Marc-René Novi was born in Nice and made his debut in 1945 at the publishing house Editions Populaires Monégasques in Monaco. He contributed to 'Jim au Maquis' after having taken courses in Decorative Arts. In 1948, he followed the publisher to its new location in Paris, where the firm continued as Les Editions Populaires Modernes (EPM). He also began a collaboration with the S.P.E. and contributed comics like 'Yvette Le Mesnil, Hôtesse de l'Air' to Fillette (1950). This was followed by 'Le Secret de la Mare aux Biches', 'Correspondante de Guere' and 'La Case de l'Oncle Tom'.
