'Otto'.
Frodo De Decker studied graphic design at the Sint-Lukas School of Arts in Brussels. He broke off his studies after two years to devote all his time on drawing comics. He participated in projects like 'De Start van een Loopbaan' and 'What's Your Excuse', but eventually drifted aways towards music. He developed his skills as a jazz guitar player and now works as a teacher at several schools of music. He didn't return to the field of comics until 2012, when publisher Syndikaat released his first comic album starring the character 'Otto'. The book contains a series of pantomime gag comics which show influences varying from Hergé to Trondheim.
De Decker designed the cover of the compilation album 'Roots Dynamite' (Stoffige Vingers, 2020).
In 2018 De Decker was one of several artists to pay tribute to comic artist Merho in the homage book 'Hoor Je Het Ook Eens Van Een Ander' (2018). In 2020 he joined 75 Dutch & Flemish comic artists to make a graphic contribution to the free collective comic book ‘Striphelden versus Corona’ (Oogachtend, Uitgeverij L, 2020). The book is intended to support comics stores who had to close their doors for two months during the lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 virus pandemic.
In 2023 De Decker released a two-part chronological history of Flanders, 'Het Verhaal van Vlaanderen', told in comic book form. The book is scripted by historian Harry De Paepe and was released as a companion piece to the historical docu drama series 'Het Verhaal van Vlaanderen', broadcast on the Flemish public TV channel VRT. For De Paepe it marked the first time that he ever wrote a script for a comic book, while for De Decker it was the first time that he worked with a scriptwriter. At first, De Paepe concentrated on the research, while De Decker would illustrate everything. But after a while, it became clear that De Decker needed additional information and imagery, which he researched on his own. Other artists who've made a comic about the history of Belgium and/or Flanders have been Louis Haché ('L'Aventure des Belges/België in Beeld', 1979), Hugo Leyers ('De Geschiedenis van Vlaanderen', 1984) and Herr Seele ('De Vaderlandsche Geschiedenis', 2013).
'Otto'.