Editing Blake and Mortimer (section)

==Publication history==
===Under Edgar P. Jacobs===
With the launch of the [[Tintin (magazine)|Tintin]] magazine, which showcased books from The Adventures of Tintin series, it included the story ''[[The Secret of the Swordfish]]'', introducing the characters of Blake, Mortimer, and Olrik to wider audiences.

The production of these instalments of the series ended in 1949, but the publication of further stories concerning the characters' exploits continued for many years, only ending with the death of the series' creator. Books penned and illustrated by him saw the two heroes go on adventures ranging from the lost city of [[Atlantis]] to the [[catacombs of Paris]].

After Jacobs' death in 1987, [[Bob de Moor]] completed his last story, left unfinished following the incident.

===Following Jacobs' death===
From 1987, the Jacobs [[Estate (law)|estate]], centred on the still operational Jacobs Studios, republished all of Jacobs' works.

In the 1990s, after much debate about stories' authenticity, [[Dargaud]] got permission to revive the series, including the creation and publication of new stories by a newly recruited team of writers and illustrators, published as further instalments in the series. These books are still firmly set in the middle-to-late 20th century, and include many new regular supporting characters, most notably Blake's colleagues in the security services. Much of the new additions are of the creation of two separate teams of authors, [[Jean Van Hamme|Van Hamme]]/[[Ted Benoit|Benoit]] and [[Yves Sente|Sente]]/[[André Juillard|Juillard]].

The first of these, The Francis Blake Affair, was published in 1996. Its storyline was provided by famous scenarist [[Jean Van Hamme]], and specialist draughtsman [[Ted Benoit]] (whose [[Ligne claire]] drawing style resembles that of the late Jacobs') was contracted for the artwork. Purists, partial to the original plotlines of those penned by Jacobs, immediately objected to the choice of Van Hamme and, upon publication, went on to discover the feature of some of his typically trademark plot twists, taking an instant dislike to his contribution. The elements of science fiction, prominent in earlier books by Jacobs', were noticeably absent from this new addition, which contained a strong focus on espionage. Despite the negative reception and criticism it faced, the book was a relative success, and the publisher decided to continue the line. During this time, both Benoit and Van Hamme became engaged on other projects, and their commitments caused a delay in the production of the series' next instalment.

As an interim solution, writer [[Yves Sente]] and artist [[André Juillard]] were contracted to publish another adventure, ''The Voronov Plot'' (1998) containing prevalent themes of the Cold War.

Later on, Van Hamme and Benoit completed work on their book, The Strange Encounter, which appeared in 2001, and concerns the heroes' confrontation of mysterious alien creatures.

This was followed by the publication of Sente and Juillard's two-part adventure ''The Sarcophagi of the Sixth Continent'' (''Part 1: The Global Threat'', in 2003; ''Part 2: Battle of the Spirits'', in 2004) which deals with Blake and Mortimer's youth, and the beginning of their friendship upon their first meeting in pre-independence India.

In 2008, Sente and Juillard also released another book in the series, ''The Gondwana Shrine'', chronologically following the events of the previous two volumes, ''The Sarcophagi of the Sixth Continent'' parts 1 and 2.

The series' next adventure, a two-parter titled ''[[The Curse of the Thirty Denarii|The Curse of the 30 Pieces of Silver]]'', was written by Jean Van Hamme. The first book, ''The Manuscript of Nicodemus'', was illustrated by René Sterne, whose sudden death occurred on the 15th of November 2006, and which delayed the instalments' publication. Sterne's girlfriend, Chantal De Spiegeleer, eventually completed his work, which was published on the 20th of November 2009. Aubin Frechon illustrated the adventure's second volume, published on the 26th of November 2010.