Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs (30 March 1904 – 20 February 1987), better known under his
pen name Edgar P. Jacobs, was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
comic book creator
developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is ...
(writer and artist), born in
Brussels, Belgium. He was one of the founding fathers of the
Franco-Belgian comics movement, through his collaborations with
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...
and the
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
series that made him famous, ''
Blake and Mortimer
''Blake and Mortimer'' is a Belgian comics series created by the writer and comics artist Edgar P. Jacobs. It was one of the first series to appear in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Tintin'' in 1946, and was subsequently published in boo ...
''.
Biography
Edgar Félix Pierre Jacobs was born in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in 1904.
[De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Edgar Pierre Jacobs". In België gestript, pp. 129–131. Tielt: Lannoo.] Jacobs remembered having drawn for as far back as his memory would go. His real love though was for the dramatic arts and the opera in particular. In 1919 he graduated from the commercial school where his parents had sent him, and privately swore he would never work in an office. He kept on drawing in his spare time, focusing his greatest attention on musical and dramatic training. He took on odd jobs at the opera, including decoration,
scenography
Scenography (inclusive of scenic design, lighting design, sound design, costume design) is a practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography is the combination of technological and material ...
, and painting, and sometimes got to work as an
extra
Extra or Xtra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper
* ''Extra!'', an American me ...
.
[ In 1929 he received the annual Belgian government medal for excellence in classical singing. Financial good fortune did not follow, since the Great Depression hit the Brussels artistic community very hard.
After a career as extra and baritone singer in ]opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
productions between 1919 and 1940 in Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
, punctuated by small drawing commissions, Jacobs turned permanently to illustration, drawing commercial illustrations and collaborating in the children's weekly comic magazine ''Bravo'' until 1946, after he was introduced there by Jacques Laudy
Jacques Laudy (7 April 1907 – 28 July 1993) was a Belgian comics artist who contributed to the early issues of the weekly ''Tintin'' magazine.
Jacques Laudy was born in Schaerbeek in 1907 as the son of the painter Jean Laudy. He worked mainly ...
. This review or periodical was a smashing success, hitting a circulation of 300,000 at times.
When the American comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
''Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
'' was prohibited in Belgium by the German occupation authorities during World War II, he was asked to write an end to the comic in order to provide a denouement
Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and schola ...
to the readers. German censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
banned this continuation after only a couple of weeks. Jacobs subsequently published his first comic strip in ''Bravo'', ''Le Rayon U
''Le Rayon U'' (''The U Ray'') is a comic book written and drawn by the Belgian comics creator Edgar P. Jacobs in 1943.Philippe Biermé and François-Xavier Nève, ''Chez Edgar P. Jacobs : dans l'intimité du père de Blake et Mortimer''. Lièg ...
'' (''The U Ray''), largely in the same ''Flash Gordon'' style.[
Around this time, he became a stage painter for a theatre adaptation for ]Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...
's ''Cigars of the Pharaoh
''Cigars of the Pharaoh'' (french: link=no, Les Cigares du pharaon) is the fourth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the series of comic albums by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper '' Le Vingtià ...
''. Although the play was only a modest success, it brought him into contact with Hergé and the two quickly become friends. As a direct result, he assisted Hergé in coloring the black and white strips of ''The Shooting Star
''The Shooting Star'' (french: link=no, L'Étoile mystérieuse) is the tenth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was serialised daily in , Belgium's leading francophone newspaper, ...
'' from Le Soir in preparation for book publication in 1942, and from 1944 on he helped him in the recasting of his earlier albums ''Tintin in the Congo
''Tintin in the Congo'' (french: link=no, Tintin au Congo; ) is the second volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's supplemen ...
'', ''Tintin in America
''Tintin in America'' (french: link=no, Tintin en Amérique) is the third volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's supplement ...
'', ''King Ottokar's Sceptre
''King Ottokar's Sceptre'' (french: link=no, Le Sceptre d'Ottokar) is the eighth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's sup ...
'' and ''The Blue Lotus
''The Blue Lotus'' (french: link=no, Le Lotus bleu) is the fifth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's supplement , it wa ...
'' for color book publication. After the project, he continued to contribute directly in the drawing as well as the storyline for the new Tintin double-albums ''The Seven Crystal Balls
''The Seven Crystal Balls'' (french: link=no, Les Sept Boules de Cristal) is the thirteenth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was serialised daily in ', Belgium's leading francoph ...
''/''Prisoners of the Sun
''Prisoners of the Sun'' (french: link=no, Le Temple du Soleil) is the fourteenth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The story was Serial (literature), serialised weekly in the newly establ ...
''. Jacobs, as a fan of opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
, decided to take Hergé with him to a concert. Hergé did not like opera, however, and for decades he would gently lampoon his friend Jacobs through the device of opera singer Bianca Castafiore
Bianca Castafiore (), nicknamed the "Milanese Nightingale" (), is a fictional character in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. She is an opera singer who frequently pops up in adventure after adventure. ...
, a supporting character in ''The Adventures of Tintin
''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...
''. Hergé also gave him tiny cameo roles in ''Tintin'' adventures, sometimes under the name Jacobini, for example in ''The Calculus Affair
''The Calculus Affair'' (french: link=no, L'Affaire Tournesol) is the eighteenth volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé. It was serialised weekly in Belgium's ''Tintin'' magazine from Decemb ...
'' where Jacobini is the name of an opera singer advertised as starring alongside La Castafiore in Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's ''Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...
'', and as a mummified egyptologist on the cover of ''Cigars of the Pharaoh'', as well as in the rewritten version. In a 1977 interview with the BBC (excerpted in 2016 on the ''Witness'' radio program/podcast), Hergé stated that Jacobs was part of his inspiration for the major character of Captain Haddock: "He acobsis just like Captain Haddock, full of movement...bursting into...invective."
In 1946, Jacobs was part of the team gathered by Raymond Leblanc
Raymond Leblanc (born 22 May 1915 – 21 March 2008) was a Belgian comic book publisher, film director and film producer, best known for publishing works such as ''The Adventures of Tintin'' by Hergé and ''Blake and Mortimer'' by Edgar P. Jaco ...
around the new Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin
Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to:
''The Adventures of Tintin''
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series
** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...
'', where his story ''Le secret de l’Espadon'' (''The Secret of the Swordfish
''The Secret of The Swordfish'' was the first story in the Blake and Mortimer comic album series by Edgar P. Jacobs. It describes how a far eastern empire takes over the world and the adventures of two Britons as they try to bring about the dev ...
'') was published on 26 September, the first of the ''Blake and Mortimer
''Blake and Mortimer'' is a Belgian comics series created by the writer and comics artist Edgar P. Jacobs. It was one of the first series to appear in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Tintin'' in 1946, and was subsequently published in boo ...
'' series.
In 1947, Jacobs asked to share the credit with Hergé on ''The Adventures of Tintin''. When Hergé refused, their collaboration suffered a bit of a setback. Hergé still remained a friend however, and as before ''Blake et Mortimer'' continued to be serialised in ''Tintin
Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to:
''The Adventures of Tintin''
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series
** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...
'' magazine. In 1950, Jacobs published '' The Mystery of the Great Pyramid''. Many others soon followed. Jacobs finally published in 1970 the first volume of ''The Three formulas of Professor Sato'', which was staged in Japan.
In 1973 he restyled his first full-length album, ''Le Rayon U'', and wrote his autobiography under the title ''Un opéra de papier: Les mémoires de Blake et Mortimer''. He then wrote the scenario for the second episode of ''Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato'', but the artwork remained unfinished at the time of his death. Bob de Moor was drafted in to complete the album, which was published in 1990.
Jacobs has two stone sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...
es to commemorate him. One of them is in the ''Bois des Pauvres'' near Brussels, where his home used to stand, and the other one is over his tomb at the Lasne cemetery, also near Brussels. The cemetery sphinx has a "collar" beard, and his face looks a lot like Philip Mortimer, the protagonist of most of the Jacobs albums.
Jacobs' style varies greatly from one album to another. There are however many common threads, such as the theme of subterranean descent and the consistent Ligne claire
''Ligne claire'' (French for "clear line", ; nl, klare lijn) is a style of drawing created and pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian cartoonist and creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. It uses clear strong lines sometimes of varied width and n ...
drawing style.
Bibliography
# ''Le Rayon U
''Le Rayon U'' (''The U Ray'') is a comic book written and drawn by the Belgian comics creator Edgar P. Jacobs in 1943.Philippe Biermé and François-Xavier Nève, ''Chez Edgar P. Jacobs : dans l'intimité du père de Blake et Mortimer''. Lièg ...
'' (''The U Ray''), in 1943
# ''Le Secret de l'Espadon'' (''The Secret of the Swordfish
''The Secret of The Swordfish'' was the first story in the Blake and Mortimer comic album series by Edgar P. Jacobs. It describes how a far eastern empire takes over the world and the adventures of two Britons as they try to bring about the dev ...
''), in 1947 (3 volumes)
# ''Le Mystère de la Grande Pyramide'', ('' The Mystery of the Great Pyramid''), in 1950 (2 volumes)
# ''La Marque Jaune'' (''The Yellow "M"
''The Yellow "M"'' (french: La Marque Jaune ("The Yellow Mark")) by the Belgian artist Edgar P. Jacobs is the sixth comic book in the ''Blake and Mortimer'' series. It was first published in ''Tintin'' magazine between 6 August 1953 and 3 Novemb ...
''), in 1953
# '' L'Énigme de l'Atlantide'' (''Atlantis Mystery
''Atlantis Mystery'' (''l'Énigme de l'Atlantide'') by the Belgian artist Edgar P. Jacobs was the seventh comic book in the Blake and Mortimer series, first published in ''Tintin'' magazine from March 30, 1955, to May 30, 1956. It appeared in boo ...
''), in 1955
# ''S.O.S. Météores: Mortimer à Paris'' ('' S.O.S. Meteors''), in 1958
# ''Le Piège diabolique'' (''The Time Trap
"The Time Trap" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on November 24, 1973, and was written by American actres ...
'') in 1960
# ''L'Affaire du Collier'' (''The Necklace Affair
''The Necklace Affair'' (English for "L'Affaire du Collier") by the Belgian artist Edgar P. Jacobs was the tenth comic book in the Blake and Mortimer series.
Plot
The necklace of Queen Marie-Antoinette that was believed to have been destroyed ce ...
'') in 1965
# ''Les trois Formules du Professeur Sato: Mortimer à Tokyo'' ('' Mortimer in Tokyo'') in 1970 (vol. 1). Vol. 2 ''Mortimer contre Mortimer'' ('' Mortimer versus Mortimer'') completed by Bob De Moor, 1990
Awards
* 1971: Grand Prix Saint-Michel
The Prix Saint-Michel is a series of comic awards presented by the city of Brussels, with a focus on Franco-Belgian comics. They were first awarded in 1971, and although often said to be the oldest European comics awards, they are actually the sec ...
, Belgium
Sources
*Guyard, Jean-Marc. ''Le Baryton du neuvième art''. Bruxelles: Éditions Blake et Mortimer, 1996.
*Jacobs, Edgar P. ''Un opéra de papier: Les mémoires de Blake et Mortimer''. Paris: Gallimard, 1981.
*Lenne, Gérard. ''L'Affaire Jacobs''. Paris: Megawave, 1990.
*Mouchart, Benoit. ''A l'ombre de la ligne claire: Jacques Van Melkebeke, le clandestin de la B.D.'' Paris: Vertige Graphic, 2002.
*Mouchart, Benoît and Rivière, François ''La Damnation d'Edgar P. Jacobs'', Seuil-Archimbaud, 2003.
*Tzorken, Yann ''Le mystère Edgar P. Jacobs'', Thebookedition, 2019.
Edgar P. Jacobs publications in Belgian ''Tintin
an
BDoubliées
;Footnotes
External links
E.P. Jacobs 2004
centenary memorial site
''Blake et Mortimer'' official site
on Dargaud
on Lambiek Comiclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Edgar Pierre
1904 births
1987 deaths
Artists from Brussels
Belgian comics artists
Belgian comics writers
Belgian illustrators
Belgian opera singers
Tintin