Jean Van Hamme signed his first scenarios in 1968. He then increased his collaborations and quickly became one of the best-known European scenario writers. Among his most popular successes, one can name Thorgal with Rosinski, XIII (illustrated by Vance and published by Dargaud), and Largo Winch (illustrated by Francq and published by Dupuis). In 2003, during the French graphic novel festival of Vaison-la-Romaine, the jury for young readers awarded the prize for best scenario to Jean Van Hamme for The Barbarian (a volume of the Thorgal series). In 2005, the French Minister of Culture decorated him with the rank of "Officier des Arts et des Lettres." As for Grzegorz Rosinski, he published his first drawings very early, at 16 years old. In 1977, in collaboration with Jean Van Hamme, he launched the saga of Thorgal in Tintin magazine. Rosinski has received two lifetime achievement awards for his outstanding work; the first was in 2004 during the graphic novel festival of Belgium, and then he received the "Grand Prix Albert Uderzo" in 2005, during the graphic novel festival of Nimes (France).