VANCE - Lot 94

VANCE WILLIAM VANCE RAMIRO Les Otages (T.8), Dargaud 1983 Original plate no. 17, prepublished in Femmes d'Aujourd'hui in 1978. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 32.9 × 43.5 cm (12.95 × 17.13 in.) William Vance's sumptuous plate for Ramiro, one of his favorite series in which he himself wrote the script. This is the sequence in which Ramiro and his knights, commissioned by Alfonso VIII to recover the Visigoth treasure stolen by the Berbers, approach the camp where the Moors are holding their hostages. The result is a superb night scene in which William Vance displays all his inking mastery. The Ramiro series is less well known than other series drawn by Vance. It follows on from Bob Morane, which was already excellent, and this episode coincides with the discontinuation of Bruno Brazil, for lack of a script provided by Greg. This volume was also published at the same time as the very start of XIII, a series written by Jean Van Hamme and published in Spirou the following year. This is pure Vance from the best period, and this plate is magnificent.