''Jommeke'' 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, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...
comic strip series in publication since 1955. It was created by
Jef Nys
Jozef "Jef" Nys (30 January 1927 – 20 October 2009) was a Belgian comic book creator. He was best known for his comic strip '' Jommeke''.
Biography Early years
Jozef Nys was born in Berchem, Belgium in 1927.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Jef Nys ...
and can be defined as a humoristic children's adventure series. Jommeke, an 11-year-old boy, is the series' main
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
. It was originally published in ''Kerk en Leven'', before moving to ''
Het Volk'', where it ran until the newspaper ceased to exist in 2010. It is now published in
Het Nieuwsblad
''Het Nieuwsblad'' (; en, The Newspaper) is a Flemish newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports.
History and profile
In 1929, ''Het Nieuwsblad'' was published by ...
,
De Gentenaar and
De Standaard
''De Standaard'' (meaning ''The Standard'' in English) is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Mediahuis (formerly Corelio and VUM). It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and F ...
.
''Jommeke'' is very popular 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 culture, ...
and, together with ''
Suske en Wiske
Suske (English: Willy, Luke, Bob, Spike) is one of the main characters in the popular Belgian comic strip ''Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the boy of the duo.
History
When Willy Vandersteen created his first adventure story with t ...
,'' is the best-selling comic strip in the region. However, its success has always remained a phenomenon in Belgium and the Netherlands, and attempts at marketing foreign translations have all failed.
History
The first appearance of ''Jommeke'' was on 30 October 1955, as a
gag-a-day strip in the Flemish magazine ''
Kerk en Leven''. After moving to another newspaper,
Het Volk, in 1958, ''Jommeke'' became a full length adventure comic strip, while Nys also continued ''Jommeke'' gag pages in''
't Kapoentje
''t Kapoentje'' (literally: "The Little Rascal") was a youth supplement published by the Flemish newspaper ''Het Volk (newspaper), Het Volk'' from April 3, 1947 until 1989. It was notable for its comics and, together with ''Ons Volkske'', the most ...
''. ''Jommeke'' has sold 51 million albums in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
alone, which means an average of about 4.5 albums per person. This makes ''Jommeke'' the best-selling comic book series in Belgium behind
Suske en Wiske
Suske (English: Willy, Luke, Bob, Spike) is one of the main characters in the popular Belgian comic strip ''Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the boy of the duo.
History
When Willy Vandersteen created his first adventure story with t ...
. There's also a newspaper for children called "Jommekeskrant", which is delivered weekly together with popular Belgian newspaper "
Het Nieuwsblad
''Het Nieuwsblad'' (; en, The Newspaper) is a Flemish newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports.
History and profile
In 1929, ''Het Nieuwsblad'' was published by ...
".
Main characters
![Annemieke&Rozemieke](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Annemieke%26Rozemieke.jpg)
* Jommeke: An 11-year-old boy who lives with his parents in
Zonnedorp. He has no siblings, but he has a
parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...
named Flip who accompanies him everywhere. He is clever, honest, brave, loves adventure, and is recognizable by his distinct blonde haircut.
* Flip: A red-winged, green parrot who is Jommeke's pet. Flip is able to talk like a human and is highly intelligent, if somewhat arrogant. His real name is "Filipus", but he prefers "Flip". He is cool-headed and has on several occasions saved the day using his wit and his unique abilities as a bird such as flying, using his beak and taking advantage of his small size to spy and sneak. Although his age is unspecified, he has shown adult behavior, on a few rare occasions, by consuming alcohol and smoking cigars. He is also quite the womanizer, usually unsuccessfully, due to the fact he is a parrot and not a human.
* Filiberke: Jommeke's best friend, Filiberke joins him on most of his adventures. His pitch-black hair color contrasts nicely with the protagonist. He is creative, and a bit odd too. Many albums start with Filiberke engaging in some crazy activity relating to the main story (e.g. he's "playing a cucumber" at the start of album 146 ''
Komkommer in 't zuur''). He also often pretends to be sick to the annoyance of the other characters.
* Pekkie: Filiberke's black poodle.
* Annemieke and Rozemieke: Two identical twin girls, notable for their pony-tails. Their names are often shortened to "The Miekes". They are also good friends with Jommeke. Annemieke even has somewhat of a crush on Jommeke, and Rozemieke on Filiberke. The Miekes are notable for their motherly traits, including cooking and washing.
* Choco: Choco is a chimpanzee in a sailor suit. He is the Miekes' pet. He earned his nickname due to the fact that he loves to eat
chocolate spread
Chocolate spread is a sweet chocolate-flavored paste which is eaten mostly spread on breads and toasts or similar grain items such as waffles, pancakes, muffins, and pitas.
Although it tastes, smells, and looks like chocolate, it does not solidif ...
(or "choco", as it is named in Belgian Dutch.)
* Professor Gobelijn: An absent-minded professor, notable for his large walrus moustache. He is good-hearted, but frequently makes mistakes because of his absent-mindedness. For instance, he states the exact opposite of what he means, only to correct it immediately afterwards: I.e. ''"We will arrive next year, I mean tomorrow"'', ''"I have completely forgotten, I mean I remember it now."'' His inventions include pills that make people fly, a car that runs on grass, a submarine in the shape of a whale etc. In "Purpere Pillen" (Purple Pills) Jommeke and Filiberke saved Gobelijn's life. A plaque on his mansion states that he is a "Professor in Everything", i.e. he has a degree on any subject imaginable.
* Anatool: The main
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.
Etymology
The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
of the series. He is an untrustworthy
butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
who often resorts to
theft
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...
and often fulfills the role of antagonist in the stories. He always wears old-fashioned shoes with elevated heels.
* Kwak and Boemel: Two
hobo
A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works.
E ...
es who live in an underground house in the middle of the forest. Sometimes they side with Jommeke and his friends, but most of the time they are their opponents. They don't shy away from stealing, kidnapping and collaborating with Anatool to get rich. Also notable are their
speech impediment
Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are ...
s. Kwak makes unnecessary use of the letter "h" in front of words that start off with a
syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "bu ...
. Boemel switches the letters "b" and "p" and the letters "d" and "t" in every word he says.
* De Koningin van Onderland: Prutelia van Achterberg, better known as "The Queen of Onderland", is a mentally ill woman who thinks she is a queen. She is Jommeke's most dangerous and ruthless opponent and the true villain of the series. She frequently escapes from her local asylum and then flees to her castle in Zonnedorp. In the third album "De Koningin van Onderland" (1959) she kidnapped all the children in Zonnedorp to become her personal slaves.
List of albums
As of June 2020, the following ''Jommeke'' albums exist:
Translations
Apart from some editions for the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, ''Jommeke'' has been translated into French, English, Finnish and Swedish. These translations were not commercially successful.
A German edition was published from 1971 until around 1980 and lasted 32 volumes (the original comics were printed out of order and volumes 27-28 do not exist!) by
Gemini Verlag (1-18) and
Europress
Europress was a British magazine and software publisher based in Adlington, near Macclesfield, Cheshire. Their magazine publishing business was previously known as Database Publications. The software division was renamed in 1999 to Actualize.
His ...
(19-26, 29-34). The series title was ''(Die tollen Abenteuer von) Peter + Alexander'', obviously a play of words on Austrian actor and singer
Peter Alexander Peter Alexander may refer to:
* Pete Alexander (born Grover Cleveland Alexander; 1887–1950), American baseball player
* Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar) (1893–1969), professor of English language and literature at the University of Glasgo ...
.
In 2011, German editor began republishing the German version of ''Jommeke'', keeping original names and places. As of April 2021, 26 titles have been published in this series.
The series was also published in translation as ''Jeremy'' in Indonesia, by children's book publisher BIP (Bhuana Ilmu Populer) in 2013.
In 2018, a Chinese translation was published in cooperation with Bright Media, with an initial run of 25 titles.
''Jommeke'' in other media
In 1968,
Jef Nys
Jozef "Jef" Nys (30 January 1927 – 20 October 2009) was a Belgian comic book creator. He was best known for his comic strip '' Jommeke''.
Biography Early years
Jozef Nys was born in Berchem, Belgium in 1927.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Jef Nys ...
directed a live-action film called "De Schat van de Zeerover" ("The Pirate's Treasure"), which was a low-budget adaptation of the eponymous ''Jommeke'' album. It was essentially an amateur project, made by him and his family members and starred his own son in the main role.
''Jommeke'' in popular culture
![Kinderen Baas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Kinderen_Baas.jpg)
On 31 July 1997 Jommeke was the first comic book character to receive his own statue in
Middelkerke
Middelkerke () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, on the North Sea, west of Ostend. The municipality comprises the villages of Leffinge, Lombardsijde, Mannekensvere, Middelkerke proper, Schore, Sint-Pieters-Kapell ...
, in front of the casino. It was sculpted by
Valeer Peirsman. On 26 March 2014 Jommeke's statue became a victim of
vandalism
Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...
. It had to be restored and was placed back again on 28 June 2014. On 29 July 2006 Annemieke and Rozemieke also received a statue in Middelkerke, near the
Theresiastraat. It was sculpted by Monique Mol. In 2015, it was announced that two other characters from the franchise, Filiberke and Pekkie, would also receive statues on the
Zeedijk of Middelkerke
Zeedijk (''English'': "Sea dike") is a street in the old centre of Amsterdam. The street is the northern and eastern boundary of De Wallen red-light district and runs between Prins Hendrikkade and Nieuwmarkt. Historically an area riddled with cr ...
.
On 18 June 2011 a wall depicting ''Jommeke'' characters was inaugurated near the
Frans Halsplein
Frans is an Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish given name, sometimes as a short form of ''François''. One cognate of Frans in English is ''Francis''.
Given name
* Frans van Aarssens (1572–1641), Dutch diplomat ...
in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, .
On 27 May 2015 a special comic book wall was made in the
Lokvogelstraat in
Laeken
() or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. It features a huge wall painting starring Jommeke and the main cast members.
Sources
{{Reflist
Belgian comic strips
Belgian comics titles
1955 comics debuts
Humor comics
Adventure comics
Christian comics
Fantasy comics
Male characters in comics
Child characters in comics
Fictional characters from Flanders
Belgian comics adapted into films
Belgian comics characters
Comics characters introduced in 1955
Comics set in Belgium
Comics about dogs
Comics about monkeys
Comics about animals
Works set in Flanders