Will

Will, born Willy Maltaite, was born in 1927 in Anthée, in Belgium's Namur province. Encouraged by his mother, an amateur painter, he discovered his artistic vocation at an early age and, at just 14, became a pupil of Jijé, the star artist of Spirou magazine. Soon joined by two young animators-turned-cartoonists, André Franquin and Morris, they formed the legendary "Gang of Four," whose friendship and talent would go on to revolutionize European comic art.

After publishing his first album, Le Mystère du Bambochal, Charles Dupuis entrusted him with the continuation of Tif et Tondu, the series originally created by Fernand Dineur a decade earlier. Will remained the principal artist on the series until 1990, collaborating successively with scriptwriters Maurice Rosy, Maurice Tillieux and Stephen Desberg.

In the late 1950s, he also served as artistic director of Tintin magazine and worked as a background artist for André Franquin, and later for Peyo on Benoît Brisefer. In 1970, he created the more personal series Isabelle, a poetic fantasy developed in collaboration with Raymond Macherot, André Franquin and Yvan Delporte.

A lifelong painting enthusiast, Will embraced direct color painting in 1988 with Le Jardin des désirs (The Garden of Desires), a more mature story written specifically for him by Stephen Desberg. This was followed by La 27e Lettre (The 27^th Letter) and L'Appel de l'enfer (The Call of the Inferno). After leaving Tif et Tondu, he devoted more time to painting, enthusiastically revisiting his two favorite subjects: the female nude and the landscapes of Provence.

Will passed away in 2000 before completing his final graphic novel, L'Arbre des deux printemps, written by Rudi Miel. The book was completed posthumously by his many friends and collaborators.