Herge

On the subject of influences, none is greater to me than Georges Remi, also known as Herge. Considered by many to be one of the 'grandfathers' of modern comic art. His weekly serials involving a reporter named Tin Tin started in 1929 in a French magazine called Le Petit Vignette. Over the years Tin Tin's journeys would span the globe, and eventually be published in 24 separate volumes.

His style of illustration was known as the 'Clean Line' method. He would insert simple characters into heavily detailed backgrounds, and would use exhaustive research to get these setting right. If the stories took place in South America, he would research the cusine and the plant life for the backgrounds. Sometimes even taking field trips to these places for first hand account.

One of his stories 'Destination Moon', written in the early 1950's, famously involved a nuclear powered rocket, and Herge, step by step, illustrated the process of creating nuclear fission in a reactor.

His personal life is fascinating as well, being that he lived under Nazi occupation, and actually kept the adventures published under their rule. A great book written about his works is Tin Tin : The Complete Companion.

**UPDATE**
When I traveled through the Netherlands, I stopped at a shop called Lambiek, which is probably the best comic book shop in Amsterdam. They pretty much have all things Herge. So, I ended up picking up a copy of the long lost volume called 'Alpha Art'.