Eddy Ryssack

Eddy Ryssack made his first illustrations for Humo magazine in 1953. Four years later, he created the comic 'Kapitein Matthias' for the same magazine. That same year, he joined the art studios of the publishing house Dupuis, where he worked alongside Eddy Paape, Jamic and Salvé. He became director of the animation department in 1959. He worked on three classics, 'Teeth is Money', 'De Kapitale Krokodil' and 'Cinemaman'. Aside from these movies he was the first director of the first ten parts of the famous serial 'The Smurfs'.

During his period at Dupuis, Ryssack also started to draw his own stories, such as 'Patrick Lourpidon', '1127' and the gag series 'Arthur & Léopold', about two flees (and one of the first writing credits of Raoul Cauvin. In 1969, he decided to leave Dupuis and became a freelancer. He cooperated on the Dutch magazines Sjors, Pep and Eppo, for which he produced his most famous series: 'Opa' and 'Brammetje Bram'.

In the 1970s, he made illustrations for the Belgian Pilote, 'Les Schmouks' for Tintin and he worked with Jean-Pol on 'Annie en Peter'. He was the first president of the guild of Flemish comics artists and one of the founders of the Belgian comics museum in Brussels. He retired in 1995. He died following a cardiac arrest on 8 January 2004.