Born in Brussels on January 16th, 1939, Jean Van Hamme is a great artistic talent who holds degrees in finance, journalism, and civic law.
After a brilliant international career, he left his job as general manager of Philips Belgium in 1976 to become a writer.
While writing six novels based on the adventures of “Largo Winch” for Mercure de France, he also took up scriptwriting for the magazine “Tintin,” including strips for artist Attanasio (“Modeste et Pompon”), a mythological adventure (“Epoxy”), and episodes of “Corentin” for Paul Cuvelier, “Michael Logan” for André Beautemps, “Domino” for Cheret, “Mr Magellan” for Géri, and, for Dany, “Arlequin” and “Histoire sans héros” (“Story Without a Hero,” Cinebook/Europe Comics).
He then started on the legendary “Thorgal” saga for Grzegorz Rosinski (Le Lombard, Cinebook/Europe Comics in English), with whom he later created “Le Grand Pouvoir du Chninkel” for Casterman.
He then created the “XIII” series alongside Vance at Dargaud, and “Les Maîtres de l’orge” for Vallès at Éditions Glénat.
We can also thank him for several television scripts (including the adaptation of “Maîtres de l’Orge”), and for the cinema (“Diva” by Jean-Jacques Beneix and “Meurtres à domicile” by Marc Lobet).
In 1987, he managed publisher Dupuis, launching the best-selling series “Largo Winch” with Philippe Francq, and devising what would later become the “Aire Libre” collection, for which he wrote the stories “S.O.S. Bonheur,” illustrated by Griffo, and “Lune de guerre,” with Hermann.
Having closely examined the techniques of popular storytelling, Van Hamme has become a scriptwriter who turns everything he writes into gold, including bringing the characters of “Blake et Mortimer” back to life in 1996 with illustrator Ted Benoît, continuing in the tradition of Edgar P. Jacobs.
In addition to teaching at the Institut d’Arts de Diffusion (Louvain-la-Neuve), he has also served as chairman of the Centre Belge de le Bande Dessinée.
