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| Jean Graton | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Graton in 1983 | |
| Born | (1923-08-10)10 August 1923 Nantes,France |
| Died | 21 January 2021(2021-01-21) (aged 97) Brussels,Belgium |
| Nationality | French |
| Area(s) | Artist, writer |
Notable works | Michel Vaillant |
| Awards | List |
Jean Graton (10 August 1923 – 21 January 2021) was a Frenchcomic book author andcartoonist.[1] Graton created the characterMichel Vaillant and the eponymous series in 1957.
Graton was born inNantes, France, in 1923.[2] He moved toBrussels in 1947 and worked there inanimation andadvertising companies. He was hired bySpirou magazine in 1952, for which he illustratedBelles Histoires de l'Oncle Paul. Determined to create and draw his own characters, he got a job forTintin magazine. From 1953, he published his own stories inTintin. Some consisting of a few strips, and most related tosports andautomobiles, were published in 1957 byLe Lombard in an album entitledCa c'est du sport!.
In 1957, Graton created the character Michel Vaillant. Some short comics were published inTintin and acquired huge popularity. As soon as 1959, a full album was published by Le Lombard. In 1966, Graton created theLes Labourdet series with his wife, Francine, and published it between 1967 and 1970 in theChez Nous magazine. In 1972, he createdJulie Wood, a character who starred first in her own series, then in theMichel Vaillant series. In 1982, Graton started, with his son Philippe Graton, his own publishing house, Graton Editeur. He launched, with Philippe Graton, theDossiers Michel Vaillant series in 1995, each album of which being dedicated to a famous driver. In 2000, they created thePalmarès Inedit series, made up of comics that were drawn by Graton in the 1950s and 1960s, including theLabourdet series, as well as comics that had not been published before.
In 2004, Graton, at the age of 80, decided to retire and to stop drawing. His works are continued by Philippe Graton and theStudio Graton, which he created himself.
On 21 January 2021, Graton died inBrussels, Belgium, at the age of 97.[3][4]
The huge popularity of Graton's series is partly due to their extreme realism. Graton's works, particularly theMichel Vaillant series, are notable for featuring real-life people, drivers, teams, races, and places. Graton is widely recognized as a great automobile andmotorsport drawer.[citation needed] The several descriptions of places, circuits, and cars he gave in his series are highly well-documented, specific, and realistic. Graton used to take a lot of notes, illustrations, and photographs of the various automobile-related places he attended as an automobile-passionate. He was later assisted with this work by his son Philippe, who has a passion for photography.
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Graton's passion for motorsport went back to his childhood. Later in his life, he attended numerousFormula One and othermotorsport races, and was acknowledged by famous drivers. His series inspired some drivers to choose such a career.[citation needed]
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