THE RAYMOND LEBLANC FOUNDATION

The Raymond Leblanc Foundation

Officially inaugurated on 26 September 2006, marking the 60th anniversary of Éditions du Lombard and Tintin magazine, the Raymond Leblanc Foundation was opened to the public on 27 September of the same year. The RLF's purpose is to honour, archive and preserve the entire cultural heritage of Raymond Leblanc, one of the founders of Éditions du Lombard, Tintin magazine, Publiart advertising agency and Belvision animation studios. Located in a specially created department on the 2nd floor of the 'Tintin Building', the RLF hosts a permanent collection for the viewing public, and also organises temporary exhibitions. The aim of the RLF is to respect the history of comic strips and animation. The accomplishments of Raymond Leblanc in these fields are displayed through a series of dedicated rooms and galleries. Looking towards the future, the RLF also hopes to encourage and support innovation in the world of comic strips, and to this end has established an annual prize to be awarded to young cartoonists. Candidates present a short story and a cover, on a given topic. Winners are collectively published by Éditions du Lombard, and also benefit from a dedicated exhibition of their work. The overall winner also receives financial support. Details of this contest were revealed at the official inauguration of the RLF. The RLF is also committed to promoting the image of Brussels as the capital city of Europe and comic strips, by drawing attention to its heritage, particularly through the historic Tintin Building. Moreover, the RLF has been established with the objective of facilitating meetings and intercultural exchange, supporting and stimulating the development of comic strips in general and honouring those who create them. Conferences are organised in the former Belvision viewing room, which has been redesigned specifically for this purpose.

Raymond Leblanc

Raymond Leblanc was born on 22 May 1915 in Longlier, near Neufchâteau, in the Belgian Ardennes.As a young man, he began a career in the civil service as a customs inspector, but World War II would alter his destiny. As a reserve officer in 1942, Leblanc published his first work dedicated to the war, Dés pipés - Journal d'un Chasseur Ardennais. At this time he also joined the Resistance. In the days following World War II, Raymond Leblanc decided to start a business. He went into partnership with two friends who were also passionate about publishing: André Sinave and Albert Debaty.

In December 1944, the three men set up a small publishing company called Yes. The fledgling company  -  which had no more than a dozen authors on its books  -  was based in Brussels, where it occupied three buildings at 55 Rue du Lombard, near the famous Grand Place. This address influenced the name of a new company later established within the same building: Les Éditions du Lombard. The company published two periodicals: Cœur (subtitled le roman d'amour du Jeudi), a weekly collection of love stories, and Ciné-Sélection, a magazine focussing on news from the cinema.

In 1945, Raymond Leblanc and his partners attempted to persuade Hergé, author of The Adventures of Tintin, to create a new magazine for young people, which was simply to be called Tintin. Hergé agreed to the proposition. Launched in 1929 and with 12 albums  -  published originally by Les Éditions du Petit-Vingtième and then by Casterman  -  under his belt, the little reporter now became the host of, and star character within, a 12-page weekly magazine dedicated to comic strips.

Hergé, in his capacity as artistic director, created a team at Tintin magazine made up of three friends: Edgar Pierre Jacobs, Jacques Laudy and Paul Cuvelier. The four talented writers got straight to work with tremendous gusto. The first Tintin story to appear in the magazine was Prisoners of the Sun. E.P. Jacobs created a new series  -  beginning in the first issue of Tintin magazine with The Secret of the Swordfish  -  introducing his soon-to-become-star characters Blake and Mortimer. With the makings of a great cartoonist, the young Paul Cuvelier created L'extraordinaire Odyssée de Corentin Feldoë. Little known to the mainstream public, Jacques Laudy lovingly illustrated La Légende des quatre Fils Aymon.

On 26 September 1946, Tintin magazine and its Dutch counterpart Kuifje appeared in kiosks and bookstores throughout Belgium. Several days later, nearly every one of the 60,000 copies had been sold.

In April 1947, Tintin magazine became known as 'the magazine for children from 7 to 77 years old'.

In 1948, Raymond Leblanc convinced young Parisian publisher Georges Dargaud to publish a French version of the weekly magazine. For more then 350,000 French youths, reading Tintin became a treasured weekly activity.

In 1950, the success of the Tintin prompted Raymond Leblanc to begin publishing albums of the comic strips that had been popularised by the magazine. The first two volumes appearing under the Éditions du Lombard label, were signed Edgar Pierre Jacobs (The Secret of the Swordfish Vol.1) and Paul Cuvelier (Les Extraordinaires Aventures de Corentin). Leblanc's initiative led to the publication of approximately 1500 titles, of which more than 800 are still available in the current catalogue. In December 1950, Raymond Leblanc decided to reward the magazine's readers by creating loyalty points  -  'Tintin Stamps'  -  to save and collect. These stamps first appeared in the Belgian magazine in January 1951. French readers had to wait until 1952 for their version of the stamps, 'Tintin Cheques'. In exchange for a given number of points, these coupons could be traded for various prizes (an original idea at the time) including puzzles, portfolios and books of chromolithographs entitled Voir et Savoir, which were illustrated by Studios Hergé. The craze for collecting Tintin Stamps led to food producers putting bonus stamps on their packaging. The runaway success of the idea obliged Éditions du Lombard to hire twenty new employees in the creation of a department dedicated to the stamps. Approximately 200 million Tintin Stamps circulated in Belgium every year. Having overgrown its offices at 55 Rue du Lombard, the company expanded into a larger building located at number 24 of the same street, first occupying one floor and then taking a second floor in 1952. The first 'Tintin Shop' opened on the ground floor.

In 1953, Éditions du Lombard published Junior, the children's supplement to Chez Nous magazine. Many new series, including Chick Bill by author Tibet, first appeared in this new magazine.

In July 1954, Raymond Leblanc created Publiart advertising agency, which he entrusted to the direction of Guy Dessicy. For the first time ever in Belgium, an advertising company made use of comic strip characters. Important clients included Côte d'Or chocolate makers, and Coca-Cola. Publiart would later create the famous character of Walibi the Kangaroo, figurehead of a popular Belgian amusement park.

On 11 December 1954, Belvision studios were born. This company employed artists to draw comic strip characters for animated cartoons that appeared on television. Later, the studios were equipped with the latest technology and an extended workforce that was capable of producing short and full-length animated films for the big screen, such as Pinocchio in Space (a Belgian-American co-production), Asterix the Gaul, Asterix and Cleopatra, Prisoners of the Sun, Lucky Luke in Daisy Town, Tintin and the Lake of Sharks, Gulliver's Travels and The Smurfs and the Magic Flute. Belvision became one of the largest studios in Europe producing full-length films, as well as promotional films and documentaries starring comic strip characters from Tintin magazine. Created by talented European animation specialists, Belvision's productions met worldwide success. At the time the company was respectively referred to as the 'European Hollywood of animation.'

On 11 March 1955, while still in partnership with Georges Dargaud, Raymond Leblanc launched Line, the magazine for stylish girls, as a Tintin magazine for female readers.

On 13 September 1958, thanks to the tremendous success of Tintin magazine and Tintin Stamps, the three companies Éditions du Lombard, Publiart and Belvision  -  collectively employing around 100 people at the time  -  left the Rue du Lombard and moved into a new building that had been designed and built by Raymond Leblanc on Avenue Paul-Henri Spaak, near the Gare du Midi railway station. Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak officially inaugurated the street named after him, as well as the 'Tintin Building'.

In 1962, Raymond Leblanc and Georges Dargaud became co-publishers of the weekly magazine Pilote, created by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo and Jean-Michel Charlier.

In December 1963, bought out by Daniel Filipacchi, weekly magazine Line gave up its place to a new magazine for girls entitled Mademoiselle Age Tendre. Les Éditions du Lombard was responsible for the Belgian version. When asked about his company's success, Raymond Leblanc quoted a famous American saying while referring to his workforce: 'There are no successful businesses. There are only successful people.' Astute businessman and visionary, Raymond Leblanc stands alongside figures such as Charles Dupuis, Louis-Robert Casterman and Georges Dargaud, who have helped to promote comic strips as serious literature, and to elevate them to the status of an art form.

In 1986, Raymond Leblanc sold Éditions du Lombard to Franco-Belgian publishing group Média-Participations.

On 29 November 1988, the last issue of Tintin magazine went to press. Kuifje, the Dutch version, continued until 26 June 1993.

In 2003, during the 30th Angoulême International Comics Festival, Raymond Leblanc was awarded the first honorary 'Alph-Art' award to be presented to a publisher. Honorary President of Éditions du Lombard, Raymond Leblanc continued regularly to visit his office on the 8th floor of the Tintin building on Avenue Paul-Henri Spaak, beneath the famous giant sign of Tintin and Snowy. Now owned by Dargaud-Bénélux and Kana, Éditions du Lombard and Belvision have occupied the same building for nearly 50 years. The building, which has just been completely renovated, is also home to the new Raymond Leblanc Foundation.

On 26 September 2006, Éditions du Lombard celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding and the creation of Tintin magazine. Various exhibitions were organised to celebrate the event. Raymond Leblanc's memoirs, written by Jacques Pessis and entitled, Raymond Leblanc, Le Magicien de Nos Enfances  -  La Grande Aventure Du Journal Tintin, have been published by Éditions de Fallois.

Raymond Leblanc died on the 21 March 2008 at the age of 92.

The Raymond Leblanc award

The RLF wishes to encourage and support innovation by awarding an annual prize to young comic strip authors. Candidates present a short story and cover, on a given topic. Winners are collectively published by Éditions du Lombard and also benefit from a dedicated exhibition of their work. The overall winner also receives financial support.

Raymond Leblanc prize 2010-2011

The Raymond Leblanc Foundation, in the name of the founder of Éditions du Lombard, Tintin magazine and Belvision animated cartoon studios, organises a prestigious competition aimed at encouraging young talent in the field of comic strips. The Prix Raymond Leblanc offers substantial prizes: € 10,000 for first place, the publication of a collective album for the top five winners and an exhibition of the works of the top 15 winners. For the 2010-2011 competition each participant is required to create a cover and four pages on the theme of 'Du réel au virtuel : Internet, mon amour' (From the real to the virtual: my love, the Internet). The deadline for entries is 24 June 2011.  

Contacts

www.fondationrleblanc.be