Benoît Sokal
Encyclopedia
Benoît Sokal is a Belgian
comic artist
and video game developer
, best known for his comics series Inspector Canardo
.
in 1954. He studied at the École Supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc
in Brussels
, together with many contemporary Belgian comic artists like François Schuiten
. He began drawing for À Suivre
in 1978. He created the Inspector Canardo
series, featuring a depressed anthropomorphic duck
detective with a penchant for cigarettes, alcohol and femmes fatales
, before working on other titles.
Later he joined the software developer Microïds
and designed the adventure game
s Amerzone
, Syberia
and Syberia II
. He then founded his own game company, White Birds Productions, where he created the adventure game Paradise published through Ubisoft
.
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
comic artist
Comic book creator
A comic book creator is someone who creates a comic book or graphic novel.The production of a comic book by one of the major comic book companies in the U.S...
and video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
, best known for his comics series Inspector Canardo
Inspector Canardo
- History :Sokal created the character Inspector Canardo after graduating from Institut Saint-Luc, at the age of 20. He first drew his comics for À Suivre but after the comic became popular, they were published as albums by Casterman.- Canardo :...
.
Biography
Benoît Sokal was born in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1954. He studied at the École Supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc
Institut Saint-Luc
The Institut Saint-Luc is an arts school in Brussels. It consists of six departments, with a total of 2200 students and some 430 employees, divided over five locations in Ixelles and Saint-Gilles.-History:...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, together with many contemporary Belgian comic artists like François Schuiten
François Schuiten
Baron François Schuiten is a Belgian comic book artist. He is best known for drawing the series Les Cités Obscures.-Biography:François Schuiten was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1956....
. He began drawing for À Suivre
À Suivre
or was a Franco-Belgian comics magazine published from February 1978 to December 1997 by the Casterman publishing house....
in 1978. He created the Inspector Canardo
Inspector Canardo
- History :Sokal created the character Inspector Canardo after graduating from Institut Saint-Luc, at the age of 20. He first drew his comics for À Suivre but after the comic became popular, they were published as albums by Casterman.- Canardo :...
series, featuring a depressed anthropomorphic duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
detective with a penchant for cigarettes, alcohol and femmes fatales
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
, before working on other titles.
Later he joined the software developer Microïds
Microïds
Microïds is a French software brand belonging to Anuman Interactive that publishes and develops video games. In recent years the company's collection of brands and game licenses has grown since being a part of MC2 France...
and designed the adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s Amerzone
Amerzone
Amerzone is a first-person adventure game produced by French company Microïds, and designed by Benoît Sokal...
, Syberia
Syberia
Syberia is a 2002 computer adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal, developed by Microïds and published through The Adventure Company. It follows the protagonist Kate Walker as she attempts to wrap up a sale on the behalf of her law firm...
and Syberia II
Syberia II
Syberia II is a 2004 adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal and developed by MC2-Microïds, and a continuation to Syberia. It is a third-person puzzle-solving game. Stylistically identical to the first Syberia, Syberia II improves upon the first game by introducing more realistic character animation...
. He then founded his own game company, White Birds Productions, where he created the adventure game Paradise published through Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
.
Video games
- AmerzoneAmerzoneAmerzone is a first-person adventure game produced by French company Microïds, and designed by Benoît Sokal...
(1999) - SyberiaSyberiaSyberia is a 2002 computer adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal, developed by Microïds and published through The Adventure Company. It follows the protagonist Kate Walker as she attempts to wrap up a sale on the behalf of her law firm...
(2002) - Syberia IISyberia IISyberia II is a 2004 adventure game conceived by Benoît Sokal and developed by MC2-Microïds, and a continuation to Syberia. It is a third-person puzzle-solving game. Stylistically identical to the first Syberia, Syberia II improves upon the first game by introducing more realistic character animation...
(2004) - Paradise (2006)
- Last King of Africa (2008) (Nintendo DS version of Paradise)
- Sinking IslandSinking IslandSinking Island is an third-person perspective adventure game that uses point and click game mechanics. Released in France on October 4, 2007, it was developed by White Birds Productions, a company founded and led by Benoît Sokal, the creator of the adventure games Amerzone and Syberia.- Story :The...
(2007) - Nikopol: Secrets of the ImmortalsNikopol: Secrets of the ImmortalsNikopol: Secrets of the Immortals is a point and click adventure game developed by White Birds Productions and based on the graphics novels of Enki Bilal's The Nikopol Trilogy.-Plot:...
(2008) - Aquarica (2008) (canceled)
- Syberia IIISyberia IIISyberia III is a planned computer adventure game sequel in the Syberia series. The story of the first two games was conceived by Benoît Sokal, and developed by French games company Microïds. While it was expected to be released in 2011 for PC, and possibly PlayStation 3, the release date is unknown...
(2012) (expected)
Awards
- 1999: Prix Pixel-INA (category "Games") at the Imagina 99 festival, MonacoMonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
- 2002: GameSpyGameSpyGameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
PC Adventure Game of the Year - 2003: nominated for the Award for Best DialogueAngoulême International Comics Festival Other awardsA number of awards was only presented at the Angoulême International Comics Festival for a short time.-Award for best French artist:* 1974: Alexis* 1975: Jacques Tardi* 1976: André Cheret* 1977: Moebius* 1978: Paul Gillon-Award for best foreign artist:...
at the Angoulême International Comics FestivalAngoulême International Comics FestivalThe Angoulême International Comics Festival is the largest comics festival in Europe. It has occurred every year since 1974 in Angoulême, France, in the month of January.The four-day festival is notable for awarding several prestigious prizes in cartooning...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
External links
- Sokal publications in (A SUIVRE) BDoubliées
- Sokal albums Bedetheque
- White Birds Productions official site Benoît Sokal's company
- Benoît Sokal biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia