Marijac

Jacques Dumas, who wrote and drew under the pen name Marijac, was born on 7 November 1908 in France and died on 21 July 1994. He is best remembered as a prolific writer, artist, and editor who helped shape the French comics landscape after World War II. Marijac’s path into the medium began in the 1930s, but his most significant work emerged during and after the war, when he founded the influential comics magazine *Coq Hardi* in 1944. That title became a launchpad for his own creations and a home for many other talents.

His signature series include the space-adventure strip *Guerre à la Terre*, the supernatural thriller *Capitaine fantôme* (also published in German as *Käptn Fantom*), and the Western *Poncho Libertas*. Marijac often worked with collaborators such as Raymond Poïvet, Auguste Liquois, and Pierre Le Guen, though he also wrote and drew many stories himself. He was a key figure in the postwar revival of French comics, blending adventure, humor, and patriotic themes.

Later in life, Marijac continued to write and edit, with his credits spanning from 1944 into the late 1990s. He received several honors from the French comics community, including the Grand Prix de la Ville d’Angoulême in 1982, recognizing his lasting impact on the medium. Today, he is remembered as a tireless advocate for the art form and a bridge between the prewar and modern eras of bande dessinée.