Sibylline is a Belgian comics series by
Raymond Macherot
Raymond Macherot (30 March 1924 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian cartoonist. Although not nearly as famous as fellow Belgian cartoonists such as Hergé or André Franquin, Macherot's work, both as artist and writer, remains highly regarded am ...
and his second best-known work after ''
Chlorophylle
Chlorophylle was a Belgian comics series and Raymond Macherot's best known work, alongside '' Sibylline''. It is a fantasy comic about anthropomorphic forest animals, including the title character Chlorophylle, who is a dormouse.
Description
C ...
''. Just like the latter, it is a
fantasy comic about anthropomorphic animals in a forest setting. However, here the protagonist is a female mouse named Sibylline.
Concept
Sibylline is a female mouse who lives in the forest ''Bosquet Jojeux'', which is an anthropomorphic version of real city life. Much like ''Chlorophylle'' the stories appear to be a
cartoon animal
Talking animals are a common element in mythology and folk tales, children's literature, and modern comic books and animated cartoons. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities (such as bipedal walkin ...
fantasy strip, but in fact have a darker, satirical edge.
As the series progressed more fantastical elements started to occur, such as ghosts, wizards and vampires.
Characters
* Sibylline: The star of the series. She is a gentle, clever and brave female mouse, but can be jealous and hot-headed. Originally she lived in a house, but later she moved to the forest. She wears a yellow
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
* Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
** Fea ...
and a blue dress.
* Taboum: Her dim-witted husband, who is very clumsy and a male version of the
damsel in distress
The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...
. Just like her, he is a mouse.
* Flouzemaker: A
crow
A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...
who is a cigar-smoking business man.
* Brigadier Verboten: A strict and authoritarian
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introducti ...
who guards the forest. He wears a paper hat and a sheriff's badge. His last name is a pun on the German word for "Forbidden".
* Anathème Percemiche: The major antagonist of the series. He is a rat who is related to Anthracite, the antagonist from Macherot's other series, ''Chlorophylle''. Anathème debuted in"Sibylline et l'imposteur".
* The small circus: A circus company who frequently travels to Sibylline's home place. It is composed of Gloglo, a
parakeet
A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers.
Etymology and naming
The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French wor''perroquet'' which is reflected in ...
who is a
ventriloquist
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...
; Alphonse a dog who pulls their mobile home forth, Gustave a rabbit who is an
equilibrist
Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
and Gougoui the mouse, who tames butterflies.
* Patakes: A duck who works as a reporter for "La Trompette Fureteuse".
* Pantoufle: A cat who tries to eat Sibylline and her friends, but always fails. He was later given his own comics spin-off, under the script of
René Goscinny
René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Raised largely in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he attended French schoo ...
.
* Burokratz: A
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
who enjoys stealing cakes.
* Zabagor: A white bird who can play the violin. He does this so well that it scares Burokratz the vampire.
* Pistolard: A fox who is a magician.
* Croque-Monsieur: A
ferret
The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, Domestication, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), evidenced by their Hybrid (biol ...
, who is another major antagonist. He is the evilest of all villains and actually murders animals to eat them. His name is a pun on the snack ''
Croque-monsieur
A ''croque monsieur'' () is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese. The name comes from the French words ''croque'' ("crunch") and ''monsieur'' ("mister").
History
The dish originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. In the ear ...
''.
History
In 1964
Raymond Macherot
Raymond Macherot (30 March 1924 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian cartoonist. Although not nearly as famous as fellow Belgian cartoonists such as Hergé or André Franquin, Macherot's work, both as artist and writer, remains highly regarded am ...
left ''
Tintin
Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to:
''The Adventures of Tintin''
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series
** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...
'', where he had drawn ''
Chlorophylle
Chlorophylle was a Belgian comics series and Raymond Macherot's best known work, alongside '' Sibylline''. It is a fantasy comic about anthropomorphic forest animals, including the title character Chlorophylle, who is a dormouse.
Description
C ...
'' for many years. Contractually he was unable to take his characters with him, except for the antagonist Anthracite, whom he kept. In 1965 he created the series ''Sybilline'' for the rival magazine ''
Spirou''.
The tone and atmosphere were very similar to ''Chlorophylle''. Scripts were written by Macherot and
Paul Deliège
Paul Deliège (21 January 1931 – 7 July 2005) was a Belgian artist and writer of comics. He is most famous for his series ''Bobo''.
Biography
Deliège was born in Olne. He started in the daily ''Le Soir'' with ''Père Bricole et Félicie ...
. After Macherot quit drawing Taymans took over. The series ran in ''Spirou'' until 1990. In 2006 the series was relaunched by
André Taymans and
François Corteggiani
François Corteggiani (21 September 1953 – 21 September 2022) was a French comics artist and writer.
Biography
He was born on 21 September 1953 in France. He got a degree in art before becoming an artist for advertising. He created his first ...
.
In popular culture
In the
Belgian Comic Strip Center
The Belgian Comic Strip Center (french: Centre belge de la Bande dessinée; nl, Belgisch Stripcentrum) is a museum in Brussels, Belgium, dedicated to Belgian comics. It is located at 20, /, in an Art Nouveau building designed by Victor Horta, ...
in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
the permanent exhibition brings homage to the pioneers of
Belgian comics
Belgian comics are a distinct subgroup in the comics history, and played a major role in the development of European comics, alongside France with whom they share a long common history. While the comics in the two major language groups and regio ...
, among them Raymond Macherot. In the room dedicated to his work, everything is designed to look like a Chlorophylle and Sybilline's underground home in the forest.
Sibylline is among the many Belgian comics characters to jokingly have a Brussels street named after them. Since 2007 the Place Saint-Jean/ Sint-Jansplein has a
commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...
with the name ''Place Sibylline'' placed under the actual street sign.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Sibylline - BD, informations, cotes
Belgian comic strips
1965 comics debuts
Comics characters introduced in 1965
1990 comics endings
2006 comics debuts
Comics about women
Comics about animals
Comics about mice and rats
Comics set in forests
Fantasy comics
Adventure comics
Humor comics
Satirical comics
Fictional mice and rats
Anthropomorphic animal characters
Belgian comics characters
Dupuis titles
Female characters in comics