Father of the successful series "The Blue Tunics", the Belgian comic book writer Raoul Cauvin died Thursday, three months after announcing that he was suffering from incurable cancer, Dupuis, his publishing house, told us.
"It is with great emotion that we inform you of the death of Raoul Cauvin, one of the greatest men in the world of comics," the publisher said early Friday in a statement.
It is with great emotion that we inform you of the death of Raoul Cauvin, one of the greatest men in the world of comics, on August 19.
Download the full press release: https: //t.co/WQXxhPoUt9 pic.twitter.com/kf58IfLWcd
- Éditions Dupuis (@EditionsDupuis) August 20, 2021
"We are in thought with (…) the millions of readers who adored his humor and his situation comedy through the publication of his series", he added.
In early May 2021, Raoul Cauvin announced on his blog that he was suffering from incurable cancer.
The screenwriter owes his fame mainly to “Blue Tunics”, a successful series of rare longevity, which has sold millions of copies in half a century.
It humorously recounts the adventures of two American soldiers, a convinced militarist and another engaged in spite of himself, who fight the “Southerners” during the Civil War (1861-1865).
Over 15 million albums sold in France
With more than 15 million albums sold in French - not counting translations into English, German, Dutch and other languages - these Laurel and Hardy comics have introduced the American conflict to many Europeans.
And this popular success pushes Cauvin to become a prolific author for his publisher Dupuis, collaborating with many other designers: among others Berck (“Sammy et Lou”), Nic (“Spirou and Fantasio”) or Kox (“L ' Agent 212 ”).
A follower of all forms of visual gagging, Cauvin evolved in the 1980s towards more incisive productions, often close to black humor and parody.
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He is thus illustrated in the series "Pierre Tombal" (with Hardy), "Women in white" on the universe of the hospital (with Bercovici in the drawing), and "Cédric" (with Laudec) which turns out to be a success in children's comics with 34 albums to date.
“Craftsman of a popular but quality comic strip (…) Raoul Cauvin has become a veritable statue of Commander of the screenwriters (…) he has permanently codified the mechanics of gagging and the canons of humorous adventure”, greeted his house editing.
