Pierre Tombal is a Belgian gag comic strip, drawn by

Marc Hardy Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

and written by

Raoul Cauvin Raoul Cauvin (26 September 1938 – 19 August 2021) was a Belgian comics author and one of the most popular in the humorist field. Biography Raoul Cauvin was born in Antoing, Belgium in 1938.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Raoul Cauvin". In België ges ...

, about a

gravedigger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...

and the dead people at his cemetery. The series has been in syndication since 1983 and is published in the Belgian magazine Spirou by

Dupuis Éditions Dupuis S.A. () is a Belgian publisher of comic albums and magazines. Based in Marcinelle near Charleroi, Dupuis was founded in 1922 by Jean Dupuis, and is mostly famous for its comic albums and magazines. It is originally a French ...

Synopsis

''Pierre Tombal'' centers around an undertaker, Pierre Tombal (a pun on ''pierre tombale'',

gravestone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

in French), who owns a cemetery. He is able to talk to the dead people in his graveyard, which often freaks out visitors, especially when the corpses talk or react back. Pierre functions as a spokesperson, servant, aid and trustworthy guard on benefit of the people who are buried there. Many

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 ...

jokes are about the various ways his customers died or how they spent their daily lives at the graveyard. A

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

is Pierre's rivalry with the proprietor of a

crematory A crematorium or crematory is a venue for the cremation of the dead. Modern crematoria contain at least one cremator (also known as a crematory, retort or cremation chamber), a purpose-built furnace. In some countries a crematorium can also b ...

and a captain who favors

burial at sea Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different location ...

. The

Grim Reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...

is also a recurring character.

Other languages

In Dutch the series is published under the name ''G. Raf Zerk''. In Spanish as ''Pedro Tumbas''. In Indonesian as ''Tombal''.In Greek as ''Πιέρ το Κοράκι''.

List of albums

* 1 : ''Les 44 premiers trous'', 1986 (). * 2 : ''Histoires d'os'', 1986 (). * 3 : ''Morts aux dents'', 1987 (). * 4 : ', 1987 (). * 5 : ''Ô suaires'', 1988 (). * 6 : ''Côte à l'os'', 1989 (). * 7 : ''Cas d'os surprise'', 1990 (). * 8 : ''Trou dans la couche d'os jaunes'', 1991 (). * 9 : ''Voyage de n'os'', 1992 (). * 10 : ''Dégâts des os'', 1993 (). * 11 : ''La défense des os primés'', 1994 (). * 12 : ''Os Courent'', 1995 (). * 13 : ''La pelle aux morts'', 1996 (). * 14 : ''Des Décédés et des dés'', 1997 (). * 15 : ''Chute d'os'', 1997 (). * 16 : ''Tombe, la neige'', 1998 (). * 17 : ''Devinez qui on enterre demain ?'', 1999 (). * 18 : ''Condamné à perpète'', 2000 (). * 19 : ''Squelettes en fête'', 2001 (). * 20 : ''Morts de rire'', 2002 (). H.S. ''Best Of, Tome 1'', 2003 (). * 21 : ''K.os'', 2003 (). * 22 : ''Ne jouez pas avec la mort !'', 2005 (). * 23 : ''Regrets éternels'', 2006 (. * 24 : ''On s'éclate mortels'', 2007 (). * 25 : ''Mise en orbite'', 2008 () * 26 : ''Pompes funèbres'', 2009 (). * 27 : ''Entre la vie et la mort'', 2011 (). * 28 : ''L'amour est dans le cimetière'', 2012 (). * 29 : ''Des os et des bas'', 5 avril 2013 (). * 30 : ''Questions de vie ou de mort'', 2014 (). * 31 : ''Peine de mort'', 2015 (). * 32 : ''Fin de bail au cimetière'', 2016 ().

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Tombal.be''
Unofficial site of Marc Hardy
''la rédac de Tombal.be''
Fan site about the series.

Official site of Marc Hardy.

''Pierre Tombal''
English version of official Dupuis page on the series. Belgian comic strips Belgian comics titles Bandes dessinées Dupuis titles Tombal, Pierre Tombal, Pierre Tombal, Pierre 1983 comics debuts Gag-a-day comics Satirical comics Tombal, Pierre Black comedy comics Fiction about funerals Fiction about cemeteries Comics about death Comics about personifications of death

Synopsis

Other languages

List of albums

See also

References

External links