Jean Hamme

Jean Van Hamme is considered a master in the field of Europe's comic writers, achieving fame with such unforgettable series as Thorgal, XIII, and Largo Winch. Writing was not his original focus, however. In the early 1960's, after earning his degree in political economy, Van Hamme launched a career in marketing. At the same time, he co-created a number of adventure series (mostly for Tintin) such as Arlequin, Domino, the genre series Epoxy (with Cuvelier) and Mr. Magellan. It wasn't until 1976...See more

Jean Van Hamme is considered a master in the field of Europe's comic writers, achieving fame with such unforgettable series as Thorgal, XIII, and Largo Winch. Writing was not his original focus, however. In the early 1960's, after earning his degree in political economy, Van Hamme launched a career in marketing. At the same time, he co-created a number of adventure series (mostly for Tintin) such as Arlequin, Domino, the genre series Epoxy (with Cuvelier) and Mr. Magellan. It wasn't until 1976 that Van Hamme gave up his marketing activities to concentrate exclusively on writing. The following year, he produced his first big hit and best-known genre creation, the popular Thorgal series, with Rosinski. Also with Rosinski, he produced the remarkable graphic novel, Le Grand Pouvoir du Chninkel (The Chninkel's Great Power), and with Griffo, a two-volume political fiction, SOS Bonheur (SOS Happiness). In the 1980s, Van Hamme co-created two hugely successful series, both thrillers dealing in political and international intrigues: Largo Winch (with Francq) and XIII (with William Vance). Van Hamme has also written for the cinema, including Diva (1980) for Jean-Jacques Beinex and Meurtres a Domicile (Murders At Home, 1982) based on a novel by Thomas Owen. See less