Golden-haired reporter Tintin, whose adventures were first published in a Belgian newspaper as a pullout section for kid.
Did you know that Belgium has more comic book artists per square kilometres than anywhere else in the world? Tintin, Smurfs, and even Hercule Poirot hail from the land
Published: Fri 2 Jun 2017, 9:19 PM
Last updated: Fri 2 Jun 2017, 11:26 PM
My first impression of Belgium came from Agatha Christie's books and mystery series, featuring the best-selling detective Hercule Poirot. The eccentric Belgian detective appeared in 33 novels, one play, and more than 50 short stories. Also, he was the only fictional character to ever receive an obituary on the front page of The New York Times.
The image of actor David Suchet, who portrayed the character in the hit TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot, is ingrained in my head as the man with the moustache, who is famous for using his "little grey cells" to solve crimes and often hilariously repeats the correction concerning his nationality saying, "No, no, monsieur, I am NOT French, I am Belgian!" The character is extremely punctual and carries a turnip pocket watch, and is fastidious about his personal finances - attributes he credits to his Belgian roots.
Besides Poirot, there are other pop culture icons from the country that are mainstream. Known as the centre for the ninth art (comics), Belgium has more comic book artists per square kilometres than anywhere else in the world. It is here that the comic strip grew from a popular medium into an art in its own right.
The country is the home of Tintin created in the late 1920s by the "godfather of Belgian comics," Hergé (aka Georges Rémi) and the Smurfs, created by Peyo. The Adventures of Tintin was first published in a Belgian newspaper as a pullout section for children, and has been translated into 80 different languages and has sold over 350 million copies. The comics follow the life of the golden-haired teenage Tintin, a Belgian reporter and his dog Snowy, who are surrounded by a cast of nefarious characters. The comics successfully became the prototype for many comic strips to follow suit, in terms of style, use of speech balloons, and the method of using a first appearance in a newspaper and then moving on to comic books. The series has been admired for its expressive drawings and a variety of genres such as swashbuckling adventures with elements of fantasy, mysteries, as well as political commentary. Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg adapted the character for the film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in 2011.
The other popular Belgian creation are the Smurfs, the funny little blue characters everybody knows and loves. They live in a cute little village with mushroom houses that are protected by magic. They were initially introduced in another comic book series, but quickly became the heroes of their own comics. There are more than a hundred Smurf characters, and their names are based on adjectives that highlight their characteristics, such as jokey smurf, grouchy smurf, lazy smurf, and more. Their nemesis is a wizard named Gargamel, who sometimes wants to turn them into gold or wants to eat them, and their adventures are always fun to read.
Comic books are ubiquitous in Belgium and over 40 million comic books are published in the country every year. You can also find dozens of specialised shops, statues, wall paintings, and museums dedicated to the art. And these internationally recognised characters have become the pride of Belgium and are enjoyed by people from all over the world, regardless of age.
Dubai-based Belgian expat Tibo Pauwels says, "Everybody associates comics with Marvel or DC, but for us, Belgians, its more than that. It's a way of life. It's something both kids and adults enjoy. Characters like Tintin and Smurfs are an integral part of the country and I take pride in the fact that I come from the land of such incredible art as well as humour. We love putting a smile on people's faces!"
deepa@khaleejtimes.com
Deepa is a proud geek and an unabashed Harry Potter fan
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