As François Miville-Deschênes knows better than anyone, you sometimes have to leave in order to get your bearings on the world! This artist was born in Bonaventure, a small coastal town in Quebec province, and spent his youth trying to escape it through his drawing. Ever since his very first comic book, completed at 5 years old, he’s been churning out sketches and comic strips – whether or not there’s a story to go with them! In 1987, on his teachers’ advice, he dropped his studies and started to travel. Going from Europe to Africa, he perfected his style, gathered experiences and visited the big cities. But then in 2002, he started to get a little homesick. He returned to his native Gaspésie, where he began drawing everything he saw, from animal sketches to scientific illustration. Still pursuing the dreams of his youth, he sent off his portfolio to various European publishers. He came to the attention of Humanoïdes Associés, who offered him the script of “Millénaire,” which he illustrated for a number of years with his characteristic verve. Since then, he’s also taken up the series “Reconquetes” with Le Lombard (“Conquests” 2016, Europe Comics), in collaboration with Sylvain Runberg.