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Jean Graton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withJean Gratton.

Jean Graton
Graton in 1983
Born(1923-08-10)10 August 1923
Nantes,France
Died21 January 2021(2021-01-21)(aged 97)
Brussels,Belgium
NationalityFrench
Area(s)Artist, writer
Notable works
Michel Vaillant
AwardsList

Jean Graton(10 August 1923 – 21 January 2021) was a Frenchcomic bookauthor andcartoonist.[1]Graton created the characterMichel Vaillantand the eponymous series in 1957.

Biography

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Graton was born inNantes,France, in 1923.[2]He moved toBrusselsin 1947 and worked there inanimationandadvertisingcompanies. He was hired bySpiroumagazine in 1952, for which he illustratedBelles Histoires de l'Oncle Paul.Determined to create and draw his own characters, he got a job forTintinmagazine. From 1953, he published his own stories inTintin.Some consisting of a few strips, and most related tosportsandautomobiles,were published in 1957 byLe Lombardin an album entitledCa c'est du sport!.

In 1957, Graton created the character Michel Vaillant. Some short comics were published inTintinand acquired huge popularity. As soon as 1959, a full album was published by Le Lombard. In 1966, Graton created theLes Labourdetseries with his wife, Francine, and published it between 1967 and 1970 in theChez Nousmagazine. In 1972, he createdJulie Wood,a character who starred first in her own series, then in theMichel Vaillantseries. In 1982, Graton started, with his son Philippe Graton, his own publishing house, Graton Editeur. He launched, with Philippe Graton, theDossiers Michel Vaillantseries in 1995, each album of which being dedicated to a famous driver. In 2000, they created thePalmarès Ineditseries, made up of comics that were drawn by Graton in the 1950s and 1960s, including theLabourdetseries, 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]

Graphic style

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The huge popularity of Graton's series is partly due to their extreme realism. Graton's works, particularly theMichel Vaillantseries, are notable for featuring real-life people, drivers, teams, races, and places. Graton is widely recognized as a great automobile andmotorsportdrawer.[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.

Relation with motorsports

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Graton's passion for motorsport went back to his childhood. Later in his life, he attended numerousFormula Oneand othermotorsport races,and was acknowledged by famous drivers. His series inspired some drivers to choose such a career.[citation needed]

Awards

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  • In 1986, at theMorzineAvoriazBD Festival, he received the "Le sport: Une œuvre, un Auteur" (Sport: A work, an author) award.
  • In 1989, at the Belgian Bande Dessinée Festival at Han sur Lesse, he was rewarded by the president of the festival and the Belgian minister, Amand Dalem, a "prix spécial d'exception pour l'ensemble de son œuvre" (special prize for his whole work).
  • In 2004, at the 19th Automobile Festival, he was given the "Grand Prix de l'Art" award.
  • In 2005, he was named "Chevalier de l'Ordre de Léopold" byBelgium.

Bibliography

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  • Les Histoires vraies de l'Oncle Paul(24 stories, published in 12 albums, 1953–1954)
  • Ça, c'est du sport!(1 album, 1957)
  • Michel Vaillant(96 albums, 1959–2007)
  • Les Labourdet(9 albums, 1967–2008)
  • Un exploit de Michel Vaillant(1 album, 1972)
  • Julie Wood(12 albums, 1976–1980)
  • Dossiers Michel Vaillant(9 albums, 1995–2008)
  • Palmarès inédit(6 albums, 2000–2006)

References

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  1. ^Ruëll, Niels (1 December 2005)."Studio Graton: de strijd van een kleine uitgever"(in Dutch). Brussels, Belgium: Brusselnieuws. Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2009.Retrieved4 June2009.
  2. ^De Weyer, Geert (2008).100 stripklassiekers die niet in je boekenkast mogen ontbreken(in Dutch).Amsterdam/Antwerp:Atlas. p. 215.ISBN978-90-450-0996-4.
  3. ^"Jean Graton, papa de Michel Vaillant, est décédé à 97 ans".Paris Match(in French).Retrieved21 January2021.
  4. ^Décès de Jean Graton, créateur de Michel Vaillant et dernier monstre sacré de l’âge d’or de la BD franco-belge(in French)
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