René Follet
René Follet (10 April 1931 – 13 March 2020), sometimes known by the pen name Ref, was a Belgian illustrator, comics writer and artist.
Also recorded as Rene Follet · REF
René Follet
Fotopersbureau de Boer · Extracted from Annet Ebbing, Haarlem, Stripdagen, Noord-Hollands Archief / Deelcollectie Kleinbeeld, NL-HlmNHA_1478_36316K00_30 · CC0
- Born
- 1931.
- Died
- 2020.
- Nationality
- Belgium.
- Occupation
- penciller, illustrator and screenwriter.
- Known for
- Edmund Bell and Jacques Le Gall.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
René Follet (10 April 1931 – 13 March 2020), sometimes known by the pen name Ref, was a Belgian illustrator, comics writer and artist.
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Note VALÉORINE
René Follet (1931–2020) was an illustrator, penciller and screenwriter, of Belgian nationality. The illustrator was born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and died in Brussels. René Follet worked for Le Journal de Mickey, Le Trombone illustré and Pilote, among others.
Among the works are Edmund Bell and Jacques Le Gall. Languages used include French. Honours include Prix de la critique, Prix Saint-Michel and Prix Tournesol.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q712665 · wikipedia · René Follet
In this article
Biography
Biography
René Follet was born in Brussels in 1931. His first publication appeared when he was 14, illustrating a promotional issue of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island for Aiglon, a chocolate factory. In 1949, he started working for the two main Franco-Belgian comics magazines of that time, Tintin and Spirou. For both, he collaborated on the series of 4-page historical stories which functioned as a starting point for many young artists like Jean Graton and Hermann Huppen. He also provided numerous illustrations for both magazines, as well as books for Casterman publishing. In his long cartooning career, spanning over 50 years, Follet never had a long-running or particularly successful series, but his many shorter series and one-shots earned him the acclaim of many of his peers. He worked for the Dutch magazine Eppo, and for the major publishing houses in Belgium and France, including Dupuis, Le Lombard, and Glénat. He also worked as the main penciller for artists Mitacq and William Vance, and made a long promotional comic for Citroën. At the beginning of his career, he was asked by Edgar Pierre Jacobs to help him draw Blake and Mortimer, but Follet refused because Jacobs did not want Follet's name to be included in the credits. As an illustrator he worked in pencil, acrylic, and other materials, and as a cartoonist was considered a master of the realistic and picturesque drawing style, or as he was dubbed, "the 'most famous unknown' great master of the 9th art". His major influences were Jijé, whose series Valhardi he continued for two albums, and the Dutch comics artist Hans G. Kresse (known for his American Indian series 'Les Peaux-Rouges' published by Casterman). Follet died at the age of 88 on 13 March 2020.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1931
René Follet born at Woluwe-Saint-Lambert.
2020
René Follet died at Brussels.
Book illustrations
According to Follet, illustrations are too short in comics; so he also illustrated novels or history books: 1949: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 1962: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (Golden Pleasure Books) 1962: The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge 1965: The Wonderful Life of the Uganda Martyrs by P.Laridan (G. Chapman Editor) 1967–1969: Les Grecs, La chevallerie, Cordées Souterraines (Dupuis editor) 1980: Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain 1983–1986: Petite histoire de France, Guerres de Vendées, Colonnies françaises with Henri Servien (ed. de Chiré) 1988: Searching for Tutankhamun by Francis Youssef (Blake and Mortimer Editor for Edgar P. Jacobs) several covers for Henri Vernes's novels (Lefrancq editor) He also worked: in Scouts de France with Pierre Joubert (illustrator of boys' adventure novels, particularly the Signe de Piste (Trail Sign) line), in Plein Jeu for Belgian scouting publications. in White Fathers publications: Caravane, John Bosco, Charles de Foucauld, Charles Lavigerie... in Spirou magazine and its supplement Le trombone illustré with Mitacq and Franquin in Tintin magazine: Rocky Bill with Yves Duval, Texas Slim from Paul Cuvelier, Samourai of black sun and Hurricane at West with Jean-Michel Charlier in Bonnes Soirées with Jijé (The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, père...) in Pep and Eppo (two Dutch magazines): (The Call of the Wild by Jack London...) with William Vance for Bob Morane and Bruno Brazil
Awards
1975: Revelation of the year at the Prix Saint-Michel, Brussels 1998: Tournesol Award, for Ikar 2 at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, France 2003: Grand Prix for drawing of the Chambre belge des Experts en Bande Dessinée (Belgian Chamber of Comics Experts) 2006: Nominated for the best artwork at the Prix Saint-Michel
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "René Follet". In België gestript, pp. 110-111. Tielt: Lannoo.
- 2.Interview with ZozoLala magazine
- 3.or as the website Evene puts it: "le plus 'célèbre méconnu' des grands maîtres du 9e art."
- 4.Décès d’un grand artiste : René Follet !
- 5.rainews.it. Arte, addio al fumettista René Follet. 14 March 2020.
- 6.Casterman site
- 7.Biography at Bédétheque
Bibliography printed in the source article · 4
- Béra, Michel; Denni, Michel; and Mellot, Philippe (2002): "Trésors de la Bande Dessinée 2003-2004". Paris, Les éditions de l'amateur.
- Peeters Jozef (2006) : René Follet, un rêveur sédentaire (éd.l'Age d'Or)
- René Follet publications in Belgian Tintin, French Tintin and Spirou BDoubliées
- René Follet albums Bedetheque
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q712665: René FolletWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
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