'S.T.A.R.' #1.
Thierry Cayman is a Belgian comic book artist, illustrator and painter, who began his career drawing historical comics like 'Sylvain de Rochefort' (1989-1994) and 'Godefroy de Bouillon - Les Chevaliers Maudits' (1995-1996), working with writers Bom and Claude Rappé, respectively. After a period of doing mostly illustration work, he returned to the comics industry with the contemporary thriller series 'S.T.A.R.' (2002-2006) and his collaboration on the Jacques Martin comic series 'Lefranc' (2006) and 'Jhen' (2008-2010). Since 2012, he has mostly worked as a painter.
Early life and career
Thierry Cayman was born in Brussels in 1962. Comics were an important part of his childhood, as his father worked at Éditions du Lombard. In 1982 and 1983, Cayman was one of Eddy Paape's pupils at the Saint-Gilles Institute of Fine Arts. At the age of 22, he made his debut at Le Lombard with two short stories written by Yves Duval for Tintin magazine. He remained a regular contributor to the magazine throughout the decade with many stories in collaboration with the writers Muriel Beullens, Bert Decorte and Bom. These included the short-lived series like 'Ken Cargo' (with Decorte, 1986) and 'Mosquito' (with Bom, 1988).
Sylvain de Rochefort and other medieval-themed comics
In 1989, Cayman and Bom launched their medieval series 'Sylvain de Rochefort' (1989-1994) in Tintin's successor Hello Bédé. It was serialized until late 1992 and collected in four albums by publisher Le Lombard between 1990 and 1994. Cayman remained in the same time period with 'Godefroy de Bouillon - Les Chevaliers maudits' (1995-1996), of which he made three albums with writer Claude Rappé for Éditions Hélyode and Claude Lefrancq Éditeur. The first installment was colored by Cayman's first wife, Carine Rixhon. When the publisher went bankrupt, Cayman initially went to work as an illustrator for Éditions Hemma and as a storyboard artist for advertising films. In the mid-1990s, Cayman had additionally drawn naughty jokes under the pseudonym Cat.
'Sylvain de Rochefort' (Dutch version from Kuifje #12, 1991).
S.T.A.R.
During the early 2000s, Thierry Cayman began a long association with the publishing house Casterman, marking his return to comics. With the novelist and scriptwriter Patrick Delperdange he created the contemporary thriller series 'S.T.A.R.' (2002-2006). It dealt with a team of three researchers from S.T.A.R. (Science and Technology, Analysis and Research) who develop a system that allows someone with locked-in syndrome to communicate via a computer. Their patient however suddenly disappears after gaining more and more control over this machine. The quest to discover what happened proves not to be without danger. Cayman and Delperdange additionally made the one-shot detective album 'Partie de plaisir' (Casterman, 2006).
Jacques Martin series
Since 2006, Cayman has worked with the creations of the Franco-Belgian comic legend Jacques Martin, all published by Casterman. His first work was providing background art to the 17th album of 'Lefranc' ('Le Maître de l'Atome', 2006), which was drawn by André Taymans and Erwin Drèze. In 2008, he began drawing new albums of Martin's 'Jhen' from scripts by Hughes Payen in alternation with the original artist Jean Pleyers. This series was set during the Hundred Years' War and marked Cayman's return to historical comics. Cayman has provided the artwork for the volumes 'Les Sorcières' (#10, 2008) and 'Le Grand Duc d'Occident' (#12, 2010). For the first installment, he was notably assisted on the coloring by his son, Jonathan Cayman.
Painter
By 2012, Thierry Cayman left the comic industry, and turned to painting and illustration. Since October 2018, Cayman and his partner Nathalie Demin run the Atelier du 2A in Huy, where they exhibit his work and that of other artists. As a fine artist, Cayman has been working with oil and Indian ink. His work shows influences from surrealism and impressionism, and is characterized by themes like spirituality, humility, and contemplation.
'Jhen' #12.