René Follet
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| René Follet | |
 |
|
| Born | April 10, 1931 Brussels, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Area(s) | artist |
| Pseudonym(s) | Ref |
| Notable works | Les Zingari Yvan Zourine Steve Severin Terreur |
| Awards | full list |
René Follet (born April 10, 1931), sometimes known by the pen name Ref, is a Belgian illustrator, comics writer and artist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
René Follet was born in Brussels in 1931.[1] His first publication appeared when he was 14, illustrating a promotional issue of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island for Aiglon, a chocolate factory. In 1949, he started working for the two main Belgian comics magazines of that time, Tintin and Spirou. For both, he collaborated on the series of 4 page historical stories which functioned as a starting point for many young artists like Jean Graton and Hermann Huppen. He also provides numerous illustrations for both magazines and books for Casterman publishing. [1]
In his long cartooning career, spanning over 50 years, Follet never had a long-running or particularly successful series, but his many shorter series and one-shots have earned him the acclaim of many of his peers.[2] He has worked for the Dutch magazine Eppo, and for the major publishing houses in Belgium and France, including Dupuis, Le Lombard, and Glénat. He has also worked as the main penciller for artists Mitacq and William Vance, and has made a long promotional comic for Citroën.[1] At the beginning of his career, he was asked by Edgar Pierre Jacobs to help him draw Blake and Mortimer, but Follet refused because Jacobs didn't want Follet's name to included in the credits.[2]
As an illustrator he works in pencil, acrylic, and other materials, and as a cartoonist is considered a master of the realistic and picturesque drawing style, or as he has been dubbed, "the 'most famous unknown' great master of the 9th art". [1] [3]
His major influences are Jijé, whose series Valhardi he continued for two albums, and the Dutch comics artist Hans G. Kresse (known for his American Indian series 'Les Peaux-Rouges' published by Casterman).[2]
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Comics
| Series | Years | Volumes | Scenarist | Editor | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Brazil | 1973-1977 | 5 | Greg | Magic-Strip | William Vance drew the comics, Follet provided the page lay-out |
| Ivan Zourine | 1979 | 2 | Jacques Stoquart | Magic-Strip | |
| Steve Severin | 1981-1984 | 9 | Jacques Stoquart and Yvan Delporte | Glénat | 3 in French - 6 in Dutch |
| L'Iliade | 1982 | 1 | Jacques Stoquart | Glénat | Adapted from the Ilias by Homer |
| Jacques Le Gall | 1984-1985 | 2 | Jean-Michel Charlier | Dupuis | A collaboration with MiTacq |
| Valhardi | 1984-1986 | 2 | Jacques Stoquart and André-Paul Duchâteau | Dupuis | Continuation of the series after Jijé and Eddy Paape |
| Alain Brisant | 1985 | 1 | Maurice Tillieux | Dupuis | |
| Edmund Bell | 1987-1990 | 4 | Jacques Stoquart and Martin Lodewijk | Cl. Lefrancq | Based on the stories by John Flanders (Jean Ray) |
| Daddy | 1991-92 | 1 | Loup Durand | Cl. Lefrancq | |
| Bob Morane | 1991-2000 | 3 | Henri Vernes | Nautilus and Claude Lefrancq | Follet drew one story in 2000, and made the cover art for two others (drawn by Gerald Forton) |
| Harricana | 1992 | 1 | Jean-Claude de la Royère | Claude Lefrancq | Drawn by Denis Mérezette, Follet did the page lay-out |
| Marshall Blueberry | 1994 | 1 | Jean Giraud | Alpen | Drawn by William Vance, Follet did the page lay-out |
| Ikar | 1995-1997 | 2 | Pierre Makyo | Glénat | |
| Les autos de l'aventure | 1996-1998 | 2 | De la Royère | Citroën | Promotional comics |
| Till Eulenspiegel | 2000 | 1 | Janssens | Spirou | number 3228 |
| Terreur | 2002-2004 | 2 | André-Paul Duchâteau | Le Lombard | Fictional biography of Madame Tussaud |
| Les zingari | 2004-2005 | 2 | Yvan Delporte | Hibou | |
| Shelena | 2005 | 1 | Jéromine Pasteur | Casterman | |
| L'étoile du soldat | 2007 | 1 | Christophe De Ponfilly | Casterman | Announced (August 28, 2007)[4] |
[edit] Book illustrations
According to Follet, illustrations are too short in comics ; so he makes a lot of illustrations for novels or history books :
- 1949 : Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- 1962 : The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (Golden Pleasure Books)
- 1962 : The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
- 1965 : The Wonderful Life of the Uganda Martyrs by P.Laridan (G. Chapman Editor)
- 1967-1969 : Les Grecs, La chevallerie, Cordées Souterraines (Dupuis editor)
- 1980 : Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain
- 1983-1986 : Petite histoire de France, Guerres de Vendées, Colonnies françaises with Henri Servien (ed. de Chiré)
- 1988 : Searching for Tutankhamun by Francis Youssef (Blake and Mortimer Editor for Edgar P. Jacobs)
- several covers for Henri Vernes's novels (Lefrancq editor)
He has also worked:
- in Scouts de France with Pierre Joubert (illustrator of boys' adventure novels, particularly the Signe de Piste (Trail Sign) line),
- in Plein Jeu for Belgian scouting publications.
- in White Fathers publications : Caravane, John Bosco, Charles de Foucauld, Charles Lavigerie...
- in Spirou and its supplement Le trombone illustré with Mitacq and Franquin
- in Tintin: Rocky Bill with Yves Duval, Texas Slim from Paul Cuvelier, Samourai of black sun and Hurricane at West with Jean-Michel Charlier
- in Bonnes Soirées with Jijé (The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, père...)
- in Pep and Eppo (two Dutch magazines): (The Call of the Wild by Jack London...)
- with William Vance for Bob Morane and Bruno Brazil
[edit] Awards
- 1975: Revelation of the year at the Prix Saint-Michel, Brussels
- 1998: Tournesol Award, for Ikar 2 at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, France
- 2003: Grand Prix for drawing of the Chambre belge des Experts en Bande Dessinée (Belgian Chamber of Comics Experts)[5]
- 2006: Nominated for the best artwork at the Prix Saint-Michel
[edit] Sources
- Béra, Michel; Denni, Michel; and Mellot, Philippe (2002): "Trésors de la Bande Dessinée 2003-2004". Paris, Les éditions de l'amateur. ISBN 2-85917-357-9
- Peeters Jozef (2006) : René Follet, un rêveur sédentaire (éd.l'Age d'Or)
- René Follet publications in Belgian Tintin, French Tintin and Spirou BDoubliées (French)
- René Follet albums Bedetheque (French)
- Footnotes
- ^ a b c d De Weyer, Geert (2005). "René Follet". In België gestript, pp. 110-111. Tielt: Lannoo.
- ^ a b c Interview with ZozoLala magazine (Dutch)
- ^ or as the website Evene puts it:
"le plus 'célèbre méconnu' des grands maîtres du 9e art."
- ^ Casterman site
- ^ Biography at Bédétheque
[edit] External links
- René Follet biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia
