William Vance

As the artist behind XIII, Bob Morane, Howard Flynn, Ramiro and Bruce J. Hawker, William Vance is a leading figure in Franco-Belgian comics, admired by his peers. He collaborated with Henri Vernes, Greg, Jean Van Hamme and Jean Giraud. His series XIII, launched in the 1980s with writer Jean Van Hamme (Thorgal, Largo Winch…), is one of the greatest publishing successes in the history of comic art, spanning 22 volumes and selling 15 million copies worldwide. His hyper-realistic style has influenced generations of artists, with its rigorous, precise and dynamic linework, cinematic framing and powerful inking. This great master of the Ninth Art devoted fifty years of his life to adventure in all its forms, from the Wild West to pirate-infested-seas, and from medieval epics to thrillers. Galerie Daniel Maghen has dedicated four exhibitions to him, including a major retrospective in 2017 that brought together over 200 works from his greatest series.

William Vance is one of the key artists at specialist comic art auctions, confirming collectors’ interest in this legendary figure of the Ninth Art and his flagship series XIII, Bob Morane, Marshal Blueberry, Ramiro and Bruce J. Hawker. Every year, Daniel Maghen Auctions runs a special section dedicated to the artist, featuring iconic covers, pages, illustrations and paintings. The world record was set by the original artwork used for the back cover of the XIII series (1989), which was estimated at €25,000 and sold for €104,500 (including VAT) in 2017.

To preserve your works on paper, we recommend that you never expose them to direct light, as UV rays can damage the mediums used. Paintings made with pastel or charcoal require special care to avoid rubbing. Works containing watercolor are particularly sensitive to light, unlike gouache and acrylic.
We advise you to display them away from windows, and to use frames made from pH-neutral conservation materials and “Museum” glass with anti-UV and anti-reflective treatment. If you prefer to keep your works unframed, we recommend storing them flat, in drawing cartons, with sheets of pH-neutral permanent paper in between. Keep them away from light and humidity.

The Belgian comic artist and illustrator William Vance, whose real name was William Van Cutsen (1935–2018), ranks among the greatest classics of the Ninth Art. He began his career in advertising before joining the magazine Tintin in 1962. He created Howard Flynn (1964), then explored the Western genre with Ringo (1965) and the thriller genre with Bruno Brazil (1967, 11 albums, script by Greg). He also took over Bob Morane for 15 years and illustrated Ramiro and XHG C3. In 1976, he launched Bruce J. Hawker (7 volumes), followed by XIII in 1984 with scriptwriter Jean Van Hamme, which quickly established itself as one of the major successes of Franco-Belgian comics. In 1991 and 1993, he illustrated the first two instalments of Marshal Blueberry (by Jean Giraud) and the western Mongwy. Prolific and versatile, he worked across science fiction, history, crime and adventure. In 2010, he announced his departure from the XIII series for health reasons, having illustrated 18 volumes of the series. The artist died in Spain in 2018.