Morris (Maurice De Bevere)

Belgian illustrator Maurice De Bevere, known by the pseudonym Morris, was born in Kortrijk, Belgium in 1923 and passed away in Brussels on July 16, 2001, at the age of 77. In 1946, he created the character and adventures of Lucky Luke for the Belgian comic magazine "Spirou." In 1948, he traveled to the USA to discover firsthand what remained of the Wild West, where he lived for six years and collaborated with "Mad" magazine. Upon returning to Belgium, he began working with French scriptwriter Rene Goscinny (later the creator of Asterix), who wrote all the Lucky Luke stories from 1955 until his death in 1977. Morris then collaborated with other scriptwriters for both Lucky Luke and the subsequent series featuring the dog Rantanplan. Lucky Luke served as the basis for more than 100 animated films during the '80s and '90s, as well as three live-action films. In book form, it continues to be the most popular European comic, having sold over 300 million copies in thirty languages.