UN, DEUX, TROIS PICCARD AUTEUR : JEAN-YVES DUHOO Pioneers of the Sky and the Depths

In the Piccard family, let’s start with the grandfather!
Meet Auguste Piccard (1884–1962), the physicist who inspired Hergé’s character Professor Calculus. In 1931, he ascended by balloon to an altitude of 15,781 meters, becoming, along with his colleague Paul Kipfer, the first human to reach the stratosphere and witness the curvature of the Earth.

In the Piccard family, let’s move on to the father!
Meet Jacques Piccard (1922–2008), oceanographer and early environmentalist, who in 1960 descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, at 10,916 meters deep, aboard the bathyscaphe designed by his father. There, he observed the presence of life with his own eyes.

In the Piccard family, let’s meet the son!
Here is Bertrand Piccard, born in 1958, balloonist, explorer, and pioneer in clean technologies. He completed the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight before launching the Solar Impulse project and flying around the world in a solar-powered airplane. One, two, three Piccards! In the family of science adventurers, the legacy is complete.

Through three generations, Jean-Yves Duhoo tells in this graphic novel a century of science, exploration, achievements, and emotion. With the generous and enthusiastic support of Bertrand Piccard, who gave him access to the archives of his father and grandfather and shared personal stories, the author weaves a deeply human chronicle of these three explorers and connects it to the broader sweep of history.

One, Two, Three Piccard also shines a light on the power of technology. Jean-Yves Duhoo uses all his talent as a science communicator to help readers discover and understand the extraordinary machines developed by these pioneers. This is a book for the whole family, informative, delightful, and full of inspiration to chase one’s dreams.

Jean-Yves Duhoo was born in Lyon in 1965. After studying at the École des Arts Appliqués in Paris, he became an illustrator, press cartoonist, and comic book author, contributing to publications such as Libération, Sciences & Vie Junior, Bang, Capsule Cosmique, and the Journal de Spirou. In 2017, he co-founded Mon Lapin Quotidien with Killoffer, published by L’Association, and served as its first editor-in-chief. After publishing a dozen graphic novels with various publishers, One, Two, Three Piccard marks his debut with Dargaud.

A visionary explorer from a legendary line of scientists who conquered both the stratosphere and the ocean depths, Bertrand Piccard has achieved two historic aviation feats: the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight and, more recently, the first solar-powered circumnavigation without using fuel. As a psychiatrist, explorer, and thought leader, he is reshaping our vision of innovation and sustainability. His next mission: a non-stop flight around the world powered by hydrogen.