Philippe Druillet

Philippe Druillet
Phillipe Druillet at Babel International Comics Festival, Athens, June 2007.
Born	28 June 1944 (1944-06-28) (age 67) Toulouse, France
Nationality	French
Area(s)	Writer, Penciller, Inker, Colourist
Notable works	Lone Sloane saga Yragaël La Nuit Salammbô Nosferatu
Awards	full list
Official website

Philippe Druillet (born June 28, 1944) is a French comics artist and creator, and an innovator in visual design.

Biography

Druillet was born in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France but spent his youth in Spain, returning to France in 1952 after the death of his father. A science fiction and comics fan, Philippe worked as a photographer after graduating from high school, drawing only for his own pleasure.

His first book appeared in 1966, entitled Le Mystère des abîmes (The Mystery of the Abyss).^[1] It introduced his recurring hero Lone Sloane and played on science-fiction themes partially inspired by his favourite writers, H. P. Lovecraft and A.E. van Vogt. Later Druillet created book covers for republications of Lovecraft's work, as well as numerous movie posters.

After becoming a regular contributor to the comics magazine Pilote in 1970, Druillet's Lone Sloane saga grew steadily more flamboyant, as he pursued innovations including bold page designs and computer-generated images. His backdrops of gigantic structures inspired by Art Nouveau, Indian temples and Gothic cathedrals earned him the nickname of "space architect". Six tales about Sloane's exploits were collected in Les six voyages de Lone Sloane in 1972, hailed by many as his masterpiece, and Sloane was again the hero of the graphic novel Délirius (1973), written by Jacques Lob. In 1973, Druillet also produced the Moorcock's Elric-inspired Yragaël for Pilote, and Vuzz for the magazine Phénix

In 1975 Druillet joined Jean-Pierre Dionnet, Bernard Farkas and Moebius to form the publishing house Les Humanoïdes Associés, and the magazine Métal Hurlant.^[1] This was to be a vehicle for his finest stories, and showcased a steadily evolution in his graphical skills. His series Lone Sloane and Vuzz continued, and other stories of this period include La Nuit, and Nosferatu. In 1980 Druillet produced Salammbô, a comic-book trilogy based upon Flaubert's proto-heroic fantasy novel Salammbô.

Outside his work as a cartoonist and illustrator, Druillet has also been active in architecture, rock opera, painting, sculpture and digital art. He worked as a designer on the film, Sorcerer directed by William Friedkin in 1976. He collaborated on Rolf Liebermann's Wagner Space Opera in the Opera de Paris in the late 70s to early 80s, and founded the Space Art Création in 1984.^[1] More recently he made Les Rois Maudits 2005 remake's artwork and designed large parts of the background.

Bibliography

• Lone Sloane:
  • Le mystère des abîmes (1966, republished as Lone Sloane 66, 1982, Les Humanoïdes Associés, ISBN 2-902123-12-3)
  • Les six voyages de Lone Sloane (1972, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-00632-0)
  • Délirius (1973, with Jacques Lob, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-00663-0)
  • Chaos (2000, Albin Michel, ISBN 2-226-10934-X)

• Yragaël (1974, with Michel Demuth, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-00829-3)
• Vuzz (1974, Dargaud, republished 1981, Les Humanoïdes Associés, ISBN 2-7316-0090-1)
• Urm le fou (1975, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-00913-3)
• Mirages (1976, Les Humanoïdes Associés, ISBN 2-7316-0038-1)
• La nuit (1976, Les Humanoïdes Associés, ISBN 2-902123-06-X)
• Gail (1978, self-published republished Les Humanoïdes Associés, 1982, ISBN 2-7316-0146-9)
• Firaz et la ville fleur (1980, with Picotto (art), Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-01678-4)

• Salammbô':
  • Salammbô (1980, Les Humanoïdes Associés, ISBN 2-7316-0065-9)
  • Carthage (1982, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-02253-9)
  • Matho (1986, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-02744-1)
• Nosferatu (1989, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-03763-3)

Awards

• 1972: European SF award for Comics for Lone Sloane at the first Eurocon in Trieste, Italy ^[2]
• 1976: Grand Prix de la Science Fiction Française, Special Prize for Urm le Fou ^[3]
• 1990: ESFS Hall of Fame (best artist) at the 1990 Eurocon in Fayence, France ^[4]
• 1996: Grand Prix National des Arts Graphiques, France

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Philippe Druillet". Comiclopedia. Lambiek. http://lambiek.net/artists/d/druillet.htm. 
2. ^ esfs.info Eurocon awards site 1972
3. ^ quarante-deux.org Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (French)
4. ^ esfs.info Eurocon awards site 1990

References

• Philippe Druillet publications in Pilote, Métal Hurlant at BDoubliées (French)
• Philippe Druillet at Bedetheque (French)
• Philippe Druillet at the Grand Comics Database
• Philippe Druillet at the Comic Book DB

External links

• Official website (French)

Persondata
Name	Druillet, Philippe
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 28, 1944
Place of birth	Toulouse, France
Date of death
Place of death