De Gieter Pharao

Lucien De Gieter studied art at the Saint-Luc in Brussels. He then went to work as a decorator and a designer, but he soon turned to comics. He joined Spirou magazine in 1962, where he did his first work in the mini-books section. He wrote several of these small centre-folded comic books for such artists as Eddy Ryssack, Jem, Francis and Kiko. He also began his own 'Pony' comic in this section. He then joined the Peyo studios for a while, where he inked 'Les Schtroumpfs' and created new gags with 'Poussy'.

It was with the comic 'Tooot et Puit' that he became an allround author. This series, about a Japanese fisherman and a mermaid, first appeared in 1966. In 1974, he began his classic 'Papyrus' saga. This series, set in ancient Egypt, became his sole focus from then on. The success of the series led to a series of animated cartoons and an extended merchandise line in the late 1990s.

source: www.lambiek.net