holywood, Northern Ireland, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for The Boys (2019), Gen V (2023) and The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022).- Jamie Delano was born in 1954 in Northampton, England, UK. He is a writer, known for Constantine (2005), Constantine: City of Demons - The Movie (2018) and Constantine 2.
- Louis Forton was born on 14 March 1879 in Sées, Orne, France. Louis was a writer, known for Les aventures des Pieds-Nickelés (1948), Le trésor des Pieds-Nickelés (1950) and Les aventures des Pieds-Nickelés (1918). Louis died on 15 February 1934.
- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Actor
Sergio Aragonés was born on 6 September 1937 in Castellon, Spain. He is an actor, known for George of the Jungle (1997), Groo the Wanderer and Norman... Is That You? (1976).- Writer
- Animation Department
Guillermo Sánchez Boix was born in 1917 in Barcelona, Spain. Guillermo was a writer, known for El mundo futuro (2023) and Hazañas bélicas (2022). Guillermo died in 1964.- Writer
- Art Director
- Additional Crew
Philippe Druillet was born on 28 June 1944 in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France. He is a writer and art director, known for Dune: Part Two (2024), Bleu, l'enfant de la Terre (1986) and Quest for Fire (1981).- Writer
- Actor
- Art Department
Roland Topor (1938-1997) was a French illustrator, painter, writer and filmmaker. In 1962 he created the Panic Movement (mouvement panique), together with Alejandro Jodorowsky and Fernando Arrabal. Topor wrote the novel "The Tenant" (1964), which was filmed by Roman Polanski as The Tenant (1976) (a remake of the film, Le nouveau locataire (2013), was released in 2013). The book was re-issued with a new introduction by Thomas Ligotti, a selection of short stories by Topor, a representation of Topor's artwork and an essay on the Polanski film version. Topor published several books of drawings, including "Dessins panique" (1965), "Quatre roses pour Lucienne" (1967) and "Toporland" (1975). With filmmaker René Laloux, Topor made "The Dead Times" (1964), Les escargots (1966) and their most famous work, the feature Fantastic Planet (1973).
In 1982 he creates with Henri Xhonneux the popular French TV series Téléchat (1982), a parody of news broadcasts featuring puppets of a cat and an ostrich. Topor also worked as an actor, his most famous part being Renfield in Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979).- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
- Théo van den Boogaard is known for No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (2021), Independent Lens (1999) and La bande dessinée a 100 ans (1996).
- Writer
- Producer
- Production Manager
Marten Toonder was born on 2 May 1912 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. He was a writer and producer, known for Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel (1983), Hier is... Adriaan van Dis (1983) and Barend en Van Dorp (1990). He was married to Tera de Marez Oyens and Phiny Dick. He died on 27 July 2005 in Laren, Gelderland, Netherlands.- Writer
- Actor
Marcel Gotlib was born on 14 July 1934 in Paris, France. He was a writer and actor, known for Bonjour l'angoisse (1988), Les vécés étaient fermés de l'intérieur (1976) and Piège à sons (1993). He was married to Claudie. He died on 4 December 2016 in Le Vésinet, Yvelines, France.- Jean Tabary was born on 5 March 1930 in Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden. He was a writer, known for Iznogoud (1997), Iznogoud- Caliph Instead of the Caliph (2005) and Iznogoud (1995). He died on 18 August 2011 in Pont-l'Abbé-d'Arnoult, Charente-Maritime, France.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Cabu was born on 13 January 1938 in Châlons-en-Champagne, Marne, France. He was an actor and director, known for Très insuffisant (1979), Le château du parking (1987) and The Army Game (1960). He was married to Véronique. He died on 7 January 2015 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.- Georges Pichard was born on 17 January 1920 in Paris, France. He was a writer, known for Paulette, la pauvre petite milliardaire (1986) and Apostrophes (1975). He died on 7 June 2003 in Paris, France.
- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Georges Wolinski was born on 28 June 1934 in French Protectorate Tunisia [now Tunisia]. He was a writer and actor, known for Le cowboy (1985), Pizzaiolo et Mozzarel (1985) and Le roi des cons (1981). He was married to Maryse Wolinski. He died on 7 January 2015 in Paris, France.- Director
- Actor
- Animation Department
Bob De Moor was born on 20 December 1925 in Antwerp, Belgium. He was a director and actor, known for Smidje Smee (1942), Seven Crystal Balls and the Prisoners of the Sun (1969) and Tintin et le lac aux requins (1972). He died on 26 August 1992 in Brussels, Belgium.- Christian Godard is known for Attila, un barbare défie l'empire (2006), Pilote et moi et moi et moi (2009) and René Goscinny: Profession humoriste (1998).
- Alan Grant was a Scottish comic book writer known for his DC Comics and other works including Lobo, Judge Dredd, Batman, Victor Zsasz and Etrigan the Demon. He helped Lobo become a cult favorite which got adapted into a 2000 animated series starring Greg Eagles and Kevin Michael Richardson. He passed away in July 2022 due to cancer struggles.
- Edgar-Pierre Jacobs was born on 30 March 1904 in Brussels, Belgium. He was a writer, known for Blake et Mortimer (1997). He was married to Léonie. He died on 20 February 1987 in Lasne, Wallonia, Belgium.
- Writer
- Art Department
Barry Windsor-Smith was born on 25 May 1949 in London, England, UK. He is a writer, known for The Hand (1981), Marvel TL;DR (2016) and Adventures Into Digital Comics (2006).- Stark Attila is known for Kulo City (2010).
- Animation Department
- Writer
- Art Department
Frank Margerin is known for Rendez-vous au tas de sable (1990), Manu (1990) and Renaud - Le p'tit bal du samedi soir (Live à Bobino 1980) (Visualizer) (2022).- Art Department
- Director
- Actor
Javier Mariscal is known for Chico & Rita (2009), They Shot the Piano Player (2023) and 18 mini películas para Serrat-Miguel Hernández. Hijo de la luz y de la sombra (2010).- Writer
- Actor
- Animation Department
Ralf König was born on 8 August 1960 in Soest, Germany. He is a writer and actor, known for Killer Condom (1996), Lisístrata (2002) and Wie die Karnickel (2002).