Raoul Thomen was influenced by Charlie Chaplin, like many comic artists of his time. The first Chaplin-inspired comics appeared in England, and it was Thomen who introduced them in France. Raoul Thomen was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and settled in France in 1898. His early work appeared in La Plume from 1899, followed by contributions to L'Illustré National, La Jeunesse Moderne, La Vie de Garnison, L'Épatant, Almanach National, Pêle-Mêle, Lili, Midinette and Boum!.
In 1921, Thomen created his Chaplin inspired series 'Les Aventures Acrobatiques de Charlot' in Cri-Cri, and he continued it until 1939 in Boum!, L'As and L'Épatant. The comics were collected in fifteen albums by the publisher Offenstadt between 1926 and 1938. After World War II, several artists continued the series, like Pierre Lacroix, Mat and Jean-Claude Forest.
Other notable creations by Raoul Thomen are 'Thomas Picook, Détective', which he created under the pseudonym Harry Narth in L'American Illustré in 1907, as well as the poetic 'Blanche-Neige' and 'Madame j'Ordonne' in Fillette from 1938. During the War, he drew for Montsouris (some strips in Lisette and Pierrot), Del Duca and Éditions Mondiales.
He also produced a large quantity of comics for Éditions Gordinne, including 'Le Petit Poucet' and 'Marius'.
Text (c) Lambiek
