Bob De Moor, more than just Hergé's chief assistant

The Flemish cartoon illustrator, Bob De Moor, was born in Antwerp on 20 December 1925. Best known as Hergé's right-hand man, he also designed his own successful comic strips. Furthermore, he is considered one of the founders of Flemish cartoons.

After his studies at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, Bob De Moor worked for a while as an animator at the Afim animation studios in Antwerp. In 1945, he made his debut with the series Bart, de Scheepsjongen. Many others were to follow, including Barelli, Meester Mus, De Avonturen van Hobbel en Sobbel, De Lustige Kapoentjes, Janneke en Stanneke, Bloske en Zwik … His first album in the French language Le Mystère du Vieux Château Fort was published in 1947. His cartoons quickly appeared in a variety of Flemish newspapers.

Bob De Moor favoured the so-called "Ligne Claire" ("'Clear Line") style, in which the colours are flat and little use is made of shadow and relief. As from 1950, he joined Studio Hergé and soon became Hergé's chief assistant. He redrew the oldest Tintin albums, as well as illustrating the backgrounds. His famous interventions include the more modern design of the album The Black Island and the Beefeater uniforms for the guards in King Ottokar's Sceptre. Merchandising was also his responsibility. De Moor spent much time on these duties, which contributed to his own cartoons disappearing into the shadows of Hergés masterpieces.

Right from a young age, Bob De Moor was enchanted by the sea, majestic boats and the tales of sailors, and this is clear in a number of his childhood drawings. He could already draw the perfect bow wave even then. He spent hours staring out to sea. Once no longer taken up with Tintin, his love of the sea was soon rekindled. He set about making his dreams come true. This led to Cori, de Scheepsjongen (Cori the Cabin Boy), a wonderful series about a cabin boy, who sailed with the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The VOC was the world's largest trading organisation in the 17th century and caused the Golden Era in the Northern Netherlands. The series was also published in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian …

Bob De Moor died on 26 August 1992. His son, Johan, completed his last comic strip, Dali Capitan, in the series Cori, de Scheepsjongen.