Comic Art Museum - Brussels

It was in Tintin magazine that Grzegorz Rosinski and Jean Van Hamme created Thorgal, an epic family saga sometimes tinged with fantasy. This comic strip was to become tremendously successful – so much so that it spawned three spin-off series, Kriss de Valnor, Louve and La Jeunesse de Thorgal. Besides original works by Grzegorz Rosinski, who drew the strips directly in colour from the 2000’s, visitors will also be able to view other no less impressive drawings by Giulio De Vita and Roman Surzhenko, all very much inspired by some exceptionally talented scenario writers: Jean Van Hamme, Yves Sente and Yann.

They nearly named him Ragnar but the name had already been taken. Thorgal Aegirsson came into being in 1977 and first appeared in the Tintin comic magazine. His creators, comic strip artist Grzegorz Rosinski and his script-writer, Jean Van Hamme, had only just met one year before. Grzegorz Rosinski lived in Poland where he was already working as an illustrator, and hardly spoke a word of French. As for Jean Van Hamme, he lived in Brussels, and was trying to establish himself as a writer, but his writing did not yet earn him a full-time living. Readers were first introduced to Thorgal in a short story entitled La Magicienne trahie (The Sorceress Betrayed). Thorgal is a young Viking, who falls victim to the hatred of Gandalf the Mad, who is not only the leader of his clan but also his future father-in-law. Already on page two, we see Gandalf slicing Thorgal’s cheek with his sword. The scar will always remain visible despite the character undergoing multiple transformations.

Curators: Thierry Bellefroid and Piotr Rosinski

Under the Patronage of His Excellency Mr Artur Harazim,Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Brussels.
In collaboration with Le Lombard publishers and with the support of Brussels-Capital Region and the Polish Institute in Brussels