''Blake & Mortimer' - 'La Marque Jaune' ('The Yellow 'M'').
Edgar Pierre Jacobs is one of the masters of Belgian comics, despite his small body of work. His signature series, 'Blake and Mortimer' (1946- ), consists of only 11 albums by his own hand, some of which are part of two- or three-volume narratives. Together with the stand-alone comic book, 'Le Rayon U' (1943), they form almost his entire body of work. Set against the backdrop of the Cold War threat, 'Blake & Mortimer' is an atmospheric thriller, with elements of mystery, crime noir and science fiction. The impeccable artwork and spell-binding, epic storylines are among the peaks of European comic book art. Particularly the album 'La Marque Jaune' ('The Yellow "M"', 1952-1953) has risen to iconic status. The cover alone has been the subject of numerous parodies and references. Jacobs has gone down in history as one of comics' most notorious perfectionists. Each story went through an endless preparation process. Every drawing and plot element had to be realistic and believable, so he consulted as many books, experts and documentation as he could, sometimes for seemingly banal details. Nevertheless his obsessive research and dedication beam from every page. To this day, his work is still admired by countless readers and fellow comic artists. After his death in 1987, 'Blake & Mortimer' lay dormant for a couple of years, but since 1996 the series has been continued by an ever-changing team of writers and artists. In the mid-1940s, Jacobs additionally contributed background art, coloring and occasional plots to Hergé's 'Tintin' series.
Early life
Edgar P. Jacobs was born in 1904 in Brussels. His father was a police guard. When Jacobs was between three or four years old, he had a traumatic experience. While playing in his uncle's garden, he suddenly fell into a deep pit. The boy had to wait several minutes before he was saved. For a small child like him, it understandably felt more like hours. The impact of this terrifying accident becomes apparent when reading Jacobs' later comics. Many stories have scenes where characters roam around in caves, cellars, basements or secret tunnels.
Jacobs had an early fascination for both drawing and music. As a teenager he copied images from his history books, already showing an eye for detail and patience to ensure every line was correct. He also loved reading detective, adventure and science fiction novels, citing Maurice Leblanc, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells among his favorite novelists. His favorite directors were Fritz Lang, Erich von Stroheim, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. Among Jacobs' graphic influences were Christophe, Benjamin Rabier, Étienne Le Rallic, Henry Morin, Ferdinand Raffin, Henri Lanos, Machiatti, Manuel Orazi, Arthur Rackham, Edmond Dulac, Caran d'Ache, Sem, Boudini, Job, Hans Holbein, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Albrecht Dürer, François Clouet, J.P. Laurens, Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse, Dormon, Hippolyte Delaroche, Henri Leys, Gustave Wappers and particularly Georges Omry.
One of Jacobs' schoolmates was Jacques Laudy, with whom he later worked together for the magazines Bravo! and Tintin. Jacobs and Laudy studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Brussels, where they also met Jacques van Melkebeke, who became another lifelong friend and colleague. After graduation, Jacobs illustrated catalogs for stores like L'Innovation, Le Bon Marché and Le Grand Bazar. He wanted to become an illustrator of history books, although he only livened up the pages of one historical novel: Sophie Maude's 'L' Ermit et Le Roi' (1937). Jacobs additionally had another passion, the opera.
'Blake & Mortimer' - 'L'Affaire du Collier' ('The Necklace Affair'). Dutch-language version.
Opera career
For a long time, Edgar P. Jacobs couldn't decide between a career in illustration or in opera. In the 1920s and 1930s, he drew, painted and designed many sets for opera productions. In 1922, he was hired as a choir singer in the Alhambra theater in Brussels. To perfect his voice, he studied singing at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels for five years. In 1929, Jacobs even received a Grand Prize for his vocal talents. He then moved to France for a while, where he performed at the Casino de Paris and the Opéra de Lille. Sometimes he shared the stage with big stars, like singer Mistinguett. In June 1929, Jacobs married the opera singer Léonie Bervelt, but the couple divorced after World War II. That same war also put an abrupt end to Jacobs' aspirations as an opera singer. When Hitler invaded Belgium and France in 1940, the ambitious opera singer was forced to return to his home country and find a more lucrative job. Back in Belgium from August 1940, he became a designer of jewelry and lace, retouched photographs and made advertising drawings.
'Flash Gordon' by E.P. Jacobs (Bravo! #50, January 1942).
Flash Gordon
In 1941, Jacques Laudy introduced Jacobs to Jean Dratz, the editor of the children's magazine Bravo!, who hired him as an illustrator. By accident, Jacobs was also introduced to the comic medium. At the time, Bravo! serialized a translated version of Alex Raymond's science fiction comic series 'Flash Gordon'. When in late 1941 the United States declared war on Germany, the Nazis banned the import of all American comics, starting January 1942. Bravo! was just halfway a 'Flash Gordon' story. Since the series was popular with readers, the editors wanted one of their illustrators to continue the episode. Jacobs was asked to imagine his own continuation of that week's cliffhanger, although he had no comics experience and only a week's time to imitate Raymond's style. Given those limitations, Jacobs did a decent job, as readers didn't notice the difference. But the Nazis weren't fooled. After five weeks, they pressured Bravo! to discontinue this home-based imitation of 'Flash Gordon' and Jacobs quickly resolved the story in the next episode.
Le Rayon U
After 'Flash Gordon' was canceled, the editors of Bravo! asked Jacobs to draw a Flash Gordonesque science fiction comic of his own. In February 1943, his first original comic story, 'Le Rayon U' ('The U Ray', 1943), began serialization. The plot follows a group of Norwegian explorers who seek a new mineral named "uradium". During their journey, they discover an underground civilization, prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs. The comic was impressive and proved that Jacobs was capable of combining his graphic talent with narrative skills. While the influence of Alex Raymond is still notable, the Belgian artist had found his own style. The explorer Lord Calder is very similar to his later character Francis Blake. Professor Marduk is an embryonic version of Professor Mortimer, and the Austrian secret agent Captain Dagon is a prototype of his recurring villain Olrik. 'Le Rayon U' is historically important as the earliest Belgian science fiction comic. Bravo! serialized it as a text comic, with captions in the panels. Between 30 April and 28 May 1974, 'Le Rayon U' was reprinted in Tintin magazine, but this time as a balloon comic. This also marked the first time the story was published in book format.
'Le Rayon U' ('The U Ray').
Assistance of Hergé (1944-1947)
In 1941, Jacobs first met Hergé through their mutual connection, Jacques Van Melkebeke. Van Melkebeke and Jacobs knew each other from their days at the Royal Academy in the 1920s. During World War II, Van Melkebeke and Hergé were working for the newspaper Le Soir, when Van Melkebeke wrote a theatrical play with Hergé's signature Tintin character, titled 'Tintin in India'. On 15 April 1941, Jacobs accompanied Hergé and Van Melkebeke to the premiere. They got along well, even though Hergé' didn't share Jacobs' love for opera. Still, Hergé was impressed with Jacobs' graphic skills, and one day wished to collaborate with the man. Between 1944 and 1946, Jacobs worked as an illustrator for magazines like Stop and ABC, while also working for Hergé. In January 1944, he was hired by Hergé to restyle some of the early 'Tintin' stories for their book publications in color, namely 'Tintin in the Congo', 'Tintin in America', 'The Blue Lotus' and 'King Ottokar's Sceptre'. Jacobs not only colored the stories, but also drew new backgrounds. As a sign of gratitude, Hergé added cameos of Jacobs in 'Cigars of the Pharaoh' (as the mummified archaeologist E.P. Jacobini) and in 'King Ottokar's Sceptre' (as a military officer standing next to Hergé when Tintin is removed from intruding the king's palace). In the scene where Captain Haddock runs on stage with a cow's mask on his head in 'The Seven Crystal Balls', Jacobs, Laudy and Hergé can be seen in the theater balcony. Hergé also claimed that Jacobs was a major inspiration for some of Captain Haddock's temper issues.
Jacobs' work for Hergé during this period went beyond merely redrawing and coloring. He helped write a large part of the plot of the new 'Tintin' stories 'Red Rackham's Treasure' (1943), 'The Seven Crystal Balls' (1943-1944, 1946-1948) and 'Prisoners of the Sun' (1946-1948). This becomes particularly notable in 'Prisoners of the Sun', where a large part of the action is set in a cave: a typical Jacobs story location. However, Hergé's refusal to credit Jacobs for his contributions caused tension between the two artists. On 31 January 1947, Jacobs left the studio, but nevertheless always remained on good terms with his old taskmaster. Working under Hergé's wing greatly improved his own comics in terms of graphic style, spellbinding narratives and thorough research. His role as Hergé's right hand man was taken over by Bob De Moor, who remained with the studio for decades.
Cover illustrations for Tintin #7 (9 December 1948) and 70 (23 February 1950).
Tintin magazine
By the time he left his employment with Hergé, Jacobs had already become an important contributor to a new comic magazine called Tintin. In 1946, Hergé was approached by resistance hero Raymond Leblanc to launch a comic magazine built around his signature character. On 26 September 1946, the first issue rolled from the presses. In the early months, Jacques Van Melkebeke served as the first chief editor, while Tintin's early comic creators were Hergé, Paul Cuvelier, Jacques Laudy and Edgar P. Jacobs. From the first issue until the 17 April 1947 issue, the magazine serialized a shortened version of H.G. Wells' classic science fiction novel 'War of the Worlds', for which Jacobs provided the illustrations. The cover of Tintin issue #2 of 1947, which depicted a scene from this specific story, was also used for a 1986 trade paperback edition. In 1946 and 1947, Jacobs illustrated a couple of installments of the educational column 'Tintin Vous Raconte' ("Tintin Narrates"), but this job was later taken over by Jacques Laudy, Paul Cuvelier and Jacques Martin. By then, Jacobs already had enough work on his hands with his own comic series, 'Blake & Mortimer'.
The 'Blake & Mortimer' story 'Le Secret de l'Espadon' ('The Secret of the Swordfish'). Dutch-language version.
Blake and Mortimer
On 26 September 1946, Edgar P. Jacobs' 'Blake & Mortimer' made its debut in Tintin's very first issue. Francis Blake is a blonde mustached secret agent who works for the British intelligence service. Philip Mortimer is a red-bearded scientist who is rarely seen without his pipe. Blake was modeled after Jacobs' colleague Jacques Laudy, while Mortimer was inspired by Tintin's editor-in-chief Jacques Van Melkebeke, though in both cases the characters' facial hairs were additions by the author.
Blake and Mortimer get involved in atmospheric mystery thrillers, full of mad science fiction and supernatural fantasy. As fantastical as the adventures get, all is set in a plausible present-day reality. For his stories, Jacobs found inspiration in the post-war sentiments of the day, fuelled by Cold War fears and nuclear threat. Many of his narratives are driven by dystopian scenarios where humanity is threatened by impending doom, often caused by a clash of powers, or a merciless revenge plot. Early stories sometimes suffer from overly long speech balloons and captions, but gradually Jacobs found a better balance between text and image. Jacques Van Melkebeke often helped Jacobs out with his plots, though generously refused any credit. Because of its eye for realism, suspense and documentation, the 'Blake & Mortimer' series is often compared to Hergé's 'Tintin'. Both comics have become all-time classics of European comics. Although 'Tintin' is a humorous series, 'Blake and Mortimer' features strictly dramatic narratives, making the series more beloved with adult readers than children.
All 'Blake and Mortimer' books were initially published by Le Lombard, but since 1984, they have been reprinted under the Blake et Mortimer imprint. The series has been translated into Dutch, English, Danish, German, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. In all languages the character names remain the same.
'Blake & Mortimer' - 'Le Mystère de la Grande Pyramide' ('The Mystery of the Grand Piramid', Dutch-language version from Kuifje #7, 13 February 1952).
First stories
The first 'Blake & Mortimer' story 'Le Secret de l'Espadon' ('The Secret of the Swordfish', 1946-1949) was an action-packed science fiction tale in which the Mongolian army launches a world war, occupying the entire planet. The story echoes the only recently ended World War II. Apart from Blake and Mortimer, it also marks the debut of their nemesis, Colonel Olrik. The recurring villain was physically modeled after Jacobs, but also after Hitler, down to his mustache. The next 'Blake & Mortimer' narrative, 'Le Mystère de la Grande Pyramide' ('The Mystery of the Great Pyramid', 1950-1952), was a two-parter set in Egypt, where Blake and Mortimer explore a mysterious tomb. Albert Weinberg assisted Jacobs on some of the artwork.
The Yellow "M"
Jacobs' masterpiece is the third 'Blake and Mortimer' adventure, 'La Marque Jaune' ('The Yellow "M"', 1953-1954). The plot revolves around a mysterious villain who terrorizes London by informing the press in advance where he is going to strike. As a signature he leaves an "M" in a yellow circle behind. Parts of the story were inspired by the classic film thrillers 'M' (1931) by Fritz Lang and 'Mad Love' (1935) by Karl Freund. The page-turning suspense is comparable to the best film noirs, while its detailed depiction of 1950s foggy London provides an unintentional time capsule. 'The Yellow "M"' has risen to classic status in Franco-Belgian comics and the iconic album cover alone has been referenced, homaged and parodied numerous times. In 1997, at the Comics Festival of Koksijde, Belgium, the book was voted "Best Comic Book Story of the 20th Century". Two years later, it received a similar honor from the jury who normally judges the bi-annual Flemish comics awards, the Bronzen Adhemar.
'La Marque Jaune' ('The Yellow "M". Dutch-language version from Kuifje #3, 21 January 1954).
1950s and 1960s stories
In 'L'Enigme de l'Atlantide' ('The Enigma of Atlantis', 1955-1956), Blake and Mortimer discover the lost continent of Atlantis, which brings them into contact with UFOS and extraterrestrials. Unexplained storms form the main intrigue in 'S.O.S. Météores: Mortimer à Paris' ('S.O.S. Meteors: Mortimer in Paris', 1958-1959). Mortimer falls into a revenge trap by Dr. Miloch in 'Le Piège Diabolique' ('The Time Trap', 1960-1961), which constantly sends him back and forth to other time periods. Fred and Liliane Funcken helped out with the scenes set during the Middle Ages, since Jacobs felt they were experts in this specific time period. Roger Leloup assisted with coloring. However, afterwards Jacobs pretended that the Funckens hadn't helped him at all, which strained their friendship. The Funckens could, however, prove that he had asked them for help, since they had saved the letter he sent them.
The next 'Blake & Mortimer' story, 'L'Affaire du Collier' ('The Necklace Affair', 1965-1966) was a more straightforward crime story about a stolen necklace. Originally, Jacobs took Gérald Forton as his assistant during the making of this story, but after a few episodes he received letters from readers who weren't pleased with the slightly different artwork. This motivated Jacobs to continue on his own again.
Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato
From the 1960s on, Jacobs' production started to slow down. His final story, 'Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato' ('The Three Formulas of Professor Sato', 1971-1972), is a mad science tale, set in Japan. He went through a lot of research, consulting professor Hasumi Shigehiko of the University of Tokyo, the same man who married Chantal van Melkebeke, daughter of Jacques Van Melkebeke. Jacobs wanted the laboratory of Professor Sato to look as believable as possible and went through several designs and sketches. During the early 1970s, he managed to finish and serialize the first part of the story, but in 1975 the veteran was diagnosed with arthrosis. That same year, his second wife broke her thigh, which contributed to her early death in 1977. Jacobs fell into a deep depression and became a recluse.
Final years and death
Realizing his own mortality, Edgar P. Jacobs published his autobiography, 'Un Opéra de papier' ("An Opera on Paper", Gallimard, 1981). While this book did get published, it also took away time he could have spent on finishing the second part of 'Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato'. By 1985, after several heart attacks, the comic legend had grown even more into a misanthrope. He refused to see people and spent most of his time alone and in ill health. In 1987, Edgar P. Jacobs passed away at age 82. At that point, the second part of 'Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato' was still only a script on paper. In 1990, Bob De Moor finished the story, based on the writings Jacobs left behind.
'Blake & Mortimer' - 'L'Enigme de l'Atlantide' ('The Enigma of Atlantis', Dutch-language version from Kuifje #32, 1956).
Perfectionistic research
Jacobs was one of comics' most legendary perfectionists. He went through obsessive lengths to make his drawings as accurate as possible and his plots watertight. Every time he started a story, he wanted to know every detail about the topic. He read every book, consulted experts and made sketches on location. If he couldn't visit a certain place, like the Cairo Museum, the Tower of London or the sewers of Paris, he acquired photographs. If he felt he lacked the necessary info for a story, he refused to continue until he had obtained it. When Jacobs made 'The Three Formulas of Dr. Sato', he needed an image of a Japanese rubbish bin. He sent a letter to the Belgian embassy in Tokyo asking them for a photograph of the object. For three weeks, the story was interrupted and the drawing left unfinished. Finally, Jacobs received a reply and the desired photograph... only to discover that a Japanese rubbish bin looks exactly like any other bin. Jacobs also had the habit to redraw entire pages if he disliked the end result, even if that meant starting all over again and rewriting the plot. Once he threw out the entire first part of 'L'Enigme de l'Atlantide' ('The Enigma of Atlantis', 1955-1956) after learning that Willy Vandersteen was working on a Martians story for his humorous series 'Suske en Wiske' ('De Gezanten van Mars'). Afraid that his readers wouldn't be able to take his story seriously anymore, he changed the plot to a story about the hidden continent of Atlantis. As a result of all this research and perfectionism, only eight long 'Blake and Mortimer' stories have been published during his lifetime.
The problem with setting high standards is that readers expect nothing less. Jacobs constantly felt he had to prove himself. The urge to make his stories as excellent as possible became a burden. Whenever someone noticed a mistake or criticized his work, he took it very personally. His colleagues Fred and Liliane Funcken attributed Jacobs' perfectionism to a deep uncertainty about his talent. His comic career started late, when he was already in his early 40s. More than one observer noted that Jacobs still felt frustrated that he had to give up his actual dream of becoming an opera star. Even though Jacobs was so scared of making factual or graphic errors, he did make occasional glaring errors, like any human. In 'Le Marque Jeune' ('The Yellow "M", 1952-1954), the steering wheel in Mortimer's car is suddenly seen on the right side of the car, instead of the left, like in previous scenes. And in 'Le Piège Diabolique' ('The Time Trap', 1960-1961), certain prehistoric animals are seen living in the same era, while they actually lived millions of years apart from one another. In 1980, a Dutch elementary school group from Zutphen wrote Jacobs to inform him about a mistake in 'Le Marque Jeune'. During a class assignment, when their teacher told them to make a timeline of the events in this comic book, they calculated everything in the story happened in eight consecutive days, from 7 to 15 December. However, in one panel, a character mentioned that it was "23 December today". Jacobs acknowledged this calculation error, but stated that his original writings had the correct date. According to him, the mistake slipped in while lettering his comic page. He promised to correct the error in the next reprint.
Although Jacobs sometimes asked assistance from his colleagues, he mostly wrote and drew his comics alone. This also left him alone with his thoughts, which sometimes succumbed into paranoia and jealousy. One time, Jacobs accused his colleague Jacques Martin's series 'Lefranc' of being a plagiarism of 'Blake & Mortimer'. He suspected the Tintin editors had used his creation as a blueprint. Both series featured two male leads solving mysteries and both had a similar recurring villain. On the other hand, this set-up could be applied to many other comic series of the time. Still, the disgruntled artist sent Martin a letter to vent his anger, and even challenged him to a duel. Martin denied the accusations, but Jacobs remained spiteful. It took years before he calmed down. When the 'Lefranc' episode 'Le Mystère Borg' (1964) was serialized in Tintin, Jacobs congratulated Martin and apologized for his irrational behavior, claiming it was all "just a joke".
'Blake & Mortimer' - 'S.O.S. Météores' ('S.O.S. Meteors'. Dutch-language version from Kuifje #48, 26 November 1958).
Media adaptations
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, various stories of 'Blake and Mortimer' were adapted into radio plays and made available on record afterwards. Between 1997 and 1998, Ellipseanime adapted the comic into an animated TV series. The first nine episodes were straight adaptations of the original albums, while the four others were new stories created by the production team. One animator on this series was Arthur Qwak. In 2001, Warners Music released the music album 'Blake et Mortimer - Alerte Sonique' (2001), which featured music inspired by the comic, created by many different artists. 'Blake and Mortimer' has also been adapted into board and video games. In April 2024, it was announced that 'The Yellow M' was set for a live-action film by the Belga Films Group and French director Cédric Nicolas-Troyan.
Parodies
Because of the very serious tone, 'Blake and Mortimer' has been a popular target for parody. Dupa was the earliest to do so. In his 'Cubitus' short story 'Cubitus et La Marque Jaune' (prepublished in Tintin on 30 April 1974, later collected in the album 'L'Ami Ne Fait Pas Le Moine') he spoofed pages 38 and 39 of 'La Marque Jaune' with his own characters. Roger Brunel made a sex parody of 'Blake & Mortimer' in 'Pastiches 1' (1980). Jacobs read it and sent him a letter of compliment afterwards. Pierre Veys and Nicolas Barral's three-volume series 'Les Aventures de Philip et Francis' (Dargaud, 2005-2014) was a direct parody of the entire series. On April Fool's Day 2008, the Flemish newspaper Het Belang van Limburg brought out a special edition where all the articles and photographs were written and manipulated by comedian Urbanus. Inside the edition was a special photo comic, 'Bleek and Skortrimmer' which spoofed 'Blake and Mortimer' with Urbanus playing Mortimer and fellow comedian Geert Hoste taking the part of Blake. Philippe Geluck and Devig's 'Les Aventures de Scott Leblanc - Alerte sur Fangtaufa' (2009) is a parody of both Jacobs and Hergé's oeuvre.
Parodying the iconic cover of 'La Marque Jaune' is almost a spoof genre on its own in Belgium and France. In 1990, François Walthéry had his air hostess Natacha imitate Marilyn Monroe in front of the wall of 'La Marque Jaune' for a 20th anniversary special comic book. The Flemish artist Merho had his characters Kiekeboe and Konstantinopel stand in front of the "Yellow M" wall, while shopping for better comic book backgrounds in the album 'Afgelast Wegens Ziekte' (1990). Merho spoofed the same album cover again on the cover of the 'Kiekeboes' album 'Het Boerka Complot' (2005). In 1992, the Belgian cartoonist Gal satirized the 'La Marque Jaune' cover with Belgian prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene and Minister of Budget Herman van Rompuy posing in front of a street in Maastricht, in reference to the European Union Treaty of Maastricht. The cover of Tom Bouden's 'Paniek In Stripland' (2008) also spoofs 'La Marque Jaune'. Éric Maltaite created a 2009 cartoon of a man standing in front of a Flemish lion flag, under the title: 'La Belgique résistera-t-elle?', in reference to the increasing separatism in Flanders. Alain D. satirized the McDonaldisation of France by putting Blake and Mortimer in front of a wall with the McDonald's emblem, in a cartoon titled 'Le Big Mac Jaune'. Philippe Geluck also spoofed the cover as 'La Marque du Chat', with his character Le Chat and a mouse standing together while Le Chat's silhouette is seen on the wall behind them.
'Blake & Mortimer' - 'Le Piège Diabolique' ('The Time Trap', Dutch-language version from Kuifje #47, 1960).
Publishing imprint and foundation
While the original 'Blake et Mortimer' stories were published in book format by Le Lombard, they were eventually regrouped under their own imprint. Dissatisfied with the work of his publisher, Jacobs was convinced by the publisher Claude Lefrancq and his friend and collaborator Philippe Biermé to group all publishing activities under a new imprint. Established in 1982, Éditions Blake et Mortimer reprinted all the previous 'Blake et Mortimer' stories, as well as the one-shot 'Le Rayon U' with new lettering and colorizations. To undertake these reworkings, the Studios Jacobs were established under Biermé's management.
In 1984, the E.P. Jacobs Foundation was created to organize the artist's archives and safeguard the rights to his work, again with Philippe Biermé as its manager. In 2017, the latter was involved in a scandal involving the illegal sale of Jacobs originals through auction houses. According to Gaëtan Laloy, chairman of the Belgian Chamber of Comic Strip Experts, it was well known that Jacobs had entrusted all his works to the Jacobs Foundation. After several house searches, the investigating judge Michel Claise indicted Biermé, who was "suspected of breach of trust and money laundering", and then "released under conditions".
Blake and Mortimer after Jacobs' death
In 1992, Éditions Blake et Mortimer was acquired by the Dargaud publishing group. Besides keeping the older albums in print, the publisher also desired to keep the 'Blake et Mortimer' series alive by having new creator teams produce new stories. The first to kick off the reboot were scriptwriter Jean Van Hamme and artist Ted Benoit, whose 'L'Affaire Francis Blake' ('The Francis Blake Affair, 1996) was released with wide media attention. The next story, 'La Machination Voronov' ('The Voronov Plot', 2000) was scripted by Yves Sente, drawn by André Juillard and colored by Didier Convard. After that, Van Hamme and Sente have alternated in writing new stories, with Jean Dufaux writing his first 'Blake et Mortimer' in 2013. Several artists have been involved in the production of the stories too. Besides Benoit and André Juillard, new adventures have been drawn by the team René Sterne and Chantal De Spiegeleer, Antoine Aubin, the Dutch duo Peter van Dongen and Teun Berserik, and Christian Cailleaux and Étienne Schréder. To maintain the Jacobs spirit and atmosphere, it was decided to keep the series set in the 1950s. Some episodes are direct sequels to older stories. The 2013 album 'L'Onde Septimus' ('The Septimus Wave') was a sequel to 'The Yellow "M"', and 'Le Dernier Espadon' ('The Last Swordfish, 2021) directly followed the series' debut episode 'Le Secret de l'Espadon' ('The Secret of the Swordfish'). Besides 'Blake et Mortimer', Jean Van Hamme also wrote a sequel to E. P. Jacobs' first comic story, 'La Rayon U', published in 2023 under the title 'La Flèchte Ardente' ('The Burning Arrow') with artwork by Christian Cailleaux and Étienne Schréder.
Outside of the regular series, occasional new books have appeared with a more personal spin or interpretation of the series. In 1998, Didier Convard and André Juillard created the album 'Blake et Mortimer, L'Aventure Immobile' (1998) in the collection Le Dernier Capitre, featuring an exchange of letters between Blake and Mortimer. An elderly Blake and Mortimer appeared in 'Le Dernier Pharaon' ('The Last Pharaoh', 2019), written by novelist Thomas Gunzig and film director Jaco Van Dormael (of 'Toto Le Héros', 'Mr. Nobody' and 'Le Tout Nouveau Testament' fame) and drawn by François Schuiten. The script of this particular story was based on a few notations Jacobs left behind for a story he still had to develop, but never did. In 2023 followed 'L'Art de la Guerre' ('The Art of War'), written by José-Louis Bocquet and Jean-Luc Fromental, with artwork by Floc'h, which applied a more liberal approach to Jacobs' graphic code.
Front covers for the Dutch-language versions of the 'Blake & Mortimer' stories 'The Mystery of Atlantis' and the original version of 'S.O.S. Meteors'.
Recognition, legacy and influence
In 1971, E.P. Jacobs won the Grand Prix Saint-Michel for his entire body of work. A year later, his 'Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato' received the 1972 Prix Saint-Michel for "Best Science Fiction Story". In 1989, Jacobs posthumously became one of the few Belgian comic pioneers to be part of the permanent exhibition at the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels.
On 5 September 1997, a comic book mural based on the 'Blake and Mortimer' story 'La Marque Jaune' was inaugurated in Brussels in the Rue du Petit Rempart/Vestje, as part of the Brussels' Comic Book Route. In October 2003, it had to be demolished out of fear of crumbling down. A new mural with the same design was created on 20 July 2005 in the Rue du Houblon/Hopstraat in Brussels, which in 2019 also had to disappear because of a new student's housing. On 24 September 2021, a new 'Blake & Mortimer' mural was erected in the Rue du Temple/Tempelstraat in Brussels, where Jacobs used to live.
The French progressive rock band Magma named their album 'Köhntarkösz' (1974) after the antagonist in the 'Blake and Mortimer' album 'L'Enigme de l'Atlantide'. For their album 'Neurovision', the Belgian electronica band Telex also recorded a single about a villain from the series, 'Colonel Olrik Ha Ha Ha' (1980). When two years later the band released their compilation album 'More Than Distance' (1982), the song was included again, but this time with a special 'Blake & Mortimer' parody comic printed in the sleeve, drawn by cover illustrator Ever Meulen.
In 1999, the French newspaper Le Monde compiled a list with 100 Books of the Century they considered to be essential reading. As one of the few comics in that list, the entire 'Blake and Mortimer' series appeared at the 90th place. Another testament to Blake and Mortimer's popularity is that at least four different comics stores have been named after the 'La Marque Jaune' album: one in Wavre, Belgium, one in Hoorn, The Netherlands (as 'Het Gele Teken' in Dutch translation), and two in France, namely in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Évry.
In Belgium, Edgar Pierre Jacobs has been a strong influence on Francis Carin, Conz, Paul Cuvelier, François Craenhals, Erwin Drèze, Bruno Gazzotti, Yan Gevuld, Ever Meulen, Dirk Stallaert, William Vance, Karel Verschuere and Pascal J. Zanon. In France, he counts Nicolas Barral, Ted Benoît, Christian Goux, Jal, André Juillard, Jacques Martin and Pierre Veys among his followers. Goux' adaptation of Jules Verne's 'Facing the Flag' ('Le Fulgurateur Roch' at Ed. Regards, 2012) can be considered a tribute to Jacobs. Dutch artists who have cited Jacobs as an influence have been Harry Balm, Peter van Dongen, Flip Fermin, Eric Heuvel, Aloys Oosterwijk and Joost Swarte.
Books about Jacobs
For those interested in Jacobs' life and career, Claude Le Gallo's 'Le Monde de Edgar P. Jacobs' (Lombard, 1984) and Gérard Lenne's 'Blake, Jacobs et Mortimer' (Libr. Séguier, 1988, reprinted in 1996 by Ramsay, Archimbaud) are both must-reads. Louis Alloing and Rodolphe also published a biography in graphic novel format, 'La Marque Jacobs' (2012), which resulted in a lawsuit from the publisher of the original 'Blake & Mortimer' books because of the book's title and cover lay-out. Jacobs' heirs felt it was copyright infringement, but the judge eventually allowed its publication. A decade later, another biography about Jacobs in comic book format, 'Edgar P. Jacobs. Le Rêveur d'Apocalypses' (Glénat, 2021) was made by François Rivière and Philippe Wurm.
Sketch for page 26 of the 'Blake & Mortimer' story 'Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato' ('The Three Formulas of Professor Sato').
Les amis de Jacobs
(en Français)