Achdé (), the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

of Hervé Darmenton (; born July 30, 1961), is a French

comic book writer and artist developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is un ...

. The pseudonym is based on the French pronunciation of his initials, "H.D." (similar to

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

and

Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) a ...

). After the death of

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

, the creator of ''

Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western '' bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their ...

'', Achdé continued the task of drawing new ''Lucky Luke'' stories from 2003 onwards.

Career

Before dedicating himself to his craft, Achdé worked as a doctor with a specialty in

radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...

, but abandoned a career in medicine in 1985 to dedicate himself fully to drawing. He began illustrating newspapers and self-published ''Destins Croisés'', his first comic book, in 1988. He joined the French publishing house

Dargaud Société Dargaud, doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud (), publishing its first comics in 1943. ...

in 1991 and created several new series, alone and in partnership, including ''Fort Braillard'', ''Woker'' (which concerns an interplanetary

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

), and ''Doc Véto''. In 1993, he launched the series ''CRS=Détresse'', CRS being a reference to the ''

Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité The Compagnies républicaines de sécurité (, ''Republican Security Corps''), abbreviated CRS, are the general reserve of the French National Police. They are primarily involved in general security missions but the task for which they are be ...

'', the French security forces attached to the national police force, who are deployed during riots and demonstrations. Following the death of Morris, Achdé was given the assignment to carry on the ''Lucky Luke'' series in collaboration with writer Laurent Gerra, and has stated, "For me it's been a childhood dream; when I was little, ''Lucky Luke'' was my favorite hero, and when I was young I knew I wanted to be a cartoonist."

Notes

References

Achdé publications in ''Spirou''
BDoubliées

Bedetheque

External links

on Lambiek Comiclopedia
Interview with Achdé, Barcelona, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achde 1961 births Living people Writers from Lyon French comics writers French comics artists Artists from Lyon