Joseph Franz Hedwig Loeckx (4 May 1937 - 7 February 2023) was a Belgian comic book artist. He worked under the pseudonym of Jo-El Azara. Important series he has worked on include Clifton and Taka Takata.
Biography[]
Loeckx was born in Drogenbos, Flemish Brabant, near Brussels, Belgium, on 4 May 1937.
Loeckx was sometimes referred to as Joseph-R. Loeckx but that has an error. During his working life, he had used the penname of Jo-El, subsequently Ernest, and thereafter worked as Jo-El Azara, under which name he has drawn most of his comics.
A long career of working with the great names in Belgian and French comics, including Hergé, Macherot, and Uderzo, he was active in publishing his own Taka-Takata albums under his Azéko label.
He lived in South of France close to the Pyrenees. His lifelong partner, Josette Baujot, died on 13 August 2009.
He died in 7 February 2023 at the age of 85.