Frans Masereel is one of the most famous Flemish woodcut artists of his time. He got his artistic education from the painter Jean Delvin in Ghent. He travelled a lot, and eventually settled in France around 1910, where he did his first woodcuts. in World War I, he flees to Geneve, Switzerland. There, became friends with several writers, whose books he has illustrated since. Until 1920, he made about 1,000 drawings, in which he depicts the cruelties of war. Masereel has also done sequential art. His first "graphic novel" was 'De Stad' (1925), in which he describes life in the city in 100 engravings. Other graphic novels by Masereel are 'Geschichte Ohne Worte' and 'De Idee', about an idea that's being haunted by the police and justice. It became very popular among anti-nazis. Masereel settled in Avignon and Nice after World War II.
He was a strong influence on Art Spiegelman and Steve.