Born in Marseille in 1939, Guy Vidal debuted in journalism at 17. After a short stint at RTL (which was still called Radio-Luxembourg), he joined the editorial board of Pilote in the 60s, when René Goscinny and Jean-Michel Charlier took back control of the weekly magazine – ‘the magazine of Year 2000!’ – which they had created in October 1959.

He took part in all the greatest (and richest) hours of the magazine, where all the talents of ‘modern’ bande dessinée met or were born – from Tardi to Claire Bretécher, as well as Reiser, Mandryka, Gotlib, Cabu, etc…

He became its editor-in-chief in 1973/74.

While talented dissidents created Métal Hurlant and Fluide Glacial, he managed to stabilise and develop Pilote – helped by the presence of Bilal, Lauzier, Christin, Fred, Lob, Blanc Dumont, Baru, F’Murr, Mézières, Solé, Greg, Pétillon, Régis Franc and many more (including Pierre Desproges!).

At the same time, having turned writer, he worked with Alexis, Clavé, Parras, Morris (on volume Bride of Lucky Luke, written in 1985), Victor de la Fuente (Les Gringos), Alain Bignon, and published with Michel Henry the large and anecdote-filled Aventure de Paris, with a preface by President Jacques Chirac.

He also wrote, with his friends Patrick Cauvin and J.L. Robert, several comedies for television.
Distancing himself from Pilote from 1981, Guy Vidal remained with Dargaud until 1990, when he joined Humanoïdes Associés. Two years later, he returned to his first home and took part in its second rebuilding, after Goscinny’s passing. Now editorial director, happy to work alongside Leo, Florence Cestac, André Juillard or Annie Goetzinger, he started the ‘Poisson Pilote’ line where most of the ‘new bande dessinée’ authors would flourish – such as Lewis Trondheim, David B., Manu Larcenet or Christophe Blain, whose Isaac le Pirate was awarded Best Album at the 2001 Angoulême Festival.

After almost 40 years spent inside the boiling cauldron of bande dessinée, and while still allowing himself the possibility of diving back in occasionally ‘for fun’, Guy Vidal retired in spring 2002. He died in October of the same year, aged 63.