I
t was 75 years ago that Belgian publisher Jean Dupuis and French artist Robert Velter (known better as Rob-Vel) introduced one of the most enduring comic strip creations of all time, a brave young bellboy named Spirou. The name itself – regional slang designating a squirrel or a mischievous youngster – suggests Spirou’s Walloon roots. Indeed, Dupuis, Rob-Vel and
Spirou put the industrial town of Marcinelle, near Charleroi, on the comic map. An entire school grew around the creative team behind the Spirou books, which, besides enduring for three-quarters of a century, have spawned dozens of spin-offs, including some that are now household names in their own right: the Smurfs, Lucky Luke and Marsupilami.
The 52-page weekly Journal de Spirou is still going strong with a circulation of 90,000 copies, making it the biggest children’s magazine in Belgium and the second-biggest in France. The Spirou media empire also includes albums, animated cartoons and tons of branded merchandise. Belgium’s favourite bellboy is also set to enter the brave new world of digital media (see page 20). wallonia and brussels magazine SPRING 2013
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