Achdé (), the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of Hervé Darmenton (; born July 30, 1961), is a French comic book writer and artist. The pseudonym is based on the French pronunciation of his initials, "H.D." (similar to

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 comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...

and Jijé). After the death of Morris, the creator of ''

Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western (genre), Western bande dessinée, comic album series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris (cartoonist), Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborati ...

'', Achdé continued the task of drawing new ''Lucky Luke'' stories from 2003 onwards.

Career

Before dedicating himself to his craft, Achdé worked as a doctor with a specialty in

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

, but abandoned a career in medicine in 1985 to dedicate himself fully to drawing. He began illustrating newspapers and self-published ''Destins Croisés'', his first comic book, in 1988. He joined the French publishing house

Dargaud Société Dargaud (), doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud, publishing its first comics in 1943. ...

in 1991 and created several new series, alone and in partnership, including ''Fort Braillard'', ''Woker'' (which concerns an interplanetary

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

), and ''Doc Véto''. In 1993, he launched the series ''CRS=Détresse'', CRS being a reference to the '' Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité'', the French security forces attached to the national police force, who are deployed during riots and demonstrations. Following the death of Morris, Achdé was given the assignment to carry on the ''Lucky Luke'' series in collaboration with writer Laurent Gerra, and has stated, "For me it's been a childhood dream; when I was little, ''Lucky Luke'' was my favorite hero, and when I was young I knew I wanted to be a cartoonist."

Notes

References

Achdé publications in ''Spirou''
BDoubliées

Bedetheque

External links

Lambiek Comiclopedia Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ). His son Boris Kousemaker has been the owner since 2007. From 1968 to 2015, it was located in the Ke ...

Interview with Achdé, Barcelona, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achde 1961 births Living people Writers from Lyon French comics writers French comics artists Artists from Lyon