''Superdupont'' is a French comic strip created in 1972 by

Marcel Gotlib Marcel Gottlieb (14 July 1934 – 4 December 2016), known professionally as Gotlib, was a French comics artist/writer and publisher. Through his own work and the magazines he co-founded, ''L'Écho des savanes'' and ''Fluide Glacial'', he was a key ...

and

Jacques Lob Jacques Lob (19 August 1932 – 24 May 1990) was a French comic book creator, known for several comics creations, including '' Superdupont''. Biography Jacques Lob began his career as an illustrator of humorous cartoons that were published in va ...

. It is a spoof of American super-hero comics that sends up French national attitudes.

Publication history

''Superdupont'' was initially published in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''

Pilote Cover of the first ''Pilote'' issue #0 ''Pilote'' () was a French comic magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major French or Belgian comics talents of its day the magazine introduced major series such as ''Astérix'', '' ...

'' from September 21, 1972 and moved to Gotlib's own magazine ''

Fluide Glacial ''Fluide Glacial'' () is a monthly Franco-Belgian comics magazine and a publishing house founded on 1 April 1975 by Gotlib, Alexis (comics), Alexis and . It's one of the most successful comics magazine in France, along with Métal Hurlant. Since ...

'' in 1975. The series, published irregularly through the decades, was originally written by Lob and Gotlib (who teamed up after finding out they had both had the same idea independently) and drawn by Gotlib. Gotlib passed on the art duties to

Alexis Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946–1977 ...

, who was succeeded after his 1977 death by Jean Solé. Episodes have been drawn by

Daniel Goossens Daniel Goossens, born May 16, 1954, in Salon-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône is a French comics artist. Biography Goossens began his career in the magazine '' Pionniers''. After a short spell at ''Pilote'' magazine, he began contributing to the ...

, Al Coutelis, François Bouck, Gotlib again and

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Sup ...

. After Lob died in 1990, the series was written again by Gotlib with co-writers Lefred-Thouron, Bouck, then Belkrouf. No Superdupont comics have been made since Gotlib's death in 2016.

The character

Superdupont is the son of the Unknown Soldier buried under the Arc de Triomphe. He is caricaturally chauvinistic and gifted with superpowers that help him to defend his country against a secret terrorist organisation called "Anti-France". Anti-France agents are all foreigners and thus speak the

fictional language Fictional languages are the subset of constructed languages (conlangs) that have been created as part of a fictional setting (e.g. for use in a book, movie, television show, or video game). Typically they are the creation of one individual, while ...

"Anti-Français", a mishmash of English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and German. The physical appearance of Superdupont is a superhero version of a caricatural Frenchman (specially, as seen by the

Anglophone Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

world): he wears a

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...

, a striped jersey, slippers, a tricolour belt held by a

safety pin The safety pin is a variation of the regular pin which includes a simple spring mechanism and a clasp. The clasp forms a closed loop to properly fasten the pin to whatever it is applied to and covers the end of the pin to protect the user from t ...

, a long blue cape. He also supports

economic patriotism Economic nationalism, also called economic patriotism and economic populism, is an ideology that favors state interventionism over other market mechanisms, with policies such as domestic control of the economy, labor, and capital formation, incl ...

, as he smokes

Gauloises Gauloises (, "Gaulish" eminine pluralin French; ''cigarette'' is a feminine noun in French) is a brand of cigarette of French origin. It is produced by the company Imperial Tobacco following its acquisition of Altadis in January 2008 in most cou ...

cigarettes, drinks red

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

, eats

French cheese This is a list of French cheeses documenting the varieties of cheeses, a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms, which are found in France. In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle asked, "How can you gove ...

and refuses to be painted using China ink. Like Superman, Superdupont is able to fly but seems less superpowered than Superman. Superdupont is a master at

savate Savate (), also known as boxe française, savate boxing, French boxing or French footfighting, is a French kickboxing combat sport that uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of English boxing with graceful kicking techniques. ...

also known as boxe française ("French boxing"), which gives some superiority over his opponents.

Publications

*Tome 1 : ''Superdupont'' (by

Gotlib Marcel Gottlieb (14 July 1934 – 4 December 2016), known professionally as Gotlib, was a French French comics, comics artist/writer and publisher. Through his own work and the magazines he co-founded, ''L'Écho des savanes'' and ''Fluide Glacial' ...

and

) *Tome 2 : ''Amour et forfaiture'' (by Jacques Lob, Gotlib and

Solé Tonya Michelle Johnston (born July 17, 1973), better known by her stage name Solé, is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri. Biography Solé was born in 1973 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Phyllis Frazier and James Johnston, Her sibling ...

) *Tome 3 : ''Opération Camembert'' (by Jacques Lob, Gotlib and Solé) *Tome 4 : ''Oui nide Iou'' (by Jacques Lob, Gotlib, Alexis, Solé,

and Coutelis) *Tome 5 : ''Les âmes noires'' (by Jacques Lob, Gotlib, Alexis, Solé) *Tome 6 : ''Superdupont pourchasse l'ignoble'' (by Marcel Gotlib, Lefred-Thouron, Solé)

Sources

''Superdupont'' publications in ''Pilote''
an

BDoubliées

Bedethque ;Footnotes {{Reflist Comic strip superheroes Satirical comics Parody comics Parody superheroes 1972 comics debuts Fictional French people French comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1972 Parodies of Superman French political satire Comics set in France

Publication history

The character

Publications

See also

Sources