Philippe Bouchet was born in Cholet in 1956 and adopted the pseudonym Manchu in homage to the character of Dr. Fu-Manchu. Today, he is an essential illustrator in the French science fiction landscape with more than 500 covers to his credit.

From a very young age, he dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot or astronaut before venturing into animation drawing. Manchu then contributed to the creation of spaceships and backgrounds for animated series such as "Once Upon a Time... Space" and "Ulysses 31". He met Gérard Klein in 1984 and illustrated nearly half of the volumes of "La Grande Anthologie de la science-fiction" for Le Livre de Poche. He then worked for numerous publishers such as Denoël/Lunes d'Encre, Delcourt, Folio SF, L'Atalante, Bragelonne, etc.

Specializing in "hard science fiction," a genre in which the illustrated elements are in accordance with scientific knowledge and passionate about astronomy, Manchu became one of the main illustrators for scientific magazines, including "Ciel & Espace" or "Sciences & Vie Junior."

The consecration came in 2001 when he received four awards: the Bob Morane Prize, Heart's Choice category, for the quality of his covers; the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for his covers over the year; the Ozone Prize for the best illustrator, and the Grand Prix Visions du Futur.

Since then, Manchu has been exhibited at the Utopiales de Nantes in 2007, the Imaginales d'Epinal in 2007, and the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie de la Villette in 2011.

A reference in the field of science fiction, Manchu has published two artbooks, "Science (Fiction)" in 2002 and "Starship(s)" in 2010 with Delcourt, as well as a Sketchbook in 2008 with Comix Buro.

Frédéric Pillot studied at the Decorative Arts School in Strasbourg. He is one of the most talented children's illustrators of his generation. Over thirty years, he has sold two million books and published dozens of titles translated worldwide. He notably illustrated "Lulu Vroumette" and "Tilou Bleu" by Daniel Picouly, "Moi, Thérèse Miaou" and "Balbuzar" by Gérard Moncomble, and "Le Petit Poucet" by Agnès Ledig. His series "Lulu Vroumette" has been adapted into animated cartoons. Exhibitions of his original works tour throughout France all year round.

Gesine ARPS was born in Hanover, Germany, on November 3, 1964. She attended the experimental school "Glockseeschule" in her hometown.

Encouraged by her mother to pursue an artistic path, she began exhibiting at a very young age in various group exhibitions in Hanover. At the age of twenty, she left her native land to settle in Urbino, where she completed her artistic studies in the Ceramic section of the Raffaello academy, under the guidance of Professor Paolo SGARZINI. In 1990, she met the stylist Piero GUIDI, for whom she created the design for the "Magic Circus" series.

During her "Italian" stay, there was no shortage of exhibition opportunities, even abroad, as artistic events in Italy succeeded one another at a brisk pace. It was during this time, in 1994, that the artist carried out her expressive research, not only dedicated to painting but also experimenting with various means and expressive forms, also creating performances and installations with the most unusual materials.

In 1990, she met her husband, the architect Alessandro Campilongo. They got married in 2007 and live with their two children in the Marches. Since 2010, she has been working with MIZEN Fine Art International in Paris and exhibits worldwide.

Born in 1970, Didier Graffet graduated from the Émile Cohl School in Lyon.

He began his career in 1994 as an independent illustrator in the world of role-playing games before producing covers for fantasy works such as "Légende" and "Waylander" by David Gemmel or "Orcs" by Stan Nicholls, published by Bragelonne. In 2001, he illustrated the novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" for Gründ editions, which earned him the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire as well as a Jules Verne Award.

He then joined the Jules Verne studio, for whom he created several festival posters and served as the artistic director for the documentary film "Passage to Mars." He is also responsible for the covers of the sagas "The Witcher" and "The Wheel of Time" for Bragelonne editions, the covers of the US reissues of "The Children of Hurin" and "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien under the direction of Alan Lynch, as well as the illustration series for "The Black Company" for L'Atalante editions. He dedicated a year to creating the "Game of Thrones" calendar released in 2017. In 2019, Bragelonne Editions dedicated a sumptuous artbook titled "Effluvium" to him. This large format album of 112 pages brings together a selection of about forty reproductions of Didier Graffet's most beautiful works over the past decade. It invites you on a journey through time, through marine, aerial, underground spaces, and explores the most beautiful extravagances of humanity.

His works have been exhibited at the Utopiales in Nantes as well as at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in 2013. The Daniel Maghen Gallery (Paris), which has represented him for ten years, dedicated two exhibitions to him in 2013 and 2016.

Alina CHAU 周曉芬 is an acclaimed author and illustrator. She worked in the animation and gaming industries for a decade, with credits including best-selling games, and most notably the Emmy Award-winning Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.

Alina's unique cultural heritage strongly influences her artistic and storytelling voice. Having grown up in Hong Kong in an Indonesian-Chinese family during the British colonial era, her creative vision is a fusion of diverse cultures. She creates stories inspired by the natural world, which turn childhood daydreams into immersive environments full of distinctive flora and fauna.

Alina has achieved great success in the world of children's literature. Her debut graphic novel, Marshmallow and Jordan, won the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Award and the Sakura Medal for Best Middle-Grade Graphic Novel in Japan for 2023. It has also been chosen for the Read Across America 2022 and the Texas Library Association's 2023 Maverick and Little Maverick Reading Lists. Along with this, Alina has also illustrated several highly acclaimed children's picture books, including The Rise (And Falls) of Jackie Chan, Lunar New Year, and The Nian Monster, which was awarded the 2018 APALA Picture Book Honor. She also developed In the Spirit Of a Dream, a collaborative project, which she illustrated.

Born in 1953, Loïc Jouannigot published his first children's book in 1987: "Le Premier Bal d’Agaric Passiflore," with Milan Editions, with text by Geneviève Huriet, and the success was immediate. Crowned with literary awards and various accolades (Saint-Exupéry Prize), he embarked on a long series of 24 titles. Today, the little Passiflore rabbits are translated into 28 languages and are the subject of a 52-episode television series, broadcast since 2004 (on TF1, Disney Channel, etc.). In 2012, at Dargaud, Loïc Jouannigot alone took on the Passiflore characters in comics with two albums: "L’Anniversaire de Dendelion" and "La Chorale." Two more titles followed, scripted by Michel Plessix: "Mélodie potagère" and "La Chasse au trésor." Since the end of the edition in 2007, the friendly and nonetheless famous Passiflore Family (around 800,000 albums sold) is finally reissued by Maghen Editions with "À Bâbord, les Passiflore" in 2019, "Pirouette et Nymphéas" in 2020, and "Alors, on dort ?" scheduled for release in August 2023.

Claire Keane, born on March 1, 1979, in Santa Clarita, United States, is an illustrator and Visual Development Artist, who has contributed to various Disney productions, including Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Frozen. She is the daughter of Disney animator Glen Keane, and the granddaughter of cartoonist Bil Keane, creator of the comic strip The Family Circus.

Julien Delval, born in 1972 in Paris, is a French comic book artist and illustrator.

He became known for his work in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. As an illustrator in the fields of board games and novels, he has experience in comic books and also works on a more personal painted work in collaboration with the Daniel Maghen gallery. In 2020, he released a Monograph with Caurette editions.

Ozi is a Brazilian street artist born in 1958. He began practicing street art in 1985, encouraged and influenced by two great precursor artists of the São Paulo street art scene Alex Vallauri and Maurício Villaça. He is therefore part of the first generation of street artists in Brazil. Since that time, he has created on the walls of the city but also on the canvas. His works often refer to art history, mixing classic artistic references and nods to pop culture. His work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and cultural centers in Brazil but also abroad.

Kim Jung Gi (in Korean: 김정기, hanja: 金政基), born February 7, 1975 in Goyang (in Gyeonggi province, suburb of Seoul) and died October 3, 2022 in Villepinte, is an illustrator and comic book artist (especially Korean, manhwa) and South Korean artist.

Maggie Swanson spent three years at Hallmark Cards. During her college years, she learned about drawing, painting, and dreaming. Hallmark taught her to start and finish a job in a timely and professional manner. After that, she began her freelance career and has illustrated over 100 children's books for many different publishers.

Marc Degroide is known by the pseudonym Michetz, a Belgian comic book artist appreciated for creating the character Kogaratsu. He became particularly known for his drawings inspired by Japan. This enthusiast of Japanese culture has published over a dozen albums featuring his main hero as well as numerous works related to Japan.

Marc Degroide was born in Ixelles, Belgium, on October 15, 1951. He took his first steps in comic books in the 1970s by joining the studio of Jean Graton, the creator of the series Michel Vaillant. He even appeared as a caricature in the album released in 1975 titled San Francisco Circus. Alongside his professional activities, Marc Degroide developed a passion for Japanese culture, particularly martial arts. He diligently practiced kendo, judo, and iaï. This led him to create his first characters named Mutsuro and Hito the outcast. These heroes were featured respectively in the magazines Tintin and Spatial towards the end of the 1970s. The Japanese universe thus became a recurring theme in Michetz's career and biography.

The turning point came in 1983 with the character of Kogaratsu, a samurai without a master in the era of medieval Japan. Michetz's talent was revealed to the general public. He collaborated with Serge Bosmans, also known as Bosse, who handled the screenplay. The first stories were published in the Spirou journal before the release of the first album titled The World with the Blood Lotus in 1985.

Apart from his work on Kogaratsu, Michetz created other works related to his passion for Japan, including portfolios and periodical publications. In the late 1980s, he collaborated with Philippe Tome and Christian Darasse in the publication of albums for the Gang Mazda series, where he caricatured himself as the character Marc, the artist who walks around with a katana.

Tomás Hijo is an illustrator, engraver, and professor of illustration at the University of Salamanca in Spain. He has illustrated over seventy books and has written about a dozen, most of which are steeped in legends and folklore. He is the creator of the Nictonomicon project, a collection of illustrations inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. He frequently collaborates with Spanish television and radio programs dedicated to the Fortean movement and paranormal phenomena. In 2015, Hijo received the Best Artwork Award from the Tolkien Society, in recognition of his work on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.