Edgar P. Jacobs
Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs is better known under his pen name Edgar P. Jacobs. He was a Belgian comic book creator (author and artist), best known for his Blake and Mortimer series as well as his collaboration with one of his most famous contemporaries, Hergé, creator of Tintin.
Jacobs was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1904, and remembered having drawn for as far back as he could recall. He also loved opera and after graduating from commercial school, took on a series of jobs related to the opera, designing and drawing sets as well working as an extra. For a long while Jacobs couldn't decide which career path to choose, but the Great Depression, followed by World War II saw an end to his opera career.
Jacob's first full feature comic was the 1943 Le Rayon U (The U Ray), a science fiction adventure along the lines of Flash Gordon. In 1946, Jacobs joined the team of Hergé, assisting Hergé in redoing his earlier Tintin strips for publication in book form. He then continued on contributing both in drawing as well as the storyline for the new Tintin double-albums, The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun. It was around that time that Jacobs introduced his heroes, Philip Mortimer and Captain Francis Blake in his feature, Le secret de l’Espadon (The Secret of the Swordfish), published in the the Tintin magazine. In 1947 Jacobs asked to share the credit with Hergé on The Adventures of Tintin. When Hergé refused, their collaboration suffered a setback, however, Hergé remained a friend and as before Blake and Mortimer continued to be serialised in the Tintin magazine.
Jacobs authored and drew a total of 11 adventures featuring Blake and Mortimer, often taking years to meticulously research his plots and to ensure the accuracy of his drawings. His style of drawing was similar to Hergé, using the Ligne claire (Clear Line Style) - clear strong lines all of the same width and with no hatching. Jacobs died in 1987, with his last work, Part 2 of Professor Sató's Three Formulae left unfinished. Bob de Moor was drafted in to complete the album, which was subsequently published in 1990.