 A friend of Hergé, Van Melkebeke took part in a semi-official way in the development of some of the storylines of "The Adventures of Tintin", adding a number of cultural references.He is also supposed to have contributed to certain elements of the Blake and Mortimer series, although Edgar P. Jacobs disputed this fact.Van Melkebeke's personality was one of the main sources of inspiration for the Blake and Mortimer character Philip Angus Mortimer.