Hergé
Belgian comic artist who created The Adventures of Tintin.
Georges Prosper Remi (22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comic strip artist. He is best known for creating The Adventures of Tintin, a series of comic albums considered one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, and also created Quick & Flupke and The Adventures of Jo, Zette and Jocko. His works were executed in his distinctive ligne claire drawing style.
Born into a lower-middle-class family in Etterbeek, Brussels, Hergé began his career contributing illustrations to Scouting magazines, where he developed his first comic series, The Adventures of Totor, in 1926. He later worked for the conservative Catholic newspaper *Le Vingtième Siècle*, and on the advice of its editor Norbert Wallez, he created *The Adventures of Tintin* in 1929. The early stories—*Tintin in the Land of the Soviets*, *Tintin in the Congo*, and *Tintin in America*—were designed as conservative propaganda for children. After serialization, the stories were published in book form, and Hergé continued the series while also developing *Quick & Flupke* and *Jo, Zette and Jocko* for the same newspaper. From 1934, influenced by his friend Zhang Chongren, he placed far greater emphasis on background research, leading to increased realism from *The Blue Lotus* onward. During the German occupation of Belgium in 1940, *Le Vingtième Siècle* was closed, but Hergé continued his series in *Le Soir*, a newspaper controlled by the Nazi administration. After the Allied liberation in 1944, *Le Soir* was shut down and its staff, including Hergé, were accused of collaboration. An official investigation brought no charges, but he faced repeated accusations of being a traitor. In 1946, with Raymond Leblanc, he established *Tintin* magazine, serializing new adventures and overseeing other series like Edgar P. Jacobs' *Blake and Mortimer*. He founded Studios Hergé in 1950, where staff members Jacques Martin and Bob de Moor contributed to later Tintin volumes. Amid personal turmoil from the collapse of his first marriage, he produced *Tintin in Tibet*, his personal favorite. In later years he became less prolific and attempted abstract art. His works are acclaimed for their clarity and meticulous plots, and he remains a strong influence on European comics. A Hergé Museum opened in Louvain-la-Neuve in 2009.
- born
- 22 May 1907
- died
- 3 March 1983
- field
- Comic strip artist
- nationality
- Belgian
- known_for
- Creating The Adventures of Tintin
Lore & Background
Hergé was born to a lower-middle-class family in Etterbeek, Brussels. He began his career contributing illustrations to Scouting magazines, developing his first comic series, The Adventures of Totor, for Le Boy-Scout Belge in 1926. Working for the conservative Catholic newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle, he created The Adventures of Tintin in 1929 on the advice of its editor Norbert Wallez. The early instalments—Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, Tintin in the Congo, and Tintin in America—were designed as conservative propaganda for children. Influenced by his friend Zhang Chongren, from 1934 Hergé placed far greater emphasis on background research, resulting in increased realism from The Blue Lotus onward. Following the German occupation of Belgium in 1940, Le Vingtième Siècle was closed, but Hergé continued his series in Le Soir, a newspaper controlled by the Nazi administration.
Reader's Guide
After the Allied liberation of Belgium in 1944, Le Soir was shut down and its staff—including Hergé—accused of having been collaborators. An official investigation was launched, but no charges were brought against Hergé, though he repeatedly faced accusations of being a traitor and collaborator. With Raymond Leblanc he established Tintin magazine in 1946, serializing new Adventures of Tintin stories. In 1950 he established Studios Hergé, with staff members Jacques Martin and Bob de Moor contributing to subsequent volumes. Amid personal turmoil after the collapse of his first marriage, he produced Tintin in Tibet, his personal favorite. In later years he became less prolific and unsuccessfully attempted to establish himself as an abstract artist. Hergé's works have been widely acclaimed for their clarity of draughtsmanship and meticulous, well-researched plots, and have been adapted into theatre, radio, television, cinema, and computer gaming. He remains a strong influence on the comic book medium, particularly in Europe, and a Hergé Museum was established in Louvain-la-Neuve in 2009.
Did You Know?
- Hergé's pen name comes from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials, R.G.
- He created The Adventures of Tintin in 1929 on the advice of editor Norbert Wallez.
- After the war, Hergé faced accusations of collaboration for continuing his series in Le Soir, a newspaper controlled by the Nazi administration.
- He established Studios Hergé in 1950 to aid in his ongoing projects.
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