Philippe Francq

Philippe Francq was born on 13 December 1961 in Belgium. He is best known as the artist behind the long-running thriller series *Largo Winch*, which he has drawn for decades. Francq entered comics through formal training at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels, later breaking into the industry with short stories for magazines. His big break came when he teamed with writer Jean Van Hamme to launch *Largo Winch* in 1990, a series that follows a billionaire adventurer and became a bestseller across Europe. Francq’s style is clean, dynamic, and grounded in realistic detail, with a strong command of shadow and composition that suits the series’ globe-trotting intrigue. He has also contributed to *Agent X9*, *Eppo Stripblad*, and the *Léo Tomasini* series. Over his career, spanning from 1987 to the present, he has been credited as artist, colorist, and inker on 146 issues. His collaborations with Van Hamme are his most celebrated, though he has worked with other writers on shorter projects. Later in his career, Francq continued to draw *Largo Winch* while also overseeing reprints and special editions. He has received several industry honors, including the Prix Saint-Michel for best comic book album. His work remains a benchmark for European adventure comics, and he is regarded as a key figure in the modern Franco-Belgian bande dessinée tradition.