''Cowboy Henk'' is a Belgian
absurd/surreal humour gag-a-day
A gag-a-day comic strip is the style of writing comic cartoons such that every installment of a strip delivers a complete joke or some other kind of artistic statement. It is opposed to story or continuity strips, which rely on the development of ...
comic strip series drawn by
Herr Seele and written by
Kamagurka
Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, suc ...
. It was originally published in the newspaper ''
De Morgen
''De Morgen'' (Dutch for ''The Morning'') is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. The paper is published in Antwerp, Belgium.
History and profile
''De Morgen'' originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers ' (meaning ...
'', but later taken over by the magazine ''
HUMO
''HUMO'' is a popular Dutch-language Belgian weekly radio and television supermarket tabloid.
History and profile
''Humoradio'' (meaning a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio' in English) was first published in 1936 as a Dutch-language counterpa ...
'',
in which it is still published today and for whom Henk is now their
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
. The series was in continuous syndication from 1981 until 2011. After the brief interruption it was continued again in the spring of 2013.
History
In 1981
Kamagurka
Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, suc ...
published a one-off long-run
comic strip named ''Mijnheerke Plagiaat'' ("Mister
Plagiarism"), in the Belgian newspaper ''Vooruit'' (later ''
De Morgen
''De Morgen'' (Dutch for ''The Morning'') is a Flemish newspaper with a circulation of 53,860. The paper is published in Antwerp, Belgium.
History and profile
''De Morgen'' originates from a merger in 1978 of two socialist newspapers ' (meaning ...
''). At the end of the story the main character Mr. Plagiaat decides to think up a comic character of his own, whom he names ''Cowboy Henk, in contrast to
Zorro
Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante w ...
''. On September 24, 1981 the first ''Cowboy Henk''
gag
A gag is usually an item or device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help and keep its wearer silent. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attemptin ...
appeared in print.
Kamagurka
Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, suc ...
wrote the jokes and dialogue while his friend,
Herr Seele, drew the stories.
Originally ''Cowboy Henk'' appeared in black-and-white as a
gag-a-day
A gag-a-day comic strip is the style of writing comic cartoons such that every installment of a strip delivers a complete joke or some other kind of artistic statement. It is opposed to story or continuity strips, which rely on the development of ...
comic of only four to six panels per episode. Sometimes he had adventures spread over more pages too. ''De Morgen'' received many angry letters from readers who complained about the style of comedy. In
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
''Cowboy Henk'' was published exclusively in the magazine ''
HUMO
''HUMO'' is a popular Dutch-language Belgian weekly radio and television supermarket tabloid.
History and profile
''Humoradio'' (meaning a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio' in English) was first published in 1936 as a Dutch-language counterpa ...
'' from 1982 until 2011, usually as a single page gag-a-day page. He also appeared on many magazine covers, thus becoming one of ''HUMO'' 's official
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
s. In October 2011, after nearly 30 years of continuous publication, the series was no longer published in HUMO and disappeared without fanfare. According to the redaction the series hardly got any reactions from readers anymore, even when publication was ceased. From that moment on until 2012 Seele drew the short-lived black-and-white comic strip ''Dikke Billie Walter'' ("Fat Billie Walter"), with
Kamagurka
Luc Zeebroek (born 5 May 1956), better known as Kamagurka, is a Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, suc ...
as script writer. On April 10, 2013, the Flemish radio station ''
Studio Brussel'' interviewed Seele and he announced Henk's comeback in HUMO. The character indeed reappeared. First as a
gag cartoon
A gag cartoon (also panel cartoon, single-panel cartoon, or gag panel) is most often a single-panel cartoon, usually including a caption beneath the drawing. A pantomime cartoon carries no caption. In some cases, dialogue may appear in speech bal ...
, spread over an entire page and making topical comedy, later as a parody comic strip series of Belgian history until finally back in its old form as a comic strip.
The series has been translated into French (as ''Cowboy Maurice''), Spanish, and English in magazines such as ''
L'Echo des Savanes
''L'Echo'' is a Belgian business newspaper, published by Mediafin and mainly distributed in Wallonia and Brussels. It is the French counterpart of the Flemish daily '' De Tijd'' which is its sister paper.
History and profile
''L'Echo'' origina ...
'' and ''
RAW
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
''.
In
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
the comics are published in ''
Vrij Nederland
''Vrij Nederland'' (Free Netherlands) is a Dutch magazine, established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper. It has since grown into a magazine. The originally weekly and now monthly magazi ...
''.
Character
Cowboy Henk is a muscular adult male with a characteristically brawny chin and a long yellow
quiff
The quiff is a hairstyle that combines the 1950s pompadour hairstyle, the 1950s flattop, and sometimes a mohawk. It was born as a post-war reaction to the short and strict haircuts for men. The hairstyle was a staple in the British 'Teddy Boy' m ...
which, according to the jubilee story ''De Bananenkuif'' (2001) is made from
bananas. Usually Henk wears a white T-shirt with short sleeves, blue pants and black shoes with round noses. In his first gags Henk was a real
cowboy, which explains his name.
Henk is a
flat character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in ...
and completely unpredictable. He often behaves in a bizarre way, but the world around him is also very
surreal. He often reacts calmly to all the madness around him, but can get aggressive and even violent at times. Sometimes Henk behaves like a naïve child still living at his mother's place and going to school. In other gags he behaves more like an adult by going to work or experiencing with sex and drugs. Since Henk has had sex with both men and women in his cartoons we can conclude he is
bisexual. He has no stable profession, despite the fact that some successive gags depict him as a journalist, hairdresser or a painter.
Henk is also the only recurring character. Other side characters only appear in a few gags, then disappear again.
Style
Much like Kamagurka's other comics and cartoons Cowboy Henk is an
absurd humor comic strip series, aimed at adults.
Herr Seele told in interviews that ''
Zippy the Pinhead
Zippy the Pinhead is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ''Zippy'', an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. Zippy's most famous quotation, "Are we having fun yet?", appears in ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' and became a ...
'' by
Bill Griffith
William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal comedy, surreal daily comic strip ''Zippy the Pinhead, Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are w ...
was a major inspiration. Some ''Cowboy Henk'' gags have an almost child friendly atmosphere while others are full of shocking
dirty jokes,
toilet humour
Toilet humour, or potty or scatological humour (compare scatology), is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, diarrhea, constipation, urination and flatulence, and to a lesser extent vomiting and other bodily functions. It see ...
and/or
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
. Because of the simple, naïve drawing style the series have been read by many children in ''HUMO'' over the years. This led to several angry letters by parents who complained about the child-unfriendly vulgarities in the comic strip.
In other media
Occasional short animated cartoons featuring Henk were seen in Kamagurka and Seele's comedy TV series ''Lava'' and ''Johnnywood'', with Seele voicing his character. He also performed Cowboy Henk (with a yellow quiff tied to his bald head) while Kamagurka told Henk's surreal adventures to the audience. In their radio show ''
Studio Kafka'' they also made
audio play
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
s about Henk.
Award
The series won the 2014 ''Prix du Patrimoine'' at the
Angouleme International Comics Festival''.
In popular culture
* Cartoonist
Gal once drew a series of cartoons for the magazine ''Panorama/De Post'' (nowadays
P-Magazine) which showed the news events of the years 1955–1984. For the year 1956 he drew a cartoon in which
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
dances amidst of all kinds of politicians and media phenomena of that year. In the left corner Cowboy Henk, jealous of Elvis'
quiff
The quiff is a hairstyle that combines the 1950s pompadour hairstyle, the 1950s flattop, and sometimes a mohawk. It was born as a post-war reaction to the short and strict haircuts for men. The hairstyle was a staple in the British 'Teddy Boy' m ...
, tries to turn over the page.
* Cowboy Henk can be seen on the album cover of ''"Steelt de Schouw!" (1994)'' for
Pater Moeskroen, illustrated by Herr Seele himself.
The character was also used on the cover of the record single "Zuster Angelique",
"Le Plastique C'est Fantastique"
and "Trek die Zak in Tweeën".
* Cowboy Henk also appeared on the cover and the illustrations of the book ''"Geheimzinnige Sterren: over de Belgische Strip" (1996)'' by Rik Pareit.
* Cowboy Henk had a guest role in the
Kiekeboe album ''Bij Fanny op schoot'' (2005).
* Hij also had a cameo in the ''
Urbanus
Urbain Servranckx (born 7 June 1949), better known as Urbanus, is a Belgian comedian, actor, singer and comic book writer. Although he is most famous as comedian, some of his songs became hits, such as ''Bakske vol met stro'' (1979), ''Madammen ...
'' comic strip album ''Het Pedo-Alarm'' (2012).
* In 2008 Seele made a painted wall next to the Sint-Martinusinstituut in
Koekelare
Koekelare (; vls, Kookloare) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Bovekerke, Koekelare proper and Zande. On 1 January 2006 Koekelare had a total population of 8,291. The tota ...
, designed by pupils of the institute themselves.
* In
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders.
It is the capital and large ...
a bust of Henk can be seen since July 22, 2004. It's a sculpture made with plants, but has changed locations from the Vlamingstraat to the Oudenaardsesteenweg.
* In 2010, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Cowboy Henk comics artists and cartoonists such as
Willy Linthout
Willy Linthout (born 1 May 1953) is a Belgian comics author, best known for the ''Urbanus'' comics and his graphic novel '' Years of the Elephant''.
Biography
Willy Linthout was born in Eksaarde near Lokeren, Belgium in 1953. He was a mechanic ...
, Zaza, Zak,
Hector Leemans and
Jonas Geirnaert
Jonas Geirnaert (born July 28, 1982) studied animation at the KASK in Ghent. In May 2004 he won the Short Film Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with his animated short ''Flatlife'' (11 min). Of the copy he sent in for selection only the fir ...
drew special
homages to the character.
* Cowboy Henk appears as a doctor in Raw's
Narrative Corpse in 4 consecutive contributions.
Publications
Regular albums
* "De tintelende titel" (1982), Uitgeverij Kritak
* "Het geroken oor" (1982), Uitgeverij Kritak
* "Cowboy Henk zet door" (1983), Uitgeverij Kritak
* "'t Gekuifde kunstwerk" (1985),
Uitgeverij De Harmonie
* "De paardenschenkers" (1986), Uitgeverij De Harmonie
* "Cowboy Henk in de Benelux" (1989), Uitgeverij De Harmonie
* "Cowboy Henk serveert" (1991), Uitgeverij De Harmonie/Loempia
* "Cowboy Henk maakt kennis!" (1993), Uitgeverij De Harmonie/Loempia
* "Cowboy Henk trakteert!" (1994), Uitgeverij De Harmonie/Loempia
* "De kappende kapper" (1998), Uitgeverij De Harmonie/De Standaard
* "De gierende gynaecoloog" (1998), Uitgeverij De Harmonie/De Standaard
* "Verscheurkalender 2002" (2001), Uitgeverij Infotex
* "Verscheurkalender 2003" (2002), Uitgeverij Infotex
* "In, onder en boven Oostende" (2005), De Bezige Bij
* "In de Far Out West" (2010), De Bezige Bij/Borgerhoff & Lamberigts
Compilation albums
* "De verzamelde werken, Deel 1" (2000), De Stripuitgeverij
* "De verzamelde werken, Deel 2" (2000), De Stripuitgeverij
* "De verzamelde werken, Deel 3" (2001), De Stripuitgeverij
* "De Bananenkuif: 20 jaar Cowboy Henk", (2001), De Stripuitgeverij
* "De verzamelde werken, Deel 4" (2002), De Stripuitgeverij
* "Cowboy Henk", (2012), Uitgeverij De Bezige Bij
Sources
{{Reflist
Belgian comic strips
Belgian comics characters
1981 comics debuts
Comics characters introduced in 1981
Mascots introduced in 1981
Gag-a-day comics
Humor comics
Adult comics
Satirical comics
Black comedy comics
Surreal comedy
Comics spin-offs
Fictional characters from Flanders
Fictional bisexual males
LGBT characters in comics
Fictional cowboys and cowgirls
Magazine mascots
Raw (magazine)
Comics adapted into radio series
Male characters in comics
Male characters in advertising
Metafictional comics