Death of Bob de Groot, brilliant comic book writer and creator of “Léonard” – Libération

He was one of the pillars of what we still call Franco-Belgian comics. Comic book writer Bob de Groot died this Friday, November 17th, in Ottignies, Belgium. He was 82 years old. Although his name is less well known than that of Hergé, Morris or Peyo, he has given life to a number of characters. Start with Leonardby far his most successful series.

Brilliant ideas sometimes arise by chance. Unintentionally gave birth to a genius. Bob de Groot was already a credited screenwriter for the film in 1974 Tintin’s diary, then led by Greg. He developed the series there together with the designer Turk Robin Dubois, a parody of the adventures of Sherwood Forest’s famous vigilante. During one of these adventures, Bob de Groot reveals an ancient inventor named Leonardo (based on Leonardo da Vinci) who invented the parking meter in the Middle Ages.

46 “Leonard” albums

Greg likes the character, who is currently on the rise Achille Talon Magazine. At his request, Bob de Groot deepened the concept for a comic series: Leonardo and his suffering student Basile were born! They will have a good life: Bob de Groot and Turk will release 46 albums together Leonard published by Lombard. Since 2016, the series has continued with Zidrou as screenwriter.

Bob de Groot was born in Brussels in 1941 and was interested in comics from a young age. He publishes his first mini-story in the newspaper Spirou At the age of 21 he then published strips in various Belgian daily newspapers. He also becomes the assistant to Maurice Tilleux (the creator of Gil Jourdan). “Instead of limiting himself to humorous comics, he multiplied collaborations across all genres, leaving behind a wealth of works that responded to his tireless desire to write.”, describes Lombard in the press release announcing his death. Legendary characters that de Groot has had the honor of writing the screenplay for at some point in his career include: Lucky Luke (The One-Armed Bandit, Marcel Dalton, the Painter), Beach map (in his special series) or even Modest and pompom.