Nicolas Vial started out as an illustrator. He has worked for newspaper Le Monde since 1982 and published regularly in several other newspapers. Vial is the author of the children's books 'Matou Miteux', 'Les 24 heures du Chat' and 'La Loi de la Lagune', among others. With Michel Guerrin, he made 'Anvers, Tolède, Venise...' in the collection Histoires Graphiques.