Saturday, December 14, 2019

0-euro notes : 1 b. Belgium : comics

Belgium is known for food and drinks,
Belgium owns the world record of the country with the longest period without government (541 days after the elections or 589 days after the previous goverment fell.

And... it's the country known for it's imaginary people and surrealistic images.

Magritte's paintings, a peeing boy as one of the national symbols, Jean-Claude Van Damme or the muscles from Brussels (who isnt from Damme, nor from Brussels actually), Agata Christy's detective character : Hercules Poirot, Hergé's Tintin, the smurfs, Lucky Luke,....

Comic books are part of the national culture, and if you end up as a comic book character, you've made it in life in Belgium.
railway station Antwerp (Belgium)
In 2017, part of the magnificent railway station of Antwerp, opened an interactive museum with some of the most popular childrens' comic book characters, (Jommeke, Suske&Wiske, the smurfs, Lucky Luke, Urbanus, and the Kiekeboe family).
0 euro Belgium - Comics


1. Jommeke
2. Suske & Wiske
3. papa Smurf
4. Lucky Luke
5. Fanny Kiekeboe (from the Kiekeboes)
6. Urbanus - an actual living person, who managed to become a comic book character during his life

Many of the comic books have been translated into foreign language and find their ways to children and adults world wide.

"Jommeke" became 'Jie Mie' (Jimmy) in China:
Chinese version of Jommeke (Jie Mie)
Suske and Wiske - books have been issued by in many languages already....



Lucius et Lucia (Latin) - Bob e Bobette (Italian) - Suske en Wiske (Dutch) - Chinese - Greek - Finn och Fiffi (Swedish) - Cisko kay Vinjo (Esperanto (green cover)) - Arabic - Suske und Wiske (German) - Finn & Fiffi (Danish)

The Smurfs are known world wide...
Papa Smurf and Gargamel the villain
Lucky Luke smoking and shooting faster than his shadow

The Kiekeboes - a belgian family where anything can happen, and so it does
Konstantinopel - Marcel - Charlotte and Fanny Kiekeboe
Urbanus - himself

All images of the comic book characters belong to the respective owners (desingers and/or companies). I do not own or claim any of those characters and mentionning them here, is only for informative purpose.
Jommeke by Jef Nys -  Suske and Wiske by (studio) Willy Vandersteen - the smurfs by Péyo - Lucky Luke by Morris - the Kiekeboes by Merho - and Urbanus by Willy Linthout and by himself .

No comments: