Jean-Claude Fournier

Jean-Claude Fournier was born and educated in Paris. After his art studies at the Lycée Claude Bernard, he began working in the theatre world. Encouraged by André Franquin, he presented his artwork to the publisher Dupuis. He began his poetic series 'Bizu' in the magazine Spirou in 1967. Fournier integrated his Breton origins in this fairytale series, that was set in the forests of Brocéliande.

However, after only two years of the series's run, Fournier was asked to take over the series 'Spirou et Fantasio' from Franquin. Fournier successfully drew this series from 1969 to 1979. He sometimes added some Breton elements in his stories, like in 'L'Ankou'. Fournier has also cooperated on the daily Ouest-France from 1975.

Fournier began an atelier in Rennes, where he trained several Breton artists, such as Albert Blesteau, Jean-Luc Hiettre, Malo Louarn and Michel Plessix. Fournier continued doing an occasional gag with 'Bizu' during his run on the 'Spirou' comic, but he began working more regularly on this series again in the 1980s. Between 1989 to 1994 a couple of continuing stories appeared in Spirou, which were later published in albums. In 1994, he started he gag series 'Les Crannibales' with writer Zidrou, portraying a family of cannibals.