Departures of note

Rodolphe Daniel Jacquette, known professionally as Rodolphe, was born on 18 May 1948 in Bois-Colombes. After studying literature at the University of Nanterre and working as a teacher, he published a biography of Robert Louis Stevenson before being encouraged by comics writer Jacques Lob to turn to scriptwriting. He began his comics career in the mid-1970s, contributing to magazines such as Pilote, (À suivre) and Métal Hurlant, and later directed the magazine Imagine. Over a career spanning five decades he wrote more than 200 albums across genres including fantasy, crime, history, adventure and western. Among his best-known series are Trent, created with the artist Leo, the Kenya, Namibia and Amazonia cycle, Cliff Burton, Das Reich, Ter, Pump and Rainmaker, and he also took over the final volume of Comanche after the death of Greg. He wrote many one-shot albums and children's comics, as well as novels and illustrated books. He received numerous honours, including the Jacques-Lob Prize in 1993 and awards at the Angoulême and Charleroi festivals. Rodolphe died of a cardiac arrest on 23 September 2026 at the age of 78.