Zabus was born in 1971 in Namur, Belgium. As a little boy he was already a daydreamer, a trait which, he claims, remains to this day. He discovered the joys of story-writing at the age of 10, when he started reading an Agatha Christie novel and stopped after 10 pages to write the rest. When he was a teenager, he took to buying old typewriters on which he'd pretend to type up all his imaginary novels.
At the age of 18, he took up studies in philology and then journalism, because these seemed to him the subjects that would best prepare him for being a professional writer. He later found out that it was quite the opposite! After he'd completed his studies, he sent off a load of comic book projects that were refused by every publisher. He became a French teacher for a few years and then decided to give up teaching and focus his energy entirely on his theatrical activities as an actor and playwright.
He started to write comic books again, first publishing a few short stories in the magazine "Spirou" and then two kids' series with Dupuis: "Le monde selon François" (2007-2009) and "Agathe Saugrenu" (2007-2009). Alongside his comic book projects he wrote and acted in several plays with Belgian theater companies such as "L'Infini théâtre, " "Les Baladins du miroir" and "Les Zygomars." His latest comic book projects are "Les larmes du seigneur afghan" (Dupuis; "Tears of an Afghan Warlord, " Europe Comics), "Macaroni!" (Dupuis, Europe Comics in English), a touching graphic novel about Italian immigration, and the charming "Incroyable!" (Dargaud; "Incredible!", Europe Comics), out in 2020.
A visionary or a seer? From his hut lost in the sugar cane fields of Reunion Island, Hippolyte continues creating new worlds while frequently bearing witness to ours.
As a magnificent author, his graphic novels are often saluted by both critics and the public. For example, he has created "Dracula" (Glénat), "Le Maître de Ballantrae" (Denoël Graphic), "La Fantaisie des Dieux" (Les Arènes), and, most recently, "Les Ombres" ("The Shadows") and "Incroyable!" ("Incredible!"), both alongside scriptwriter Zabus (Dargaud; Europe Comics in English). He is a sharp observer of contemporary society, an activist, and a traveler.
He works with several newspapers and magazines, such as "Le Monde" or "L'obs" and has frequently illustrated reports for the magazine "XXI." For example, he published "Les enfants de Kinshasa, " for which he became the first comics author nominated for the prestigious Albert Londres Prize. Passionate about music and travels, over the last few years Hippolyte has also established himself as a prodigious poster designer.
For example, he has created a series dedicated to international rock stars via his collective called Contrebande, as well as another series inspired by Reunion Island's greatest landmarks, published through his editorial structure L'Affiche d'une Île.
