Blain was born in
Gennevilliers. He studied visual arts in
Cherbourg and began drawing comics during his military service, first published by
Albin Michel in 1994. He subsequently worked as an illustrator for various magazines before returning to drawing comics, inspired by
David B.,
Lewis Trondheim and
Joann Sfar. He created with David B. some stories that appeared in the magazine
Lapin. He began collaborating with Trondheim and Sfar in 1999 for the
Dungeon series album
Dungeon: Early Years. He began his most successful series to date,
Isaac the Pirate, in 2001. In the story, set in the 18th century, Isaac Sofer, a penniless painter, becomes a pirate when he accepts a commission involving a rather involuntary sea crossing to America. The subsequent series,
Gus, is a Western comic that humorously recounts episodes from the life of Gus, a mail robber. With its exaggerated drawings, the comic forms a link between the classics
Lucky Luke and
Blueberry. His award-winning comic ''Quai d'Orsay
(Weapons of Mass Diplomacy'', in the English version) about the supposed daily routine at the French Foreign Ministry, was made into
a film by
Bertrand Tavernier in 2013. In 2021 he drew the comic '''' (World Without End), about climate change, written by
Jean-Marc Jancovici. == Awards ==