Pierre Fournier (8 December 1949 – 12 November 2022) was a Canadian comic book writer, artist, editor, promoter and publisher. He was best known for his ''Michel Risque'' and ''

Red Ketchup ''Red Ketchup'' is a Quebec comic book series created in 1982 by Pierre Fournier and Réal Godbout. The series follows the exploits of Steve "Red" Ketchup, a crazed FBI rogue agent. An animated series, directed by Martin Villeneuve and produced ...

'' series which he co-created with his long-time friend

Réal Godbout Réal Godbout is a Quebec writer and comic book illustrator, best known for his ''Michel Risque'' and '' Red Ketchup'' series which he co-created with his long-time friend Pierre Fournier. Biography In the 70's, Godbout published his comic strips ...

Biography

Fournier's satirical

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

comic, ''Les Aventures du Capitaine Kébec'', debuted in 1973 and was important to the "Springtime of Comics" movement that saw a new generation of artists creating comic books in Québec. Fournier was involved as a writer/artist, editor, art director, publisher and a passionate promoter. In 1974, he organized Québecomics, the first exhibition of its kind, shown in New York, Eastern Canada and Europe. In 1975–76, Fournier produced and hosted a popular television series, ''Les Amis du Capitaine Kébec'', entirely devoted to comics. Fournier contributed to every issue of the humor magazine ''Croc'' (1979-1995) either illustrating his own strips or writing for a who's who of

Québec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

artists. With his longtime friend and collaborator, artist

, Fournier co-created and co-scripted the now legendary ''Michel Risque'' and ''

'' strips serialized over a period of fifteen years in ''Croc'' and ''Titanic'' magazines. In 1986, Fournier was the founding president of the ACIBD, an association of comic art professionals. In 1991, he was presented with the prestigious

Albert Chartier Albert Chartier (16 June 1912 – 25 February 2004) was a French-Canadian cartoonist and illustrator, best known for having created the comic strip ''Onésime''. Biography Albert Chartier was the son of Joseph Chartier, a traveling salesman who ...

Award for his outstanding contributions to comics. In the late 1980s, Fournier worked as an inker for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

and he was an editor and art director for the English-language Matrix Comics of Montréal. In 1990–91, he contributed to the Québec edition of ''

Mad Magazine ''Mad'' (stylized in all caps) is an American humor magazine which was launched in 1952 and currently published by DC Comics, a unit of the DC Entertainment subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. ''Mad'' was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman an ...

'' and edited ''Anormal'', a humor and comics magazine aimed at young teens. In recent years, Pierre Fournier has written extensively for screen and television. He is also an authority on classic horror films and writes the

Rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

-nominated blog
Frankensteinia
The ''Michel Risque'' and ''

'' series are currently enjoying a critically acclaimed and best-selling revival, all fourteen graphic novels being published by

La Pastèque La Pastèque is a French Canadian publisher of comics, based in Montréal, Québec. Overview La Pastèque ("The Watermelon" in English) was founded by Martin Brault and Frédéric Gauthier in Montréal, Québec in July 1998, and their first pu ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In February 2008, Fournier's Capitaine Kébec character was chosen as the most iconic image of Québec comics and featured as the cover of Mira Falardeau's ''Histoire de la bande dessinée au Québec'', a history of Québec comics spanning the mid-1800s to today. In 2008, Fournier was inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame. Fournier died on November 12, 2022, at the age of 72. Leading up to his death, he was working on the story for an animated series based on ''

'', along with his co-creator

and director

Martin Villeneuve Martin Villeneuve () is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and art director. He was nominated at the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) in 2013 for Best Adapted Screenplay, for '' Mars et Avril'', his feature film debu ...

.Exclusive Interview - Martin Villeneuve on Finding the Right Ingredients For ‘Red Ketchup’s’ Gonzo Recipe
Bubbleblabber, January 25, 2024

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fournier, Pierre 1949 births 2022 deaths Canadian comic strip cartoonists Canadian comics artists Canadian comics writers Canadian satirists Canadian satirical comics artists Canadian satirical comics writers Writers from Montreal