Jacques Martin (comics)

Jacques Martin is a French comic book creator (writer and artist), born in Strasbourg, France on 25 September 1921. He is one of the classic artist of Le Journal de Tintin magazine, alongside with Edgar P. Jacobs and Hergé, of whom he has been a longtime collaborator. He is best known for his Alix series.

Biography

After being initially forced into engineering studies as a young man, Jacques Martin began in 1942 to draw his first comic stories. In 1946, following the end of the War, he travelled through Belgium in search of an editor for his work. Soon afterwards he met Georges Remi (aka Hergé) with whom he collaborated on several albums of The Adventures of Tintin (and more specifically on Tintin in Tibet and The Red Sea Sharks) while working on his own albums. It was from Herge that he learned of the ligne claire style and, under Herge's guidance, began to use it in his own work. He would later be considered one of the great five of the ligne claire style, along with Hergé, Edgar P. Jacobs, Bob de Moor and Willy Vandersteen.

In 1948, he created Alix, his most famous series, published in the magazine Tintin, whose adventures - extremely-well researched - occur in Roman antiquity. This historic comic soon became one of the most popular of the genre and went on to be published in several countries worldwide. The story "Le spectre de Carthage" won the award for best French realistic comic book at the 1978 Angoulême International Comics Festival.

Later, Martin went on to create other characters, the journalist Lefranc in 1952, the ancient Egyptian Jhen in 1978 and finally Orion in 1990. In 2003, he also organised the starting of a new series - Lois set in the court of Louis the sun king of France.

In 1998, due to failing eyesight, he left the drawing of Alix to Rafael Morales. Alix continues running with great success.

Awards

• 1978: Best French Realistic Work at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, France
• 2003: Grand Prix Saint-Michel, Belgium