A short introduction to E.P. Jacobs’ life
and his series « Blake & Mortimer »
March 3rd (1904) – February 20st (1987)

Edgar P. Jacobs is one of the brillant representatives of the comic strips Brussels school. He was born in Brussels (Belgium) in 1904. He liked music and after winning the first prize for song at the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels he entered the Opéra of Lille (France) as an lyric singer and for making  Costume and Stage Sets. During August 1940 he became the Baritone at the Bourse Theatre in Brussels.

But it was through advertising and small graphic works that E.P. Jacobs would enter the world of comic strip art. On the April 15th 1941 Jacobs met Hergé (the author of  Tintin ) and he published his first design in No. 33 of « Bravo ! » magazine. In December 1942 Jacobs was asked to replace Alex Raymond for three issues (50 to 53) of the series « Gordon l’Intrépide » (Flash Gordon)  as there was nothing coming from  the USA due to the German Occupation of parts of Europe. At that time the story was forbidden and Jacobs had to end the story in five boards.

E.P.Jacobs realized the first board of « Le Rayon U » on February 4th 1943, which already foreshadows some things which will later become « Blake & Mortimer ». From 1944  to 1947  Jacobs worked closely with Hergé on the « Tintin » books and from 1946 in the Tintin weekly magazine where he was a contributor. He finally ended his collaboration with Hergé, officially because he was too busy with his album « Le Secret de l’Espadon » (The Secret of Swordfish),  the first one of the series Blake and Mortimer,  but in reality he was disappointed that Hergé did not credit him with being a contributor to the  Tintin books, so he decided to devote his time to his own series.

Blake and Mortimer is a serie set in the very period of their writing but even with the new authors after Jacobs’s death, it remains set in the 1950s only. It combines investigations, science-fiction and fantasy. The two main heroes of the series  Blake and Mortimer  are Captain Francis Blake, chief of MI5, and Professor Philip Mortimer, a leading British physicist. In all their adventures they are opposed to Colonel Olrik who appears to date in every book until now except one.

Captain Blake is a fair man with a thin moustache and a taste for Sherry. A pipe smoking, thoughtful and brave Officer. Philip Mortimer, on the contrary is a very courageous, impulsive man who often finds himself in need of Blake’s help.  Red Headed and bearded, with a taste for whiskey, he is half Scottish on his Mother’s side. Blake and Mortimer  share an apartment in London located on 99 bis Park Lane, with Mrs Benson who takes care after the house. Colonel Olrik is a bad man, however he combines the same courage as Blake or Mortimer with cyninism and he is at service to anybody or anything, if it can be advantageous to him.

By E.P. Jacobs :
• The Secret of the Swordfish (1 and 2, or 1,2, 3 volumes according to the edition)
• The Mystery of the Great Pyramid (1 & 2)
• The Yellow « M »
• Atlantis Mystery
• SOS Meteors
• The Time Trap
• The Necklace Affair
• Professor Sato’s Three formulae (1 – 2) (ended by Bob de Moor after Jacobs’ death)

By new teams of artists & writers since the death of Jacobs :
• The Francis Blake Affair  (Jean Van Hamme/Ted Benoit) - 1996
• The Voronov Plot  (Yves Sente/André Juillard) - 2000
• The Strange Encounter  (Jean Van Hamme/Ted Benoit) - 2001
• The Sarcophagi of The Sixth Continent (1 & 2) (Yves Sente/André Juillard) – 2003/2004
• The Gondwana Shrine (Yves Sente/André Juillard) - 2008
• The Curse of the Thirty Denarri (1 & 2) (Jean Van Hamme/René Sterne/Chantal de Spiegeleer/Antoine Aubin) – 2009/2010

Writers : Yves Sente – Jean Van Hamme
Artists : Ted Benoit - André Juillard – René Sterne – Chantal de Spiegeleer – Antoine Aubin

Translated and Published by :
• Cinebooks (UK)
• Catalan Communications (USA)