Philippe FRANCQ (né en 1961) Lot n° 24

Largo Winch - The group W India ink on paper for the plate 34 of the album. Signed in the plate at the bottom left, signed and countersigned in the center and on the right. 47 x 35,1 cm. Dupuis, 1991. All comic book fans know Largo Winch, the billionaire in blue jeans. But how many of them realize the inseparable links that Jean Van Hamme forged with his character before creating his paper adventures with Philippe Francq? Largo is indeed the hero who sticks the most to the skin of the mythical scriptwriter. The latter used to jump on a plane when he was a student, to discover the world, even if it meant facing the harshness of the Turkish police, like his character in the first volume of the series, The Heir. It was to write the Largo novels that Jean Van Hamme left Philips in 1976, with a dream in mind, as he himself admits: to write a novel a year, and to live off his royalties. One of the most mythical places of the series remains the island of Sarjevane, which we discover for the first time in this plate become emblematic. This strange place, located in the Adriatic Sea, would have been given by Marshal Tito to Nerio, Largo's adoptive father. For many readers, the large square represents the very image of beauty and escape. Between James Bond effects and the quietness of this haven of peace, Sarjevane remains one of the focal points of this mythical series.