Page 31 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg
P. 31
A POR TR AIT OF BEL GIUM AND L UXEMBOURG 29
and eighth – film and television) Bobette in the UK and as Willy comic books a year. Belgian
expanded to include adult and Wanda in the US. The car toons are sold in more than
themes in the form of the main characters are a pair of 30 countries.
comicstrip graphic novel. “ordinary” kids between 10
and 14 years of age who have
extraordinary adven tures all
Peyo and The Smurfs
over the world, and also travel
Best known for The Smurfs, back and forth in time. Today,
Peyo (1928–92) was also a Vandersteen’s books sell in
member of the team behind their millions.
the Spirou journal that pub
lished his poetic medi eval
series Johan et Pirlouit in 1952. Comic Strip Art Today
The Smurfs appeared as Comic strips, known as
characters here – tiny blue beeldverhaal or bandes
people whose humorous dessinées, continue to be
foibles soon eclipsed any published in Belgium in all their
interest in the strip’s main forms. In news papers, children’s
characters. Reacting to comics and graphic
their popularity, Peyo novels the “ninth art”
created a strip solely remains one of the
about them. Set in the country’s biggest
Smurf village, these exports. The high
stories were infused standards and imag Larger-than-life cartoon by Frank Pé
with satirical social inative scope of a new adorning a Brussels building
comment. The Smurfs generation of artists,
went on to become a such as Schuiten or Street Art
craze between 1983 Modern cover Marvano, have fed
and 1985, and were by Marvano growing consumer There are about 50 comic strip
featured in advertizing demand for comic mural paintings decorat ing the
and merchan dizing of every books. Both French and Dutch sides of build ings in Brussels,
type. They spawned a fea ture publishers issue over 22 million most of them in the city centre.
length film, television cartoons This outdoor exhibi tion is
and popular music, and had known as the Comic Strip
sev eral hit records. Route and is organized by the
Belgian Centre for Comic Strip
Art, or the Centre Belge de la
Willy Vandersteen Bande Dessineé (see p66), and
While the artists of Spirou by the city of Brussels. Begun in
and Tintin filled the French 1991 as a tribute to Belgium’s
language journals, Willy talent for comic strip art, this
Vandersteen (1913–90) street art project continues to
dominated the Dutch market. grow. A free map of the route is
His popular creation, Suske en avail able from tourist
Wiske has been translated into Contemporary comic strip artists at work information offices, as well as
English, appearing as Bob and in their studio from the comic museum itself.
Suske en Wiske by Vandersteen The Smurfs by Peyo A contemporary cartoon strip by Schuiten
028-029_EW_Belgium.indd 29 18/10/16 3:00 pm
