Studios Hergé
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The Studios Hergé were, between 1950 and 1986, a SARL company consisting of Belgian cartoonist Hergé and his collaborators, who assisted him with the creation of ''
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 ...
'' and derived products. Over the years, the studios had between 12 and 50 employees, including some prestigious artists like Jacques Martin, Bob de Moor and
Roger Leloup Roger Leloup (; born 17 November 1933) is a Belgian comic strip artist, novelist, and a former collaborator of Hergé, who would rely upon him to create detailed, realistic drawings and elaborate decoration for ''The Adventures of Tintin''.
. Every creation produced by the studios was attributed to Hergé alone, except for three albums of ''
Quick & Flupke ''The exploits of Quick and Flupke'' (french: link=no, Quick et Flupke, gamins de Bruxelles, ) was a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Serialised weekly from January 1930 to 1940 in , the children's supplement of conservative Belgian new ...
'' which are attributed to Studios Hergé on the cover. In 1987, the Studios were disbanded and transformed into the
Hergé Foundation The Hergé Foundation is the official organisation that looks after the world and works of Hergé and his creation ''The Adventures of Tintin'', along with his other comics like '' Quick & Flupke'' and '' Jo, Zette and Jocko''. Created from Stud ...
by Fanny Rodwell, a former colourist at the Studios and Hergé's widow.


History

The Studios Hergé were created by Hergé in 1950 to assist him with the production of ''
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 ...
''. They permitted him to focus on the creation of new stories by handing over some aspects of the artwork, particularly the colouring, which Hergé had never really mastered and which in the 1940s was done by
Edgar Pierre Jacobs Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs (30 March 1904 – 20 February 1987), better known under his pen name Edgar P. Jacobs, was a Belgian comic book creator (writer and artist), born in Brussels, Belgium. He was one of the founding fathers of the Franc ...
, and the drawing of decors. Technical elements required much documentation and a specific drawing technique, making such assistance worthwhile. The Studios were created when Hergé worked on '' Destination Moon'', an adventure permeated by technology. The influence of some studio members on the stories is also present. For example, Jacques Martin claims to have introduced a number of
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
gags that don't correspond to Hergés style of humour.


The story of the "gag page"

An anecdote well known among tintinophiles is indicative of the atmosphere in the Studios in those years. When Hergé was on a holiday in December 1965, the two main collaborators, Bob de Moor and Jacques Martin, created a fake ''Tintin'' page, completely in the style of the master, which they sent to the Swiss weekly magazine ''L'Illustré''. It was published there as an installment of the next ''Tintin'' adventure. Jacques Martin: "I first invented a short story, and then composed the page and placed the characters. Next, Bob de Moor completed the backgrounds, which I had sketched, and we both inked the page: he did the backgrounds, I did the characters. Apparently, Hergé didn't react immediately upon discovering this, but probably preferred let matters stand as they were with this joke, which, according to some,Notably
Philippe Goddin Philippe Goddin (born May 27, 1944, in Brussels, Belgium) is a leading expert and literary critic of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', and author of several books on Tintin (character), Tintin and his creator, Hergé. He was general secretary of the ...
in his book ''Hergé et les Bigotudos'', Casterman 1990 was a true indication of the state of mind of the collaborators who wanted to be more involved in the creation of the adventures of ''Tintin''. The gag page depicts an airport scene comparable to some sequences in ''Destination Moon'' and '' The Calculus Affair'', actually closely resembles a page by Hergé, with only some tintinophiles able to spot some typical style elements of De Moor and Martin. The page can be seen a
Tintin est Vivant !


The Studios after Hergé

After the death of Hergé in 1983, his widow Fanny Remi, who started working with the studios as a colorist in 1956, inherited the rights to the works of the author, but not the rights to the derived works, which belonged to Hergé's friend Alain Baran of the company
Tintin Licensing 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, ...
, who later sold the rights to the television channel Canal+. Fanny followed the wishes of Hergé. who didn't want ''The Adventures of Tintin'' to be continued after his death. Some doubt exists about '' Tintin and Alph-Art'', however, left unfinished by Hergé at his death and at first handed over to the Studios to be finished by De Moor. Fanny Remi then changed her mind and decided to publish just the sketches by Hergé, to the disappointment of De Moor. There is also some hesitation about ''Quick & Flupke''. Less popular than ''Tintin'', Hergé had not left any clear instructions about a continuation of the series. Perhaps more to keep the Studios running than for a truly artistic reason, Fanny accepted the proposal of
Johan De Moor Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...
, son of Bob and recent arrival in the Studios, to restart the series. He created an album of new strips while the Studios updated a number of old strips never before published in colour. Three albums appeared in 1985, the only ones to officially credit the Studios Hergé on the cover and inside. Fanny then announced that the series would end there and that the Studios would be closed. The activities of the Studios ceased soon thereafter, but not before finishing some projects of derived products and publicity work. In 1986, the Studios Hergé were replaced by the
Hergé Foundation The Hergé Foundation is the official organisation that looks after the world and works of Hergé and his creation ''The Adventures of Tintin'', along with his other comics like '' Quick & Flupke'' and '' Jo, Zette and Jocko''. Created from Stud ...
, solely occupied with the rights of the series. In 1988, the giant
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
in
Stokkel/Stockel metro station Stockel ( French, former Dutch spelling) or Stokkel (Dutch) is the eastern terminus of line 1 (formerly line 1B) on the Brussels Metro. The station opened on 31 August 1988 and is located in the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre/Sint-Pieters ...
was inaugurated, based on sketches by Hergé, which were finished by the Studios.


Members of the Studios

This non-exhaustive list features the principal members only.


Artists

* Bob de Moor (1950–1986) *:He entered the Studios Hergé on 5 April 1950, and soon became the first assistant, a position held by
Edgar P. Jacobs Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs (30 March 1904 – 20 February 1987), better known under his pen name Edgar P. Jacobs, was a Belgium, Belgian comic book creator (writer and artist), born in Brussels, Belgium. He was one of the founding fathers of the ...
in the previous decade. Reputed for his perfect imitation of the style of Hergé, he supervised the totality of the album production together with Hergé. He was also charged with the creation of all derived products featuring the heads of Tintin or Snowy. * Jacques Martin (1947?–1972) *: Creator of ''
Alix ''Alix'', or ''The Adventures of Alix'', is a Franco-Belgian comics series drawn in the ligne claire style by Jacques Martin. The stories revolve around a young Gallo-Roman man named Alix in the late Roman Republic. Although the series is re ...
'', close to Hergé, he joined the Studios mainly as an assistant to the stories, starting with ''The Calculus Affair''. He worked with Hergé until 1972, notably on '' The Red Sea Sharks'' and '' Tintin in Tibet'' *
Roger Leloup Roger Leloup (; born 17 November 1933) is a Belgian comic strip artist, novelist, and a former collaborator of Hergé, who would rely upon him to create detailed, realistic drawings and elaborate decoration for ''The Adventures of Tintin''.
(1953–1969) *:Assistant of Jacques Martin for the colours and backgrounds in ''Alix'', he joined the Studios Hergé on 15 February 1953. His main work are the mechanical elements in the drawings, like automobiles. He was the creator of the futuristic jet of
Laszlo Carreidas This is the list of fictional characters in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The characters are listed alphabetically, grouped by the Main characters, the Antagonists, and the Supporting characters. ...
in '' Flight 714 to Sydney''. He was also responsible for the public relations of Hergé. He left the Studios on 31 December 1969 to work exclusively on his own series, ''
Yoko Tsuno ''Yoko Tsuno'' is a comics album series created by the Belgian writer Roger Leloup published by Dupuis in '' Spirou'' magazine since its debut in 1970. Through thirty volumes, the series tell the adventures of Yoko Tsuno, a female electrical eng ...
''. *
Michel Demarets Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...
(1953–1986) *
Jo-El Azara Joseph Franz Hedwig Loeckx is a Belgian comic book artist. He works under the pseudonym of Jo-El Azara. Important series he has worked on include ''Clifton'' and ''Taka Takata''. Biography Loeckx was born in Drogenbos, Flemish Brabant, near Bruss ...
(1954–1961) * Guy Dessicy (1950–1953), creator of the Publiart company *
Johan De Moor Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...
*: The son of Bob De Moor arrived at the Studios only a short time before the death of Hergé, and was mainly active afterwards, with the new version of ''Quick & Flupke''. * Pierre Gay (1984–1986) *: A young cartoonist hired 13 months after Hergé's death as an assistant to Bob De Moor. He was the last cartoonist to be hired by the Studios Hergé.


Colorists

*
Josette Baujot Josette Baujot (17 August 1920 – 13 August 2009) was a Belgian artist and colorist. She is most commonly associated with fellow Belgian comics writer Hergé (Georges Remi) and his ''Adventures of Tintin'' series. Early life She was born Josett ...
*: Main colorist. Her rather stormy character was caricatured in ''Tintin and Alph-Art'' with the character Josette Laijot. * Monique Laurent * France Ferrari * Nicole Thenen * Fanny Vlamynck *: Became the second wife of Hergé and inherited the rights to his works after his death. Presides over the Hergé Foundation since 1986. Remarried later to Nick Rodwell.


Secretaries

* Marcel Dehaye * Baudouin van den Branden


Works of the Studios

All works realised under the name of Hergé since 1950 can be considered as works of the Studios. This is a non-exhaustive list of those works where the Studios played a major role, either by colouring, drawing of backgrounds, or by completely replacing Hergé. However, it is difficult to correctly judge the role of the contributors, as Hergé and, later, his rights-holders minimized their work. There is debate over a number of albums, mainly ''
Tintin and the Picaros ''Tintin and the Picaros'' (french: link=no, Tintin et les Picaros) is the twenty-third volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The final instalment in the series to be completed by Hergé, it wa ...
'' and the third version of ''
The Black Island ''The Black Island'' (french: link=no, L'Île noire) is the seventh 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 ...
'', where some believe that Bob De Moor completely redrew the entire album. With the ''
Jo, Zette and Jocko ''The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Hergé, the writer-artist best known for ''The Adventures of Tintin''. The heroes of the series are two young children, brother and sister Jo and Zette Legran ...
'' adventure ''The Valley of the Cobras'', Jacques Martin is sometimes said to have drawn the whole of the album.


Albums


''The Adventures of Tintin''

# '' Destination Moon'' (1953) # '' Explorers on the Moon'' (1954) # '' The Calculus Affair'' (1956) # '' The Red Sea Sharks'' (1958) # '' Tintin in Tibet'' (1960) # '' The Castafiore Emerald'' (1963) # '' Flight 714 to Sydney'' (1968) # ''
Tintin and the Picaros ''Tintin and the Picaros'' (french: link=no, Tintin et les Picaros) is the twenty-third volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. The final instalment in the series to be completed by Hergé, it wa ...
'' (1976)


= Reformatting and colouring of old albums

= * '' Cigars of the Pharaoh'' (1955) * ''
The Black Island ''The Black Island'' (french: link=no, L'Île noire) is the seventh 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 ...
'' (1966) *: This is the third version of this album, requested by the British publisher of ''Tintin'' who wanted a more realistic representation of the country. Bob De Moor visited the country extensively and redrew most of the book. * '' Land of Black Gold'' (1971) *: Some scenes rewritten by Hergé and redrawn by Bob De Moor.


= Additional publications

= * Six
pop-up book The term pop-up book is often applied to any book with three-dimensional pages, although it is properly the umbrella term for movable book, pop-ups, tunnel books, transformations, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each ...
s, ''Pop-Hop'', published by Hallmark between 1969 and 1971. *: Realised by Michel Demarets, based on existing stories. * '' Tintin and the Lake of Sharks'' (1972), adaptation of the animated movie. *: Two versions were created, one with images from the movie, the other one as a redrawn comic strip. The first was published as a book by
Casterman Casterman is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, specializing in comic books and children's literature. The company is based in Brussels, Belgium. History The company was founded in 1780 by Donat-Joseph Casterman, an editor and bookseller or ...
, the second was published in a number of Belgian and French newspapers. * Two books ''Jouons avec Tintin'' are combined and published in English as The Tintin Games Book (1974). *: Also realised by Michel Demarets based on the albums by Hergé.


= Short stories

= * ''Les Gorilles de la Vedette (Tintin)'' (1985) *: Two pages drawn by Bob de Moor, published in ''Super Tintin'' n°28, with the Thompson Twins as stars. * The 60th and last page of ''Récit Spatio-Temporel'' by the artists of the weekly ''
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, as usual by Bob de Moor, in the ''Tintin'' magazine n°23 of 1986 * ''Les Magiciens d'Eau'' (1987) *: One page drawn by Bob de Moor for the '' Fondation Balavoine'', published in the book with the same title *''Les Aventures de la 2 CV et de l'Homme des Neiges'' (engl.: ''The adventures of the Citroën 2CV6 and The Arctic Snowman'', 1987) *: Eight pages, publicity for
Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...
. *''Les Aventures de la 2 CV et de la Grotte Hantée'' (1988) *: Eight pages, publicity for
Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...
.


''Quick & Flupke''


= Adaptation of old gags by Hergé

= * ''Jeux interdits'' (1985) * ''Tout va bien'' (1985)


= New gags created after the death of Hergé

= * ''Haute tension'' (1985) *:
Johan De Moor Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...
with ideas by Roger Ferrari


''Jo, Zette and Jocko''

* '' La Vallée des Cobras'' (1956)


Pages by Bob de Moor featuring Hergé

*''Un bienfait ne reste jamais impuni'', 1 page, ''(À Suivre...), Hors Série Spécial Hergé'', April 1983 *''De la Planche aux planches'', 1 page, ''Tintin'' magazine n°43, 1986 (
Barelli ''Barelli'' is a comics series featuring an eponymous character, created by Bob de Moor, which first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin'' on July 27, 1950. ''Barelli'' made sporadic serial runs throughout the 1950s, 1960s ...
meets Hergé)


Animated movies

* ''
Tintin and the Temple of the Sun ''Tintin and the Temple of the Sun'' (original title ''Tintin et le temple du soleil'') is a 1969 animated film produced by Belvision Studios. A co-production between Belgium, France and Switzerland, it is an adaptation of Hergé's two-part Tin ...
'' (1969) by Eddie Lateste. Animated movie by Belvision Studios. * '' Tintin and the Lake of Sharks'' (1972) by Raymond Leblanc. Animated movie by Belvision, story by Greg. * ''
Quick & Flupke ''The exploits of Quick and Flupke'' (french: link=no, Quick et Flupke, gamins de Bruxelles, ) was a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Serialised weekly from January 1930 to 1940 in , the children's supplement of conservative Belgian new ...
'' (1985). Series of short animations by
Johan De Moor Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a manu ...
.


Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Studios Herge Tintin Comics studios Hergé Belgian companies established in 1950 Mass media companies established in 1950