Michel Rouge

Michel Rouge has carried out various adventures through series of very different genres, varying the graphic universes: he approached the myths and stories of the Middle Ages, the western, the antiquity of the Middle East to arrive at the complicated relations of the contemporary world and of global geopolitics.

After having followed courses at the Applied Arts for some time, he began his professional career in 1977 at Vaillant editions by assisting André Chéret in inking the sets for his Rahan series. He then attended the small studio of Régis Loisel, which saw many designers pass by and during this short period produced short stories with Serge Letendre. It is at this moment that he meets Rodolphe with whom he will realize the first part of Légendes de l'Eclaté which will appear in "Métal Hurlant". It was while delivering to the editorial staff of the Metal-Hurlant newspaper a little western written by Serge Letendre, Thus goes life, that he was noticed by Jean Giraud-Moebius and that the latter then offered him to come and work with him on the Blueberry boards in the south of France. He will perfect his inking technique on the album La Longue Marche and will conceive differently the staging required by the realistic drawing.

The following year he inaugurated a long collaboration with Rodolphe. They will together produce five albums and a few short stories. In chronological order: Les Légendes de l'Eclaté; Les Écluses du Ciel, whose Glénat editions have just reissued a complete in small format then an adaptation of The Quest for the Holy Grail entitled Les Héros Cavaliers scripted by Patrick Cothias with which he will have a difference of view: he will decide to abandon the series will continue with another designer.

Michel Greg asked him for the resumption of Comanche and together they produced five albums from this series, interrupted by Hermann's withdrawal.

A few years later, Jean Giraud decides, to replace W. Vance who cannot complete the third part of the Marshal Blueberry side series, to replace him by calling on his former pupil.

It is through the intermediary of the Humanoïdes Associés that he will then draw Shimon of Samaria with the screenwriter Fred Le Berre. This adventure, which includes three albums, responds to the desire to treat a traditional climate in images, in this case the Jewish tradition, which was chosen as the context by Fred Le Berre to develop a detective plot. Having been interested for a long time in the evolution of the oriental world in the face of modern ideologies, he will finally propose to Fred Le Berre to help him script a project whose main theme refers to the traditions of India facing the strategic issues of Western hegemony. It is at Glénat editions that the first part of this new adventure will appear in September under the title La Danse de Kali in the Kashmeer series.

- Glénat