Marc Michetz, pseudonym of Marc Degroide (15 October 1951 – 9 January 2025) was a Belgian comics artist.

Life and career

Marc Degroide was born on 15 October 1951, in

Ixelles (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Pentagon (Brussels), Brusse ...

, a commune in Brussels. He lived for eighteen years in Katanga and returned to Belgium to work in different professions. He followed artistic training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He was fond of Japanese martial arts, and practiced judo,

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...

, then

iaido , abbreviated , is a Japanese martial art that emphasizes being aware and capable of quickly drawing the sword and responding to sudden attacks.Christensen, Karen and Allen Guttmann et.al (2001) ''International Encyclopedia of Women and Sport ...

. Michetz was one of the original members of (Mazda Gang), a fictionalized comic book series about a trio of cartoonists, together with and Bernard Hislaire. He started his career at Studio Graton and then drew for magazines ''

Tintin Tintin usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...

'' and '' Spirou''. Michetz was passionate about the Japanese Middle Ages. His best-known creation is the ''

Kogaratsu ''Kogaratsu'' is a bande dessinée series created by the Belgian comics creators Bosse (pseudonym of Serge Bosmans) and Michetz (pseudonym of Marc Degroide). Overview ''Kogaratsu'' is about a mercenary named Nakamura Kogaratsu. Caught in a frat ...

'' series, about a ''

rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...

'', which he created together with (Bosse) in 1983. Michetz held multiple Japanese-themed expositions. Michetz died on 9 January 2025, at the age of 73.

References

1951 births 2025 deaths Belgian comics artists People from Brussels-Capital Region Spirou (magazine) people Tintin (magazine) people {{Comics-artist-stub