William Vance facts for kids

William van Cutsem (born 8 September 1935 – died 14 May 2018), known by his pen name William Vance, was a Belgian comics artist. He was famous for his unique realistic drawing style. Vance created many popular comics, especially in the Franco-Belgian comics style.

William Vance's Early Life and Training

William van Cutsem was born in Anderlecht, near Brussels, in 1935. After serving in the military, he studied art for four years. He attended the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Even though he was from Belgium, he spent most of his life working in France. Later, he moved to Santander, Spain.

Starting His Comics Career

William Vance began drawing for the famous Franco-Belgian comics magazine Tintin in 1962. For a few years, he drew short, real-life stories. Then, he started his first series called Howard Flynn. This series was written by Yves Duval.

After Howard Flynn, he worked on other short series. These included the Western comic Ringo and Roderik.

First Big Success: Bruno Brazil

Vance's first major success was with the series about a secret agent. This series was called Bruno Brazil. Greg, the editor-in-chief of Tintin, wrote the stories. Bruno Brazil helped make Tintin magazine more popular. It also helped the magazine become more focused on older readers.

Working on Bob Morane

From 1967, Vance also drew for the Bob Morane series. This series appeared in Femmes d'aujourd'hui magazine. It was a science fiction series based on novels by Henri Vernes. Vance took over the series and made it very successful. He drew 18 Bob Morane albums between 1969 and 1979. Later, the series moved to Tintin magazine. His brother-in-law, Felicisimo Coria, then took over drawing Bob Morane.

New Adventures: Ramiro and Bruce J. Hawker

During this time, Vance started two new comic series. One was Ramiro, which told stories set in medieval Spain. The other was Bruce J. Hawker, which began in 1976. This series was Vance's personal favorite. It featured a lieutenant in the Royal Navy.

William Vance's Most Famous Work: XIII

Vance's biggest success came in 1984. A writer named Jean Van Hamme suggested a new series called XIII. This comic first appeared in Spirou magazine.

The Story of XIII

XIII is a modern adventure series. It is full of action, excitement, and complex mysteries. Vance used his amazing talent for realistic drawings in this series. He was great at drawing action scenes and interesting places.

By 2007, Vance had drawn 18 albums in the XIII series. These comics sold over 14 million copies worldwide. They were also made into a TV series twice. Vance's wife, Petra Coria, colored the comics. They lived together in Santander, Spain.

Retirement and Legacy

In 2010, William Vance announced he was retiring. He had Parkinson's disease. He passed away from the disease on 14 May 2018.

William Vance's Unique Drawing Style

Vance was known for his very detailed and realistic drawing style. People described his art as "precise and nervous." His style was truly "inimitable," meaning no other artist drew quite like him.

Evolution of His Art

An article in Der Tagesspiegel newspaper talked about his early work on Bruno Brazil. It said his drawings were already "meticulous" and "sophisticated." In the early 1970s, his style changed. It moved away from the typical realistic Belgian comic style. He was influenced by the Dutch artist Hans G. Kresse. Vance also started trying new page layouts. He used large central panels and experimented with colors. His coloring even showed influences of psychedelic art.

Awards and Recognition

• 2005: Bronzen Adhemar award in Turnhout, Belgium.
• 2009: Named an Honorary citizen of the City of Brussels.