Andre Franquin , known as Franquin , is a Belgian author French-speaking of Cartoon born the January 3rd 1924 with Etterbeek, dead the January 5th 1997 with Saint-Laurent-of-VAr.

Overall picture

Following the example Hergé in the Newspaper of Tintin , André Franquin is one of the pillars of the Belgian cartoon, who has work during many years at the sides of Peyo, Morris, and Will in the Newspaper of Spirou . He is characterized by quality from his drawing, in particular in returned movements and the expression of the characters, in particular of the animals. Moreover, Hergé would have said: “beside Andre Franquin, I am only one poor draftsman”. He is also noticed by the inventiveness of his humor, often coloured poetry. Its concern of the graphic perfection, combined to the historical position of its career, give works which allure all the generations of readers. Indeed, located during one time when the cartoon is primarily intended to the young people, it carries out stories accessible to a young public, but inserts details which appear only with one thorough reading. It developed this principle with Gaston Lagaffe, which brought the celebrity to him, but will carry out bands “for adults” only at the end of its career, with the Black thoughts and the magazine Icy Fluide .

A skimped youth

André Franquin is born the January 3rd 1924 with Etterbeek, a commune of Brussels, in Belgium, in which Hergé is also originating. His/her father is employed of Banque, and attaches a great importance to the serious one, so much so that the Franquin young person tests all his childhood a strong feeling of smothering, and will speak later about a " enormous need to laugh that did not arrive to combler". He will think of seeing even there the origin of his vocation of entertainer. As of the 5 years age, it draws enormously, and devours cartoons, of which adventures of Tintin and Mickey. Curiously, he will only think very late of gathering these two passions while becoming draftsman of cartoons. Until its arrival at Dupuis in 1945, Franquin will be regarded as an illustrator.

In 1935, the young child sends several drawings to the daily newspaper " The Belge" Nation; , and sees itself published on several occasions. These illustrations, just like its very first drawing photographed, carried out on a black board at the 5 years age, will be published well later in specialized works.

In 1942, after its " Humanités" in a Catholic school of its city, arrives for Franquin the moment to choose its higher learning. Choice whose his/her father saved the embarrassment right now to him: the young man will be Engineer Agronome. But Franquin has very an other idea of its future, and arrives, with the assistance of his/her mother, to inflect the paternal position and to be registered in Saint-Luc, a school of religious art of which he will however weary himself very quickly. It reigns there a strict morals which prohibits in particular the practice of naked female: in the place, they are the students them-even which must pose in turn! At the end of one year, Franquin has already the " impression; to have made the turn of what one could there apprendre." At this point in time it makes a meeting which will change, or in any case to accelerate considerably the course of its life: that of Eddy Paape.

Former student of Saint-Luc, Paape returns there regularly to greet his former professors. At the time of the one of these visits, one presents the drawings of Franquin to him, and it is sufficiently impressed by it to propose to the young man to join it in the small workshop of Cartoon where it works. Franquin jumps on the occasion, all the more enticing that the bombardments push its school in any case to be closed. In September 1944, it thus becomes stimulating, a trade that it forever practiced before, and for which it is not absolutely any competent.

But the problem does not arise a long time: a little later Belgium is released from the German occupation, and the American soldiers arrive, bringing with them their cartoons. A competition well too hard for the small studio, which goes bankrupt quickly. The experiment for was not as much without interest for Franquin, which met there two others impassioned of drawing which dream with a brilliant future: Morris (at the time inking and silhouettor), and the young person Peyo (gouachor).

Beginnings in the data base

In 1945, André Franquin is thus with unemployment. He learns by Morris, who already published cartoons and caricatures in " Moustique" , a magazine of radio programs published by Dupuis, that the editor seeks draftsmen. Introduced into the place by the future author of Lucky Luke, Franquin will realize for " Moustique" , between 1945 and 1952, several covers, as well as gags in a board and illustrations with advertizing vocation, which represents good forty drawings.

As of the first publications, one can already notice a very good expression of the characters, as well as a tendency to black humor gentillet (the characters are often in extremely unpleasant situations, but that " passe" thanks to the comic style of the drawing). During this period, Franquin carries out also some covers with the washing for the weekly magazine Bonnes evenings , which makes it possible to seize its talent in the figurative drawing. But the occasion is given to him soon to carry out something of more ambitious, while entering the team of the Journal of Spirou.

Spirou and Fantasio: 1946 - 1968

At that time, Jijé is the principal draftsman of the newspaper, i.e. it carries out only the near total of the data bases house: Spirou , Valhardi , Gift Bosco , Emmanuel … Eager to be lightened of part of this work, and on the councils of Charles Dupuis, it installs the newcomers in his house, which is used to them as workshop. One finds there in particular Will, Morris, which work on a project of cow-boy created for the studio of cartoon, Paape, which takes again Valhardi, and Franquin, with which Jijé proposes to take again Spirou. The young draftsman accepts with unconcern, without to have never seen anything the work of Rob-Vel (the original creator of the russet-red groom), and very few drawings of Jijé. He starts, beginning 1946, by drawing Fantasio and his Tank , which will be published in 1947 in the Almanach Spirou , collection of various data bases of draftsmen of the Dupuis team. Franquin having gained this test, Jijé then gives up for good the series, which it continued to in parallel draw in the Newspaper of Spirou .

First period: adventures

In June 1946, Franquin thus takes again a history with half drawn, entitled " Spirou and the house préfabriquée". The making, which takes place between boxes 48 and 49, is almost undetectable, André Franquin sticking to more close with the style of its predecessor.

The graphic capacities of the draftsman will appear well better with the following episode: the Heritage . One sees there in particular many animals, which always bring an additional note of humor to the account. The Rat S surprised in full discussion, the Gorilla requiring a tip to go to smoke a Cigar and to drink a Whiskey, the Crocodile S being ruant with a broad smile on their preys, bring a new dimension in the data base One finds there also a Lion and leopard S, as well as elephant S, the whole already constituting most of the animalist park of Franquin.

The following years see ten adventures following one another in a rather homogeneous style, until Mystère at the Border , in 1950. One will still note the appearance of various animals, including one twisting Sanglier, in Spirou and the plans of the Robot , but also of several cars including one Traction preceding the affinity of Andre Franquin with the mark Citroen. One must also mention the episode of the combat of Spip with a rat in Spirou on the Boxing ring , which according to certain commentators, precedes the Black thoughts, with a drawing with against day all in black and white.

During this first period, André Franquin draws rather short adventures (20 boards on average, a maximum of 39 boards being reached with the Heritage ). The characters other than Spirou, Fantasio, Spip are each time different, except Professor Samovar whom one sees in the Insane Scientist and the Plans of the Robot (one can see in this character a prefiguration of Zorglub).

Side personal life, this period is marked by the departure, in 1948, of Franquin for the the United States, in company of Morris and Jijé. Distressed by the prospect for a war with the Soviet Union, this last seeks to move away from the Europe, while Morris tries to integrate the studios Disney. The small continuous team to draw and sends her boards to the Dupuis Editions by simple postal mail. But Franquin has the evil of the country quickly and returns to Europe, leaving Morris and Jijé, with which this stay will make it possible to meet Goscinny. They will end later up regaining them also the old continent.

Second period: The world of Franquin

In 1950, Franquin marries Liliane Servais and publishes There is a Wizard with Champignac (scenario Henri Gillain, brother of Jijé). With this album, it inaugurates the world of Spirou such as the majority of the readers of today know it. Franquin found the profile final of its characters, and in additions one of great importance: the Count de Champignac. In addition, with the village of Champignac, its mayor and Mr Duplumier, it starts to build a small world which will be specified with the wire of the adventures to become familiar with any assiduous reader. With 57 boards, There is a wizard with Champignac starts also a series of longer accounts.

Published in the Newspaper of Spirou between 1951 and 1952, Spirou and the Heirs enable us as for him to discover Marsupilami, Zantafio, not very frequentable cousin of Fantasio, the Turbot car manufacturer and his pilots, and especially the mechanical inventiveness of Franquin with Fantacoptère and various motorized apparatuses.

Charming Seccotine, first female character of the series, appears at the same time as Turbotraction, superb automobile creation (realized life size thereafter, on a Citroen frame), in the Horn of Rhinoceros initially called Spirou and Turbotraction , appeared in 1953.

The animalist talents of Franquin are particularly emphasized between 1956 and 1957, with the Gorilla has good mine , the Nest of Marsupilamis and the traveller of the Mesozoic . This last adventure develops, quite front Jurassic Park, the idea of a Dinosaure brought by researchers to live in our time.

The interconnection of the worlds of Franquin enables us to detect in these albums of the appearances of another of its characters, Gaston, first of all almost anonymously in the traveller of Mesozoic the and Vacances without stories , then at greater length in the fair with the gangsters in 1958.

Third period: Groupware

Whereas until there, he had generally worked only, Franquin joins in 1958 Greg and Jidéhem for the album the prisoner of the Buddha . Franquin draws the characters, while Greg deals with the scenario and Jidéhem of the decorations. This association will be then renewed for several other adventures of Spirou. The talent of Greg for the situations cocasses is the occasion of delirious stories, whose the fear at the end of the wire , short data base of 13 boards, is a perfect example. With this collaboration, Franquin crosses a step moreover towards the comic absurdity, a new field for him. Indeed, in the preceding adventures, despite everything its lucky finds and its inventions, the scenarios remained rather credible in general and frames on populated traditional intrigues various traffickers, robbers and shadies. It is with Zorglub, main candidate of the world in Z like Zorglub and the shade of Z , that this tendency absurdity arrives at its apogee. This character results from an idea of Franquin, proof that the draftsman integrated well the direction of is delirious of Greg.

Parallel to its publications in the Newspaper of Spirou, Franquin realizes in 1958 and 1959, in collaboration with Roba, of the adventures of Spirou intended for the daily newspaper the Parisian one Released. It draws there primarily its usual characters, leaving in Roba the new characters and the majority of the decorations. This association will produce Spirou and the men bubbles , then the small sizes . Greg will then join the duet for the scenario of Tembo Tabou . Two of these stories will be finally published in the Newspaper of Spirou.

With the whole beginning of the the Sixties, Franquin undertakes a new adventure around Zorglub, but in front of the refusal of the editor, it lets Greg take again in hand the scenario. The album which results from it, QRN on Bretzelburg , is the " Spirou" of too for Franquin: in 1961, it cracks, overcome by a tough impression of " to turn in rond". The depression will prevent it from drawing during more than one year, with the notable exception of the gags of Gaston Lagaffe, and the publication of the history must be stopped until 1963. However the album is considered by much, of which the draftsman Gotlib, like a “absolute masterpiece”. Indeed, Franquin reached there a graphic level that one never yet saw him (pen-and-ink drawing), and the scenario, who plunges Spirou and Fantasio in a caricature of mode Totalitaire, is the occasion for him to give free course to its inclinations Antimilitariste S. Paradoxalement, no character of the usual universe of Franquin does not intervene, the world of Spirou being at least reduced with Fantasio, Spip and Marsupilami, while the fantastic aspect is tiny room to the “humanized” behavior of the two pets. The album is published in 1966, but the integral edition, comprising 65 boards (what makes of it the longest adventure carried out by Franquin) is born only in 1987.

Its depression is only the most visible sign: André Franquin wearies itself of the character with whom it began his career. Feeling choked by conventions of Spirou, it concentrates more and more on Gaston lagaffe and leaves little by little the russet-red groom side. Still some stories appear, of which Bravo Brothers , which resembles more however a wide blunder of Gaston that to true a " aventure". It is with Panade in Champignac that the author throws sponge definitively. The album is closed on “false a destroying end” which illustrates the dissatisfaction of Franquin. The series is not taken again by Fournier, Franquin not intervening any more but to draw, some time still, Marsupilami.

Various series

Modeste and Pompon: 1955 - 1959

Following a dissension with the Dupuis Editions, Franquin leaves in 1955 the Journal of Spirou to join Lombard and the Journal of Tintin. He proposes to them a series of gags in a board putting in scene two characters that he improvised for the occasion: Modeste and Pompon. If it finds there more freedom that in the adventures of Spirou and Fantasio, it will judge these two heroes " later; fades" and " aseptisés". In addition, reconciled with Dupuis, it quickly resumes its work on Spirou! It is thus found forced to provide an enormous mass of work, him which is defined as lazy essentially. Perhaps that explains the sobriety of the drawing of Modeste and Pompon , as well as a certain monotony which settles in the scenarios. This series will be nevertheless useful for the continuation of the career of Franquin, since it is its first weekly test of publication, a rate/rhythm which it likes as much as it will keep it for Gaston Lagaffe. One can note, in this series very " domestique" , some premonitory inventions, like the electric Can-opener and the Remote control for Télévision, which did not exist yet at that time.

In addition, of many characters of this series seem to have been used as " prototypes" for those of Gaston lagaffe: one will thus notice irascible Mr.Ducrin, close to Modeste, who precedes the character of Joseph Boulier and illustrates the aversion of Franquin well for the administrative formalism. Felix, a friend of Modeste and Pompon at the very least gaffor (it sells inventions which is not at the point) evokes as for him Gaston himself.

Greg, Goscinny, Peyo and Tibet contributed occasionally to this series which finishes in 1959 and adds up 182 boards. It will be taken again then by other draftsmen.

Small Christmas: 1957 - 1959

In the years 1950, parallel to the adventures of Spirou, Franquin draws from time to time (at the time of special issues of the Newspaper of Spirou, for Easter or Christmas for example) of the short adventures intended for a very young public. Small Christmas, character appearing several times in these stories (sometimes with Marsupilami), is a solitary little boy wandering hopelessly in the streets of Champignac in search of distraction or a pleasant meeting.

Appeared for the first time in the number of Christmas 1957, It represents one of the most poetic expressions of Franquin, particularly in Christmas and Élaoin , published in Mini-account in 1959 in the Newspaper of Spirou. Élaoin is a kind of robot moving by jumps, able to make marvellous things according to what it to some extent reads in the thoughts of those which surround it - a lamp of Aladdin modern. According to small Christmas, it is a so sophisticated machine which it is like somebody! … in better… .

Haunting the work of Franquin, although this one the judge " too much mélo" , the Petit Christmas will be taken again, 30 years later and without much success, by other draftsmen.

Gaston Lagaffe: 1957 - 1996

The February 28th 1957, Gaston Lagaffe makes his very first appearance in the Journal of Spirou. Stupid and inexpressive character invented by Franquin to animate the margins of a specimen of the newspaper, Gaston does not have apparently any future as hero of data base It however will become the character who had the most success among various creations of Franquin.

At that time, the newspaper of Spirou is animated by various characters, whose Spirou and Fantasio, apart from their adventures strictly speaking and presented as if they were real employees of the newspaper (Fantasio is journalist at Dupuis ). Gaston is initially introduced like a new employee, but without definite employment: it is a “hero without employment”. Already very occupied by its various series, Franquin does not want any of an additional hero. However, in front of the insistence of editor association Yvan Delporte and the public, the " gaffes" of Gaston become soon weekly, initially in the form of " strips" of 6 boxes, then of half-boards in black and white, and finally color. Jidéhem is associated with the realization of this Anti-héros, one of the first of the kind.

Far from the constraints of the Spirou hero, Gaston allows Franquin to express a a whole share of his personality: idleness (until in the soft drawing of the character, which, of its clean consents, rests it enormously), insubordination to the authority and even a certain subversive side: thus the blunder N°1 (Spirou N°1026) represents Gaston disaggregating a military column with a nut bag: an good example of the contempt of Franquin for all that is soldier.

Success increases with the passing of years, and Gaston ends up occupying a half-board in cover! He also seems supporting character in certain adventures of Spirou and Fantasio, and its gags appear, as of 1960, in albums. They are however at the beginning only promotional objects not intended for the sale, printed on paper falls, from where a strange format…

Starting from 1968, Franquin, which gave up Spirou, is devoted fully - and only - to Gaston, producing gags in a board. In same time, Gaston disappears from the adventures from Spirou and Fantasio (probably to have made serious “blunders” against MISTERS Dupuis and De Mesmaeker, cf N°467 blunders and 478), and vice versa. Indeed, a character of cartoon cannot appear at the same time drawn by two different draftsmen. It is thus Prunelle (to replace Fantasio) which will become the appointed scapegoat of Gaston, and this, until the oddment.

Franquin is expressed as well as possible in this series: Gaston, more than very other, is his character. He will acknowledge later that he " holds of ". Become much more energetic than at his beginnings, and equipped with a true personality and a clean universe, Gaston also gives the opportunity to him to express himself in a way much more personal than his other work: If the blunders of Gaston are always centered at humor, the various inventions, poetic, critical time of the company of the urgency and consumption, and even messages humanistic ecologists and constitute a very significant part of the series. In addition, Franquin can express there its animalist talent with the pets of Gaston (Chat, Mouette, Souris, Vache…), and especially its technique of the “sound effects” as a cartoon, consisting in making the text almost audible by work on lettering, coloring, the provision and the choice of the onomatopoeias.

The immense success gained by the adventures of Gaston will be worth to them to be adapted to the Cinéma, in 1980. The film will not have any success, and will be repudiated by Franquin, which had not taken part besides in the project. " What a horror! he will exclaim later. I never saw an adaptation of successful data base to the cinema. These are two kinds which do not get along: a character as Gaston is amusing because its graphics brings humor. "

The last album, published in 1996 after years of absence of the character, still gained a colossal success. Franquin worked on Gaston until the end of his life.

Franquin scenario writer

The Années 1970 see Franquin being released little by little from the constraints of the traditional cartoon for child, building a more personal universe and being tested with other modes of expression.

Isabelle: 1978 - 1986

Writing the stories for a long time that it draws, he becomes thus very naturally scenario writer, initially in 1978 for the series Isabelle , initiated in 1972 by Will, Yvan Delporte and Macherot. The adventures of Isabelle proceed in an oneiric universe, sometimes worrying but often amusing, where sorcery and poetry are as important as the puns and derision. Franquin ensures the general screen, Delporte the dialogs - and thus the word games! -, and Will the drawing. All that gives a series to horse between the universes of the childish and adult data base, mélant poetry and second degree.

Franquin collaborates on albums 3 to 7, the series finishing without him at the end of the 10th number. These albums are very required still today by the amateurs of Franco-Belgian data base of the years 1960-70.

Old-fashioned Arnest and the mole Augraphie : 1978 - 1982

Franquin will then again exert the role of scenario writer, at the sides of Yvan Delporte and of the draftsman Jannin - then beginning -, for the contentions of Arnest Ringard and the mole Augraphie , in 1978.

This series, telling the adventures of a Garden trying by all the means of getting rid of a invading Mole, will be the object of several accounts published in Spirou, then of an album published in 1981. Janin will then continue it without the contest of its prestigious scenario writers.

Signatures, monsters, titles and various illustrations

Franquin made enormously drawings covers and independent drawings, out of any series data base It is of course the newspaper of Spirou which used its services the most. It realized there, only or in collaboration, more than 700 covers, like nearly 600 illustrations (presentations of events, publicities, advertisements, illustrations of chronicles and reports, etc) in which are often used its characters. He in addition episodically worked with other reviews of cartoons ( Icy Fluide , (TO BE FOLLOWED) , Circus ) and occasionally collaborated in many Fanzine S, which enabled him to carry out a multitude of imaginary creatures more or less hideous and amusing. A collection entitled Cauchemarrant gathers some of these “small monsters”, as well as a collection with limited pulling entitled a Monster per week , but a great number of these drawings remain new in album. Some of these Portrait S of monsters would have been carried out with a generous use of the photocopy to force the features.

That they are its regular series or within the framework of these various illustrations, Franquin often sought to slip of the amusing or ironic details, not always visible at the time of the first approach. This characteristic gave place to the one of the most curious collections of drawings: a collection entitled Signed Franquin , beginning again more than 200 signatures. He indeed had fun to sign various bands in a funny way, taking again the topic of the band in a tiny drawing appearing his signature.

In the same spirit, but all the same more traditional, an album entitled the Illustrated Trombone gathers the titles of this magazine, which each one constitute a little story.

The " period noire" : 1977 - 1982

The illustrated Trombone

In 1977, one sees appearing in the center of the Journal of Spirou a curious supplement of 8 pages called, the Illustrated Trombone . It is about a kind of “parasite” of the newspaper (with the direction biological of the term), carried out in a semi-clandestine way in its cellars and fastened inside. Y appear of the very unusual and even subversive things for the time: black humor, mockeries directly directed towards the catholic Religion …

Gone up by Yvan Delporte and Franquin, joined rapidemement by several other draftsmen from which some come from other editors, the purpose of this experiment is to break with the politically correct one which remains the rule with the Journal of Spirou. As Franquin will tell it: " It was impossible to approach certain topics in Spirou. However, I had evolved/moved, I needed some. One glorifiait, at the time, the warlike acts, one explained us how to mount models of fighters, one published publicities for the army. Me, I wanted that one tackles there subjects like the ecology, the Féminisme… "

But, as one had to expect it, the Trombone does not like everyone, far from there… The tone of the " only newspaper with packing perdu" cause reaction very virulent: the editor association of Spirou hates, like several famous draftsmen of the newspaper. One even tries to censure several articles, in particular on publicity or the sects. Franquin and Delporte thus give up, at the end of 30 numbers, the Trombone , to try to impose a similar idea at Casterman, with pages entitled " During this time with Landerneau" in the magazine of data base " In Suivre". But the editor more does not taste this type of humor, and the two friends throw sponge quickly.

black thoughts

In the Illustrated Trombone, Franquin starts a new series, the Black thoughts, which represents a radical rupture with all its former work. Wearied conventions of the Franco-Belgian data base, it is expressed there in a new way, always funny but much more aggressive.

In a drawing in black and white, with a large-scale use of black flat tints, Franquin denounces with ferocity the sordid aspects of our company. Its favorite targets are the military profiteurs, hunters, , the presumptuous ones, the polluting company , the spectacle, the Religion, and perhaps also the Mankind in general. With the image of the drawing, humor is very black, the characters often die. The unit creates a nightmarish feeling, evoking a universe where clearness does not exist any more. However the analogy remains possible with last work of Franquin: " The Black thoughts, it is a little Gaston soaked in suie" , he during an interview for will explain Libre Belgique. In the same spirit, a board carried out for Amnesty International and presenting a Gaston tortured by totalitarian soldiers will appear in 1979 in the collection Cauchemarrants .

After the end of the illustrated Trombone , the Black thoughts continue in icy Fluide, newspaper directed by Gotlib, admiror and friend of Franquin. An about sixty boards will be thus published, before being published in album in 1981. By its pickling humor, the quality of the drawing and its originality, this series is often regarded as the chief of work of Franquin.

In 1982, this period very productive of Franquin is brutally stopped: succumbing again to the depression, Franquin ceases any work. It will not be raised before two years.

1984 - 1997: an agitated half-retirement

In 1984, to leaving two years of depression, Franquin goes back to draw Gaston, even if energy is also easy to find only formerly. There remains nevertheless an often frightening humorist: thus In " The Miter railleuse" , it puts in scene in a disrespectful way a bishop, appeared for the first time in the Illustrated Trombone .

In the Years 1980, the work of Franquin is largely recognized: a " Newspaper of Gaston" is published at the time of the 30 years of the character, in 1987, its gags are adapted to the Télévision, a statue of the Marsupilami is inaugurated with Charleroi… But Franquin, even if it does not give up his work, is tired. It resells in 1987 Marsupilami with a financier Monegasque, who creates the Editions " Marsu-Productions" and makes take again its adventures by other authors. This tiredness does not prevent Franquin from launching out in new and ambitious project…

Tifous

Childish universe created of all parts by Franquin for a animated series, Tifous represents an anecdote in the work of Franquin, but will however have an enormous importance for him. It indeed carries out for this project a colossal mass of work, at the point to lose little by little the contact with Gaston, whose publication becomes irregular. Three years during, Franquin works with eagerness, carrying out thousands of drawing which will give place to seven hours of cartoon, diffused to the Télévision in 1990.

But success is not with the height of the investment: victims of a skimped budget, Tifous make failure, and are quickly forgotten of the public. There remains about it only one album published in 1990: Tifous , at Dessis Editor.

Gaston expensive pays this attempt at incursion into the world of the cartoon: having lost the rate/rhythm necessary to the production of a weekly gag, Franquin gives up finally its favorite hero, whose last blunder, the n°909, appears in the " Spirou" n°2776 of June 26th 1991.

Last years

In 1992, Franquin yields to Marsu-Productions its rights on most of its work, of which Gaston Lagaffe, his monsters, and the Black thoughts . It however does not cease any work, and tells during interviews at which point it still likes to draw. Recognized like one of very large of the Cartoon, medal-holder in 1991 about Léopold, have been equivalent Belgian of the Légion of honor, it finds in 1996 the full glare of the medias, at the time of the publication of the album n°15 of Gaston, awaited for ten years by its fans. The album is an immense success: 650.000 specimens are exhausted by it in less than six weeks!

This album will be the last: the January 5th 1997, André Franquin dies of the continuations of a Infarctus, close to Draguignan, in the Var. It leaves a great sorrow, but especially an immense work which influenced in a major way the Franco-Belgian cartoon, and even world.

Others

Curiosity

André Franquin inspired a character of depressive draftsman unable to draw another thing that monsters (which he believes being a faithful representation of reality) in an album of Achille Talon, Achille Talon and the monster of the Pond Tacule (in the title of which certain bad spirits see a Contrepèterie).

In 1967 Franquin will work near Peyo on the album Schtoumpfs and the cracoucass: it will draw the large aggressive raptor which terrorizes, throughout this history, the village of the small blue heroes. Little time before Peyo had come to assistance of Franquin on the Panade album of Champignac.

The Black thoughts become the Pink Idées , at Jean Lafitte in Geneva (begun again Slowburn with Marcel Gotlib, dated 1977 at Futuropolis).

Le Monde de Franquin

Of October 2004 to August 2005, the Quoted of Sciences and Industry of Paris accommodate a great exposure on the work of Franquin, comprising technical boards and objects. This same exposure is transposed in its entirety to the Autoworld to the Cinquantenaire to Brussels of October 2006 to April 2007.

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