1.
History of Belgium
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The history of Belgium predates the founding of the modern state of that name in 1830. Belgiums history is intertwined with those of its neighbours, the Netherlands, Germany, France, due to its strategic location and the many armies fighting on its soil, since the Thirty Years War, Belgium has often been called the battlefield of Europe or the cockpit of Europe. It is also remarkable as a European nation which contains, and is divided by, Belgiums formation, like that of its Benelux neighbours, can be traced back to the Seventeen Provinces within the Burgundian Netherlands. The Eighty Years War, led to the split between a northern Dutch Republic, and the Southern Netherlands from which Belgium and Luxembourg developed and this southern territory continued to be ruled by the Habsburg descendants of the Burgundian house, at first as the Spanish Netherlands. Invasions from France under Louis XIV led to the loss of what is now Nord-Pas-de-Calais to France, the French Revolutionary wars led to Belgium becoming part of France in 1795, bringing the end of the semi-independence of areas which had belonged to the Catholic church. The king set up his own private colonial empire in the Belgian Congo, Belgium was neutral but its strategic location as a pathway to France made it an invasion target for Germany in 1914 and 1940. Conditions under the occupation were severe, in the postwar period Belgium was a leader in European unification, as a founding member of what has become the European Union. Brussels is now host to the headquarters of NATO and is the de facto capital of the European Union, the colonies became independent in the early 1960s. Politically the country was once polarized on matters of religion and, in recent decades, it has faced new divisions over differences of language and the unequal economic development. This ongoing antagonism has caused far-reaching reforms since the 1970s, changing the formerly unitary Belgian state into a federal state and it is now divided into three regions, Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the South, and bilingual Brussels in the middle. There is also a German-speaking population along the border with Germany, on Belgian territory Neanderthal fossils were discovered at Engis in 1829-30 and elsewhere, some dating back to at least 100,000 BCE. The earliest Neolithic farming technology of northern Europe, the so-called LBK culture and its expansion stopped in the Hesbaye region of eastern Belgium around 5000 BCE. The Belgian LBK is notable for its use of walls around villages. A slightly later-starting Neolithic culture found in central Wallonia is the so-called Groupe de Blicquy, one notable archaeological site in this region is the Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes. Farming in Belgium however failed to take permanent hold at first, the LBK and Blicquy cultures disappeared and there is a long gap before a new farming culture, the Michelsberg culture, appeared and became widespread. Hunter gatherers of the Swifterbant culture apparently remained in the north of Belgium. In the third and late fourth millennia BCE, the whole of Flanders shows relatively little evidence of human habitation, although it is felt that there was a continuing human presence, the types of evidence available make judgement about the details very difficult. The Seine-Oise-Marne culture spread into the Ardennes, and is associated with megalithic sites there, the same pattern continues into the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age
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Belgians
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Belgians are the citizens of the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. There is also a substantial Belgian diaspora, settling primarily the United States, Canada, Belgians are a relatively new people. The 1830 revolution led to the establishment of an independent country under a provisional government, the Belgian people are descendants of the Celtic Belgae and Germanic peoples such as the Frisians, Franks, and the Saxons. The Latin name was revived in 1790 by the short-lived United Belgian States which was created after a revolution against Austrian rule took place in 1789, from the sixteenth century, the The Low Countries or The Netherlands, were referred to as Belgica in Latin. Belgians are primarily a nationality or citizen group, by jus soli, also known as birthright citizenship, since many Belgians are at least bilingual, or even trilingual, it is common for business, social and family networks to include members of the various ethnic groups composing Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region occupies a unique political and cultural position since geographically and linguistically it is an enclave within the unilingual Flemish Region. Since the independence of Belgium in 1830, the title of the Belgian head of state is the King of the Belgians rather than the King of Belgium. Within Belgium the Flemish, about 60% of the population, form a clearly distinguishable group, set apart by their language, however, the popular perception of being a single polity varies greatly, depending on subject matter, locality and personal background. Generally, Flemings will seldom identify themselves as being Dutch and vice versa, Walloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon Region. They may speak languages such as Walloon. Though roughly three-quarters of Belgiums French speakers live in Wallonia, it is important to note that French-speaking residents of Brussels tend not to identify as Walloons, the German-speaking Community of Belgium is one of the three constitutionally recognized federal communities of Belgium. Bordering the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg, the area has its own parliament and government at Eupen, the German-speaking community is composed of the German-speaking parts of the lands that were annexed in 1920 from Germany. However, in these localities, the German language is endangered due to the adoption of French. Roman Catholicism has traditionally been Belgiums majority religion with approximately 65% of the Belgians declaring themselves to be Catholics, however, by 2004, nationwide Sunday church attendance was only about 4 to 8%. Belgium had a population of 10,839,905 people on 1 January 2010, between 1990 and 2000 the increase was only 291,000. The population of Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels on 1 January 2010 was 6,251,983,3,498,384 and 1,089,538, list of Belgians Flemish people Walloons Belgian American Belgian Brazilian Flemish Canadian
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Languages of Belgium
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The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages, Dutch, French, and German. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well, the Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the countrys independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. Article 30 specifies that the use of languages spoken in Belgium is optional, only the law can rule on this matter, before the federal structure and the language legislation gradually introduced in the 20th century, French was generally the only language used by public authorities. For example, the Dutch version of the Constitution has enjoyed equal status to the original French one only since 1967, and the German version only since 1991. Though the standard form of Dutch used in Belgium is almost identical to that spoken in the Netherlands, Dutch is the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region and, along with French, an official language of the Brussels-Capital Region. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, Antwerp, all these are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well, and West Flemish is also spoken in French Flanders. Some sub-dialects may be distant from standard Dutch and not be readily intelligible for other Dutch-speakers. Words which are unique to Belgian Dutch are called belgicisms, the original Brabantian dialect of Brussels has been very much influenced by French. It is now spoken by a minority in the Capital region since the language of most inhabitants shifted during the Frenchification of Brussels, the second-most spoken primary language, used natively by almost 40% of the population, is French. It is the language of the French Community, the dominant language in Wallonia as well as the Brussels-Capital Region. Almost all of the inhabitants of the Capital region speak French as either their primary language or as a lingua franca, there are also many Flemish people who speak French as a second language. Belgian French is in most respects identical to standard, Parisian French, but differs in some points of vocabulary, pronunciation, German is the least prevalent official language in Belgium, spoken natively by less than 1% of the population. The German-speaking Community of Belgium numbers 77,000, residing in an area of Belgium that was ceded by the former German Empire as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which concluded World War I. In 1940, Nazi Germany re-annexed the region following its invasion of Belgium during World War II, in national politics, politicians can choose which of the three official languages they want to speak. In the Belgian parliament, simultaneous interpretation is available for those who require it, education is provided by the Communities, Dutch in the Flemish Community, French in the French Community, German in the German-speaking community. Instruction in other languages is prohibited in government-funded schools, also all official communication with the government must be in the official language of the region or community. Inhabitants of a few municipalities are granted an exception to these rules, the measures advocated by the Marshall Plan are heading towards the proper direction, but are doubtlessly quite insufficient to fully overcome the lag. Within the report, professors in economics Ginsburgh and Weber further show that of the Brussels residents, 95% declared they can speak French, 59% Dutch, and 41% know the non-local English
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Mythology in the Low Countries
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Pre-Christian traditions of veneration of trees, springs and woods native to the Low Countries survived in Christianized guise into the Middle Ages. Sources for the reconstruction of such traditions include the accounts of the Anglo-Saxon missionaries to the region, medieval and modern folklore and legend. From ancient regional mythology, most names of ancient gods and goddesses in this region come from local tribal lore, Many of the deities are the same as eastern Germanic Deities, Wodan is Dutch for Odin, the god of war and leader of the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt was retold in Dutch with Wodan leading under different guises, Gait with his dogs, Derk with his dogs, Derk with his boar, Donar is Dutch for Thor the god of thunder. In Dutch the days of the week are named for Germanic gods, finally some deities were regional or specific to one clan, Arduinna was the Celtic goddess of the Ardennes forest. Nehalennia was a goddess of travellers in Zeeland, where over 160 stone votives depicting her image were located in the sea, Vagdavercustis was an ancient goddess of the Batavians mentioned on an altar near Cologne. Tanfana is another more mysterious goddess recorded in the 1st century AD, the Dutch words witte wieven and wittewijven in Dutch dialects means white women. They were spirits of the women who died of heartbreak after their men had been untrue to them and they would live on in the mists and appear when it was night and misty. They would attack men who were untrue to their women by getting them lost in the mists, the moss maidens, who appear in Old Dutch and Southern Germanic folklore were known as tree spirits or wood elves, often chased in the Dutch version of the Wild Hunt. The Kabouter was the Dutch name for the kobold, a household spirit, the first epic heroes, kings and leaders of The Low Countries, considered mythological, in the sense of supernatural and foundational, include, Tuisto - the mythical ancestor of all Germanic tribes. Mannus - ancestor of a number of Germanic tribes, son of Tuisto, ing - founder of the Ingaevones tribe, son of Mannus. Istaev - founder of the Istvaeones tribe, son of Mannus, redbad, King of the Frisians Folcwald - hero of Frisian tribes. Finn - hero of Frisian tribes, Frisian lord, son of Folcwald, merovech, semi-legendary founder of the Merovingian dynasty Objects considered magical or sacred in the Low Countries included, Oak trees, springs and wooded groves had sacred and medicinal powers. Corn dollies were thought to hold the spirit of the corn in harvest rituals, Amulets and charms were worn on the head or the arms for protection and veneration of the gods and goddesses. Neolithic ground axes were collected, thought to be Donars lightning, farmers hung these axes in their homes to protect against lightning strike, in accordance with the belief that lightning never strikes the same place twice. After the influence of Christian missionaries, the original mythologies were lessened in power, the witte wieven for example became ghosts haunting sacred sites. However sacred beliefs and practices continued, often incorporated with Christianity, in a good example, the 12th century poem from the Netherlands Karel ende Elegast, an elven being is described as the hero who befriends and helps the Christian king Charlemagne in the forest. In the Hieronymous Bosch painting, Cure of Folly, 1475-1480, the main missionaries of the Netherlands were Willibrord, Bonifatius and Saint Eligius
5.
Folklore of Belgium
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Much of Belgian folklore is unique to the region in which it is commemorated. Many aspects of folklore are manifested in public processions and parades in Belgian cities, traditions which are alive for the amusement of locals. The term folklore is used in Belgium in a wider sense than in English, chiefly to denote all cultural events open to the public such as traditional festivals. Excluded from folklore are individual traditions, like the celebration of Easter, food, the procession in the town of Binche is one of the best known in Belgium. The Carnival of Binche takes place on Mardi-Gras before Lent, participants wear elaborate costumes in the national colours of Red, Black and Yellow. During the parade, they throw oranges at the crowd, in 2003, it was recognized by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Each summer, the town of Ath holds a procession known as the Parade of Giants. The procession, which traces its origins to the Middle Ages, commemorates the marriage of two giants, a mock ceremony is held in a church, and afterward, the giant fights a shepherd David, in front of the town hall. Onlookers throw coins at the effigies of the giants as they pass for good luck and it is clear that the Christian story of David and Goliath was influential to this festival. The town of Andenne holds a festival each year three weeks before Easter known as the Bear Festival, the story told about the festival is that it commemorates young Charles Martels defeat of a bear which was terrorizing the region. The bear also features on the coat of arms. Sainte-Begge, allegedly related to Martel, is credited with founding the city in 684,2,000 people participate in the parade, in costume, and 250 Teddy bears are thrown to the public from the town hall. The town of Stavelot holds the Blanc Moussis festival, participants wear white sheets and hoods, and masks with pointed noses. The festival recalls the monks of the 15th century who were forbidden from celebrating carnival because of their laziness, participants wander the streets of the town putting up posters. In the afternoon they shower the crowds with confetti while hitting them with pork bladders, the folklore of the Ardennes, in the province of Luxembourg, is particularly rich. The Ommegang is one of the most popular festivals in Belgium, including 2,000 participants. The name derives from the old Flemish word omme meaning around, the procession moves from the Grand Sablon to the Grand Place and features Knights and stilt-walkers. The procession itself is said to date to the 13th Century, each year, the procession attracts some 50,000 visitors and pilgrims
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Belgian cuisine
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Belgian cuisine is widely varied with significant regional variations while also reflecting the cuisines of neighbouring France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is sometimes said that Belgian food is served in the quantity of German cuisine, outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate, waffles, fries and beer. Belgian cuisine therefore usually refers to dishes of Belgian origin, or those considered typically Belgian, Belgian cuisine traditionally prizes regional and seasonal ingredients. Ingredients typical in Belgian dishes include potatoes, leeks, grey shrimp, white asparagus, Belgian endives and local beer, in addition to common European staples including meat, cheese and butter. Belgians typically eat three meals a day, with a light breakfast, medium or large-sized lunch and small dinner, Belgium has a plethora of dishes and products that are local to a specific area. Examples include waterzooi from Ghent, the biscuit from the town of Dinant. While their local origins are acknowledged, most such dishes are enjoyed throughout Belgium, boterhammen / Tartines, Slices of rustic bread and an uncovered spread, often pâté or soft cheese, served on a cutting board. A typical variety is a slice of bread with sliced radishes, charcuterie, particularly smoked ham and pâté, often made of game such as wild boar. The forested Ardennes region in the south of Belgium is renowned for this type of food, salade Liégeoise, a salad with green beans, bacon, onions and vinegar. It is usually associated with Liège, tomate-crevette / Tomaat-garnaal, a snack or starter of grey shrimp and mayonnaise stuffed into a hollowed-out raw tomato. Moules-frites / Mosselen-friet, mussels cooked or steamed with onions and celery served with fries, the recipe has often been referred to as the countrys national dish but is also popular in the neighboring Nord region of France. Carbonade flamande / Stoverij, a Belgian beef stew, similar to the French Beef Bourguignon, served with bread or fries and mustard. This is also considered one of the dishes, along with moules-frites. Steak-frites Waterzooi, a stew and soup of chicken or fish, vegetables, cream and eggs. Gegratineerde witloof / Chicons au gratin, a gratin of Belgian endives in béchamel sauce with cheese, often the endives are wrapped with ham. Kip met frieten en appelmoes / Poulet-frites-compote, konijn in geuze / Lapin à la gueuze, rabbit in gueuze, which is a spontaneously fermented beer from the area around Brussels. Filet américain, Very finely minced ground beef eaten raw and cold and it is spread on a sandwich or bread with and sometimes topped with a sauce, usually with Sauce américaine, and served with fries. When served as a dinner, it is mixed with onions and capers like steak tartare, paling in t groen / Anguilles au vert, Eel in a green sauce of mixed herbs
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Religion in Belgium
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Christianity, in particular Roman Catholicism, is the largest religion in Belgium. According to Eurobarometer, as of 2012 about 65% of the population is Christian, members of Protestant, Eastern Orthodox churches and other Christian denominations make up 7% of the population. The second-largest religion in Belgium is Islam, which accounts for 5% of the population as of 2009, in 2012, the proportion of all immigrants with Islamic backgrounds on the total population was estimated to be 8. 1%. As of 2016 the proportion of Muslims in the French-speaking regions is 7%, 23% in Brussels, Belgiums policy asserts the separation of church and state, and freedom of religion of the citizens is guaranteed by the countrys constitution. According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 37% of Belgian citizens believe there is a God, 31% believe there is some sort of spirit or life force. 27% do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, also in dispute are how many Catholic Belgians have become deists or have joined small Protestant churches. The Belgian constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice, however, government officials have the authority to research and monitor religious groups that are not officially recognized. There are a few reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice, Belgian law officially recognizes many religions, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Anglicanism, Islam, Judaism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, as well as non-religious philosophical organizations. Buddhism is in the process of being recognized under the secular organization standard, official recognition means that priests receive a state stipend. Also, parents can choose any recognized denomination to provide education to their children if they attend a state school. Adherents to religions that are not officially recognized are not denied the right to practice their religion, Roman Catholicism has traditionally been Belgiums majority religion, with particular strength in Flanders. However, by 2009, Sunday church attendance was 5. 4% in Flanders, nationwide, Sunday church attendance was 5% in 2009, down from 11. 2% in 1998. Nevertheless, Catholicism remains an important force in Belgian society, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and Primate of Belgium, Jozef De Kesel, is well-liked, with the Brussels daily Le Soir calling him a spiritual son of the popular Cardinal Godfried Danneels. Until 1998, the Roman Catholic Church annually published key figures such as Sunday Mass attendance, in 2006, it announced that Mass attendance for the Christmas period was 11. 5%, and weekly Mass attendance 7%, for the Flanders region. Since 2000, Sunday church attendance in Flanders has dropped by 0. 5% each year, the rate of decrease was previously 1%. Roman Catholicism, is the largest religion in Belgium, as of 2012 about 65% of the population is Christian, with 58% being members of the Roman Catholic Church. Belgium had 13 Anglican churches as of 2012, including the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Brussels and they are part of the Church of Englands Diocese in Europe. In 1566, at the peak of Belgian Reformation, there were an estimated 300,000 Protestants, the Administrative Council of Protestant and Evangelical Religion in Belgium is a coordinating group that mediates between many Protestant groups and the government
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Art of Belgium
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Despite its size, Belgium has a long and distinguished artistic tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages, considerably pre-dating the foundation of the current state in 1830. Art from the making up modern Belgium is called in English Netherlandish up to the separation with the Netherlands from 1570 on. Important monasteries in Belgium were centres of production in Carolingian art and Ottonian art, in the Renaissance Antwerp Mannerism was an early attempt by Flemish artists to respond to Italian Renaissance art, with Romanism a later phase. Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting culminated in the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder in one direction, Flemish Baroque painting is dominated by the figure of Rubens, though like his pupil Anthony van Dyck, he spent much of his career abroad. There was also a development of specialized genres in painting, paralleling those in Dutch Golden Age painting to the north. Among them the masterpiece of Renier de Huy and perhaps of the whole Mosan art Baptismal font at St Bartholomews Church, Liège. The architecture of Romanesque churches of the Walloon country is also named Mosan, for example the Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude in Nivelles, ornamental brassware is also a part of Mosan art and Hugo dOignies and Nicholas of Verdun important metalworkers. During the so-called Northern Renaissance, Belgium experienced an artistic boom, the cities of Bruges and Antwerp, some of the richest in the region, became artistic centres during the period. The artist Peter Paul Rubens painted in Belgium between 1609-1621, working for many royal patrons from his studio in Antwerp, Rubens house in Antwerp, the Rubenshuis, is now a museum. Anthony van Dyck, celebrated for his painting of British court, joachim Patinir Henri Blès are generally called mosan painters. Lambert Lombard was a Renaissance painter, architect and theorist for the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, gérard de Lairesse, Bertholet Flemalle were also important painters in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Many of these are paintings and scenes of peasants partaking other outdoor enjoyments viewed from an elevated viewpoint. Originating in France, the Impressionist style was adopted by Belgian artists. Anna Boch, Eugène Boch, Georges Lemmen and Théo van Rysselberghe were all influential Belgian impressionist or neo-impressionist painters, other known impressionist painters were Félicien Rops, Floris Jespers, Fritz de Brouckère or even Constant Permeke. Their style was close to symbolism, the avant-garde CoBrA movement appeared in the 1950s. Surrealism developed in Belgium during the inter-war period, the best known Belgian surrealist, René Magritte, exhibited in 1927 for the first time. Jacques du Broeucq was a sculptor of the 16th century, known for his religious scenes and as the teacher of the famous Italian late-renaissance sculptor Giambologna, who was himself born in Flanders. Constantin Meunier was an influential Belgian sculptor of the late 19th-early 20th century, known for his figures, meuniers work was very popular around Europe, coinciding with the rise of the political Labour movement in the late 19th century
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Music of Belgium
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The late medieval composer and music theorist Johannes Ciconia had been born in Liège, but like many later Flemish polyphonists he spent much of his life working in Renaissance Italy. Guillaume Dufay, who was born near Brussels, was a key figure of the early 15th-century Burgundian School, Johannes Ockeghem is also considered one of the leading composers of the 15th century, a native of Hainaut, he spent most of his career working for the French court. The music of Josquin des Prez was considered a model for much of the 16th-century High Renaissance. Other influential composers of the period whose origins can be traces to the Belgian area of the Low Countries include Jacob Obrecht, Pierre de La Rue, Alexander Agricola, and Gaspar van Weerbeke. Although the emigration of musicians from the Low Countries continued into the half of the 16th century. One of the last truly influential figures of the era was Orlande de Lassus, another native of Mons, Lassus became one of the most versatile composers of the century, and the best-known and most widely admired musician in Europe. André Ernest Modeste Grétry was the most famous composer - born in what is now called Belgium - of the 18th century, the 19th century supplied composers like Henri Vieuxtemps, César Franck, Guillaume Lekeu and Eugène Ysaÿe. At the end of the 20th century the most notable Belgian composers were Piet Swerts, in the field of opera, baritones Jules Bastin and José van Dam have become the most famous and internationally successful Belgian opera singers. In the lighter genre, Flemish singer Helmut Lotti reached international success with his interpretations of popular opera songs for large audiences. One of the most famous instruments, the saxophone, was invented by a Belgian. Some known Belgian blues artists are Elmore D, and the Flemish Roland van Campenhout, in the 1930s, the Belgian gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt became one of the first important jazz musicians to be born in Europe, and one of the most important jazz guitarists of all time. In 1949 Toots Thielemans joined a jam session in Paris with Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Max Roach and he moved to the US in 1952 where he was a member of Charlie Parkers All-Stars. Toots Thielemans is often credited by jazz aficionados and jazz critics to be the greatest jazz harmonica player of the century and his music has been used in films like Midnight Cowboy and Turkish Delight, and television series such as Sesame Street and Baantjer. Other well known Belgian artists are Aka Moon, Bobby Jaspar, Bert Joris, Philip Catherine, Steve Houben, Octurn, Bobbejaan Schoepen has been a pioneer in Belgian vaudeville and pop music since the late 1940s. Not only was he the first Belgian singer to manage an international breakthrough, he was also the first to use equipment, a personal tourbus. He also introduced the first country & western recordings in the Low Countries, in the 1950s Bobbejaan Schoepen recorded his own absolutely crazy folk music often singing in Flemish dialect. He was also a virtuoso whistler and they inspired a new generation of folk musicians through their written and recorded publications, and through festivals and regular summer academies and master classes. Walloon folk music has not had as vibrant a revival as Flemish, contrary to general evolution, there has always been great openness across the so-called linguistical barriers - there are many collaborations between Belgian musicians of different language
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Cinema of Belgium
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Cinema of Belgium refers to the film industry based in Belgium. Belgium is essentially a bi-lingual country divided into the Flemish north, there is also a small community of German speakers in the border region with Germany. Belgium is further a federal country made up of three regions and three language communities, due to these linguistic and political divisions it is difficult to speak of a national, unified Cinema of Belgium. It would be appropriate to talk about Flemish or Dutch-language cinema of Belgium. While the invention of the cinématographe by the French Lumière brothers is widely regarded as the birth of cinema, among the people pioneering work on animation devices was a Belgian professor of experimental physics Joseph Plateau. Plateau, who was active at the Ghent University invented an early device in 1836. It consisted of two disks, one with small equidistant radial windows, through which the viewer could look, when the two disks rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of the windows and the images created an animated effect. The projection of stroboscopic photographs, creating the illusion of motion, the first public projection in Belgium took place on March 1,1896 at the Kings Gallery in Brussels. In the following years there was a surge in activity, initially dominated by the French industrial Charles Pathé, one of his assistants, Alfred Machin founded the first production studio in 1910, some of his films are still preserved in the Royal Filmarchive in Brussels. The first Belgian movie producer was Hippolyte De Kempeneer, who produced several interesting films until his studio burned down in 1923, the 1930s however saw the first serious attempt at cinema. With the advent of sound, directors such as Jan Vanderheyden fully explored the possibilities of the medium, De Witte proved to be a pivotal work in the history of Belgian Cinema. The film was a popular success and would spawn a future remake. From 1964 on, film could be subsidized by the government, making way for a new generation of such as André Delvaux, Roland Verhavert. 1985 however saw the release of the ambitious but spectacular failure De Leeuw van Vlaanderen, written and directed by Hugo Claus, Belgian acclaim in animation continued with an Academy Award for best animated short in 1987 with A Greek Tragedy, by Nicole van Goethem. Belgian cinema finally took flight during the 1990s, gaining prominence with such films as Man Bites Dog, Daens, Rosetta. Toto le Héros gained wide acclaim, winning both the César Award for best foreign film and the Camera dOr at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2000, Dominique Derudderes Everybody Famous. was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, like Rosetta, the Dardennes 2005 film LEnfant won the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival. Other important Walloon directors include Fabrice du Welz, Lucas Belvaux, Bouli Lanners, dora van der Groen was awarded Best Actress in the Joseph Plateau awards for her role as Pauline
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Sport in Belgium
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Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, thus 13% of the Belgian population is involved in sport. Popular sports in Belgium are among others football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, judo, hockey, motocross, auto racing, volleyball and running. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship, the Belgium national football team best result was a 4th place at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and twice the UEFA Cup, Belgium has won 38 gold medals at Summer Olympic Games as well as 1 medal at Winter Olympic Games for figure skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. Among the 37 gold medals at the Summer Olympics,11 medals were won in archery,6 in cycling,4 in equestrian,3 in athletics and fencing and 2 in sailing, former International Olympic Committee president Count Jacques Rogge is a Belgian. As a sub-area of culture in Belgium, sport is now considered to fall under the responsibility of the 3 Belgian communities, with the exception of football and field hockey, all other major sport federations in Belgium are split into 2 major federations. The Belgian Football Association, the body of football in Belgium, was founded in 1895 and was one of the founding members of the FIFA in 1904. The first Belgian championship was held in 1895 among the 10 founding teams of the Belgian Football Association, a second level was added to the Belgian league in 1905, a third level in 1926 and a fourth one in 1952. Anderlecht is the most successful Belgian team both at national and international levels, other successful clubs include Club Brugge K. V. Union Saint-Gilloise, Standard Liège and K. V, the club with the most Belgian Cup titles is Club Brugge KV followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard Liège. The 8 European titles won by Belgian clubs were claimed between 1976 and 1988, the Belgian national football team played its first game in 1904 against France. The match ended in a 3–3 draw, since then, Belgium has qualified for 12 out of 20 World Cups, finishing 4th in 1986, and for 4 out of the 12 UEFA European Football Championships in which it entered, finishing second in 1980. At the Summer Olympics, Belgium won the medal in 1920. The most capped player for Belgium is Jan Ceulemans, followed by Timmy Simons, Belgium all-time topscorers are Bernard Voorhoof and Paul Van Himst with 30 goals each. Current well-known Belgian players are Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen, Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, Cycling is a very popular sport in Belgium. It is governed by the Royal Belgian Cycling League, which is split between the Dutch-speaking WBV and the French-speaking FCWB. Belgium has had the most World Championship gold medals with 3 victories by Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx and 2 by Georges Ronsse, Briek Schotte, Rik Van Looy, Belgian cyclists have also performed very well in the 3 grand tours
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Flag of Belgium
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The national flag of Belgium is a tricolour of three bands of black, yellow, and red. The colours were taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, when flown, the black band is nearest the pole. The territory then passed into Spanish hands, and after the coronation of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor yellow and red, from the 16th century to the end of the 18th century, the colours of what is now Belgium were red, white and yellow. Occasionally the red cross of Burgundy was placed on the section of the flag. During the period of Austrian rule, a number of different flags were tried, the population of Brussels was opposed to this, and following the example of France, red, yellow and black cockades began to appear, those being the colours of Brabant. The colours thus correspond to the red lion of Hainaut, Limburg and Luxembourg, the lion of Brabant. On August 26,1830, the day after the rioting at the Brussels Opera and the start of the Belgian Revolution, the insurgents hastily replaced it with a tricolour of red, yellow and black horizontal stripes made at a nearby fabric store. As a result, Article 193 of the Constitution of Belgium describes the colours of the Belgian nation as Red, Yellow and Black instead of using the order shown in the official flag. On January 23,1831, the changed from horizontal to vertical. The official guide to protocol in Belgium states that the national flag measures 2.60 m tall for each 3 m wide, each of the stripes is one-third of the width of the flag. The yellow is in yellow and not the darker gold of the flag of Germany. The national flag has the proportions of 13,15. The 2,3 flag is the ensign, the correct flag for use by civilians at sea. The naval ensign of Belgium has the three colours in a saltire, on a white field, with a black crown above crossed cannons at the top. There is also an official Belgian naval jack, which is the same as the flag, except in a 1,1 ratio. The royal standard of Belgium is the standard of the current king, Philippe, and features his monogram. The designs of royal standards of past monarchs have been similar, notably, the flag of Belgium flown on the Royal Palace of Brussels and the Royal Castle of Laeken is in none of the proportions above. It has the irregular 4,3 ratio, making it taller than it is wide and these proportions are explained as an aesthetic consideration, as the palaces are large, and the flags are thus viewed from far below, which makes them look more normal due to foreshortening
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Coat of arms of Belgium
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The coat of arms of Belgium bears a lion or, known as Leo Belgicus, as its charge. A royal decree of 17 March 1837 determines the achievement to be used in the greater, the shield is emblazoned, Sable, a lion rampant or, armed and langued gules. It is surmounted by a helmet with raised visor, with mantling or and sable, behind the shield are placed a hand of justice and a sceptre with a lion. The grand collar of the Order of Leopold surrounds the shield, two lions guardant proper support the shield as well as a lance with the national colours black, yellow and red. Underneath the compartment is placed the motto Lunion fait la force in French or Eendracht maakt macht in Dutch, the riband of the motto is red, with black stripes on either side. Since the Royal Decree of 1837 never received an official translation, the whole is placed on a red mantle with ermine lining and golden fringes and tassels, ensigned with the royal crown. Above the mantle rise banners with the arms of the nine provinces that constituted Belgium in 1837 and they are Antwerp, West Flanders, East Flanders, Liège, Brabant, Hainaut, Limburg, Luxembourg and Namur. The greater arms are used only rarely and they adorn the great seal that is affixed to laws and international treaties. Since the province of Brabant was split into Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Brussels in 1995, the changes made to the arms of the Flemish provinces as a result of this decision are not reflected in the great seal either. The lesser coat of arms consists of the shield, the crown, the crossed sceptres, the collar of the Order of Leopold. The newly independent Kingdom of Belgium decided to base its coat of arms and these came into being after the Southern Netherlands threw off Austrian rule. It existed as an independent polity from January to December 1790, the Duchy of Brabant had taken the lead in the so-called Brabant Revolution, the insurrection against Emperor Joseph II, and afterwards dominated the United Netherlandish States. Therefore, the Lion of Brabant came to stand for the entire federation, the crown stood for sovereignty, the sword for the war against Spain and the arrows for the concord and unity among the rebellious provinces. At first the lion of the Republic of the United Provinces had the Brabant colours or on sable, the Dutch Revolt likewise provided the motto Unity Makes Strength. The inscription of the seal of 1578 reads Concordia res parvae crescunt, soon Dutch sources used the translation Eendracht maekt magt. The United States of Belgium of 1790 used the Latin version In Unione Salus and their motto was in turn taken over and translated into French by the Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. It was only in 1958 that it was decided that the official Dutch translation should read Eendracht maakt macht, les origines du sceau de lEtat belge, in, Roger Harmignies, ed. Sources de lhéraldique en Europe occidentale, 201-225, wapens van de Nederlanden, De historische ontwikkeling van de heraldische symbolen van Nederlanden, België, hun provincies en Luxemburg
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Flemish people
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They are one of two principal ethnic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons. Flemish people make up the majority of the Belgian population, historically, all inhabitants of the medieval County of Flanders were referred to as Flemings, irrespective of the language spoken. The contemporary region of Flanders comprises a part of historical county, as well as parts of the medieval duchy of Brabant. The sense of Flemish identity increased significantly after the Belgian Revolution, prior to this, the term Flemings in the Dutch language was in first place used for the inhabitants of the former County of Flanders. Flemish however had been used since the 14th century to refer to the language, the modern Belgian province of Limburg was not part of the treaty, and only came to be considered Flemish in the 19th century. In 1830 the southern provinces of the United Netherlands proclaimed their independence, under French rule, French was enforced as the only official language in public life, resulting in a Frenchification of the elites and, to a lesser extent, the middle classes. The Dutch King allowed the use of both Dutch and French dialects as administrative languages in the Flemish provinces and he also enacted laws to reestablish Dutch in schools. Lastly, Belgian liberals were dissatisfied with William for his despotic behaviour. Following the revolt, the reforms of 1823 were the first Dutch laws to be abolished. After the Hundred Years War many Flemings migrated to the Azores, by 1490 there were 2,000 Flemings living in the Azores. Willem van der Haegen was the sea captain who brought settlers from Flanders to the Azores. Today many Azoreans trace their genealogy from present day Flanders, within Belgium the Flemings form a clearly distinguishable group, set apart by their language and customs. However, the perception of being a single polity varies greatly, depending on subject matter, locality. Generally, Flemings will seldom identify themselves as being Dutch and vice versa and this is partly caused by the popular stereotypes in the Netherlands as well as Flanders which are mostly based on the cultural extremes of both Northern and Southern culture. It is the majority language in Belgium, being spoken natively by three-fifths of the population and its various dialects contain a number of lexical and a few grammatical features which distinguish them from the standard language. As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the dialect of the speaker. All Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are spoken in adjacent areas of the Netherlands as well, at the same time East Flemish forms a continuum with both Brabantic and West Flemish. Standard Dutch is primarily based on the Hollandic dialect and to an extent on Brabantian
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Walloons
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Walloons are a Romance ethnic people native to Belgium, principally its southern region of Wallonia, who speak French and Walloon. Walloons are an ethnic community within Belgium. Important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people, more generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon Region. Besides French and Walloon, minority of Walloons also speak regional languages such as Picard. Walloons are the descendants of Gallo-Romans with Germanic Frankish admixture, the term Walloon is derived from *walha, a Proto-Germanic term used to refer to Celtic and Latin speakers. Walloon originated in Romance languages alongside other related terms, but it supplanted them and its oldest written trace is found in Jean de Haynins Mémoires de Jean, sire de Haynin et de Louvignies in 1465, where it refers to Roman populations of the Burgundian Netherlands. The Spanish terms of Walon and Walona from the 17th century referred to a Royal Guard Corps recruited in the Spanish Flanders and they were involved in many of the most significant battles of the Spanish Empire. The French word Wallons in English is also used in the Encyclopædia Britannica, the term Walloon country was also used in Dutch viz. Walsch land. The term existed also in German, perhaps Wulland in Hans Heysts book where Wulland is translated by Wallonia in English, in general, Belgium evolved from a unitary state to a federal state with communities, regions and language areas. The extent of Wallonia, the area defined by the use of the language, has shifted through the ages, the low-lying area of Flanders and the hilly region of the Ardennes have been under the control of many city-states and external powers. Such changing rule brought variations to borders, culture, and language, the Walloon language, widespread in use up until the Second World War, has been dying out of common use due to growing internationalisation. Although official educational systems do not include it as a language, the communities are, French community, Flemish community, and German-speaking community. The division into political regions does not correspond with the communities, Flemish Region, Walloon Region, many non-French-speaking observers generalize Walloons as a term of convenience for all Belgian French-speakers. The mixing of the population over the means that most families can trace ancestors on both sides of the linguistic divide. But, the fact that Brussels is around 85% French-speaking, but is located in Dutch-speaking Flanders, has led to friction between the regions and communities, the local dialect in Brussels, Brussels Vloms, is a Brabantic dialect, reflecting the Dutch heritage of the city. Walloons are historically credited with pioneering the industrial revolution in Continental Europe in the early 19th century, in modern history, Brussels has been the major town or the capital of the region. Because of long Spanish and minor French rule, French became the official language. After a brief period with Dutch as the language while the region was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands
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Culture of the Netherlands
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The culture of the Netherlands is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences built up by centuries of the Dutch peoples mercantile and explorative spirit. The Netherlands and its people have played an important role as centre of cultural liberalism. The Dutch Golden Age is popularly regarded as its zenith, the official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, spoken by almost all people in the Netherlands. Dutch is also spoken and official in Aruba, Brussels, Curaçao, Flanders, Sint Maarten and it is a West Germanic, Low Franconian language that originated in the Early Middle Ages and was standardized in the 16th century. West Frisian is also a language and it is used by the government in the province of Friesland. Another Dutch dialect granted the status of language is Limburgish. However, both Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish spread across the Dutch-German border and belong to a common Dutch-Low German dialect continuum. There is a tradition of learning languages in the Netherlands, about 89% of the total population have good knowledge of English, 70% of German, 29% of French. Between the Celtic and Germanic peoples and later the Roman conquerors a cultural exchange took place, an adaptation of polytheistic religions and each other myths has taken place among the various tribes, coming from both the Germanic, Celtic and later Roman mythology. Around 500 the Franks, initially residing between the Rhine and the Somme, adapt to Christianity, the following centuries Catholic Christianity is the only mainstream religion in the Netherlands. The rebellious Netherlands that had united in the Union of Utrecht declared their independence from Spain in 1581, during the Eighty Years War, Spain finally accepted this in 1648. The Dutch revolt was partially religiously motivated, during the Reformation many of the Dutch had adopted Lutheran and these religious movements were suppressed by the Spanish, who supported the Counter Reformation. After independence the Netherlands adopted Calvinism as a state religion. In the 1960s, this started to diminish, although religious diversity remains, there has been a decline of religious adherence. The Netherlands is one of the most secular countries in Western Europe, religion is in the Netherlands generally considered a personal matter which is not supposed to be propagated in public. In a December 2014 survey by the VU University Amsterdam was concluded that for the first time there are more atheists than theists in the Netherlands, the rest of the population being agnostic or ietsist. Since 1989, the unaffiliated have become mainstream, according to the most recent statistics approximately 34% of the Dutch people adhere to the two historical Christian traditions of their country. Meanwhile, Muslims in the country constitute 5% of the total population, approximately 55% of the population has no religious affiliation
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Culture of France
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The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of culture since the 17th century, first in Europe. From the late 19th century, France has also played an important role in cinema, fashion, cuisine, the importance of French culture has waxed and waned over the centuries, depending on its economic, political and military importance. French culture today is marked both by regional and socioeconomic differences and strong unifying tendencies. Some action has taken by the government in order to promote French culture. For instance, they have established a system of subsidies and preferential loans for supporting French cinema, the Toubon law, from the name of the conservative culture minister who promoted it, makes it mandatory to use French in advertisements directed to the general public. France counts many regional languages, some of them being different from standard French, such as Breton. Some regional languages are Roman, like French, such as Occitan, many of these languages have enthusiastic advocates, however, the real importance of local languages remains subject to debate. In April 2001, the Minister of Education, Jack Lang and he announced that bilingual education would, for the first time, be recognized, and bilingual teachers recruited in French public schools to support teaching these other languages. In French schools, pupils are expected to learn at least two languages, the first of which is typically German or English. A revision of the French constitution creating official recognition of languages was implemented by the Parliament in Congress at Versailles in July 2008. France is a country where freedom of thought and of religion is preserved, by virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man. A2011 European poll found that a third of the French population does not believe there is any sort of spirit, in 2011, in a poll published by Institut français dopinion publique 65% of the French population describes itself as Christians, and 25% as not adhering any religion. According to Eurobarometer poll in 2012 Christianity is the largest religion in France accounting 60% of French citizens, Catholics are the largest Christian group in France, accounting for 50% of French citizens, while Protestants make up 8%, and other Christians make up 2%. Non believer/Agnostic account for 20%, Atheist 13%, and Muslim 6%, France guarantees freedom of religion as a constitutional right, and the government generally respects this right in practice. A long history of violent conflict between groups led the state to break its ties to the established Catholic Church early in the last century, the government adopted a strong commitment to maintaining a totally secular public sector. Long the established religion, the Roman Catholic Church has historically played a significant role in French culture. Kings were considered head of the church and state, most French people are Roman Catholic Christians, however, many of them are secular but still place high value on Catholicism
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Francophone
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French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages, French has evolved from Gallo-Romance, the spoken Latin in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues doïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to Frances past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, a French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is a language in 29 countries, most of which are members of la francophonie. As of 2015, 40% of the population is in Europe, 35% in sub-Saharan Africa, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas. French is the fourth-most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union, 1/5 of Europeans who do not have French as a mother tongue speak French as a second language. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 17th and 18th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Mauritius, Senegal and Ivory Coast. In 2015, French was estimated to have 77 to 110 million native speakers, approximately 274 million people are able to speak the language. The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie estimates 700 million by 2050, in 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese. Under the Constitution of France, French has been the language of the Republic since 1992. France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland called Romandie, of which Geneva is the largest city. French is the language of about 23% of the Swiss population. French is also a language of Luxembourg, Monaco, and Aosta Valley, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands. A plurality of the worlds French-speaking population lives in Africa and this number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050, French is the fastest growing language on the continent. French is mostly a language in Africa, but it has become a first language in some urban areas, such as the region of Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in Libreville. There is not a single African French, but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages, sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth
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Flanders
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Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium, although there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics and history. It is one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, the demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while the corresponding adjective is Flemish. The official capital of Flanders is Brussels, although Brussels itself has an independent regional government, in historical contexts, Flanders originally refers to the County of Flanders, which around AD1000 stretched from the Strait of Dover to the Scheldt estuary. In accordance with late 20th century Belgian state reforms the area was made two political entities, the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. These entities were merged, although geographically the Flemish Community, which has a cultural mandate, covers Brussels. Flanders has figured prominently in European history, as a consequence, a very sophisticated culture developed, with impressive achievements in the arts and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. Belgium was one of the centres of the 19th century industrial revolution, geographically, Flanders is generally flat, and has a small section of coast on the North Sea. Much of Flanders is agriculturally fertile and densely populated, with a density of almost 500 people per square kilometer. It touches France to the west near the coast, and borders the Netherlands to the north and east, the Brussels Capital Region is an enclave within the Flemish Region. Flanders has exclaves of its own, Voeren in the east is between Wallonia and the Netherlands and Baarle-Hertog in the consists of 22 exclaves surrounded by the Netherlands. It comprises 6.5 million Belgians who consider Dutch to be their mother tongue, the political subdivisions of Belgium, the Flemish Region and the Flemish Community. The first does not comprise Brussels, whereas the latter does comprise the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Brussels, the political institutions that govern both subdivisions, the operative body Flemish Government and the legislative organ Flemish Parliament. The two westernmost provinces of the Flemish Region, West Flanders and East Flanders, forming the central portion of the historic County of Flanders, a feudal territory that existed from the 8th century until its absorption by the French First Republic. Until the 1600s, this county also extended over parts of France, one of the regions conquered by the French in Flanders, namely French Flanders in the Nord department. French Flanders can be divided into two regions, Walloon Flanders and Maritime Flanders. The first region was predominantly French-speaking already in the 1600s, the latter became so in the 20th century, the city of Lille identifies itself as Flemish, and this is reflected, for instance, in the name of its local railway station TGV Lille Flandres. The region conquered by the Dutch Republic in Flanders, now part of the Dutch province of Zeeland, the significance of the County of Flanders and its counts eroded through time, but the designation remained in a very broad sense. In the Early modern period, the term Flanders was associated with the part of the Low Countries
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Antwerp
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Antwerp is a city in Belgium, the capital of Antwerp province in the region of Flanders. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium and its metropolitan area houses around 1,200,000 people, which is second behind Brussels. Antwerp is on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary, the Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe and within the top 20 globally. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries, the inhabitants of Antwerp are nicknamed Sinjoren, after the Spanish honorific señor or French seigneur, lord, referring to the Spanish noblemen who ruled the city in the 17th century. The city hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics, according to folklore, notably celebrated by a statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend about a giant called Antigoon who lived near the Scheldt river. He exacted a toll from passing boatmen, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands, eventually the giant was killed by a young hero named Silvius Brabo, who cut off the giants own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen, akin to Old English hand and wearpan, a longstanding theory is that the name originated in the Gallo-Roman period and comes from the Latin antverpia. Antverpia would come from Ante Verpia, indicating land that forms by deposition in the curve of a river. Note that the river Scheldt, before a period between 600 and 750, followed a different track. This must have coincided roughly with the current ringway south of the city, however, many historians think it unlikely that there was a large settlement which would be named Antverpia, but more something like an outpost with a river crossing. However, John Lothrop Motley argues, and so do a lot of Dutch etymologists and historians, aan t werp is also possible. This warp is a hill or a river deposit, high enough to remain dry at high tide. Another word for werp is pol hence polders, historical Antwerp allegedly had its origins in a Gallo-Roman vicus. Excavations carried out in the oldest section near the Scheldt, 1952–1961, produced pottery shards, the earliest mention of Antwerp dates from the 4th century. In the 4th century, Antwerp was first named, having been settled by the Germanic Franks, the name was reputed to have been derived from anda and werpum. The Merovingian Antwerp was evangelized by Saint Amand in the 7th century, at the end of the 10th century, the Scheldt became the boundary of the Holy Roman Empire. Antwerp became a margraviate in 980, by the German emperor Otto I, in the 11th century Godfrey of Bouillon was for some years known as the marquis of Antwerp. In the 12th century, Norbert of Xanten established a community of his Premonstratensian canons at St. Michaels Abbey at Caloes
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Cartoonist
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A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is created for entertainment, political commentary, or advertising. The English satirist and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth, who emerged In the 18th century, has credited with pioneering Western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic series of pictures called modern moral subjects. Much of his work poked fun at politics and customs. Gillray explored the use of the medium for lampooning and caricature, calling the king, prime ministers and generals to account, while never a professional cartoonist, Benjamin Franklin is credited with having the first cartoon published in an American newspaper. In the 19th century, professional cartoonists such as Thomas Nast introduced other familiar American political symbols, during the 20th century, numerous magazines carried single-panel gag cartoons by such freelance cartoonists as Charles Addams, Irwin Caplan, Chon Day, Clyde Lamb, and John Norment. These were almost always published in black and white, although Colliers often carried cartoons in color, the debut of Playboy introduced full-page color cartoons by Jack Cole, Eldon Dedini, and others. Single-panel cartoonists syndicated to newspapers included Dave Breger, Hank Ketcham, George Lichty, Fred Neher, Irving Phillips, comic strips received widespread distribution to mainstream newspapers by syndicates such as the Universal Press Syndicate, United Media, or King Features. Sunday strips go to a company such as American Color before they are published. Some comic strip creators publish in the press or on the Internet. Comic strip artists may also work in book-length form, creating graphic novels. Both vintage and current strips receive reprints in book collections, the major comic book publishers utilize teams of cartoonists to produce the art. When a consistent artistic style is wanted among different cartoonists, character model sheets may be used as reference, animated cartooning is created for short films, advertising, feature films and television. It is also used in live-action films for dream sequences or opening titles. An animation artist is referred to as an animator rather than a cartoonist. They create motion pictures as well, Animation studios such as DreamWorks Animation, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Blue Sky Studios create CGI or computer-animated films that are more three-dimensional. There are many books of cartoons in both paperback and hardcover, such as the collections of cartoons from The New Yorker, prior to the 1960s, cartoons were mostly ignored by museums and art galleries
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The Adventures of Tintin
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The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, by 2007, a century after Hergés birth in 1907, Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies. The series first appeared in French on 10 January 1929 in Le Petit Vingtième, the success of the series saw the serialised strips published in Belgiums leading newspaper Le Soir and spun into a successful Tintin magazine. In 1950, Hergé created Studios Hergé, which produced the canonical versions of ten Tintin albums, the Adventures of Tintin have been adapted for radio, television, theatre, and film. The series is set during a largely realistic 20th century and its hero is Tintin, a young Belgian reporter and adventurer. He is aided by his faithful dog Snowy, the series has been admired for its clean, expressive drawings in Hergés signature ligne claire style. Its well-researched plots straddle a variety of genres, swashbuckling adventures with elements of fantasy, mysteries, political thrillers, the stories feature slapstick humour, offset by dashes of sophisticated satire and political or cultural commentary. Georges Remi, best known under the pen name Hergé, was employed as an illustrator at Le Vingtième Siècle, run by the Abbé Norbert Wallez, the paper described itself as a Catholic Newspaper for Doctrine and Information and disseminated a far-right, fascist viewpoint. Wallez appointed Hergé editor of a new Thursday youth supplement, titled Le Petit Vingtième, propagating Wallezs socio-political views to its young readership, it contained explicitly pro-fascist and anti-Semitic sentiment. In addition to editing the supplement, Hergé illustrated Lextraordinaire aventure de Flup, Nénesse, Poussette et Cochonnet, dissatisfied with this, Hergé wanted to write and draw his own cartoon strip. He already had experience creating comic strips, from July 1926 he had written a strip about a Boy Scout patrol leader titled Les Aventures de Totor C. P. des Hannetons for the Scouting newspaper Le Boy Scout Belge. Totor was an influence on Tintin, with Hergé describing the latter as being like Totors younger brother. Although Hergé wanted to send Tintin to the United States, Wallez ordered him to set his adventure in the Soviet Union, the result, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, was serialised in Le Petit Vingtième from January 1929 to May 1930. Popular in Francophone Belgium, Wallez organised a publicity stunt at the Gare du Nord station, the storys popularity led to an increase in sales, so Wallez granted Hergé two assistants. At Wallezs direction, in June he began serialisation of the story, Tintin in the Congo. The Adventures of Tintin had been syndicated to French Catholic magazine Cœurs Vaillants since 1930, and Hergé was soon receiving syndication requests from Swiss and Portuguese newspapers too. Hergé went on to pen a string of Adventures of Tintin, sending his character to real locations such as the Belgian Congo, the United States, Egypt, India, China, in May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium as World War II broke out across Europe. Although Hergé briefly fled to France and considered a self-imposed exile, for political reasons, the Nazi authorities closed down Le Vingtième Siècle, leaving Hergé unemployed
23.
Peyo
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Pierre Culliford was a Belgian cartoonist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo. His best-known works are the comic strips The Smurfs and Johan and Peewit, after working briefly at a Belgian animation studio, Peyo began making comic strips for daily newspapers such as Le Soir shortly after World War II. At the beginning of the 1950s, he brought his character Johan to the magazine Spirou, whom he gave a companion, the diminutive Peewit. Peyo introduced the Smurfs in the Johan and Peewit storyline The Magic Flute in 1958, in 1960 Peyo founded a studio to accommodate his assistants such as François Walthéry, Gos, and Marc Wasterlain and created the series Steven Strong and Jacky and Célestin. After the series concluded he left his publisher Dupuis to found his own publishing house, Cartoon Creation, which soon folded due to management problems. He joined Le Lombard in 1992 but died a few months later, since his death, Peyos children have continued to promote his work under the brand Peyo. Peyo was born in 1928 in the Belgian municipality Schaerbeek, as the son of an English father, on Christmas Eve 1992, Peyo died of a heart attack in Brussels at age 64. He took on the name Peyo early in his professional career, when the studio folded after the war, the other artists went to work for Dupuis, but Peyo, a few years younger than the others, was not accepted. He made his first comics for the newspaper La Dernière Heure, from 1949 to 1952, he drew Poussy, a stop comic about a cat, for Le Soir. For the same newspaper, he also created Johan, in 1952, Franquin introduced Peyo to Spirou, a childrens Franco-Belgian comics magazine published by Dupuis. Peyo wrote and drew a number of characters and storylines, including Pierrot, but his favourite was Johan et Pirlouit, which was a continuation of the series Johan he had created earlier. He also continued Poussy in Spirou, set in the Middle Ages in Europe, Johan et Pirlouit stars a brave young page to the king, and his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midget sidekick. Johan rides off to defend the meek on his trusty horse, while Peewit gallops sporadically behind on his goat, the pair was driven by duty to their king and the courage to defend the underpowered. Peewit only appeared in the adventure in 1954 but would stay for all later adventures. The first Smurf appeared in Johan and Peewit on 23 October 1958 in the album La Flûte à Six Schtroumpfs, as the Smurfs became increasingly popular, Peyo started a studio in the early 1960s, where a number of talented comics artists started to work. Peyo himself supervised the work and worked primarily on Johan and Peewit, the most notable artists to come out of this studio were Walthéry, Marc Wasterlain, Gos, Derib, Lucien De Gieter, and Daniel Desorgher. In 1959, the Smurfs got their own series, and in 1960, many authors of the Marcinelle school collaborated on the writing, or on the artwork, including Willy Maltaite, Yvan Delporte, and Roger Leloup. Peyo became more of a businessman and supervisor and was involved in the actual creation of the comics
24.
The Smurfs
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The Smurfs is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small blue humanoids who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. The Smurfs was first created and introduced as a series of characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo in 1958. Smurfette was the first female Smurf to be introduced in the series, the Smurfs wear Phrygian caps, which came to represent freedom during the modern era. The Smurfs franchise began as a comic and expanded into advertising, films, TV series, ice capades, video games, theme parks, Johan serves as a brave young page to the king, and Pirlouit functions as his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midget sidekick. In 1958, Spirou magazine started to publish the Johan et Pirlouit story La Flûte à six trous, the adventure involved them recovering a magic flute, which required some sorcery by the wizard Homnibus. Their first full appearance was published in Spirou on October 23,1958, the characters proved to be a huge success, and the first independent Smurf stories appeared in Spirou in 1959, together with the first merchandising. The Smurfs shared more adventures with Johan and Pirlouit, got their own series, Schtroumpf is pronounced like the German word Strumpf meaning sock. Having momentarily forgotten the word salt, Peyo asked him to pass the schtroumpf, franquin jokingly replied, Heres the Schtroumpf—when you are done schtroumpfing, schtroumpf it back. And the two spent the rest of that weekend speaking in schtroumpf language, the name was later translated into Dutch as Smurf, which was adopted in English. With the commercial success of the Smurfs came the merchandising empire of Smurf miniatures, models, games, entire collecting clubs have devoted themselves to collecting PVC Smurfs and Smurf merchandise. The storylines tend to be simple tales of bold adventure, Smurfs can walk and run, but often move by skipping on both feet. They love to eat leaves, whose berries the Smurfs naturally call smurfberries. The Smurfs fulfill simple archetypes of everyday people, Lazy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Brainy Smurf, all Smurfs, with the exception of Papa, Baby, Smurfette, Nanny and Grandpa, are said to be 100 years old. There were originally 99 Smurfs, but this increased as new Smurf characters appeared, such as Sassette. All of the original Smurfs were male, later additions are Smurfette and Sassette—Smurfette being Gargamels creation. A characteristic of the Smurf language is the frequent use of the word smurf. The Smurfs frequently replace both nouns and verbs in everyday speech with the word smurf, Were going smurfing on the River Smurf today, when used as a verb, the word Smurf typically means to make, to be, to like, or to do. So Im smurfing to the smurf is not the same as Im smurfing to the smurf, in the animated series, only some words are replaced with the word smurf
25.
Spirou et Fantasio
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Spirou et Fantasio is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like The Adventures of Tintin. It has been written and drawn by a succession of artists, the comic strip was originally created by Rob-Vel for the launch of Le Journal de Spirou on April 21,1938, published by Éditions Dupuis. The main character was originally an operator for the Moustique Hotel. Spirou became the property of the publisher Dupuis, who bought the character from Rob-Vel in 1943, 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, was given charge of the character, in 1944 Jijé introduced a new character, Fantasio, who would become Spirous best friend and co-adventurer. Franquin developed the strip from single gags and short serials into long adventures with complex plots, one Franquin creation that went on to develop a life of its own was the Marsupilami, 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, in the series, it is adopted by the duo and follows them everywhere they go. Starting with Le prisonnier du Bouddha, Franquin began to work with Greg, as in some of his later series, Greg staged his stories in a realistic geopolitical context. Le prisonnier du Bouddha is set in mainland China, with veiled references made to the Cold War, as for QRN sur Bretzelburg, it takes place in two imaginary European countries which bring to mind pre-reunification Germany. Lastly, it is with Greg that Franquin created famed villain Zorglub in the diptych of Z comme Zorglub, one side effect of this is that the Marsupilami would only appear in one last story, Le faiseur dor. This is because Franquin decided to retain the rights to that character, starting with Du glucose pour Noémie, there would be no more appearances of the Marsupilami in Spirou et Fantasio, with the exception of a few discreet references. Only in the 1980s did the Marsupilami reappear in its own series, fournier authored nine books in the series, which saw Spirou evolve into a more modern character. Where Franquins stories tended to be neutral, Fourniers stint on Spirou addressed such hot topics as nuclear energy, drug-funded dictatorships. None of these were reused by artists until some thirty years later when Itoh Kata appeared in Morvan. However, at the end of the 1970s Fourniers pace began to slow down, for a time, three separate teams worked on concurrent stories. Nic Broca and Raoul Cauvin took on Fourniers lead without adding much to the characters and 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 story by Jidéhem. Strangely, the authors were not allowed by the publisher to use any of the characters and because of this
26.
Marsupilami
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Marsupilami is a comic book created by André Franquin, first published on 31 January 1952 in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Spirou. Since then it appeared regularly in the popular Belgian comics series Spirou et Fantasio until Franquin stopped working on the series in 1968, later, two animated shows featuring this character, as well as a Sega Genesis video game and a variety of other merchandise followed. The asteroid 98494 Marsupilami is named in its honour, the name is a portmanteau of the words marsupial, Pilou-Pilou and ami, French for friend. Marsupilamis adventures had been translated to languages, like Dutch, German, Greek, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese. More than three albums of the Marsupilami series are claimed to have been sold by Marsu Productions. One album of Spirou and Fantasio featuring Marsupilami, number 15, was translated to English by Fantasy Flight Publishing in 1995, plans on releasing number 16 ended halfway through the translation process, due to bad sales. In 2007, Egmonts subsidiary Euro Books translated albums number 4,5,7,8,9,10,11 and 14 for the Indian market. In 2013, Dupuis bought Marsu Productions and its characters, thereby allowing a new production of Spirou, the marsupilami is a black-spotted yellow monkey-like creature with dog-like ears. Male marsupilamis have a long, strong, flexible, prehensile tail. Female marsupilamis have a shorter tail, but still long compared to real animals. Both the male and female are able to use their tail as a weapon, by tightening the end into a fist and this attack was responsible for the Danish and Norwegian translators choosing words similar to spiral over marsupial as the creatures name. Unlike the males, the females also walk on the tips of their toes, when the animal rebounds, he makes the noise, Boing. Males also have eyes that are not completely separate while females have two separate eyes, female marsupilamis also have a totally different voice than the males. Males say houba most of the time, while females say houbii, according to the LEncyclopédie du Marsupilami, they are monotremes like the platypus and echidna, which explains why they lay eggs while having mammalian features. The Marsupilami refers originally to the captured and then adopted by Spirou and Fantasio. The Spirou et Fantasio album Le nid des Marsupilamis is mostly concerned with a documentary-within-the-comic about the life of a family of still living in the wild in Palombia. The spin-off comics later drawn by Batem star those, and the title of the series now refers to the - also unnamed - father in this family, and not to Spirous original Marsupilami. In these series, Marsupilamis wife is referred to as Marsupilamie, Mars le noir is another specimen, which first appears in the album Mars le Noir
27.
Gaston (comics)
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Gaston is a 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 life of Gaston Lagaffe, a lazy. Since the 1980s Gaston has appeared on a variety of merchandise. André Franquin who was then in charge of Spirou et Fantasio, the initial purpose was to fill up empty spaces in the magazine and offer a glimpse of life behind-the-scenes at the paper. For the Spirou issue N°1000 cover, Franquin drew 999 heads of Spirou, and one of Gaston, Fantasio, functioning as the magazines opinionated face of signed editorials, subsequently announced in a formal communiqué that Gaston would be the first Hero-without-a-job. Gastons blunders continued during a stressful and frustrating period for Fantasio, pushing him to go on a 4-week strike and eventually a vacation, initiating the story Vacances sans histoires. From Spirou issue n°1025, the gags were replaced with Gaston strips running at the bottom of the editors pages. These ran until 1959 when Gaston acquired a weekly half-page, which lasted until the mid-60s when the Gaston Lagaffe gags grew to full-page, a full length comic featuring Gaston has not yet been published in English. In 19714 gags of Gaston were published in the Thunderbirds Annual 1971, Gaston was christened Cranky Franky for this series. In the early Nineties Fantagrahics translated about a half a dozen gags into English, Gastons first cameo in a Spirou et Fantasio adventure took place in Spirou issue n°1014 as he graced two frames of Le voyageur du Mésozoïque. His second cameo occurred in the panels of the story Vacances sans histoires which was published between November 1957 and January 1958. Gaston appears at the start of the story when, cycling and lighting a cigarette at the time, he runs past a red light and very nearly gets hit by Spirou. Towards the end, he is again cycling, this time down the way of a one-way street. More surprised than anything else, stretched out on the front of the car, he simply tells Spirou, Gaston was given a larger part in the following adventure, La Foire aux gangsters. Here, Gaston hinders Spirous investigation into a babys kidnapping, Spirous search leads him to a fairground and Gaston, who just happens to be there, keeps approaching him. When Spirou, desperate to keep a low profile, whispers to Gaston that they dont know each other, fortunately for Spirou and the little victim, Gaston keeps getting his directions wrong and he and the gangsters end up in a dead-end, surrounded by police and in jail. In the final frame Gaston is released from prison, to the scornful glances of the passing public, in 1961, Franquin and Yvan Delporte wrote a radio serial Les Robinsons du rail. In this story, Fantasio is sent to cover the inauguration of the first nuclear powered train and, since no-one else is available, is compelled to take Gaston with him for assistance
28.
Willy Vandersteen
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Willy Vandersteen was a Belgian creator of comic books. In a career spanning 50 years, he created a studio and published more than 1,000 comic albums in over 25 series. Considered together with Marc Sleen the founding father of Flemish comics, he is popular in Belgium. Hergé called him The Brueghel of the strip, while the creation of his own studio. Vandersteen is best known for Suske en Wiske, which in 2008 sold 3.5 million books and his other major series are De Rode Ridder with over 200 albums and Bessy with almost 1,000 albums published in Germany. Willebrord Jan Frans Maria Vandersteen was born in Antwerp in 1913 and his family lived in the Seefhoek, a poor quarter of the city, where his father Francis Vandersteen worked as a decorator and stone sculptor. His studio lay next to a printer that produced De Kindervriend, Willy Vandersteen, only four years old, read the new magazine there every week, including Blutske, an early comic strip. His mother Anna Gerard was more interested in ballet and singing, one of her favourites, Wiske Ghijs, may well have been the inspiration for the name Wiske he gave to one of the main characters in his main series Spike and Suzy. Vandersteen was creatively active from his youth and he drew pictures with crayons on sidewalks, and invented stories for his friends about knights and legends. He even convinced his friends to buy him crayons so he could depict the local cycling championship. At school as well, he was interested in telling stories. His best memory of these schooldays is of a teacher who introduced him to the works of Pieter Brueghel, outside school, he spent most of his time with comic magazines and adventure books by Jules Verne or books about Nick Carter and Buffalo Bill. At 13, he enrolled at the Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp to study sculpture, and two years later he started working as sculptor and decorator, just like his father. The same year, the moved to Deurne, a suburb of Antwerp, where he came in contact with nature and with scouting. With the scouts, he became the reporter, writing down heavily illustrated reports on their outings and adventures. Through the scouts, he came into contact with Le Boy-Scout Belge. Vandersteen made a few sequels to these adventures for his friends as amusement and he continued to follow the work of Hergé later on. Meanwhile, Vandersteen combined his studies at the Academy with his work in his fathers workshop until 1935, in between some odd jobs, Vandersteen became an avid sporter, from gymnastics over cycling to wrestling
29.
Spike and Suzy
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Spike and Suzy, Willy and Wanda or Luke and Lucy, Flemish, Suske en Wiske, French, Bob et Bobette) is a Belgian comics series created by the comics author Willy Vandersteen. It was first published in De Nieuwe Standaard in 1945 and soon became popular, although not in its earlier form, the strip adapted to the Ligne claire style, pioneered by Hergé. This change took place when the strip became serialised in Hergés Franco-Belgian comics magazine Tintin from 1948 to 1959, the books revolve around the adventures of the eponymous Spike and Suzy, two children, along with their friends and family. The stories combine elements of comedy, fantasy, and science fiction, such as talking animals, time travel, the strip still runs daily in the Belgian newspaper De Standaard, and new books continue to be published, as of 2016,270 albums have been published. The main characters are a group of friends, in the first regular comic, Suzy and her Aunt Sidonia meet the orphan Spike and unrelated Professor Barabas. In the next comic, they also meet Ambrose, later, in De dolle musketiers, Jerom, the strongest man in the western hemisphere, was introduced. Apart from Suzy and Aunt Sidonia, none of them are related, Spike, originally Suske, also known as Willy or Bob, is a young orphan who becomes friends with Suzy and Aunt Sidonia. This happens only in the album, Het Eiland Amoras from 1946. Spike has black hair with a small trademark spike and he started out as a hyperactive and headlong fighter, not unlike many a young male adolescent in the Seefhoek, the Antwerp neighborhood where Vandersteen grew up. Only in the first album, Spike would get out of control when he heard the battle cry Seefhoek vooruit. Replaced by Antigoon vooruit in later reprints, but as soon as his outfit evolved from mere duds towards a more tidy red polo shirt and black trousers, he became a well-behaved and obedient boy. He is smart, brave, idealistic and mostly rational, making him an emotional opposite to Suzy, where she gets in trouble with Sidonia or Ambrose, he acts as go-between to restore peace. Suzy, originally Wiske, also known as Wanda or Bobette, is the young heroine. She first appeared in the very first out-of-series prequel Rikki en Wiske in Chocowakije from 1945, where she has an older brother Rikki, but he disappears after that story to be replaced by Spike. Suzy lives together with him and her aunt Sidonia, and is dressed in a white skirt with a red stripe. In the first stories, she looks like a preschooler of about 6 years old, Vandersteen seems to have modelled her after his oldest daughter Leen, of similar age at the time. She is strong-headed, impulsive, curious and slightly foolish, aspects of her character that come naturally with a young teenager who enters puberty, and a great plot device since her repeated stubbornness and inobedience is the source of many an adventure. Since her emotions and human shortcomings often overpower her rationality, she is sensitive to paranormal and mystical happenings that are routinely dismissed by the others, Suzy is also a brave girl, especially when it comes to defending her doll Muffin, for whom she shows unconditional motherly love
30.
Morris (cartoonist)
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Maurice De Bevere, better known as Morris or Morris des Catacombes, was a Belgian cartoonist, comics artist, illustrator and the creator of Lucky Luke. His pen name is a spelling of his first name. He went to school in the well-known Jesuit college in Aalst and his math teacher told his parents the boy would unfortunately never succeed in life, as he passed the math classes doodling in the margin of his math books. Morris started drawing in the Compagnie Belge dActualités animations studios, a small and short-lived animation studios in Belgium where he met Peyo and he died in 2001 of a pulmonary embolism. He created Lucky Luke in 1946 for Spirou magazine, the Franco-Belgian comics magazine published by Dupuis, Lucky Luke is a solitary cowboy who travels across the Wild West, helping those in need, aided by his faithful horse, Jolly Jumper. The first adventure, Arizona 1880, was published in LAlmanach Spirou 1947, Morris became one of the central artists of the magazine, and one of the so-called La bande des quatre, with Jijé, André Franquin and Will. He did not work at the house of Jijé, contrary to the two, but all four became very good friends, stimulating each other artistically. In 1948, Morris, Jijé and Franquin travelled to the United States and they wanted to get to know the country, see what was left of the Wild West, and meet some American comic artists. Morris stayed the longest of the three and only returned after 6 years, in the meantime he had met René Goscinny, a French comic artist and writer, who would write all the Lucky Luke stories between 1955 and his death in 1977. Goscinny was then fairly unknown, but would become the most successful European comic writer, initially with Lucky Luke. Morris introduced in the years many cinematic techniques in his stories, like freeze-frames. Walt Disneys style influenced him, which can be seen in the very round lines that characterize the early Lucky Luke albums, many characters in his comics are also clearly based on famous American actors such as Jack Palance, Gary Cooper, W. C. Fields and William Hart, although he also caricaturizes unexpected figures like Louis de Funès or Serge Gainsbourg. The first 31 adventures were published by Dupuis, but in the sixties, Morris left Dupuis and Spirou and went to Dargaud and Pilote magazine. In 1984, Hanna-Barbera made a series of 52 cartoons of Lucky Luke,52 more cartoons were made in the early 1990s, and three live action movies followed. A few videogames based on the series were made, e. g. for PlayStation. Lucky Luke is currently the best selling European comics series ever, unlike many of his contemporaries, Morris never worked on several series, although he made a great deal of illustrations for stories in the forties and fifties. In the nineties, he did make Rantanplan, a spin-off from Lucky Luke, in 2005 he ended on the 79th place in the French-speaking version of the election for The Greatest Belgian
31.
Lucky Luke
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Lucky Luke is a humorous comics series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Various writers scripted the series starting in 1955, beginning with French writer René Goscinny, French artist Achdé has continued the series as artist since Morriss death in 2001. Lucky Luke is charged with restoring justice to the Old West by chasing down bandits, the stories are filled with humorous elements parodying the Western genre. Lucky Luke is one of the best-known and best-selling comics series in Europe and has translated into numerous languages. 68 albums have appeared in the series as of 2014, at first published by Dupuis, then from 1968 by Dargaud, and from 1999 by Lucky Comics. The series has adapted to various other media, such as animated films and television series, live-action films, video games, toys. About half of the series adventures have been translated into English, Lucky Luke comics have been translated into 23 languages, including many European languages, some African and Asian languages. Both a tribute to the mythic Old West and an affectionate parody, the first Lucky Luke adventure named Arizona 1880 appeared in the Almanach issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Spirou on December 7,1946. After several years of work on the strip, Morris began a collaboration with René Goscinny who became the series writer for a period that is considered the golden age of the series. This started with the story Des rails sur la Prairie published on August 25,1955 in Spirou, ending a long run of serial publications in Spirou, the series shifted to Goscinnys Pilote magazine in 1967 with the story La Diligence, subsequently leaving publisher Dupuis for Dargaud. After the death of Goscinny in 1977, several writers have filled the role of storyteller, including Raymond Vicq Antoine, Bob de Groot, Jean Léturgie, at the 1993 Angoulême International Comics Festival, Lucky Luke was given an honorary exhibition. After Morris death in 2001, French artist Achdé continued drawing new Lucky Luke stories in collaboration with writers Laurent Gerra, Daniel Pennac, a spin-off series called Rantanplan starring Lukes dimwitted canine sidekick began in 1987. It has been written over the years by several teams of writers. The character also got a 76-episode animated television series in 2006, a second spin-off series called Kid Lucky was designed in 1995, aimed at attracting a younger readership. This starred Luke as a boy, a format that had been very popular with Spirou. Two albums starring this version of the character were released as part of the series, Kid Lucky. These were credited to veteran writer Jean Léturgie and unknown artist Pearce, the series was scrapped due to poor sales and the two albums removed from the official list of Lucky Luke albums. The series was however re-launched in 2011 as Les aventures de Kid Lucky daprès Morris, to date, Achdé has written three Kid Lucky albums, Lapprenti Cow-boy, Lasso périlleux and Statue Squaw, released in 2011,2013 and 2015, respectively
32.
Edgar P. Jacobs
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Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs, better known under his pen name Edgar P. Jacobs, was a Belgian comic book creator, born in Brussels, Belgium. He was one of the fathers of the European comics movement, through his collaborations with Hergé. Edgar Félix Pierre Jacobs was born in Brussels in 1904, Jacobs remembered having drawn for as far back as his memory would go. His real love though was for the arts and the opera in particular. In 1919 he graduated from the school where his parents had sent him. He kept on drawing in his time, focusing his greatest attention on musical. He took on odd jobs at the opera, including decoration, scenography, and painting, in 1929 he received the annual Belgian government medal for excellence in classical singing. Financial good fortune did not follow, since the Great Depression hit the Brussels artistic community very hard and this review or periodical was a smashing success, hitting a circulation of 300,000 at times. German censorship banned this continuation after only a couple of weeks, Jacobs subsequently published in Bravo his first comic strip, Le Rayon U, largely in the same Flash Gordon style. Around this time, he became a painter for a theatre adaptation for Hergés Cigars of the Pharaoh. Although the play was only a modest success, it brought him contact with Hergé. After the project, he continued to directly in the drawing as well as the storyline for the new Tintin double-albums The Seven Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the Sun. Jacobs, as a fan of opera, decided to take Hergé with him to a concert. Hergé did not like opera, however, and for decades he would gently lampoon his friend Jacobs through the device of opera singer Bianca Castafiore, in 1947, Jacobs asked to share the credit with Hergé on The Adventures of Tintin. When Hergé refused, their collaboration suffered a bit of a setback, Hergé still remained a friend however, and as before Blake et Mortimer continued to be serialised in Tintin magazine. In 1950, Jacobs published The Mystery of the Great Pyramid, Jacobs finally published in 1970 the first volume of The Three formulas of Professor Sato, which was staged in Japan. In 1973 he restyled his first full-length album, Le Rayon U and he then wrote the scenario for the second episode of Les Trois Formules du Professeur Sato, but the artwork remained unfinished at the time of his death. Bob de Moor was drafted in to complete the album, which was published in 1990, Jacobs has two stone sphinxes to commemorate him
33.
Blake and Mortimer
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Blake and Mortimer is a Belgian comics series created by the Belgian writer and comics artist Edgar P. Jacobs. It was one of the first series to appear in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Tintin in 1946, the main protagonists of the adventures are Philip Mortimer, a leading British scientist, and his friend Captain Francis Blake of MI5. The main antagonist is their enemy, Colonel Olrik, who has appeared in almost every book. Their confrontations take them into the realms of detective investigation and science-fiction, dealing with themes as time travel, Atlantis. Since the death of Jacobs, new books have published by two separate teams of artists and writers. A television series based upon the series was produced in 1997, entitled Blake, the books by Jacobs himself are generally set in the very period of their writing, but those authored by others after his death are set mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. After Jacobs’ death in 1987, Bob de Moor completed his unfinished last story, from 1987, the Jacobs estate, centred on the still-operating Jacobs Studios, republished all of Jacobs’ works. In the 1990s, after much debate about story authenticity, Dargaud got permission to revive the Blake and Mortimer series, the series was still firmly set in the 1950s and included many new regular supporting characters, most notably Blakes colleagues in the security services. Much of series has created by two separate teams, Van Hamme/Benoit and Sente/Juillard. The first book, The Francis Blake Affair, was published in 1996, famous scenarist Jean Van Hamme provided the storylines while Ligne claire specialist draughtsman Ted Benoit was contracted for the artwork. Purists immediately objected to the choice of Van Hamme and, upon publication, Jacobs science-fiction was noticeably absent with the story focusing on espionage. However the book became a success and the publisher decided to continue the line. In the meantime, however, both Benoit and Van Hamme were tied up on projects and work on the next book started to lag. As an interim solution, writer Yves Sente and artist André Juillard were contracted to publish another adventure, finally, Van Hamme and Benoit managed to finish their album and The Strange Encounter appeared in 2001, with Blake and Mortimer confronting mysterious alien creatures. This was followed by Sente and Juillards two-book adventure, The Sarcophagi of the Sixth Continent which also dealt with Blake and Mortimers youth, in 2008 Sente and Juillard released another book entitled The Gondwana Shrine which chronologically follows the events of The Sarcophagi of the Sixth Continent. The next adventure in the series, The Curse of the Thirty Denarii, is divided in two volumes and is written by Jean Van Hamme. The first volume, titled Le Manuscript de Nicodemus, was drawn by René Sterne, sternes girlfriend Chantal De Spiegeleer eventually completed his work, which was published on 20 November 2009. Aubin Frechon drew the second volume of the adventure, which was published 26 November 2010, the three main characters of the series were already present in slightly different form in the unrelated, first full length comic strip by Jacobs, Le Rayon U
34.
Jef Nys
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Jozef Jef Nys was a Belgian comic book creator. He was best known for his comic strip Jommeke, jozef Nys was born in Berchem, Belgium in 1927. His family came from Koksijde, at the Belgian coast, where his grandfather was a fisherman, Jef Nys father Hendrik moved to Antwerp after World War I, and worked in the port. Hendrik Nys married Louise Van Den Bos on 5 August 1922 and her father was a council member in Berchem and worked as a painter. He had a influence on the young Jef. Hendrik and Louise Nys had four children, two of which died at a young age, Hendrik Nys died in 1941 when he was run over by a car while riding his bike. When Jef Nys was 5 years old, he went to school in Berchem and he was a good student and a better artist, and when he was 11 years old, he started with drawing classes in the evening at the municipal art school. The most important of his teachers were Lode De Maeyer and Oscar Depoorter, another field he excelled in at school was writing essays and stories. Aged 13, he had to choose his field of study, because he was still too young, he first had to stay one year at the technical school of Borgerhout, where he again got very good results. He no longer had the time to go to the art school, but continued to draw, making caricatures of the teachers. His teachers, seeing his talent, urged him to drop his technical studies, in 1943 he entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp, led by Baron Isidoor Opsomer, where one of his teachers was Jan Van Der Loo, a portrettist. Here Nys got the background and craftmanship that would serve him throughout his career, at the same time, Jef Nys started working at AFIM, a small animation study, with his fellow student Bob de Moor and Ray Goossens. But when the Academy became aware of this, he had to quit his job at the studio to stay at the Academy and he continued his studies until the Academy closed down due to the threat of V-1 flying bombs. After the war, he started working at t Pallieterke, a weekly newspaper, where he made cartoons, illustrations. As a child, Nys had seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1947, this inspired him to send a letter to the Walt Disney Company with some samples of his work, hoping to be offered a job there. For Het Handelsblad he produced his first longer series, Amedeus en Seppeke, meanwhile, he had to fulfill his military duty from 1952 until 1957, working every Saturday with the Air Defense. The last page of Jommeke appeared in Kerkelijk Leven on 2 November 1958 and these gags were collected in three books in 1957 and 1958. In the same newspaper he created 5 biographical comics between 1955 and March 1959, which appeared as albums in those years
35.
Jommeke
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Jommeke is a Flemish comic strip series in publication since 1955. It was created by Jef Nys and can be defined as a childrens adventure series. Jommeke, an 11-year-old boy, is the main protagonist. It was originally published in Kerk en Leven, before moving to Het Volk, since then it is published in Het Nieuwsblad, De Gentenaar and De Standaard. Jommeke is very popular in Flanders and, together with Suske en Wiske the best-selling comic strip in the region, however, its success has always purely remained a Flemish phenomenon, seeing that attempts at foreign translations all failed. The first appearance of Jommeke was on 30 October 1955, as a strip in the Belgian magazine Kerk en Leven. After moving to another newspaper, Het Volk, in 1958, Jommeke became a full length comic strip. Jommeke has sold 51 million albums in Belgium alone, which means an average of about 4.5 albums per person and this makes Jommeke the best-selling comic book series in Belgium behind Suske en Wiske. Theres also a newspaper for children called Jommekeskrant, which is delivered weekly together with popular Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Jommeke, A young 11-year-old boy who lives with his parents in Zonnedorp. He has no siblings, but he has a parrot named Flip who accompanies him everywhere and he is clever, honest, brave, loves adventure, and is recognizable by his distinct blonde haircut. Flip, A green, red-winged parrot who is Jommekes pet, Flip is able to talk like a human and is highly intelligent, if somewhat arrogant. His real name is Filipus, but he prefers Flip and he is cool headed and has on several occasions saved the day using his wit and his unique abilities as a bird such as flying, using his beak and taking advantage of his small size to spy and sneak. Although his age is unspecified, he has shown adult behavior, on a few occasions, by consuming alcohol. He is also quite the womanizer, usually unsuccessful, due to the fact he is a parrot and not a human, Filiberke, Jommekes best friend, Filiberke joins him on most of his adventures. His pitch-black hair color contrasts nicely with the protagonist and he is creative, and a bit odd too. Many albums start with Filiberke engaging in some crazy activity relating to the main story and he also often pretends to be sick, most to the annoyance of the other characters. Annemieke and Rozemieke, Two identical twin girls, notable for their pony-tails and their names are often shortened to The Miekes. They are also friends with Jommeke
36.
Marc Sleen
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Marcel Honoree Nestor, ridder Neels, known as Marc Sleen, was a Belgian cartoonist. Sleen was one of the most celebrated comics artists in his home country and he was one of the few comics artists in Belgium who had a museum dedicated to his work. Marc Sleen was born as Marcel Neels in Gentbrugge, near Ghent, during the Second World War he was imprisoned by Nazi soldiers in Fort Breendonk because his brother worked for the resistance. He was tortured and put in the cell, but saved by the fact that after D-Day the officers moved all the prisoners to a different prison. In 1944 he started to work as a political caricaturist in the Flemish newspaper De Standaard and he also contributed illustrations and short comics for the newspaper and the youth supplement, and made illustrations and his first comics for the magazine Ons Volk. In October 1947, Marc Sleen started a new series, The adventures of detective Van Zwam in the newspaper De Nieuwe Gids, in the first adventure Detective Van Zwam encounters a fool who thinks he is emperor Nero. After he regains his senses, they continue calling him Nero, the name changes accordingly to The adventures of detective Van Zwam and Nero and after nine stories to The adventures of Nero and co. The series appeared for 55 years with a rhythm of two every day. This was typical for the Flemish comic tradition, as with Suske en Wiske, Nero became well known for its ironic humour and references to current affairs. For instance, in the album, Het Vredesoffensief Van Nero, Nero visits Joseph Stalin to make him drink an elixir that will make him a pacifist. Besides Nero Sleen drew many other comic series, many of them gag-a-day comics, for magazines like t Kapoentje. Among the most well known were Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, Doris Dobbel, Oktaaf Keunink, Sleen also drew a daily cartoon during the Tour de France from 1947 until 1965, called De Ronde van Frankrijk. Between 1950 and 1965 Sleen published Nero in Het Volk, after which he moved to De Standaard and this caused a huge copyright controversy, as several newspapers fought over the rights over his syndicated comics. Thousands of readers switched from Het Volk to De Standaard, just to follow his adventures in the newspaper, after that switch, he dropped all other series and devoted himself solely to Nero. From 1992 to 2002, he was aided by Dirk Stallaert, a young Flemish comic artist, and at first the intention was to let Stallaert continue the series after Marc Sleen retired. But in the end, Stallaert didnt feel ready to continue it alone, Sleen designed album covers for records by Flemish actor, comedian and singer Jef Burm. Burm was a school mate of his. Marc Sleen was also known as a traveller and animal friend and he made 35 safaris to Africa between 1961 and 1991, making more than 20 documentaries for the Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep, mostly for the TV show Allemaal Beestjes
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The Adventures of Nero
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The Adventures of Nero or Nero was a Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of its main character. The original title ranged from De Avonturen van Detectief Van Zwam in 1947 to De Avonturen van Nero en zijn Hoed in 1950 and it ran in continuous syndication until 2002. From 1947 until 1993 it was all drawn by Sleen himself, from 1992 until 2002 Dirk Stallaert took over the drawing while Sleen kept inventing the stories. Together with Suske en Wiske and Jommeke, Nero is regarded as the Big Three of Flemish comics, the stories were noted for their satirical content, with references to politicians and celebrities of the day. With Nero, Marc Sleen holds the record of issues of a comic book series title drawn by the same author. He drew The Adventures of Nero singlehandedly from 1947 to 1992 without any assistance from other artists and this feat is even more remarkable considering he also drew other comic strip series from 1947 to 1965. The series debuted in the newspaper De Nieuwe Gids in the autumn of 1947 and was written, the character was also dressed in a toga with some laurel leaves behind his ears. Near the end of the story the character regained his senses, the character proved popular and remained a friend of Van Zwam in the next stories, though everyone kept referring to him as Nero rather than by his real name. After nine stories, the series was renamed after Nero and Van Zwam became a character instead. In 1950 Sleen left De Nieuwe Gids and joined the newspaper Het Volk, during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960 The Adventures of Nero was popular enough to rival Willy Vandersteens Suske en Wiske which was published in De Standaard. In 1965 Sleen joined De Standaard too, following a dispute with his publishers. The first 53 Nero stories, which were published in black-and-white, from Het Bobobeeldje on all new Nero stories were published in De Standaard and Het Nieuwsblad, after which they were released as colour albums. Sleen continued drawing Nero for many decades, only in 1992 did he finally hire an assistant, Dirk Stallaert, to do the drawing for him, because his eyesight had become too poor. Stallaert was promoted as Sleens successor but in 2002 he decided to leave the series in favour of Studio Vandersteen, Sleen then terminated the series for good. Stallaert still draws Nero-related publicity images and merchandise, the early stories had a random length, often around 240 strips, while the latter ones had a length of 32 pages of 4 strips each. Every day, two appeared in the newspaper. The Adventures of Nero is an adventure comic strip about Nero. He and his wife, named Madam Nero by everyone, have one son, Adhemar, Nero has an eccentric group of friends, who often help him out or force him to set out on an adventure
38.
XIII (comics)
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XIII is a Belgian graphic novel series about an amnesiac who seeks to discover his past. It was created by writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance and it is currently being written by Yves Sente and Youri Jigounov. The storyline of the first five volumes was adapted into a game in 2003, also titled XIII. A Canadian television film based on the series, XIII, The Conspiracy, was released in 2008 and it was followed in 2011 by two seasons of a TV series, each 13 episodes, called XIII, The Series. The series begins with a man awakening to find himself washed ashore in the eastern United States and suffering from amnesia. The only links to his past are a tattoo of the Roman numerals XIII on his collarbone and a photo of himself with a woman, Volumes 1 through 5 deal with XIII searching for his identity and past. He finds himself hunted by a killer, the Mongoose, who works for a mysterious organization known as XX. XIII is rescued from XXs assassins by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Colonel Amos, in the second volume, XIII is captured by General Carrington, who confirms that XIII is Steve Rowland. Carrington further explains that Rowland was a member of a special ops unit called SPADS, Carrington had been commander of SPADS when Rowland was supposedly killed in a helicopter crash two years earlier. Because XIIIs amnesia prevents him from identifying who sponsored the Presidents assassination, XIII reunites with his father and his uncle, but they are both murdered by XIIIs young, gold-digging stepmother Felicity, who frames XIII after harming herself. XIII escapes the police with Carringtons help and meets Kim, an XX member known as XVII, XIII is arrested by the police, and Kim disappears. XIII is found guilty for the murder of the Rowlands and sent to a security prison. The third volume finds XIII in a facility for the criminally insane, Amos, still pursuing his investigation, realizes that XIII was a body double for the real Steve Rowland. Amos requests Carringtons help to people who have been trained as top-level special operators and match XIIIs physique. Carrington provides the papers of about twenty people, One named Ross Tanner has been missing for two years. Amos decides to leave XIII in prison to have his amnesia treated, the treatment fails, and the Mongoose tries to have XIII killed in the prison, but he fails, and Carrington helps XIII break out. Volume four begins with Amos finding that Carrington had invented the Tanner identity, XIII, under the name of Ross Tanner, has been hidden by Carrington in a SPADS training facility in the fictitious country of San Miguel. Amos continues to delve into the files and learns that Steve Rowland was murdered shortly after the assassination
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Largo Winch
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Largo Winch is a Belgian comic book series by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, published by Dupuis. It has started as a series of novels by Jean Van Hamme in the late 1970s, but stopped due to a lack of success and the huge amount of work Van Hamme had in the meantime with his comic books. When artist Philippe Francq wanted to start a series with Van Hamme, he revived his old hero and its principal character is Largo Winch, birth name Largo Winczlav, who was born in Yugoslavia. Other important characters include Nerio Winch, senior Group W executives John D. Sullivan and Dwight E. Cochrane, almost every story arc involves corrupt authority figures of a type which Nerio easily manipulated, but Largo confronts from the viewpoint of an everyman. All the stories of the series are published in two volumes, the first one being the one putting Largo in a situation. In addition, both share the same background color on the cover. The series is among the most popular series in French. The birth of the came in 1973, while Van Hamme was having lunch in New York City with Greg. The magazine sought to expand to the American market and Van Hamme was tasked with creating the comic character and he thus opted with an business-thriller idea about a young mysterious billionaire, which would allow him to demonstrate his knowledge of economics. John Prentice, noted for his work on Rip Kirby, was chosen as the artist, Van Hamme first revived the character in form of an airport novel in 1978, encouraged by huge popularity of Gérard de Villiers SAS novels. The series lasted through 1985 when it came to a halt again, finally, in 1990, being approached by Francq, Van Hamme used the character yet again in comic form, and it had instant success. The English translation is given when the title is French. Business Blues H Dutch Connection La Forteresse De Makiling Lheure du tigre Voir Venise, the following volumes have been released to date, The Heir Takeover Bid Dutch Connection The Hour of the Tiger See Venice. It aired in France on M6 and in Canada on Showcase Television as Largo, the complete series is available on DVD in France, with the episodes however only in dubbed French. A sequel, also by Salle, was released in 2011, not adapting a particular storyline, it drew inspiration from the events of the fifth and six issues to create a new story. A documentary, Largo, directed by Yves Legrain-Crist with Jean Van Hamme and this film shows two authors are searching for the answer to the question, How is a comic book created. It is available, with English subtitles, directly from the producers through VOD Largo Winch and it is a puzzle-based third-person adventure game with Largo himself as the playable character. Belgian comics Official website English publisher of Largo Winch - Cinebook Ltd, Largo Winch 2 official fansite
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Thorgal
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Thorgal is a Belgian fantasy comic book series by the Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and the Polish graphic artist Grzegorz Rosiński. It combines several themes and legends, ranging from Norse mythology and Atlantean fantasy to science fiction, the comic first appeared in serial form in Tintin magazine in 1977, and has been published in hardcover volumes by Le Lombard from 1980 on. Translations exist in English and many other languages, in 2002, it was adapted as a adventure video game, Thorgal, Curse of Atlantis, by Cryo Interactive Entertainment. Thorgal is critically acclaimedand one of the most popular French language comics, there are presently three ongoing successful spin-off series, in addition to the continuation of the main Thorgal adventures. Thorgal Aegirsson, Son of Varth and Haynee, grandson of Xargos -captain of a spaceship on a way to Earth in search of energy sources. Raised by Vikings but not one of them, he shows traits of character, in reality, if need be, he is a courageous and skillful warrior and an exceptionally skilled archer. His lifes goal is to find a place for himself and his family to live in peace, for a time they strip him of his memory, and he becomes the pirate lord Shaigan, though his compassionate personality remained unchanged. Aaricia, Thorgals wife and daughter of Viking leader Gandalf the Mad and she is bound to Thorgal from the moment of her birth by a magic object named Tjahzis Tears. Aaricia is a spirited, strong willed woman, and she loves her family dearly despite all the mishaps Thorgals fate has brought to their lives, Jolan, Thorgals son who possesses supernatural powers - the heritage of Thorgals mysterious ancestry. During the majority of the series, his power is limited to molecular agitation and she has the ability to communicate with animals. Kriss of Valnor, young, beautiful, unscrupulous and deadly warrior and she first appears in the 9th album, The Archers and re-appears intermittently in the following albums. She is in some ways Thorgals greatest foe, trying to hurt him and his out of pure hate. When Thorgal loses his memory, she tricks him into believing they are married and she becomes pregnant with his son shortly before Thorgal regains his memory and leaves to find his family. Later, she ends up as a slave in Byzantium and sacrifices her life to help Thorgals family escape from the slave pits. However, even after her demise she continues to haunt Thorgals family and her father Kahaniel of Valnor sired her to be able to reincarnate in his first-born male descendant, Aniel. Aniel, the son of Thorgal and Kriss of Valnor. He and his mother fell prey to Byzantian slavers, and his vocal cords were cut to forestall crying, leaving him mute, later, Kriss and Aniel escaped the slave pits with Aaricia, Jolan and Louve, who had also been brought there. When Kriss was wounded by her pursuers and prepared to make her last stand, Aaricia agreed and took Aniel in as one of her own children
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Raoul Cauvin
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Raoul Cauvin is a Belgian comics author and one of the most popular in the humorist field. Raoul Cauvin was born in Antoing, Belgium in 1938 and he studied lithography at the Institut Saint-Luc in Tournai, but upon leaving school found that there no jobs available for lithographers. He started working at Dupuis in 1960 as a cameraman for the animation studio the publishing house had started, working on early Smurfs cartoons. Some of his earliest work was for artists like Claire Bretécher, Gennaux and it was at first drawn by Louis Salvérius who, upon his death, was replaced by Lambil, and has since become a major best-selling comic book series with more than 15 million albums sold. Cauvin added another success in 1972 with Sammy, about bodyguards in Chicago during the Prohibition era, a short stint on Spirou and Fantasio was not so successful. Cauvin continued to work for the studio as well, writing the scripts for the Musti, Tip and Tap. He has lived in Nivelles since 1991, by November 1999, he had published over 237 albums, selling over 45 million in total. Cauvins work is almost always humoristic, but he produces both long stories and short gags. In fact, aside from Lambil, other characters, including their colleagues in the book industry, are referred to by their real or pen-names, Cauvin himself, Fournier. Cauvin has also taken up more fantastic themes like that of an angel in Cupido or the hard life of a vulture falling in love with an owl in Les Voraces. A lot of Cauvins characters are of the sort, easily provoked. He makes his scripts in the form of a comic, suggesting a page lay-out, and he has also made a few comics completely on his own. His works are seen as more artisanal than artistic by the critics. Whatever the critics think of him though, he continues to be successful with the public and sought after by artists. In 2006 alone, he had six series in the list of best selling new comics of the ACBD, with Cédric securing the fourth spot with 288,900 albums and his other most successful comics were Les Femmes en Blanc, Agent 212, Les Psy and Pierre Tombal. In 2010, he was the 7th bestselling author of comics in France, as a thank you from the publisher Dupuis, Spirou magazine no. All stories originally appeared in Spirou magazine and published in album by Dupuis unless otherwise stated
42.
Les Tuniques Bleues
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Les Tuniques Bleues is a Belgian series of bandes dessinées, first published in Spirou magazine and later collected in albums by Dupuis. Created by artist Louis Salverius and writer Raoul Cauvin, the series was taken up by artist Willy Lambillotte after Salverius death and it follows two United States cavalrymen through a series of battles and adventures. The first album of the series was published in 1970, the series name, Les Tuniques Bleues, literally the bluecoats, refers to the Northern army during the American Civil War. One English edition of the comic was published in 2004 as The Blue Tunics, The Blues in Black, since then Publisher Cinebook has started to print the comics in English as The Bluecoats releasing Robertson Prison in 2008. It is one of the series in French-language comics. Cauvin has written the stories for all the volumes thus far, the first book, Un chariot dans lOuest, was published in 1972. The 58th book in the series, Les bleus se mettent au vert, was published in 2014, six of the first volumes were illustrated by Louis Salverius, with Lambil taking over after Salverius death. The stories appear first in Spirou in 1968, before being published as an album, the French editions are published by Dupuis. New albums are among the top ten best selling comics in French each year, Les Tuniques Bleues spawned a 1989 computer game called North and South. The original setting was the frontier of the Old West, where the characters were American cavalrymen. Those stories, rarely longer than a page, were comedic adventures about popular Western stereotypes. As the series progressed, the stories became longer and more involved, the drawing style also changed, after the death of the original artist Salverius, from overtly cartoonish to semi-realistic. In the second album, Du Nord au Sud, the characters, Blutch and Chesterfield, travel east to join Ulysses S. Grants army. This retconned origin and continuity hiccups are not detrimental to the enjoyment, adventures at the frontier fort still occasionally take place. The two main protagonists are colorful and clashing opposites, Blutch does have a heroic side and will not hesitate to fight against the Confederate troops even to the risk of his own life. Sergeant Cornelius Chesterfield is by contrast a devoted and obedient career soldier, always determined that he and he is proud of his scars and dreams of military glory. Though strong and brave to the point of recklessness, he is clumsy and narrow-minded, though their relationship is often antagonistic, they are comrades for life and have saved each others lives many times in spite of repeated threats made by both of doing the other in. Other recurring characters include the somewhat insane, charge-obsessed Captain Stark, many albums are built around historical events or characters such as Chinese immigrant labor, the treatment of African American soldiers, Charlestons submarines, and General Lees horse Traveller
