Artist Profile | Cartoon & Caricature

Jim Maester

Maester was born on March 7, 1959 in Cheragas, Algeria. He is a French comic book artist and writer and creator of the characters “Atanagor Wurlitzer” and “Sister Marie-Thérèse des Batignolles”. Fan since his early years of comic magazines such as "Spirou", "Le Journal de Tintin" or later in 1982 "Pilote" (where he would discover his mentors and his main influences: Albert Uderzo, Gotlib and Jean Mulatier). He finally joined the team of the magazine “Fluide glacial”. His main characters, “Athanagor Wurlitzer” and sister “Marie Thérèse des Batignolles” were born there. In 1997, he assumed the character of Inspector "Charolles", a recurring character alongside Commissioner "Bougret de Rubrique" a Brac de Gotlib, where Charolles appears (as in the original comic strip) in the guise of "Gotlib" and is assisted by Inspector "Piggs", who is nothing less than the caricature of the Maestre himself. This caricaturist has as models Les Grandes Gueules, Patrice Ricord, Jean-Claude Morchoisne and Mulatier. In some of his stories he parodies the police and draws movie and television stars in the manner of the authors of Mad2 magazine. After his departure from Fluide glacial after 22 years of work, he joined “L'echo des Savanes” and reissued the sixth volume of the adventures of sister “Marie des Batignolles”. After having bought "Glenat", the catalog of Albin Michel's comics, from that moment that publishing house publishes most of his work. In addition, his blog drawings were published in “Le Lombard” and in his newspaper “The Strip”. In 2011, Maester decided to create the Valentine editions to publish other works, including a first collective album of cartoons: “Wanted!”, “Caricature” and “Western3”. In September 2015 he suffered a stroke, however, he is currently undergoing rehabilitation and preparing his return, "alive and motivated!", In his own words.