Benoît Sokal (Belgian, then a long-time resident of Witry-lès-Reims) is now considered a leading figure in the Reims region’s comics scene.
While he is known regionally as a comic book author, his career path is less straightforward than one might think.
Initially, he began studying veterinary medicine.
Then he completely changed course, abandoned the field, and decided to dedicate himself to drawing.
He then joined the Saint-Luc Institute in Brussels, in the graphic arts/comics department, a school renowned for training many professional illustrators.
His first comic strips were published in the magazine Le 9ème Rêve by Louis Musin, then he appeared in Les Archers in 1978.
It was during this very young period that everything changed. At 20, he created the series that would make him famous: Canardo.
Canardo is a private detective duck. Cynical, disillusioned, and sarcastic, he lives in a world of anthropomorphic animals.
The tone is funny, but often dark and acerbic.
This blend of black humor and crime fiction became Sokal’s trademark.
Even though Canardo remains his pen name, Sokal explores other, very different narratives:
With Sanguine, created in 1988 with Alain Populaire, he delivers a gripping historical story set against the backdrop of the Thirty Years’ War.
Two years later, he explores a darker register with Silence, on tue!, written with François Rivière, an immersive and tense thriller.
In 1995, he published Le Vieil homme qui n’écrivait plus (The Old Man Who No Longer Wrote), a realistic and intimate story marked by great sensitivity.
In the 1990s, he no longer limited himself to printed comics: he also turned to video games, transposing his visual and narrative universe to this new medium.
After about 15 years without publishing any comics, he returned with Kraa, a trilogy published between 2010 and 2014, more “epic” and “shamanic.” His latest major project is Aquarica, made with François Schuiten, based on a feature film script.
Sokal is not just a stylish illustrator; he is also a technical pioneer.
As early as 1994, he was among the first to use digital coloring in comics.
This technological choice subsequently influenced many other authors.
His work has been well-received by both the public and critics.
He has received numerous awards in France and Belgium:
- 1981: Grand Prix of the City of Paris + Saint-Michel Prize for Best Humorous Screenplay (for Le Chien debout)
- 1982: Milou de Marbre at the Liège Festival + Crime Comics Prize at the Reims Festival (for La Marque de Raspoutine)
- 2006: Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (France) + Officer of the Order of Leopold II (Belgium)
- 2011: Best Album of the Year Award at the Chambéry Festival (for La Vallée perdue, Kraa)
- 2012: Polar BD Prize in Cognac (for Une bavure bien baveuse)
