TED BENOIT - Lot 88

TED BENOIT BLAKE AND MORTIMER The Francis Blake Affair (T.13), Blake and Mortimer 1996 Original plate n° 40. Signed. India ink on paper 36.9 × 48.2 cm (14.53 × 18.98 in.) Ted Benoit's Ligne claire, like Swarte's, certainly originated with Hergé, but was influenced by the codes of the Underground. Not so in Blake et Mortimer, where the Jacobsian line is perfectly respected. What sets Ted Benoit apart from his peers in the adventures of our British heroes is that he is a stylist as well as a perfectionist. First and foremost, in his narration: he manages the succession of shots, the changes of focus and the cinematographic effect, more modern than that of Jacobs, sometimes better than his model. Added to this is Jean Van Hamme's screenplay, which is written with economy in mind, without unnecessary effects, avoiding as far as possible the long, redundant descriptions of the founder of the Brussels School. This is clearly evident here. That's why Ted Benoit is rightly considered one of the best exponents of the Jacobsian universe.