| Roba | |
|---|---|
 Jean Roba | |
| Born | 28 July 1930 Schaerbeek,Belgium |
| Died | 14 June 2006(2006-06-14) (aged 75) Brussels, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Area(s) | artist, writer |
Notable works | Boule et Bill |
| Awards | full list |
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Jean Roba (28 July 1930 – 14 June 2006) was aBelgiancomics author from theMarcinelle school. His best-known work isBoule et Bill.
Jean Roba was born inSchaerbeek,Belgium.[1] In his youth, he was a reader of French magazines likeRobinson andMickey, which featured mainly American comics. One of those that was especially influential on Roba wasKatzenjammer Kids.[2] After working as an illustrator for different magazines and publicity agencies, he started to work as an illustrator forSpirou magazine in 1957, where he made small cartoons for the front page for a few years. He also worked onBonnes Soirées, another magazine from the same publisherDupuis, where he continued the seriesSa majesté mon mari afterAlbert Uderzo stopped.[2] ForSpirou, he made a few short stories withYvan Delporte and collaborated on different stories ofSpirou et Fantasio withAndré Franquin, who taught him the basics of making comics, before starting his own main seriesBoule et Bill in 1959, initially with stories by Maurice Rosy.[2] Next to this series of mainly one-page comics, he started in 1962La Ribambelle about a group of kids from various countries and racial backgrounds.[1]
Roba was both an artist and writer, and wrote most of his own gags forBoule et Bill, while others contributed stories forLa Ribambelle. He handed over the drawing ofBoule et Bill toLaurent Verron after more than 1000 pages. His work has been translated in fourteen languages and has sold in excess of 25 million copies.[1] He lived inJette from 1951 until his death in Brussels in 2006.[3]
In 2005, he ended on No. 100 in the election forLe plus grand Belge (The Greatest Belgian). On 6 June 2006, Roba died inBrussels,Belgium of natural causes[citation needed] at the age of 75.[4]
| Series | Years | Albums | Editor | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boule et Bill | 1962–2005 | 21 | Dupuis, 4 albumsDargaud | some early scenarios byMaurice Rosy |
| La Ribambelle | 1965–1984 | 6 | Dupuis | with stories byVicq,Yvan Delporte andMaurice Tillieux |
| Spirou et Fantasio | 1959–1960 | 2 | Dupuis | co-artist withAndré Franquin onTembo Tabou andSpirou et les hommes-bulles |
Roba was also a Knight in theOrder of Léopold.[2]
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