Automobiles have inspired plenty of brilliant comic illustrators, but few were as popular in Europe as Belgium’s Jean de Mesmaeker, better known by his pen name, Jidéhem.
For more than 30 years his colourful drawings were a star feature of the comic Spirou.
De Mesmaeker was born in 1935 in Brussels. At the age of eight, an illness confined him to home, where he started drawing.
Hergé’s Tintin was a major influence, and the French comic legend’s vivid colours, economy of line and graphically drawn machinery were an inspiration.
Saloon battle, with Mercedes-Benz Fintail chased by a BMW 1800 and Lotus Cortina
Later, while studying art at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels, de Mesmaeker took his portfolio to the Héroic-Albums studio, where his graphic story about a young detective, Ginger, impressed the publisher.
A full series was commissioned, and de Mesmaeker created the pseudonym Jidéhem, based on his own initials.
The Ginger stories featured spectacular car chases – Jidéhem loved drawing American cars, and his talent for capturing movement was greatly regarded.
The arrival of a bold new car design, such as the Panhard 24CT, always inspired new characters in the Les chroniques de Starter series
Frustratingly, the Héroic-Albums comic failed to sell and the studio closed in 1956, but, together with mentor Maurice Tillieux, Jidéhem started working for Belgian magazine Spirou.
That same year, he teamed up with automotive journalist Jacques Wauters for Spirou’s Les chroniques de Starter series.
The strip focused on a mechanic, Starter, who road-tested the latest models and explained technical innovations.
When Wauters retired, Jidéhem took over the writing as well, and the series ran until 1978.
Jidéhem enjoyed capturing the joy of driving an Alfa Romeo, as illustrated by this Giulia TI Super on a twisty mountain road with a chasing BMW
The joy of Jidéhem’s style was the combination of his superbly drawn vehicles and the colourful, scenic backgrounds, with Starter whizzing along coastal roads or up mountain passes.
Young Belgian car enthusiasts loved the diversity of the subjects, too: in addition to modern production cars, Starter also covered motorsport, from Cooper 500s to Ferrari sports-prototypes.
Concept cars always inspired fun drawings, including the Pinin Farina PF-X saloon and the Lamborghini Marzal.
The traffic-stopping Lamborghini Marzal concept car stars in this Jidéhem drawing
Jidéhem was commissioned by l’Auto-Journal in 1960 to illustrate a series of articles about motoring accidents recreated at Montlhéry, but the collaboration ended when the illustrator refused to draw a fatal motorcycle crash.
As well as the latest automotive topics, the Spirou team covered vintage vehicles.
In 1990, selected car drawings from the 1960s were compiled by publisher La Sirène into four books under the Les chroniques de Starter banner.
Jidéhem depicts a family squeezing inside a Fiat 500 Giardiniera
Comic books tend to be created by a team of artists, and for the popular Spirou and Fantasio stories Jidéhem was enlisted to draw and colour the backgrounds.
When interesting vehicles were needed he was the man for the task, which led to commercial work for Esso, Berliet trucks and Kellogg’s.
Jidéhem also created his own book series including the Sophie character, a rare female hero inspired by his daughter.
Jidéhem illustrates a dramatic pre-war race, with Aston Martin Le Mans, Alfa Romeo 6C and Bugatti Type 43; graphic phonetics give exhaust sounds
In his final years, the artist revived Ginger for some new adventures.
Jidéhem passed away in 2017, and is now highly regarded for his detailed vehicles and fantastic landscapes.
Original works are prized, and when auctioned they command serious prices.
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Mick Walsh is Classic & Sports Car’s International Editor