July 19, 2006

Suske en Wiske Forget Tintin, for many kids in Belgium and Holland it's all about Suske en Wiske.

Originally by Willy Vandersteen and drawn in the same clear line style as Tintin, they've continued after the death of their 'spiritual father' and now number over 250 albums. Instantly recognisable by their bright red covers and alliterative titels, they've been made into a tv series (twice), a live action movie, a game and a musical. Spin-offs include a series based on Wiske's doll, Schanulleke, who will be getting her own game soon, and Jerom turned superhero. There's also a museum. And, of course, there's fanfiction, including more risque versions.

posted by [MR]Chip 17 years ago
  • Impressive links, Chip. But I will never "forget Tintin". Quick & Flupke, maybe. But Tintin, no. I have to admit, I was never that big on Suske & Wiske. All my older cousins were just apeshit over the things, but I just never got into it. Propbably because I was reading them in Dutch, I suppose. But it was the same thing with Lucky Luke, which I had in English, so who knows? Me, I was all about Tintin and Asterix. Years later, I dragged the two Suske & Wiske nuts to Parc Asterix, and I think I won over a couple converts (I think it was the real-live chariot races in the Forum). But that being said, I had a chance to pick up a Schanulleke doll the last time I was in R'Dam, and to my regret, I passed. Thanks for the post!
  • Asterix and S&W aren't really very comparable. Asterix is a big pile of jokes, catchphrases, running gags and references, with a story somewhere underneath. With S&W, the story is much more important. If you want to give them another try, the first link has reviews of all the books in their Dutch language section. Very useful, since the quality does tend to vary. My personal favourite is De Poenschepper. But, then, I am a filthy pinko commie.
  • I spent a good deal of time sitting in a Swedish library reading euro-comics. Tintin (naturally), Spirou (& Gaston), Lucky Luke, Asterix, Valhalla, and many more that'll come to me. Good times. Spirou especially. Anyone remember that?
  • I had almost all of them (until 1980 or so) but then our dog ate a couple of them, I got older qand just sold them to a second hand bookshop. I got a lot of money for them (for a 16 year old) but I don't remember what I did with it.
  • This may lead to sites of interest for Eurocomics fans.