'Bob Fish'.
The French Clear-Line master Yves Chaland is the main representative of the so-called "atomic style", a nostalgic 1950s retro style. With his popular series 'Freddy Lombard', he created an ironic homage to the classic Franco-Belgian comics. At age 13 he wrote a letter to the magazine Spirou, published in issue #1689 (27 August 1970). Yves Chaland did his first comic pages for the Biblipop fanzine in 1974.
'Freddy Lombard'.
In 1975, Chaland came up with the collective work 'Lo Parisenc en Vacanças' in Vida Nostra. With his fellow student Luc Cornillon, he founded the magazine L'Unité de Valeur. Chaland and Cornillon were noticed by Jean-Pierre Dionnet and in 1978 brought to the magazine Métal Hurlant. There, they made pastiches on classic 1950s comics, alone or together.
'Freddy Lombard'.
In 1980, Chaland created his character 'Bob Fish' in Métal Hurlant, and 'John Bravo' in Astrapi. A year later, he created the futuristic character 'Adolphus Claar' in a special issue of Métal Hurlant. This strip was later continued in Astrapi. He also produced 'Freddy Lombard' in Bananas.
'Les aventures de Spirou'.
The 'Bob Fish' side character 'Le Jeune Albert' received a spin-off gag comic in Métal Hurlant from 1982 on. That same year, Chaland also came up with a special retro story of 'Spirou', in a style reminiscent of Jijé ('Spirou au Bocongo'), for magazine Spirou. In 1984, he created an episode of Moebius's 'Le Major Fatal', published in Rigolo, Métal Hurlant and Métal Aventure.
'Adolphus Claar'.
Chaland illustrated numerous advertising and communication campaigns, colored the first 'John Difool' album and cooperated on several collective works. Chaland designed the cover of 'Chic Planète' (1987) by the band L'Affaire Louis' Trio, led by Boris Cleet.
In 1990, he illustrated Jean-Luc Fromental's 'La Main Coupée'. In July of that same year, Yves Chaland died in a tragic car accident. After his death, several books with his illustration work and unfinished stories have appeared, as well as reprints of his entire oeuvre at Les Humanoïdes Associés.
Although Chaland wasn't born in Belgium, his character 'Le Jeune Albert' received its own comic book mural in May 2000, located in the Rue des Alexiens / Cellebroersstraat in Brussels, as part of the Brussels' Comic Book Route.
In France, Yves Chaland was a strong influence on Ted Benoit, while in Belgium he counted Philippe Wurm among his admirers. In The Netherlands, he counts Stefan de Groot, Wim Hanssen, Hanco Kolk and Wasco among his disciples . In Spain, he was an influence on Max, while in Brazil, he inspired Watson Portela.
Yves Chaland in Brussels, 1983.