[3] It was in the weekly comic Heroïc-Albums, which started in 1947, that he developed his style and proved himself a master of detective stories loaded with humour and atmosphere.

Tillieux's most notable contribution was Félix, the adventures of a glasses-wearing reporter who travelled the world accompanied by two sidekicks called Allume-Gaz (French for gas lighter) and Inspector Cabarez of the Chilean police.

[4] Heroïc-Albums ceased publication in 1956, and Tillieux introduced his most famous character, Gil Jourdan, in Spirou magazine, where he had already worked as an illustrator since 1940.

Like Félix, he was also flanked by two sidekicks, including a police contact, both of whom provided most of the comic relief which contrasted to the earnest nature of the title character.

Whereas previous series like The Adventures of Tintin were based in spotlessly clean homes and locations, Jordan's world was made up of dusty offices, littered streets, wet docks and mud-splattered farms.

On 31 January 1978, while returning from the annual Angoulême International Comics Festival, he was fatally injured in a car crash near Tours, and died two days later on 2 February.

Tillieux also contributed a couple of storylines to La Ribambelle, the stories of a multi-racial gang of kids, drawn by Jean Roba and the classic series Tif et Tondu.