Robert Lortac

Robert Lortac, born Robert Alphonse Collard on November 19, 1884, in Cherbourg, France, was a versatile French artist and writer whose career spanned illustration, animation, and comics. He is best known for his work on the long-running French comic series *Les Pieds Nickelés*, as well as for his contributions to the science-fiction titles *Météor* and *Fulguros*. Lortac began his creative path as a portraitist and illustrator before moving into animation, where he became an early pioneer of the medium in France. He also worked as an art critic. In comics, he is credited as a writer on 16 issues, with his most active period stretching from 1955 into the late 1990s. His signature style blended sharp, satirical humor with adventure, often collaborating with artists on serialized strips. Lortac co-created the space-adventure hero Fulguros, a character who appeared in *Météor* and its related titles, cementing his legacy in French bande dessinée. He died on April 10, 1973, in Paris. While not a recipient of major international awards, Lortac is remembered as a key figure in the development of French popular comics and animation, bridging the gap between early cinematic cartoons and the post-war comic boom.