Art For Art’s Sake # 366: Happy Birthday Hergé!

by Richard Bruton

Art For Art’s Sake, celebrating the world of comic art every single week, right here at Comicon — and this week, celebrating the birth of Hergé …

Georges Prosper Remi, better known to the world as Hergé was born on 22nd May 1907 — making the anniversary of his birth yesterday. So, fine time to do a little celebration of the art and the artist behind Tintin, wouldn’t you say?

Hergé’s Tintin is not only a huge bestseller of a series, with in excess of 200 million albums sold, but a genuine cultural icon, beloved and recognised across the globe, thanks to the publication of Tintin in over 70 languages.

And for me, along with Asterix and Lucky Luke, Tintin was one of a triumvirate of comics carried by Dudley Public Library, and I devoured every single one of Hergé’s books I could get my hands on.

So, let’s devote this whole Art For Art’s Sake to a master of comics, the legendary Hergé and his masterful ligne claire style. First, a few of my favourites …