Belgian comic book editor Yves Schlirf has passed away at the age of 76, according to publishers Dargaud and Kana. Schlirf was a pivotal figure in bringing Japanese manga to the French-speaking world.
In 1996, he founded Kana, a specialized manga imprint within Dargaud, which introduced major titles such as ‘Naruto’, ‘Saint Seiya’, ‘Detective Conan’, ‘Slam Dunk’, ‘Hunter x Hunter’, and ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ to francophone readers. Throughout his 50-year career, he also held leadership roles as the general manager of Dargaud in Belgium and editorial director for Dargaud Benelux and the ‘Blake & Mortimer’ editions.
In addition to his work with manga, Schlirf was the editor of the successful ‘XIII’ series and supervised the relaunch of ‘Blake & Mortimer’. Dargaud and Kana praised his ‘insatiable curiosity’ and his ability to remain in tune with popular series.