Co-creator of the Yakari comic strip, André Jobin, better known under the pseudonym Job, died Tuesday at the age of 96, Editions du Lombard announced on Wednesday. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, including two Youth Prizes from the Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Born on October 25, 1927 in Delémont, Switzerland, André Jobin was not really predestined for a career in comics. A graduate of the Higher School of Journalism and the Institute of Social and Political Sciences of Lille, he is a journalist in various media such as Le Pays in Porrentruy. He became involved in politics by becoming a member of the steering committee of the Jura Rally.
His career took a new turn in 1967, when he met the designer Derib. In 1969, when Derib took a character out of his boxes, a certain Yakari, he suggested to his screenwriter Job that he create stories from it. The latter accepts, on the condition that the young hero remains a child of the wild and that the intrigues do not fall into the clichés of the western, recall Editions du Lombard.
Each episode must also introduce a new animal. Yakari took his first steps in black and white on December 12, 1969. The two authors could not imagine the success to come. Throughout his career as a comic book writer, Job’s stories reflected his good humor and a visionary spirit, particularly in the field of ecology, according to his publisher.
