Arthur Berckmans

Infobox Comics creator
name = Berck


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Arthur Berckmans
birthdate = birth date|1929|5|3|mf=y
location = Leuven, Belgium
deathdate =
deathplace =
nationality = Belgian
area = artist, writer
alias =
notable works = "Sammy"
awards = full list

Arthur Berckmans (born May 3, 1929), better known as Berck, is a Belgian comics author, best known for "Sammy".

Biography

Arthur Berckmans was born in Leuven in 1929.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Berck". In België gestript, pp. 91-92. Tielt: Lannoo.] He studied drawing at the Art academy of Leuven and at the Saint Lucas Institute in Brussels. His first job as an illustrator was in 1948 for the Flemish Jesuit magazine "Pro Apostolis". He also illustrated some youth novels, and started to work at PubliArt, a publicity division of Le Lombard, where he made many drawings and a few publicitary comics, appearing in many Belgian newspapers and magazines.

In 1958, Berck was asked by "Tintin magazine" to collaborate with René Goscinny on a new comical series, "Strapontin". The series became a moderate success, and Berck created a few other series for the magazine, the most notable being "Rataplan".

In the meantime, he also started working for "Zonneland", the youth magazine of Altiora Averbode, the editor of the abbey of Averbode. In later years, he contributed to "Sjors", one of the major Dutch comics magazines, where he created the series "Lowietje".

But his main breakthrough came when he worked for "Spirou magazine". His first series, "Mulligan", did not make much of an impact, but when he teamed up with Raoul Cauvin for "Sammy", a series about an unlikely pair of bodyguards in Chicago at the time of Al Capone and Eliot Ness, he quickly became one of the more popular artists of the magazine, and the albums got impressive sales. Berck ceased his work on all other series to focus solely on "Sammy".

In 1994, Berck announced that he would retire. While this is usual in Belgium at the age of 65, it was an almost unprecedented move for a comics artist. "Sammy" was continued by the experienced artist Jean-Pol.

Bibliography

This bibliography only lists the comics Berck made which were published as an album in French or Dutch. He further made many short stories, illustrations, and comics for magazines only. His work has been translated in Danish, [cite web |url=http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/brri/ber.htm#berck |title=Index to the Comic Art Collection: "Béraldi" to "Berets" |accessdate=2007-02-13 |author=Michigan State University Libraries |authorlink=Michigan State University] Finnish, [cite web |url=http://www.helsinki.fi/~lakoma/comics/sammy_day.html |title=Sammy Day |accessdate=2007-02-13] German [cite web |url=http://www.comicexpress.de/verlage.php/Salleck+Publications/Sammy+&+Jack |title=Sammy & Jack (Salleck Publications) |accessdate=2007-02-13] and Spanish.

Awards

* 1973: Prix Saint-Michel for Best Comical Artwork, Brussels, Belgium
* 1975: Prix Saint-Michel for Best Comical Comic
* 1985: Bronzen Adhemar, Turnhout, Belgium [cite web |url=http://www.stripturnhout.be/strip/pagina.php?categorie=01090000 |title=STRIP Turnhout |accessdate=2007-02-13]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.dupuis.com/servlet/jpecat?pgm=VIEW_AUTHOR&lang=UK&AUTEUR_ID=119 Biography at Dupuis] Last accessed October 12, 2006
* [http://lambiek.net/artists/b/berck.htm Biography at the Comiclopedia] Last accessed October 12, 2006

ources

* Béra, Michel; Denni, Michel; and Mellot, Philippe: "Trésors de la Bande Dessinée 1999-2000". Les éditions de l'amateur, Paris, 1998. ISBN 2-85917-258-0
* Matla, Hans: "Stripkatalogus 9: De negende dimensie". Panda, Den Haag, 1998. ISBN 90-6438-111-9