Didier Comès (11 December 1942 – 7 March 2013) was a
Belgian comics
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
artist, best known for his
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
s published in the magazine ''(
À Suivre
''À Suivre'' or ''(A SUIVRE)'' (English translation: "To Be Continued") was a Belgian comics magazine published from February 1978 to December 1997 by the Casterman publishing house, and was preceded by a "0", or test, issue in October 1977. A ...
)''.
Biography
Didier Comès was born as Dieter Hermann Comès in
Sourbrodt in 1942.
[De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Comès". In België gestript, pp. 95–96. Tielt: Lannoo.] Growing up in a small village in the
Hautes Fagnes
The High Fens (; ; ), which were declared a nature reserve in 1957, are an upland area, a plateau region in Liège Province, in the east of Belgium and adjoining parts of northwestern Germany, between the Ardennes and the Eifel highlands. The Hig ...
with a German-speaking father and a French-speaking mother, he defines himself as a "bastard of two cultures". He left school at 16 to start working as an industrial artist in a factory in
Verviers
Verviers (; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Ensival, Heusy, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Verviers. It is also the cent ...
, making his debut in the newspaper ''
Le Soir
''Le Soir'' (, ) is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Founded in 1887 by Émile Rossel, it was intended as a politically independent source of news. Together with '' La Libre Belgique'', it is one of the most popular Francophone newsp ...
'' with the comic strip ''Hermann'' in 1969. Four years later he made his first typical long story, ''Le Dieu vivant'', the first part of the series ''Ergün l'errant'', for the
Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''
Pilote
''Pilote'' (), for a while subtitled ''the magazine of Asterix and Obelix'' (French: ''Le Journal D’Astérix et D’Obélix'' ) was a French comics magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major Franco-Belgian comics, French ...
''. In this story, like in most of his later work, the cinematic images take precedence over the story, which is
fantastic
Fantastic or Fantastik may refer to:
Music
* ''Fantastic'' (Toy-Box album)
* ''Fantastic'' (Wham! album)
* '' Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1)'', an album by Slum Village
* '' Fantastic, Vol. 2'', an album by Slum Village
* ''Fantastic'' (EP), an EP by ...
, and centers around death and
mythology
Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
.
[
His breakthrough followed with ''Silence'', a harrowing story featuring a mute boy in the ]Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
after World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. All these elements, war, mythology, troubled relations, witchcraft, animals, and death, often placed in the Ardennes, the region where he is born and lived, are recurring themes in most of his later graphic novels, long unrelated stories in black and white.[ Comès was early on influenced by fellow Ardennais comic artists ]René Hausman
René Hausman (21 February 1936 – 28 April 2016) was a Belgian comic-book writer and artist, best known for his dark fairytales and watercolour drawings.
Biography
René Hausman was born in Verviers, Belgium in 1936.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "R ...
and Paul Deliège
Paul Deli̬ge (21 January 1931 Р7 July 2005) was a Belgian artist and writer of comics. He is most famous for his series ''Bobo''.
Biography
Deliège was born in Olne. He started in the daily ''Le Soir'' with ''Père Bricole et Félici ...
, and would later become friends with his example Hugo Pratt
Ugo Eugenio Prat (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), better known as Hugo Pratt, was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as '' Corto Maltese''. He was indu ...
.
He died, aged 70, in March 2013.
Bibliography
Awards
* 1980: Grand Prix Saint-Michel, Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, Belgium
Last retrieved 18 October 2006
Last retrieved 18 October 2006
* 1981: Best Comic Book at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
The Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF; ) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occur ...
, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
* 1983: Best Comic at the 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 ...
[
]
Notes
External links
Biography at his publisher Casterman
Last retrieved 18 October 2006
Last retrieved 18 October 2006
Last retrieved 18 October 2006
Sources
* Béra, Michel; Denni, Michel; and Mellot, Philippe (1998): "Trésors de la Bande Dessinée 1999–2000". Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, Les éditions de l'amateur.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comes, Didier
1942 births
2013 deaths
Belgian comics writers
Belgian comics artists
Belgian fantasy artists
People from Waimes
Belgian graphic novelists
Pilote