René Goscinny

René Goscinny was a French comic writer and editor best known for co-creating the beloved Asterix series alongside illustrator Albert Uderzo. Born on 14 August 1926 in France to a Polish Jewish family, he spent his formative years in Argentina attending French-language schools before a stint in the United States brought a fateful encounter with Belgian cartoonist Morris. That friendship sparked a collaboration lasting more than two decades on Lucky Luke, a run widely regarded as the series' creative peak.

After returning to France, Goscinny became a prolific and central figure in European comics, contributing as writer and editor across an enormous range of titles. His work on Asterix — the comic adventures of an indomitable Gaulish village resisting Roman occupation — became a cornerstone of Franco-Belgian comics culture, earning a readership spanning generations and continents. Beyond Asterix and Lucky Luke, he wrote Iznogoud with artist Jean Tabary and penned the warmly comic Le Petit Nicolas children's books, illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé.

Goscinny's strengths lay in sharp, layered humor that worked equally well for children and adults, and in his ability to sustain long-form character-driven storytelling across many collaborators. He died on 5 November 1977, leaving behind a body of work credited across well over a thousand comic issues. His influence on European comics remains profound and enduring.