Spirou Et Fantasio
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''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
humorous adventure comics like ''
The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...
'' and ''
Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
''. It has been written and drawn by a succession of artists. Spirou and Fantasio are the series' main characters, two adventurous
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
s who run into fantastic adventures, aided by Spirou's pet
squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
Spip SPIP (''Système de Publication pour l'Internet'') is a free software content management system designed for web site publishing, oriented towards online collaborative editing. The software is designed for easy setup, use and maintenance, and is ...
and their inventor friend the
Count of Champignac The long-running Franco-Belgian comics, Franco-Belgian comic series ''Spirou and Fantasio'' has a number of major and minor recurring characters. Main characters Spirou Spirou is the main character of this series. Fantasio Fantasio is intro ...
.


History


Origins of ''Spirou''

The comic strip was originally created by
Rob-Vel François Robert Velter (; 9 February 1909 – 27 April 1991), known by his pen-name Rob-Vel (), was a French cartoonist. He is best known for creating the character '' Spirou'' in 1938. Biography Like ''Spirou'', Velter began his career as ...
for the launch of ' ('' Spirou'' magazine) on April 21, 1938, published by
Éditions 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 l ...
. The main character was originally an elevator (lift) operator (in
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: ) for the Moustique Hotel (in reference to the publisher's chief magazine, ), and remained dressed in his red
bellhop A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (carrier), porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while check-in, checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat), like certain other Page (a ...
uniform for a long time after the occupation was dropped. Spirou (the name means 'squirrel' (lit.) and 'mischievous' (fig.) in Walloon) has a pet squirrel called
Spip SPIP (''Système de Publication pour l'Internet'') is a free software content management system designed for web site publishing, oriented towards online collaborative editing. The software is designed for easy setup, use and maintenance, and is ...
, the series' first supporting character, who was introduced on June 8, 1939, in the
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
titled and liberated in the following week's issue, remaining a presence in all stories since. Adding to the difficulties of magazine publication that came with the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Velter joined the army effort, and his wife Blanche Dumoulin, using the pen name Davine, continued the work on the strip, with the aid of the young Belgian artist Luc Lafnet. Spirou became the property of the publisher Dupuis (atypical in France and Belgium where most comics characters are owned by their creator(s)), who bought the character from Rob-Vel in 1943, and since then the series has belonged to no specific author. The title has therefore subsequently been passed on to several different artists and writers. The first succession came in 1943 when Joseph Gillain, known by the pen name
Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) a ...
, was given charge of the character. In 1944 Jijé introduced a new character, Fantasio, who would become Spirou's best friend and co-adventurer. Holding many artistic commitments at magazine, Jijé sought to delegate much of his work, and in 1946 he handed the series to his understudy, the young
André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are '' Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a period s ...
, in the middle of the production of the story .


Franquin's

Franquin developed the strip from single gags and short serials into long adventures with complex plots, and is usually considered as the definitive author of the strip. He introduced a large gallery of recurring characters, notably the Count de Champignac, elderly scientist and inventor; the buffoonish
mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...
Zorglub Zorglub is a fictional character in the Belgian comic strip ''Spirou et Fantasio'', created by Greg and André Franquin, and first appeared in the serialised story ''Z comme Zorglub'' in '' Spirou'' magazine in 1959, later published in the diptyc ...
; Fantasio's cousin and aspiring dictator
Zantafio Zantafio is a recurring fictional antagonist in the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic book series. He was created by André Franquin and first appeared in ''Spirou et les héritiers'' (1952). Zantafio bears a strong resemblance to Fantasio, because th ...
; and the journalist
Seccotine Seccotine is a recurring character from the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comics, and the first major female character of the series, a strong-willed reporter. She was created by André Franquin, and made her first appearance in ''La turbotraction'' ser ...
, a rare instance of a major female character in Franco-Belgian comics of this period. One Franquin creation that went on to develop a life of its own was the
Marsupilami ''Marsupilami'' is a comic book character and fictional animal species created by André Franquin. Its first appearance was in the 31 January 1952 issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. Since then it appeared regularly in the ...
, a fictional monkey-like creature with a tremendously long prehensile tail. The Marsupilami appears in the majority of the Franquin stories, starting in 1952 with ''
Spirou et les héritiers ''Spirou et les héritiers'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the fourth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and a great leap in the expansion of the Spirou universe. After serial publication in '' Spirou'' magazine, it was released as a ...
''. In the series, it is adopted by the duo and follows them everywhere they go. Marsupilamis in the wild take centre stage briefly in ''
Le nid des Marsupilamis ''Le nid des Marsupilamis'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the twelfth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The title story, and another, ''La foire aux gangsters'', were serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before the release in a hardc ...
'' (1957) which presents Seccotine's documentary featuring a family in their natural habitat, the jungles of the fictitious
South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
state ''Palombia''. Starting with '' Le prisonnier du Bouddha'' (1959), Franquin began to work with
Greg Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name *Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canadi ...
(writing) and
Jidéhem Jean De Mesmaeker (21 December 1935 – 30 April 2017) known by the pseudonym Jidéhem ("JDM"), was a Belgian comics artist in the Marcinelle school tradition. He was best known for his series featuring a cute, playful and adventurous young girl, ...
(backgrounds). As in some of his later series (''
Bruno Brazil ''Bruno Brazil'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series written by Greg, under the pseudonym Louis Albert, and drawn by William Vance. It was initially serialised in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin'', first appearing on January 17, 1967. ...
'', ''
Bernard Prince ''Bernard Prince'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series, featuring an eponymous character and his sailor-adventurer companions. The series was created by Belgian cartoonists Greg and Hermann for the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Tintin'', first ...
''), Greg staged his stories in a realistic geopolitical context. is set in mainland
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, with veiled references made to the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. As for ''
QRN sur Bretzelburg '' QRN sur Bretzelburg'' (''Eng. Lit.'', ''QRN over Bretzelburg''), written by Franquin and Greg, drawn by Franquin with assistance by Jidéhem, is the eighteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The story was initially serialised in ...
'', it takes place in two imaginary European countries which bring to mind pre-
reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governmen ...
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Lastly, it is with Greg that Franquin created famed villain Zorglub in the
diptych A diptych (; from the Greek δίπτυχον, ''di'' "two" + '' ptychē'' "fold") is any object with two flat plates which form a pair, often attached by hinge. For example, the standard notebook and school exercise book of the ancient world w ...
of ''
Z comme Zorglub ''Z comme Zorglub'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the fifteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the first part of Franquin's Zorglub diptych. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before its release as a h ...
'' and ''
L'ombre du Z ''L'ombre du Z'', written and drawn by Franquin with Greg and Jidéhem, is the sixteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the second part of Franquin's Zorglub diptych. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, be ...
''. However, as Franquin grew tired of Spirou, his other major character
Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston ...
began to take precedence in his work, and following the controversial ''
Panade à Champignac ''Panade à Champignac'' is the nineteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The story, written and drawn by Franquin, was serialised along with ''Bravo les Brothers'' in '' Spirou'' magazine before publication as a hardcover album in 19 ...
'', the series passed on to a then unknown young cartoonist,
Jean-Claude Fournier Jean-Claude Fournier (; born 21 May 1943, Paris), known simply as Fournier, is a French cartoonist best known as the comic book artist who handled ''Spirou et Fantasio'' in the years 1969-1979. Biography In 1965, Fournier approached André Franqu ...
, in 1969. One side effect of this is that the Marsupilami would only appear in one last story, ''
Le faiseur d'or ''Le faiseur d'or'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twentieth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the first to follow the ''Spirou'' retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, befo ...
''. This is because Franquin decided to retain the rights to that character; all the other characters remained the property of the publisher. Starting with ''
Du glucose pour Noémie ''Du glucose pour Noémie'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twentyfirst album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's second, following the ''Spirou'' retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Sp ...
'', there would be no more appearances of the Marsupilami in , with the exception of a few discreet references. Only in the 1980s did the Marsupilami reappear in its own series, and later a television cartoon and video game.


A long transition

Fournier authored nine books in the series, which saw Spirou evolve into a more modern character. Where Franquin's stories tended to be politically neutral (in his later works, notably ''
Idées noires ''Franquin's Last Laugh'' (french: Idées noires: Dark thoughts) is a collection of black comedy comic strips drawn by André Franquin, written by Franquin and Yvan Delporte. The one-page stories first appeared frequently in 1977, in the brief ru ...
'', he would champion pacifist and environmental views), Fournier's stint on Spirou addressed such hot topics (for the 1970s) as
nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity * Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy ...
(''
L'Ankou ''L'Ankou'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twenty-seventh album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's seventh, following the Spirou retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine ...
''), drug-funded dictatorships (''
Kodo le tyran ''Kodo le tyran'' ("Kodo the Tyrant"), written and drawn by Fournier, is the twenty-eighth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's eighth, following the Spirou retirement of André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1 ...
'') and
Duvalier Duvalier is a French and Haitian surname, and may refer to: * François Duvalier (1907–1971), nicknamed "Papa Doc", President of Haiti 1957–71 * Jean-Claude Duvalier Jean-Claude Duvalier (; 3 July 19514 October 2014), nicknamed "Baby Doc" ( h ...
-style repression (''
Tora Torapa ''Tora Torapa'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twenty-third album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's fourth, following the ''Spirou'' retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' maga ...
''). Fournier introduced some new characters such as Ororéa, a beautiful girl reporter with whom Fantasio was madly in love (in contrast with his dislike of
Seccotine Seccotine is a recurring character from the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comics, and the first major female character of the series, a strong-willed reporter. She was created by André Franquin, and made her first appearance in ''La turbotraction'' ser ...
); Itoh Kata, a Japanese
magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
; and an occult
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
-like criminal organisation known as The Triangle. None of these were reused by later artists until some thirty years later when Itoh Kata appeared in Morvan and Munuera's . However, at the end of the 1970s Fournier's pace began to slow down and the publisher, Dupuis, sought new authors to replace him. For a time, three separate teams worked on concurrent stories.
Nic Broca NIC may refer to: Banking and insurance companies * National Insurance Corporation, Uganda * NIC Bank, a commercial bank in Kenya Politics, government and economics * National Ice Center, an agency that provides worldwide navigational ice a ...
(art) and
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 ...
(writing) took on Fournier's lead without adding much to the characters. Their primary addition to the Spirou universe, namely the "Black box", a device which annihilates sound, is in fact an acknowledged rehash from an early ''
Sophie Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...
'' story by Jidéhem (). Strangely, the authors were not allowed by the publisher to use any of the side characters and because of this, the duo's three stories read somewhat like a parenthesis in the series.


Yves Chaland's case

Yves Chaland Yves Chaland (; 3 April 1957 – 18 July 1990) was a French cartoonist. During the 1980s, together with Luc Cornillon, Serge Clerc and Floc'h, he launched the ''Atomic style'', a stylish remake of the Marcinelle School in Franco-Belgian comics ...
proposed a far more radical make-over. His (very short) stint on Spirou is an
ironic Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...
re-staging of the strip as it was in the 40s. This homage to Jijé and early Franquin was seen at the time as too sophisticated for the mainstream readership. It was prepublished in 1982 in magazine, n°2297 to n°2318, printed in two-colour, but was interrupted before it was completed. This unfinished story was first collected in an unofficial album in 1984, , and then, legally, under the name of (Champaka editor, 1990). This last edition includes the original strips, and a text by
Yann Le Pennetier Yann is a French male given name, specifically, the Breton form of "Jean" (French for "John"). Notable persons with the name Yann include: __NOTOC__ In arts and entertainment *Yann Martel (born 1963), Canadian author *Yann Moix (born 1968), Fr ...
, illustrated by Chaland, that finishes the interrupted story.Included in ''L'intégrale Chaland'' (Humanoïdes Associés, 1997. ), and Special Edition n°4 (Dupuis ed.)


Tome and Janry – the Dynamic Duo

It was the team of Tome (writing) and
Janry Jean-Richard Geurts, perhaps better known under his pseudonym Janry (born 2 October 1957), is a Belgian comics artist. With Tome he created ''Le Petit Spirou'' and made several ''Spirou et Fantasio'' albums. Early life Born in Jadotville (now L ...
(art) which was to find lasting success with Spirou, both in terms of sales and critical appeal. Graphically, the authors' work was seen as a modern homage to Franquin's classic work, while their plots involved such modern topics as biotech (''
Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...
''), robotics (''
Qui arrêtera Cyanure? ''Qui arrêtera Cyanure?'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-fifth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the third of the authors. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, before released as a hardcov ...
'') and even time travel (the diptych of ''
L'horloger de la comète ''L'horloger de la comète'', written by Philippe Tome, Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-sixth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the fourth of the authors. The story was initially serialised in ''Spirou (magazine), Spirou'' maga ...
'' and ''
Le réveil du Z ''Le réveil du Z'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-seventh album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian com ...
'', featuring future descendants of the Count and Zorglub). Their position as the official Spirou authors made them the flagship team to a whole new school of young, likeminded artists, such as
Didier Conrad Didier Conrad (born 6 May 1959) is a French comics artist and writer. Since 2012, he has been the artist of the popular ''Asterix'' series. Biography Beginnings Didier Conrad was born in Marseille of parents originally from Switzerland. He dev ...
,
Bernard Hislaire Bernard Hislaire (born 11 January 1957) is a Belgian comic book creator. He is also known as Sylaire and as Yslaire, his current artist name. Biography Bernard Hislaire was born in 1957 in Brussels, Belgium.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Hislaire". In ...
or
Frank Le Gall Frank Le Gall (born 23 September 1959 in Rouen), is a French author of comics. He was first published as a comic author at the age of 16 in '' Pistil''. He then went on to work for '' Spirou'', creating "Valry Bonpain," a comic series following a ...
, who had illustrious careers of their own. For a time, Spirou also acted as a side character in
Frank Pé Frank Pé, often signing solely as Frank (15 July 1956) is a Belgian comic book artist, best known for ''Broussaille'' and ''Zoo''. Biography Frank Pé was born in Ixelles in 1956.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Frank". In België gestript, pp. 112-113 ...
's short-lived absurd humor strip (originally published in the weekly magazine). With ''
La jeunesse de Spirou ''La jeunesse de Spirou'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-eighth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the sixth of the authors. The stories were serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before they were compiled as a hardc ...
'' (1987), Tome and Janry set out to imagine Spirou's youth. This idea was later developed into a spin-off series, ''
Le Petit Spirou ''Le Petit Spirou'' ( nl, De Kleine Robbe, link=no; ''"Young Spirou"'') is a popular Belgian comic strip created by Tome and Janry in 1987. The series developed from ''La jeunesse de Spirou'' (1987), a ''Spirou & Fantasio'' album in which Tome ...
'' ("Young Spirou"), which details the antics of the character as an elementary school boy. A lot of the gags center around the character's interest in the opposite sex. It is generally acknowledged, however, that the Petit Spirou has little in common, psychologically speaking, with the adult character. A new villain, the unlucky Mafia boss Vito "Lucky" Cortizone, based on the character
Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather ...
from ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...
'' movies, was introduced in '' Spirou à New-York'', while ''
Spirou à Moscou ''Spirou à Moscou'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the forty-second album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the tenth of the authors. The story was serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before it was released as a hardcover album i ...
'' (1990) sees Spirou and Fantasio pay their first visit to the
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, just as it was about to collapse (the country was dissolved in 1991). In (1998), Tome and Janry tried to once again renew the series with a more mature storyline (wounded hero, love relationships, etc.), coupled with a more realistic graphic style. This sudden shift into a darker tone shocked many readers, although its seeds were apparent in previous Spirou albums and in other series by the same authors (''
Soda Soda or SODA may refer to: Chemistry * Some chemical compounds containing sodium ** Sodium carbonate, washing soda or soda ash ** Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda ** Sodium hydroxide, caustic soda ** Sodium oxide, an alkali metal oxide * Sod ...
'', ). While many considered the change in tone to be courageous and laudable, there was some concern that Spirou lost much of its point when presented as a "realistic" character. At any rate, the controversy caused Tome and Janry to concentrate on , and stop making albums in the main series.


in the 21st century


Morvan and Munuera

After a six-year break, which only saw the publication of , a Spirou spoof by
Lewis Trondheim Lewis Trondheim (born Laurent Chabosy, , on 11 December 1964), is a French cartoonist and one of the founders (in 1990) of the independent publisher L'Association. Both his silent comic ''La Mouche'' and Kaput and Zösky have been made into animat ...
not included in the official series (but which received Dupuis' approval), the series went back to a more classical storytelling mode with seasoned cartoonists
Jean-David Morvan Morvan in 2017. Jean-David Morvan (born 28 November 1969 in Reims, Marne, France) is a French comics author. Morvan studied arts at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels. Morvan started out as a comics artist, but soon realised that his true str ...
(writing) and José-Luis Munuera (art). The latter kept close to the spirit of Franquin's graphical style, while bringing its own touch of
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
-inspired modernism. Morvan and Munuera's Spirou is partly remarkable in that it uses background elements and secondary characters from the whole history of the title, and not just from Franquin's period. The duo's third album, was released 20 September 2006. Spirou and Fantasio uncover the story of two children with telekinetic powers (similarly to the manga '' Akira'') that are forced to construct an
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
and
Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
theme park. Dupuis has also released as a
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
story by Hiroyuki Oshima after an idea by Morvan. This story tells Spirou's adolescence as a bellhop in a five-star
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
hotel. Due to a significant decline in sales, Dupuis decided to cease Morvan and Munuera work in Spirou in January 2007. However, they were allowed to complete one last album, , which was released 5 November 2008, with the help of scenarist Yann.


Yoann and Vehlmann

In January 2009, it was announced in '' Spirou'' magazine #3694 that Morvan and Munuera would be succeeded by
Fabien Vehlmann Fabien Vehlmann (born 30 January 1972) is a French comics writer best known for '' Green Manor'' and ''Seuls''. Yvan Delporte dubbed him "The René Goscinny of the third millennium". Biography Fabien Vehlmann, born in 1972 in Mont-de-Marsan, gre ...
and
Yoann Yoann Chivard (born 8 October 1971 in Alençon, Orne), better known under the artist name ''Yoann'' is a French comics artist. In January 2009, it was announced that Yoann and the comics writer Fabien Vehlmann would take over the responsibility f ...
, who had together created the first volume of Their first album in the regular series was announced for October 2009, but was later pushed back to September 3, 2010, and is named . In 2018, Yoann and Vehlmann completely rebooted the series with Spirou as a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
– (French for 'Superbellhop') – and have since then been focusing on this version of the character. As of 2020, Vehlmann and Yoann have created five albums (see list below), but since was published in 2016 no new albums have appeared in the main series.


In 2006, Dupuis launched a second series of one-off volumes by various authors, under the name ('A Spirou and Fantasio adventure by...'). It has subsequently been renamed ('The Spirou story by...') The first volume, by
Fabien Vehlmann Fabien Vehlmann (born 30 January 1972) is a French comics writer best known for '' Green Manor'' and ''Seuls''. Yvan Delporte dubbed him "The René Goscinny of the third millennium". Biography Fabien Vehlmann, born in 1972 in Mont-de-Marsan, gre ...
and
Yoann Yoann Chivard (born 8 October 1971 in Alençon, Orne), better known under the artist name ''Yoann'' is a French comics artist. In January 2009, it was announced that Yoann and the comics writer Fabien Vehlmann would take over the responsibility f ...
, had a modern storyline and art, not dissimilar in spirit to Morvan and Munuera's work. The second volume, , by
Frank Le Gall Frank Le Gall (born 23 September 1959 in Rouen), is a French author of comics. He was first published as a comic author at the age of 16 in '' Pistil''. He then went on to work for '' Spirou'', creating "Valry Bonpain," a comic series following a ...
, is drawn in a more classic style not dissimilar to ''
The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...
'' and
Théodore Poussin ''Théodore Poussin'' is a Franco-Belgian comics book series created by the French writer Frank Le Gall Frank Le Gall (born 23 September 1959 in Rouen), is a French author of comics. He was first published as a comic author at the age of 16 in ...
, Le Gall's own comic series. The third, , by Yann and
Fabrice Tarrin Fabrice is a French masculine given name from the Roman name ''Fabricius'', which is itself derived from the Latin ''faber'' meaning blacksmith or craftsman. Notable people with the name include: * Fabrice Balanche (born 1969), French geographer * ...
, is a slightly modernized homage to Franquin's classic period. The fourth, , by
Emile Bravo Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...
, is a novelistic homage to the original
Rob-Vel François Robert Velter (; 9 February 1909 – 27 April 1991), known by his pen-name Rob-Vel (), was a French cartoonist. He is best known for creating the character '' Spirou'' in 1938. Biography Like ''Spirou'', Velter began his career as ...
and
Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) a ...
's universes and stories, and was released to critical acclaim, being awarded at the
Angoulême festival Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a commune, the prefecture of the Charente department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Angoumoisins'' o ...
. The fifth, by Yann and Olivier Schwartz, is based on one of Yann's old scripts from the 1980s originally intended to have been drawn by Chaland, while the editor rejected it. Yann picked up the artist Schwartz, working in a similar style, to complete the story. The story takes place among the resistance movement in the Nazi-occupied Belgium. Unlike traditional Spirou stories, but similar to other works by Yann, the story features rather much dark humour and political satire. It was released once again to some acclaim but also attracted controversy for its cavalier approach to sensitive issues. The sixth album, , authored by
Lewis Trondheim Lewis Trondheim (born Laurent Chabosy, , on 11 December 1964), is a French cartoonist and one of the founders (in 1990) of the independent publisher L'Association. Both his silent comic ''La Mouche'' and Kaput and Zösky have been made into animat ...
and
Fabrice Parme Fabrice is a French masculine given name from the Roman name ''Fabricius'', which is itself derived from the Latin ''faber'' meaning blacksmith or craftsman. Notable people with the name include: * Fabrice Balanche (born 1969), French geographer * ...
, was released on April 16, 2010.


Characters

Main and recurring ''Spirou et Fantasio'' characters: * Spirou – the main character. An investigative reporter with a strong sense of justice. * Fantasio – Spirou's best friend and co-adventurer, a reporter with a hot temper. *
Spip SPIP (''Système de Publication pour l'Internet'') is a free software content management system designed for web site publishing, oriented towards online collaborative editing. The software is designed for easy setup, use and maintenance, and is ...
– Spirou's grouchy pet squirrel. * The
Marsupilami ''Marsupilami'' is a comic book character and fictional animal species created by André Franquin. Its first appearance was in the 31 January 1952 issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. Since then it appeared regularly in the ...
– a very unusual creature captured in a South American jungle by Spirou and Fantasio. Marsupilami is the name of the species, and the creature never acquired an individual name. Often referred to as "the little animal" even though it can terrorise anything and anyone. *
Count of Champignac The long-running Franco-Belgian comics, Franco-Belgian comic series ''Spirou and Fantasio'' has a number of major and minor recurring characters. Main characters Spirou Spirou is the main character of this series. Fantasio Fantasio is intro ...
– Spirou and Fantasio's eccentric scientist friend. * The Mayor of Champignac – petty, pompous, ineffectual and two-faced, he is mostly memorable for his trademark speeches in which he piles up mixed metaphors sky-high. *
Seccotine Seccotine is a recurring character from the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comics, and the first major female character of the series, a strong-willed reporter. She was created by André Franquin, and made her first appearance in ''La turbotraction'' ser ...
– their fellow reporter, a friend and rival at the same time. Gets on Fantasio's nerves, but a priceless ally. *
Gaston Lagaffe ''Gaston'' is a Belgian gag-a-day comic strip created in 1957 by the Belgian cartoonist André Franquin in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. The series focuses on the everyday life of Gaston Lagaffe (whose surname means "the blund ...
– the main source of disaster and gags at the magazine offices. While he is the hero of his own series, he makes a few guest appearances in stories. * Ororéa – another brave female reporter, of Polynesian descent. *
Itoh Kata The long-running Franco-Belgian comic series ''Spirou and Fantasio'' has a number of major and minor recurring characters. Main characters Spirou Spirou is the main character of this series. Fantasio Fantasio is introduced by Jijé in 1943 ...
– a Japanese
scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...
and
magician Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
. *
Zorglub Zorglub is a fictional character in the Belgian comic strip ''Spirou et Fantasio'', created by Greg and André Franquin, and first appeared in the serialised story ''Z comme Zorglub'' in '' Spirou'' magazine in 1959, later published in the diptyc ...
– a mad scientist as well as a former colleague of the Count of Champignac from university. Originally a foe upon his first appearance, he boasts that he could take over the world, but really wants to be recognised as the greatest scientist of all time. He is later rehabilitated and becomes a friend of the protagonists. However, his ego is never shot down as more recent albums show.


Enemies

*
Zantafio Zantafio is a recurring fictional antagonist in the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic book series. He was created by André Franquin and first appeared in ''Spirou et les héritiers'' (1952). Zantafio bears a strong resemblance to Fantasio, because th ...
– Fantasio's evil cousin. * John Helena (the
moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...
) – a brutal maritime criminal. * Don Vito "Lucky" Cortizone – New York mafia boss, father of a dangerous woman called Luna. * Cyanure, a
gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Name A gynoid ...
.


Albums

''This list includes French titles, their English translation, and the first year of publication''


Jijé

* '' Spirou et l'aventure'', 1948, featuring: ** (''The Aerial Meeting''), 1943 ** (''Around the World with the Red Pilot''), 1944 ** (''The Voyage in Time''), 1944–45 ** (''The Abduction of Spip''), 1945 ** (''Fantasio's Jeep''), 1945–46. Also in hors-séries H2. ** (''Fantasio and the Ghost''), 1946. Also in hors-séries H4


André Franquin

* ''
Spirou et Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European comics, European ...
'', 1948, featuring: ** '' Fantasio et le tank'' (''Fantasio and his Tank''), 1946. Also in hors-séries H1. **'' Les Maisons préfabriquées'' (''The Prefabricated Houses''), 1946. Also in hors-séries H2. ** '' L'Héritage'' (''The inheritance of Spirou''), 1946. Also in hors-séries H1. **'' Le Savant fou'' (''The Mad Genius''), 1947–48. Also in hors-séries H2 as . *1. '' Quatre aventures de Spirou et Fantasio'' (''Four Adventures of Spirou and Fantasio''), 1950, featuring: **'' Les plans du robot'' (''Spirou and the Robot's Plans''), 1948 **''
Spirou sur le ring Spirou may refer to: In comics *Spirou (character), the eponymous main character of the comics series ''Spirou et Fantasio'' and ''Le Petit Spirou'' * ''Spirou'' (magazine), originally ''Le Journal de Spirou'', Belgian weekly serial comics magazine ...
'' (''Spirou in the Ring''), 1948 ** ''
Spirou fait du cheval Spirou may refer to: In comics *Spirou (character), the eponymous main character of the comics series ''Spirou et Fantasio'' and ''Le Petit Spirou'' * ''Spirou'' (magazine), originally ''Le Journal de Spirou'', Belgian weekly serial comics magazine ...
'' (''Spirou rides a horse''), 1949 ** '' Spirou chez les Pygmées'' (''Spirou meets the Pygmees''), 1949 *2. ''
Il y a un sorcier à Champignac ''Il y a un sorcier à Champignac'', by Franquin, is the second album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the first to tell a long intricate story in what would become the ''Spirou'' tradition, in contrast to the previous short format stori ...
'' (''There is a Sorcerer in Champignac''), 1951, written by Henri Gillain. First appearance of the Mayor and the Count of Champignac. *3. '' Les chapeaux noirs'' (''The Black Hats''), 1952; followed by: **'' Comme une mouche au plafond'' (''Like a Fly on the Ceiling'') by Jijé. **'' Spirou et les hommes-grenouilles'' (''Spirou and the Frogmen'') by Jijé. ** '' Mystère à la frontière'' (''Mystery at the Frontier'') *4. ''
Spirou et les héritiers ''Spirou et les héritiers'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the fourth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and a great leap in the expansion of the Spirou universe. After serial publication in '' Spirou'' magazine, it was released as a ...
'' (''Spirou and the Heirs''), 1952. First appearance of Zantafio and the Marsupilami. *5. ''
Les voleurs du Marsupilami ''Les voleurs du Marsupilami'', published in English as ''The Marsupilami Thieves'', is the fifth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, written and drawn by Franquin. The story is a continuation from where the previous album, ''Spirou et les ...
'' (''The Marsupilami Robbers''), 1952; after an idea by Jo Almo. This story begins when ends. *6. ''
La corne de rhinocéros LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
'' (''The Rhinoceros Horn''), 1953. First appearance of Seccotine and Turbot-Rhino I. *7. ''
Le dictateur et le champignon ''Le dictateur et le champignon'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the seventh album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. After serial publication in '' Spirou'' magazine, the story was released as a hardcover album in 1956. Story When the Mar ...
'' (''The Dictator and the Mushroom''), 1953; after an idea by Maurice Rosy. *8. ''
La mauvaise tête ''La mauvaise tête'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the eighth album in the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. After serial publication in '' Spirou'' magazine the complete story was published, along with the Marsupilami short story ''Touchez pas ...
'' (''Obstinate and Difficult''), 1954 *9. ''
Le repaire de la murène ''Le repaire de la murène'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the ninth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, adding underwater adventure to the ''Spirou'' universe. After serial publication in '' Spirou'' magazine, it was released as a ...
'' (''The Moray's Hideout''), 1955. First appearance of John Helena, alias "The
Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...
". *10. ''
Les pirates du silence ''Les pirates du silence'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the tenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The title story, and another, ''La Quick Super'', were serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before both were published in one hardco ...
'' (''Pirates of Silence''), 1956; with Maurice Rosy (writing) and Will (backgrounds). ** also including , 1956 *11. ''
Le gorille a bonne mine ''Le gorille a bonne mine'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the eleventh album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The title story and ''Vacances sans histoires'' (A Quiet Holiday), were serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, before the hardcov ...
'' (''Gorilla's in Good Shape''), 1956 ** also including (''Uneventful Holidays''). Second cameo of Gaston Lagaffe. *12. ''
Le nid des Marsupilamis ''Le nid des Marsupilamis'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the twelfth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The title story, and another, ''La foire aux gangsters'', were serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before the release in a hardc ...
'' (''The Marsupilamis' Nest''), 1957 ** also including (''Gangsters at the Fair'') *13. ''
Le voyageur du Mésozoïque ''Le voyageur du Mésozoïque'', written by Franquin and Greg, drawn by Franquin with assistance by Jidéhem, is the thirteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The title story, and another, ''La Peur au bout du fil'', were first seria ...
'' (''The Traveller from the Mesozoic'', 1957) First actual cameo of Gaston Lagaffe. ** also including (''Fear at the End of the Line'', 1959; with Greg (writing) and Jidéhem (backgrounds). *14. '' Le prisonnier du Bouddha'' (''The prisoner of the Buddha'', 1959; with Greg (writing) and Jidéhem (backgrounds). *15. ''
Z comme Zorglub ''Z comme Zorglub'', written and drawn by Franquin, is the fifteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the first part of Franquin's Zorglub diptych. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before its release as a h ...
'' (''Z is for Zorglub'', 1960; with Greg (writing) and Jidéhem (backgrounds). First appearance of Zorglub. Part one of two. *16. ''
L'ombre du Z ''L'ombre du Z'', written and drawn by Franquin with Greg and Jidéhem, is the sixteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the second part of Franquin's Zorglub diptych. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, be ...
'' (''The Shadow of Z'', 1960; with Greg (writing) and Jidéhem (backgrounds). Part two of two. *17. ''
Spirou et les hommes-bulles ''Spirou et les hommes-bulles'' (''Spirou and the bubble-men''), written and drawn by Franquin, is the seventeenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The title story appeared sequentially (in black & white) in '' Le Parisien Libéré'', ...
'' (''Spirou and the Bubble Men'', 1959) ** also including (''The Small Formats''), 1960; both with Jean Roba (art). These stories, along with , first appeared in a newspaper, . *18. ''
QRN sur Bretzelburg '' QRN sur Bretzelburg'' (''Eng. Lit.'', ''QRN over Bretzelburg''), written by Franquin and Greg, drawn by Franquin with assistance by Jidéhem, is the eighteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The story was initially serialised in ...
'' (''Q.R.N. over Bretzelburg''), 1963; with Greg (writing) and Jidéhem (backgrounds)). A longer version was published in 1987 in a limited printing. *19. ''
Panade à Champignac ''Panade à Champignac'' is the nineteenth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series. The story, written and drawn by Franquin, was serialised along with ''Bravo les Brothers'' in '' Spirou'' magazine before publication as a hardcover album in 19 ...
'' (''Babysitting in Champignac''), 1968; with Peyo and Gos (writing). ** also including (''Hurray for the Brothers''), 1967; with Jidéhem (backgrounds). *24. ''
Tembo Tabou ''Tembo Tabou'', written by Franquin and Greg, drawn by Franquin and Jean Roba, is the twenty-fourth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the twentieth under Franquin's authorship. The story was initially serialised in '' Le Parisien L ...
'', 1968, with Roba (art); followed by short stories


Jean-Claude Fournier

*20. ''
Le faiseur d'or ''Le faiseur d'or'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twentieth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the first to follow the ''Spirou'' retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, befo ...
'' (''The gold maker'', 1970). Last appearance of the Marsupilami. *21. ''
Du glucose pour Noémie ''Du glucose pour Noémie'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twentyfirst album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's second, following the ''Spirou'' retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Sp ...
'' (''Glucose for Noémie'', 1971) *22. ''L'abbaye truquée'' (''The Disguised Abbey'', 1972) *23. ''
Tora Torapa ''Tora Torapa'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twenty-third album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's fourth, following the ''Spirou'' retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' maga ...
'' (1973) *25. ''Le gri-gri du Niokolo-Koba'' (''The gris-gris of Niokolo-Koba'', 1974) *26. ''Du cidre pour les étoiles'' (''Cider for the Stars'', 1977) *27. ''
L'Ankou ''L'Ankou'', written and drawn by Fournier, is the twenty-seventh album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's seventh, following the Spirou retirement of André Franquin. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine ...
'' (''The Ankou'', 1978) *28. ''
Kodo le tyran ''Kodo le tyran'' ("Kodo the Tyrant"), written and drawn by Fournier, is the twenty-eighth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the author's eighth, following the Spirou retirement of André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1 ...
'' (''Kodo the Tyrant'', 1979). Part one of two. *29. ''Des haricots partout'' (''Beans Everywhere'', 1980). Part two of two.


Nic & Cauvin

*30. ''La ceinture du grand froid'' (''The great cold ring'', 1983) *31. ''La boîte noire'' (''The Black Box'', 1983) *32. ''Les faiseurs de silence'' (''The silence makers'', 1984)


Tome & Janry

*33. ''
Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...
'' (1984) *34. ''Aventure en Australie'' (''Adventure in Australia'', 1985) *35. ''
Qui arrêtera Cyanure? ''Qui arrêtera Cyanure?'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-fifth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the third of the authors. The story was initially serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine, before released as a hardcov ...
'' (''Who Shall Stop Cyanide?'', 1985) *36. ''
L'horloger de la comète ''L'horloger de la comète'', written by Philippe Tome, Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-sixth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the fourth of the authors. The story was initially serialised in ''Spirou (magazine), Spirou'' maga ...
'' (''The Comet's Watchmaker'', 1986). Part one of two. *37. ''
Le réveil du Z ''Le réveil du Z'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-seventh album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian com ...
'' (''Awakening of the Z'', 1986). Part two of two. *38. ''
La jeunesse de Spirou ''La jeunesse de Spirou'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the thirty-eighth album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the sixth of the authors. The stories were serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before they were compiled as a hardc ...
'' (''Spirou's Youth'', 1987) *39. '' Spirou à New-York'' (''Spirou in New York'', 1987). First appearance of Don Vito "Lucky" Cortizone. *40. ''La frousse aux trousses'' (''Fear on the tail'', 1988). Part one of two. *41. ''La vallée des bannis'' (''Valley of the Banished'', 1989). Part two of two. *42. ''
Spirou à Moscou ''Spirou à Moscou'', written by Tome and drawn by Janry, is the forty-second album of the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' series, and the tenth of the authors. The story was serialised in '' Spirou'' magazine before it was released as a hardcover album i ...
'' (''Spirou in Moscow'', 1990) *43. ''Vito la Déveine'' (''Bad Luck Vito'', 1991) *44. ''Le rayon noir'' (''The Black Ray'', 1993) *45. ''Luna fatale'' (1995) *46. ''Machine qui rêve'' (''Dreaming machine'', 1998)


Morvan & Munuera

*47. ''Paris-sous-Seine'' (''Paris-under-Seine'', 2004) *48. ''L'homme qui ne voulait pas mourir'' (''The Man Who Didn't Want To Die'', 2005) *49. ''Spirou et Fantasio à Tokyo'' (''Spirou and Fantasio in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
'', released on September 20, 2006) *49Z. – short Spirou manga by Hiroyuki Oshima *50. ''Aux sources du Z'' (''The Origins of the Z'', released on November 5, 2008)


Yoann & Vehlmann

*51. ''Alerte aux Zorkons'' (''Alert of Zorkons'', released on September 3, 2010) *52. ''La Face cachée du Z'' (''The Dark Side of the Z'', released on October 21, 2011) *53. ''Dans les griffes de la vipère'' (''In the Claws of the Viper'', released on January 11, 2013) *54. ''Le groom de Sniper Alley'' (''The Sniper Alley Bellhop'', released on November 21, 2014) *55. ''La Colère du Marsupilami'' (''The Wrath of the Marsupilami'', released on December 2, 2016)


Guerrive, Abitan & Schwartz

*56. ''La Mort de Spirou'' (''The Death of Spirou'', released on August 28, 2022)


Special issues ()

*1. '' L'Héritage'' (''The inheritance''). Featuring: ** (''Fantasio and his tank'', 1946, Franquin) ** (1946, Franquin) *2. ''Radar le robot'' (''Radar the robot''). Featuring: ** (''The prefabricated house'', 1946, Jijé & Franquin) ** (1947, Franquin) ** (''The lobster'', 1957, Franquin) *3. ''La voix sans maître et 5 autres aventures'' (''The voice without owner and 5 other adventures''). Featuring stories by: ** Rob-Vel: (''Spirou's birth'', 1938); (''Spirou and the flea'', 1943) ** Franquin: (''Fantasio and the siphon'', 1957) ** Nic: (''The solar fantacopter'', 1980) ** Tome & Janry: (1981); (''The menace'', 1982); (''The money box is there'', 1984); (''A week of Spirou and Fantasio'', 2001) *4. ''Fantasio et le fantôme et 4 autres aventures'' (''Fantasio and the ghost and other 4 adventures''). Featuring stories by: ** Jijé: (1946) ** Franquin: (''The Zorgumovil'', 1976); (''Christmas in the bush'', 1949); (''Fantasio and the remote-controlled skates'', 1957) ** Yves Chaland: (''Steel Hearts'', 1982) ** Fournier: (''Holidays at Broceliland'', 1973); (''Happy Easter, dad!'', 1971)


One-shots:

*1. (''The Petrified Giants'', 2006, by
Fabien Vehlmann Fabien Vehlmann (born 30 January 1972) is a French comics writer best known for '' Green Manor'' and ''Seuls''. Yvan Delporte dubbed him "The René Goscinny of the third millennium". Biography Fabien Vehlmann, born in 1972 in Mont-de-Marsan, gre ...
(story) and Yoann (art)) *2. (''The Marshlands of Time'', 2007, by Frank Le Gall) *3. (''The Tomb of the Champignacs'', 2007, by Yann (story) and Fabrice Tarrin (art)) *4. (''Spirou, An Ingenuous [Boy]'s Diary'', 2008, by Emile Bravo) *5. (''The Verdigris Groom'', 2009, by Yann (story) and Schwartz (art)) *6. (''Panic in the Atlantic'', 2010, by
Lewis Trondheim Lewis Trondheim (born Laurent Chabosy, , on 11 December 1964), is a French cartoonist and one of the founders (in 1990) of the independent publisher L'Association. Both his silent comic ''La Mouche'' and Kaput and Zösky have been made into animat ...
(story) and
Fabrice Parme Fabrice is a French masculine given name from the Roman name ''Fabricius'', which is itself derived from the Latin ''faber'' meaning blacksmith or craftsman. Notable people with the name include: * Fabrice Balanche (born 1969), French geographer * ...
(art)) *7. (''The Leopard Woman'', 2014, by Yann (story) and Schwartz (art)) *8. (''The Big Head'', 2015, by Makyo & Toldac (story) and Tehem (art)) *9. (''Fantasio is Getting Married'', 2016, by Benoît Feroumont) *10. (''The Light of Borneo'', 2016, by Zidrou (story) and Frank Pé (art)) *11. (''The Master of the Black Hosts'', 2017, by Yann (story) and Schwartz (art)) *12. (''Foundation Z'', 2018, by Denis-Pierre Filippi (story) and Fabrice Lebeault (art)) *13. ''(Première partie)'' (''Spirou, Hope Against All Odds (Part 1)'', 2018, by Emile Bravo) *14. (''Spirou, Hope Against All Odds (Part 2: A Little Further Into the Horror)'', 2019, by Emile Bravo) *15. (''Spirou in Berlin'', 2019, by Flix) *16. (''Spirou Among the Soviets'', 2020, by Fred Neidhardt (story) and Fabrice Tarrin (art)) *17. (2020, by Christian Durieux) *18. (''Spirou, Hope Against All Odds (Part 3: A Departure Towards the End)'', 2021, by Emile Bravo) *19. ''Spirou, l'espoir malgré tout (Tome 4: Une fin et un nouveau départ)'' (''Spirou, Hope Against All Odds (Part 4: An Ending and a New Beginning)'', 2022, by Emile Bravo)


Translations

The strip has been translated to several languages, among them Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, English language, English, Japanese language, Japanese, German language, German, Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia, Vietnamese language, Vietnamese, Turkish language, Turkish, Italian language, Italian, Dutch language, Dutch, Finnish language, Finnish, Scandinavian languages, Serbo-Croatian, Galician language, Galician, Catalan language, Catalan and Icelandic language, Icelandic. One book, number 15, was translated into English language, English, by Fantasy Flight Publishing in 1995. This edition is out of print. Book 16 was partially translated but never published. In 1960, was printed in the weekly Great Britain, British boys' magazine ''Knockout (UK comics), Knockout'', under the title ''Dickie and Birdbath Watch the Woggle.'' In that early localization, Spirou was called "Dickie," Fantasio was "Birdbath," Seccotine was "Cousin Constance," the Marsupilami was "the Woggle," and the female Marsupilami was "the Wiggle." Egmont (media group), Egmont has printed and released English translations of Spirou in 2007 in India through its Indian subsidiary (Euro Books). So far, albums number 1–11 and 14 have been translated. Cinebook has started publishing the series in October 2009. Books released so far: 34. Spirou & Fantasio: Adventure Down Under (Aventure en Australie), 2009,
39. Spirou & Fantasio in New York, 2010,
40. Spirou & Fantasio: Running Scared, 2012,
41. Spirou & Fantasio: Valley of the Exiles, 2013,
05. The Marsupilami Thieves, 2013,
42. Spirou & Fantasio in Moscow, 2014,
06. The Rhinoceros' Horn, 2014,
43. Tough Luck Vito, 2015,
07. The Dictator and the Mushroom, 2015,
33. Virus, 2016,
08. The Wrong Head, 2016,
35. Who Will Stop Cyanide?, 2017,
15. Z is for Zorglub, 2017,
36. The Clockmaker and the Comet, 2018,
16. Shadow of the Z, 2018
37. The Z Rises Again, 2019
12. The Marsupilamis' Nest, 2020
51. Attack of the Zordolts, 2021
13. The Visitor from the Mesozoic, 2022
Concurrently, Europe Comics has published translations of the One-Shot albums, available in digital form. Books released so far: 12. His Name Was Ptirou, published April 18, 2018,
4. Spirou: The Diary of a Naive Young Man, published November 21, 2018,
16. Spirou in Berlin, published March 20, 2019,
14. Spirou – Hope Against All Odds: Part 1, published March 18, 2020,
15. Spirou – Hope Against All Odds: Part 2, published June 17, 2020,


In other media

The popularity of the series has led to an adaptation of the characters into different media. On February 25, 1961, and October 16, 1963, two radio audio play adaptations were broadcast on the RTBF radio channel. The stories were based on and , with participation of Yvan Delporte and
André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are '' Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a period s ...
. Two TV cartoon series has been produced, the first, ''Spirou (TV series), Spirou'', consisting of 52 episodes originally aired between 1993 and 1994, and the second, ''Spirou et Fantasio (TV series), Les Nouvelles Aventures de Spirou et Fantasio'' consisting of 39 episodes originally aired between 2006 and 2009. Two video games have also been produced, the first, ''Spirou (video game), Spirou'', was released in 1995 by Infogrames, and the second, ''Spirou: The Robot Invasion'', was released in 2000 by Ubisoft. In Sierra's Playtoons series, Spirou and Fantasio appeared in the stories "The Case of the Counterfeit Collaborator" and "The Mandarin Prince". A Live action, live-action movie adaptation directed by Alexandre Coffre was released in 2018, starring Thomas Solivérès as Spirou, Alex Lutz as Fantasio, Christian Clavier as Count of Champignac, Géraldine Nakache as Seccotine and Ramzy Bédia as Zorglub.


In popular culture


Stamps

On October 3, 1988, the Belgian Post issued a stamp featuring Spirou, drawn by Tome and Janry, in the series of comic stamps for youth philately. This was the fourth Belgian stamp showing a comic hero. On February 26, 2006, the La Poste (France), French Post issued a set of three stamps, featuring art by José-Luis Munuera. To commemorate the occasion, the Musée de la Poste de Paris (Paris Mail Museum) organized an exposition from February 27 to October 7, 2006, with two halls, one showing original plates and the other more recreational, with television, games, etc.


Statues

In 1991 a statue of Spirou and Spip posing for a photograph by Fantasio was erected in the Avenue du Général Michel in Charleroi. Another statue of Spirou and Spip, designed by Monique Mol in 2003, can be seen in the Prosper Pouletstraat at the Zeedijk in Middelkerke. On 1–2 September 2016 Manneken Pis was dressed in Spirou's uniform.


Murals

Spirou, Fantasio and
Spip SPIP (''Système de Publication pour l'Internet'') is a free software content management system designed for web site publishing, oriented towards online collaborative editing. The software is designed for easy setup, use and maintenance, and is ...
are portrayed on a mural in the Rue Notre Dame des Grâces/Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Gratiestraat in Brussels as part of the Brussels' Comic Book Route. The mural was based on a design by Yoann and created in 2014 by graffiti artist Urbana (Nicolas Morreel). A second mural was created in the Elsenesteenweg 227A in Elsene, based on a drawing by Schwartz and Yann from the ''Spirou'' story ''Spirou and the leopard woman''. In September 2016 a mural was made in Middelkerke, based on a design by Hanco Kolk and created by Art Mural vzw.


Scientific instrument

SPIRou () is a near-infrared spectropolarimeter and high-precision velocimeter designed and constructed by an international consortium for observing exoplanets and the forming of Sun-like stars and their planets. Silhouettes of Spirou and Spip are featured in its logo.


References


Sources


''Spirou et Fantasio'' publications in ''Le journal de Spirou''
BDoubliées


External links


''Spirou'' official site

English publisher of Spirou and Fantasio – Cinebook Ltd


on Lambiek Comiclopedia
InediSpirou.net

Spirouworld.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spirou and Fantasio Dupuis titles Bandes dessinées Spirou et Fantasio, * Belgian comics titles Belgian comic strips Belgium in fiction Comics set in Belgium 1938 comics debuts Belgian comics adapted into films Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into radio series Comics adapted into television series Comics adapted into video games Humor comics Adventure comics Fantasy comics Works set in Wallonia Fictional characters from Wallonia