Ric Hochet

Ric Hochet is a Franco-Belgian comics series created by Tibet (drawings) and André-Paul Duchâteau (scripts). It first appeared on March 30, 1955, in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Tintin.

Synopsis
The series features the adventures of Ric Hochet, a reporter for the newspaper La Rafale in Paris.

Characters

 * Ric Hochet
 * A journalist from Paris with a strong sense of justice who takes huge risks to see a culprit brought to justice. His first name "Ric" is a diminuitive; but while Duchâteau has stated that Ric's first name is "Frédéric", while Tibet has insisted on "Richard".


 * Commissaire Sigismond Bourdon
 * Ric's close friend and most important contact with the Paris police department.


 * Nadine
 * Bourdon's grandniece and later on Ric's girlfriend.


 * Richard Hochet
 * Ric's father, a former gentleman thief and fugitive from the police who appears sporadically in the series, mostly to help Ric (or for Ric to help him) out of sticky situations.


 * Inspector Ledru
 * Bourdon's assistant, and mostly a rival to Hochet and his superior. He later becomes the captain of an anti-terrorism unit.


 * Bob Drumond
 * First a journalist, later editor of La Rafale, and a close friend of Ric.


 * Professor Hermelin
 * A bad-tempered and cowardly but genius scientist with a dislike for Bourdon.


 * "Le Bourreau" ("The Executioner")/"B"
 * A sadistic, overweight spy for a foreign power and a long-term enemy of Ric. He is habitually exchanged for another prisoner to haunt his nemesis anew. After trying to get revenge in Ric by having him implicated for several murders, he finally dies in Dernier Duel when he gets shot with a blank cartridge by Ric.


 * Lambert
 * An unscrupulous journalist, formerly working for La Rafale before taking a new job at the rival newspaper agency Paris-Night. However, in tough cases he is able to provide Ric with essential informations.


 * Lamberto
 * A flamboyant, sensationalist Italian movie director.

Translations
The series' name deviated as translations were published across Europe, with the result that it is known as Rick Master in Germany, Rik Ringers in The Netherlands and Flanders, Riku Oksa in Finland and Allan Falk and Rick Hart in Scandinavia. Ric Hochet's stories were also published in South India in Tamil Language by Prakash Publishers. Ric Hochet is known as "Reporter Johnny" in Tamil. Ric Hochet's stories were published in Egypt in the Arabic version of the magazine Tintin (magazine) (تان تان), which was issued between 1971 and 1980.

Albums

 * 1) Traquenard au Havre
 * 2) Mystère à Porquerolles
 * 3) Défi à Ric Hochet
 * 4) L'ombre de Caméléon
 * 5) Piège pour Ric Hochet
 * 6) Rapt sur le France
 * 7) Suspense à la télévision
 * 8) Face au serpent
 * 9) Alias Ric Hochet
 * 10) Les 5 revenants
 * 11) Cauchemar pour Ric Hochet
 * 12) Les spectres de la nuit
 * 13) Les compagnons du diable
 * 14) Ric Hochet contre le Bourreau
 * 15) Le monstre de Noireville
 * 16) Requiem pour une idole
 * 17) Épitaphe pour Ric Hochet
 * 18) Enquête dans le passé
 * 19) Les signes de la peur
 * 20) L'homme qui portait malheur
 * 21) Alerte! Extra - Terrestres
 * 22) Le trio maléfique
 * 23) La ligne de mort
 * 24) La piste rouge
 * 25) Coups de griffes chez Bouglione
 * 26) L'ennemi à travers les siècles
 * 27) L'épée sur la gorge
 * 28) Hallali pour Ric Hochet
 * 29) Opération 100 milliards
 * 30) Le fantôme de l'alchimiste
 * 31) K.O. en 9 rounds (short stories)
 * 32) Tribunal noir
 * 33) Le scandale Ric Hochet
 * 34) La nuit des vampires
 * 35) La mort noire
 * 36) La flèche de sang
 * 37) Le maléfice Vaudou
 * 38) Face au crime
 * 39) Le disparu de l'enfer
 * 40) Le double qui tue
 * 41) La maison de la vengeance
 * 42) La liste mortelle
 * 43) Les messagers du trépas
 * 44) Ric Hochet contre Sherlock
 * 45) Le triangle Attila
 * 46) Les témoins de Satan
 * 47) Les jumeaux diaboliques
 * 48) Le secret d'Agatha
 * 49) L'exécuteur des ténèbres
 * 50) Le crime de l'an 2000
 * 51) La bête de l'apocalypse
 * 52) Le maître de l'illusion
 * 53) Meurtre à l'Impro
 * 54) Le masque de la terreur
 * 55) Qui a peur d'Hitchcock
 * 56) Un million sans impôt
 * 57) L'heure du kidnapping
 * 58) Premières armes (comics)|Premières armes (Reprinted)
 * 59) La main de la mort
 * 60) Crime sur Internet
 * 61) Le jeu de la potence
 * 62) B.D. meurtres
 * 63) La sorcière mal aimée
 * 64) Le contrat du siècle
 * 65) Panique sur le Web
 * 66) Penthouse story
 * 67) Le nombre maudit
 * 68) Le collectionneur de crimes
 * 69) L'homme de glace
 * 70) Silence de mort (Ric Hochet)|Silence de mort
 * 71) La dernière impératrice
 * 72) Le trésor des Marolles
 * 73) On tue au théâtre ce soir
 * 74) Puzzle mortel
 * 75) Code pour l'au-delà
 * 76) Dernier duel
 * 77) Ici, 77
 * 78) A la poursuite du griffon d'or

In popular culture
Ric Hochet is among the many Belgian comics characters to jokingly have a Brussels street named after them. The Galerie du Roi/ Koningsgalerij has a commemorative plaque with the name Rue Ric Hochet/ Rik Ringers Straat placed under the actual street sign.

In 1994, as part of the Brussels' Comic Book Route, a wall was designed in the Rue du Bon Secours/ Bijstandsstraat in Brussels. The wall was designed by G. Oreopoulos and D. Vandegeerde.