Jaromír 99

Jaromír Švejdík, who works under the name Jaromír 99 (*14 October 1963, Jeseník), is a Czech artist, comics illustrator, singer, composer and guitarist. In the 1980s, before his military service, he founded the punk band Chlapi z práce; since 1989 he has sung in the band Priessnitz, for which he writes most of the lyrics. In 2004 he took part in founding the Umakart project, and in 2007 co-founded the trio Jaromír 99 & The Bombers, whose debut album is the soundtrack to his comic Bomber. Since 2014 he has performed with the guests A. M. Almela (mandolin) and Lukáš Morávek (trumpet), and in 2019 he founded the Summer Band. In 2022 he published Off-Season — a collection of song lyrics written for Priessnitz, Umakart, Jaromír 99 & The Bombers and the Summer Band, with a commentary by Jaroslav Rudiš.

Together with the writer Jaroslav Rudiš he is the author of the comic Alois Nebel and worked on the film of the same name as artist and screenwriter; for the film he composed the well-known song Půlnoční, recorded by Václav Neckář. The 2011 film adaptation won the European Film Academy award for best animated film. He is the author of further comics — Bomber, The Castle, Zátopek and So Far So Good. He made storyboards for the films One Hand Can’t Clap, Loners, Children of Dune and Grandhotel. He designs the artwork for music albums and makes prints, among other things for the educational project Filmouka (a film and audiovisual guide for primary school pupils). He is a holder of the Czech Lion award for best artistic achievement. His wife is the illustrator and graphic designer Johana Švejdíková, co-author of the children’s magazine Raketa; they live alternately in Prague and in the Jeseník region.