Jean-David Morvan

Born in Reims in November 1969, at a very young age Jean-David Morvan became competely enraptured with science-fiction literature. His desire to create futuristic and innovative worlds led him through the doors of Saint-Luc arts school in Brussels 1989, followed by the academy of fine arts and architecture, with the idea of training as an illustrator. In the end, he actually became a script-writer, collaborating with numerous young and sometimes unheard-of illustrators. His first album was "Reflets perdus" ("Diable à quatre") in 1993, illustrated by Sylvain Savoia, published by a small publishing company called Zenda. In 1994 he published "Horde" with J.J. Whamo, still with Zenda, and started working with Sylvain Savoia and Philippe Buchet on the Nomad series. Five albums successively appeared at Glénat, the last in 2000 ("Mémoire vive", "Gai Jin", "Mémoires mortes", "Tiourma", "Mémoire cachée"). He then alternated one-shots and some more ambitious productions. The first category includes "Les Préhistos... tôt ou tard" (with Ketchup at Art Scénic in 1997), the two volumes of "Bunker Baby Doll" with F. Jarzaguet at Zenda in 1997 and 1998 ("Coka" followed by "Le Serment d'Hypocrite"), "La Quête des réponses" (with Phlippe Buchet at Delcourt in 1998), "Tutti Frutti" for Trantkat at Delcourt in 1999, "A l'eau!" with G. Matouba at Editions le Cycliste in 2000, "La Mandiguerre" for S. Tamiazzo at Delcourt in 2001, "Lord Clancharlie" with Delestret, etc.. His several major series made him one of the most prolific script-writers of the beginning of this third millennium: "Troll" for O.G. Boiscommun starting in 1996 at Delcourt (scripts written in collaboration with Sfar), "Sir Pyle" for Munuera at Editions Soleil, started in 1999, the adaptation for Li-An of the "Cycle de Tschaï" of the American author Jack Vance (Delcourt, started in 2000), "Zorn et Dirna" for B. Bessadi and V. Trannoy at Editions Soleil, also since 2000, "Sept secondes" for G. Paret at Delcourt, "Nävis" with Munuera at Delcourt in 2004. His style is an easy mix of classic sci-fi, unbridled heroic fantasy, surprising characters with fantastic powers, an intense rhythm of successive adventures and outrageous humor. The space opera "Sillage" which he launched in 1998 at Delcourt with Philippe Buchet, one of his earliest partners, was extremely successful. It is one of the finest works of its genre. Morvan had his first work published with Dargaud in 2003: "Reality Show" (2016, Europe Comics). With his penchant for futuristic and humoristic stories, he turned out to be the ideal script-writer for taking the reins of "Spirou" and modernising the still dashing sixty-year-old. "Paris-sous-Seine" demonstrated that after a long absence, the old bell-boy of the Moustic Hotel has definitely joined us in the 21st century.