ANDRÉ JUILLARD

ANDRÉ JUILLARD BLAKE AND MORTIMER The Voronov Machination (T.14), Blake Et Mortimer 2000 Original plate n°12. Signed. India ink and graphite on paper 38.8 × 50 cm (15.28 × 19.69 in.) By forming a "second team" with Yves Sente, alongside the Ted Benoit-Jean Van Hamme duo, André Juillard achieved both a masterstroke and a fantasy: the grail of reviving one of the most legendary series in Franco-Belgian comics. In this John Le Carré-style spy story, Juillard doesn't disappoint: he blends his drawing perfectly with Jacobs' distinctive narrative grammar, made up of long recitatives and pantomime-like gestures that are curiously free of kitsch. He achieves this through an astonishing arrangement of revealing and concealing shots, all in elegant perspective and skilful shadow play. The result is a series of pages that will forever prolong the enduring legend of Blake and Mortimer. Moscow. Lenin Stadium in the 1950s. I love night scenes, which allow me to work with high-contrast blacks. I remember that this plate took a lot of work, but I must admit that it paid off. Note the presence of Olrik (Ilkor!), but from behind. André Juillard